Triniti's Dedication to the Lord...

*Before I begin with Triniti's dedication to the Lord yesterday at Church, I wanted to sneak in a picture of her with a special t-shirt my parents got her the last time they were here (when she was first born). The t-shirt probably won't fit Triniti properly until she's 5 years old (haha), but we put it on her anyway since we were getting ready to head out to the Homewood Aurelio's for some yummy pizza on Saturday night...



*The next few pictures were taken at home yesterday morning, before Triniti's dedication at Church...

~Triniti is so tiny to begin with, and then she gets put next to her Daddy and she looks even tinier!!!~




~Very proud Gram and Pappaw above and below~





*And now on to the actual dedication. Thanks to CJ's cousin, Cedalia, and our wonderful photographer friend, Michelle, for taking these pictures below. For those of you reading this that are questioning why our Church does a baby dedication instead of a baptism or christening, I'd like to quickly explain. Our Church believes that infants should not be baptised, but rather wait until they are old enough to know and understand the true meaning of why they are being baptized (to be fully immersed in water and be born again to Christ once he/she has accepted Christ as his/her Lord and Savior...I was 12 when I was baptized). Our Church dedicates babies unto the Lord, meaning that the parents agree before God and the Church to raise their child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. So yesterday CJ and I agree, in front of God and our Church, to raise Triniti in Church, teach her about God, and lead by a Godly example.


~Here I am reading two scripture verses that we wanted to apply to Trintiti's dedication. The first one was given to me by CJ's Mom during my pregnancy. It is from Psalm 22:10, and it says, "I was given over to you at birth; you have been my God from my mother's womb." That verse spoke so much to me during my pregnancy, as well as when Triniti was born. I truly believe that Triniti knew God while she was still inside of me...and she will come to know God in a different way when she gets older. The second verse was given to us by my sister after Triniti was born. She made Triniti a scrapbook and put this verse on the very last page. It's from 1 Samuel 1:26-28 when Hannah is dedicating her son Samuel back to the Lord (as CJ and I did yesterday with Triniti). It says, "...I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and since the Lord gave me what I asked Him for, I now give this child to the Lord. For as long as she lives, she is given to the Lord."

~Above, I was talking about how CJ and I were so blessed to be raised in a Christian home, and we both came to know Christ as our Lord and Savior at a very young age.~



~Above, CJ's Grandpa is praying for Triniti and us.~

~Above, my Dad is praying.~

~CJ was actually the first one to pray (the pictures are slightly out of order...sorry)! One of the key things CJ prayed was that instead of telling Triniti to "Do as I say," we would tell her to "Do as I do," and that we would lead by a Godly example for her to do the right things.~



~Above, our Pastor is praying~


~Above, CJ's Auntie is praying~

~Above and below, our friend Clair is praying~


*CJ and I would like to thank all of our family and friends who came to support us yesterday. We don't make a huge ordeal out of this with a party or celebration, but we celebrate in our hearts for the meaning that is involved when dedicating a child back to the Lord. We know that Triniti is not ours; she completely belongs to the Lord. We are so thankful that He chose us to be her earthly parents, and our prayer is that we have wisdom in how to raise her in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. By giving her back to the Lord yesterday, we put our faith and trust in Him that He will do with Triniti whatever He sees fit. We pray that she will live a Godly life and choose to follow Christ at a very young age...that she will be an example of Christ to her friends and to the world...that she will know the ways of the Lord and will seek Him first all of her days. We ask that everyone upholds Triniti in prayer...as well as CJ and me as we continue to raise her the way Christ intends.