Dedication

Aaron and I have made every effort to follow the Lord the past two years. We have answered the call to ministry, Aaron has started seminary, and we are currently trying to sell the house so we can move to Dallas for Aaron to finish school. The past year has been somewhat stressful as the housing market is at a standstill, and our efforts seem to be unsuccessful. The past year was also difficult as just this last week we saw the one year anniversary of the miscarriage come. It is hard to believe that a year has passed since that time.

However, following the Lord has been truly rewarding in every aspect of our lives, predominantly with the birth of Levi. He has brought so much joy into our lives, and we truly thank the Lord for him everyday. Saying all that, when we found out we were expecting we took the responsibility of being parents very seriously. We have prayed about every decision concerning Levi to make sure it lines up with God's purpose for his life. We truly feel that the Lord has a mighty calling on Levi's life to do kingdom work, and our desire is for him to complete that work. Yesterday we dedicated Levi's life to the Lord. The Bible says that Jesus was dedicated after the time of purification (which was usually 30 days), so when Levi turned a month old on Saturday we decided to dedicate him the following day. We asked Pastor Randy to do the dedication at the last minute, and with no time to prepare he did a wonderful job. It is tradition at Prospect for the meaning of the baby's name to be given at the time of dedication. Levi literally means attached or a promise. Aaron means enlightened one. We named him Levi after the Levites. When the tribes of Israel were given their land, the Levites (the priest) were not given any land, but instead were told that their inheritance was in the Lord. This is what we prayed for Levi, that he would understand that his inheritance is in things above as we seek to serve the Lord, not earthly things. As he grows, we know that the spirit of the Lord will be upon him, and we look forward to seeing the great and mighty things the Lord is going to do through him.

*Family and friends reading this that weren't there, please know that we didn't leave you out on purpose. This was something we decided to do at the last minute while at the service (to line up with the 30 days). We plan on having him dedicated at Aaron's parents church as well in the next couple of weeks.

1 Month

Levi turned a month old on Saturday. I can't believe how fast the time is going by, and how fast he is growing. I tried weighing him the other day, and he was 10.4 pounds according to the scale. That is almost 3 pounds since birth! In his first month of life, Levi has already made several accomplishments. He can roll from his back to his side (when he is feels like it), focus his eyes on an object (of his choosing of course), he has started sleeping better a night usually only waking once to feed, and he can hold his head up for a few seconds. He still sleeps quite a bit during the day, but when he is awake he is very alert. He loves to ride in the car, and has started staying awake on trips and watching things out the back window. He also loves being outside and being in the sunshine. We enjoy every minute of our little mister, and are so proud of him.

Religion In America

I saw the following report last night and felt I needed to share it with everyone. In the report you'll see that many Americans are claiming to believe in God, but also believe that their belief is not the only way to heaven. The report also shows high percentages in the number of people who question whether or not God actually exist. The survey also showed that while many people believe in a heaven, very few believe in a hell. This explains the lackluster passion of Christians in the church today, and why Christians don't look and act any differently than the world. If there is no hell, then there really isn't a reason to live fully abandoned to our Savior. It seems that Americans are willing to compromise anything, even their eternity, to keep from offending someone. I was saddened by the survey, but honestly I wasn't surprised. We need to pray that America returns to the Lord.

Family Photos

This past Saturday my cousin-in-law, Stacy, took pictures of Levi. I just thought I'd post some of my favorites. She did an amazing job. If you want to check out more of her photography click on SCC Photography under our favorite links.

Happy Father's Day!

I just want to let all the Daddies in my life know how much I love them. Thank you for all you do, and for the blessing that you have been to me. I love you all. We had a wonderful Father's Day weekend. We were able to spend Saturday evening with Aaron's dad and Sunday afternoon with my dad. It was also an extra special Father's Day because it was Aaron's first. Levi & I are very blessed to have Aaron in our lives.

Happy Birthday Aaron!

To my husband on his birthday.....

I love the man you are...
I love your goofy side....
You rebel side...
Your cowboy side.... Your lovable side...Your ministry side....

Your Papa side....

Thanks for being my knight in shining armor.
.... and for being my best friend.

You are the greatest treasure I have ever found, and I thank God for you daily. Thank you for being the husband and father you are to me and Levi. We love you, and hope you have a fantastic birthday.

Our Boy

I just wanted to post a few new pictures of Levi. I love how he is looking at Aaron in the last one. Hope you all enjoy.