My First Mother's Day

This past weekend was very special for our family.  I've been looking forward to it for months now!  Not only was Sunday my very first Mother's Day, but it was also the day that we dedicated our sweet baby girl to the Lord.  We also had several other exciting celebrations, but I'll get to that a little later.

We didn't arrive in Tallahassee until after midnight Friday night.  Unfortunately, Matthew wasn't able to leave work early that day, so we didn't even get on the road until almost 6:00.  It was a late night for sure, but I was so excited about the upcoming weekend that I didn't even notice how tired I was. 

Saturday I got up early and made a trip over to see my BFF Betsy's brand new baby boy, Elijah!  I have been dying to get my hands on him since he was born a week and a half ago.  He seemed sooo tiny to me, despite the fact that he's a good bit bigger than Kyndall was when she was born.  I just cannot remember her ever being that small. 



You can see more adorable pictures of sweet baby Elijah here, on Betsy's blog.  Check out the awesome collage that she made!  It almost makes me want to hurry up and have another baby just so that she can make one for me!  It's beautiful!!

That afternoon my Grandparents came to Tallahassee so that my Mom could treat me, my sister, my Grandma and herself to a girls night out!  We left Kyndall with the guys (scary!) and the four of us girls headed out for a Mother's Day celebration. 



We had a delicious dinner together and then went to see The Sound of Music, which was put on by the Bainbridge Little Theatre.  Our cousin Jennifer Basford Barineau had the lead role as "Maria".  It was WONDERFUL!  We enjoyed it so much and Jennifer did an awesome job and totally stole the show!  After it was over, she was completely mobbed with people wanting to speak to her and take her picture, but I managed to squeeze my way up to the stage and get a picture of my own with my amazingly talented, stunningly beautiful cousin!



Sunday morning was very special for our family.  Before Kyndall was even born, I contacted the childrens' director at my home church in Tallahassee and asked her if I could reserve Mother's Day as Kyndall's baby dedication day.  I wanted her to be dedicated at Morningside Baptist Church, which is the church that I grew up in and it's like a second home to me.  It's also the church where Matthew and I were married three years ago.  Although we no longer live in Tallahassee, there was never any question of where she would be dedicated when the time came.  We were so blessed to have over 20 of our family members come to the service to be a part of Kyndall's special day.  It meant so much to us to have each of them there, as we committed Kyndall to the Lord. 

I couldn't resist taking a picture of the tag that was on Kyndall's dedication dress.  I thought it was fitting, considering she is a Princess! =)

Just before leaving for the church, Nonie and Poppie gave this special gift to Kyndall.  Both silver pieces are engraved with Kyndall's name and the date of her dedication.  Nonie wanted Kyndall to carry the rattle with her onto the stage as a special part of her dedication.  You can't see it in the pictures, but she had a tight grip on it the entire time!



Pastor Brian read from Deuteronomy chapter 6, and presented each of us with a certificate of dedication, Children's Bible for Kyndall, and a parenting book by the wonderful Dr. James Dobson.  Once all of the families were on stage, the entire church stood, as the Pastor prayed a prayer over the children and parents.  It was a very special day that we will always remember.  This day was not a baptism, but rather a symbol of our commitment to raise her according to God's principals.  We look forward to the day when Kyndall is old enough to understand her Savior's love for her and ask Him into her heart and live her life for Him. 



Here are a few pictures of Kyndall with her Great Aunt and Uncle and her cousins on Matthew's side of the family...

After the church service, we went back to my parents' house for a yummy Mother's Day lunch.  Big thanks to my Mom for sacrificially spending her Mother's Day hosting, cooking and cleaning up for everyone.  Before lunch, we snapped a few (ok a LOT) of pictures of our family with Kyndall on her special day!





My Mom's new dining room looked beautiful for the occasion and she even served us lunch on her fine china and crystal!

I had a cake made for Kyndall's special day and it was just as yummy as it was pretty!  The scripture that I chose for the cake is the same scripture that we have used for Kyndall since before she was born.  It's the same verse that is painted on the wall above her crib and the verse that we used on her birth announcement. 

After lunch, it was time for gifts.  Kyndall was very blessed to receive several very nice gifts from friends and family for her dedication.  We also exchanged Mother's Day gifts, and even celebrated my Mother-in-law's birthday and my Dad's birthday, which are both coming up in the next week!  It was a day of true celebration!  So many wonderful occasions all wrapped up into one day!

Even though she's not a Mommy yet, we couldn't leave out Aunt Kelly!  Afterall, she's like a second Mommy to Kyndall!

Kyndall knew just the perfect gift to get me!  She gave me this cool new gadget to help me make even MORE bows for her!

We surprised Nonie with this cake for her 50th birthday!  We kept it hidden until after everyone was finished opening their gifts.  I think she was really surprised!

Needless to say, there was PLENTY of cake to go around!!!  Thanks so much to Candace Antosz for making these adorable cakes!  They were a big hit!

What a great weekend!!  So many special memories made and so many more to look forward to!  I am so blessed to be Kyndall's Mommy.  She is my heart and I can't imagine my life without her.  She is my greatest accomplishment and what I'm most proud of.  I can only hope that as she grows up, she and I can have as great of a relationship as me and my own Mom have.  I think her drool covered onesie says it all....