what a day!

Today was a special day. Yes, it was Mother's Day and it was special for that reason, of course. I was showered with hugs and kisses, cards and flowers and everyone in my house acknowledged that I was the "Best Mom in the World!" But today wasn't about me. Today was about something much more important than me. Today was about her:

Family gathered. Friends gathered. Our church family gathered. They all gathered today to share a part in one of Chloe's most important babyhood experiences. Her dedication to the Lord. This is such an important event for her, and for us, as her parents. It's our moment to give Chloe back to Him, her Creator. To proclaim that we are dedicated to fulfill our purpose as her parents. and to teach her God's most important commandments. To teach her how to love God, above all, and to serve Him in all she does.

We stood on stage as a family, along with our Pastor, and he read aloud the life verse we chose for Chloe.

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the LORD CHRIST you are serving."

He also said a specific prayer for Chloe and for our family. It was a brief, but very special, moment for us. Aside from a little mischief on stage (you know the ol' saying, "a picture's worth a thousand words?" Look again. There's mischief all over this picture and that wasn't the worst of it), all went well.

What made the morning even more special is that Ella was specially asked to sing in a small choir for Mother's Day. They sang the song, "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord," and it was absolutely heart-melting to watch.

Ella was the youngest child by almost 2 years, though you wouldn't know it by looking at the picture because she's soooooo tall (I'm 5' 2" and born into a family where there's an average height of 5'3". She most definitely gets this trait from her Daddy's side of the family. We joke that she'll be taller than me by the time she's 8 years old)!

For being shy by nature, Ella was so comfortable on stage. She did such a wonderful job singing the song and I was so proud of her. There was a little nose picking and belly scratching, so I best be working with her on her stage etiquettes.

Lunch for our entire family (including grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts and one great-uncle) was at our house following the church service. We had a blast, grilling burgers and just hanging out. You wouldn't know we had any company at our house today because we don't have any pictures to prove it! You almost can't blame me, though. I was too busy taking pictures of HER...

Great-Grandma Arlene and Great-Grandpa Evans made Chloe's day by buying her some new, soft blocks to play with!

She'd work tirelessly at grabbing these blocks, and then plop her head down on top of the block once she'd get it in her hands. It would proceed to pop out of her little hands and the game would begin all over again.

She handled the day in stride and wore a smile all day long...between naps, that is!