the joys of raising jack, jovie & judah: Jovie's Baby Dedication

* i've been waiting to post this until i could get a good picture of Jovie in her dress. well, it just hasn't happened yet. so, i'll keep working on it & post the picture when i can get it!

Jovie Claire was dedicated to the Lord on Mother's Day at our church. it was such a sweet time. what a blessing to give our beautiful girl back to Him. she is truly a precious gift from God & we know that we can fully trust Him with our girl.

as a parent, its hard to not worry about your kids. i know i do. i want them to be healthy, happy safe & Jesus followers. i only care about those things. as a mom, i want to take care of every issue in their little lives. i try to make things better, help them get comfortable, keep them healthy & keep them safe. its difficult for me to think about not being able to do those things in any capacity. however, because i belong to the Lord, i can have peace. i know that He is the giver & sustainer of life. He has a divine plan for each of my children. i don't have to worry or be afraid. Jack & Jovie are His before they are mine. i may not always love the things that are happening in their lives but i can trust that His way is greater than mine. i don't have to worry about their futures because He is already there. this all sounds good, but i have to be reminded of it daily. i'm still human & the mommy worry comes out in me a little too often. trust me.

Kim, a lady from our church, put together a sweet video of the babies that were being dedicated. each of the parents submitted a few pictures of their babies along with some basic info about them. i loved the way it turned out. i sat in the service & watched the video with tears in my eyes. i was just so overwhelmed with gratitude for Jovie's part in our family. it also reminded me of dedicating Jack to the Lord just 9 months ago. my oh my, 2 baby dedications in that short of a time makes for one emotional momma!

Jovie was given the sweetest Precious Moments bible. i had one of these growing up & i was thrilled that she got one too! i'm going to have her name engraved on it & save it for the day she is old enough to use it. i can't wait! we stood before the church & offered Jovie back to the Lord. Ben & I had already done this before she was born but it was refreshing to commit her to Him before our sweet church family.

my parents, sisters & their husbands, brothers & grandmother came to the service. Ben's parents were also there. we were so thankful to be surrounded by family. after the service our church held a small reception. then we all headed to lunch at Olive Branch Catfish Company, so yummy. once we got home, all 4 of us took a nap. it was much needed.

Thank You Lord for our precious Jovie Claire. we love her more than she will ever understand. but we know that she belongs to you first. help us to love her & raise her in a way that is honoring to you. please keep her, guard her & protect her. draw her to yourself at a young age & help her to follow you with all of her heart. thank you for the unique plan you have for Jovie's life. and thank you for loving her enough to give of yourself so that she could know you. we are so blessed by her little life. amen.

we love you Jovie Claire. so very much.