Mckenna's Dedication

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
-Mark 10: 14, 16

Mckenna was dedicated at Bloomington Covenant Church last Sunday, February 22nd. It was a fun and very special day. We had many family members and friends with us, including Matt's parents from the Chicago area.

Matt and I helped with the praise music for the morning, so we had to be at church early to practice. Mckenna's two sets of grandparents hung out with her in the nursery while we were going over music, and when we were done she had fallen asleep and we put her in a crib to nap. I walked over to the crib to check on her, and this is what I saw. She's even being cute when she's "napping" - cute and smiley!


Up from her short rest and ready to go into the service. A side note about Mckenna's dress - I bought it before she was born for her to wear at Christmas. But when we were asked to play Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, the dress went by the wayside. But it's so cute, and I really was hoping she could wear it at some point... so this was the perfect event for it!


Linnea, Cam, Gwen, and Sonja sent Mckenna this bracelet in the mail. Linnea makes beautiful jewelry, and this looked just adorable on Mckenna and went perfectly with her dedication outfit. They couldn't be with us over the weekend because Cam had a class to attend for work in Chicago, but they were there in spirit.


Our Pastor, Tim Johnson, talked to the kids about what dedication means during the children's sermon. We thought it was neat that he explained it to them and then went right into the dedication, with the children watching on.


Both Pastors at BCC, Pastor Tim, and Pastor Greg Ellis, took part in Mckenna's dedication. They are both so wonderful!





After the service, family came over to our house for lunch. We of course had to get some family pictures!



I love how Mckenna is reaching out for Nemo in this picture... she can't get enough of her puppy!


After a long and full day, Mckenna was pretty pooped.


But of course, she woke up again soon and wanted to play some more! Here she is with Grandpa Craig.




Thanks to all of our special family and friends who joined us to celebrate the dedication and blessing of our sweet baby girl to God!

Gotta love her...

This past Saturday I went to a bridal shower for my good friend, Janna. This is an event that I've been looking forward to for weeks, not to mention what is sure to be the wedding of all weddings coming in just over a month. I'm so excited! The shower was held at Katie's childhood home. Katie is Janna's best friend and maid of honor, and they met and became friends 25 years ago, in kindergarten. The shower was hosted by Katie and Janna's other three bridesmaids - Rachel, Becca, and Mary Kate. Here are some pictures from our fun afternoon and evening.


The HAPPY bride-to-be! :)


Here are two of the four bridesmaids that hosted the shower - Rachel Verdoorn and Becca Mason. Rachel and Becca also happen to be sisters - very fun! Also on the couch is Janna's fabulous mom, Bev.


Who knew that 18 years after we met and became friends that we'd be sitting together at a shower celebrating one of our weddings? After many adventures, hair styles and colors, boyfriends, trips, summers at camp, life transitions, and more, we're still good friends. Isn't there something about an old friend that you've been through so many things with that is really so comforting? I think so.


Bring on the gifts! The theme for the shower was "Honeymoon at Home", and Janna got some really fun things! Isn't the wrapping on this gift cool? It is a breakfast in bed tray with bowls and mugs from Janna and Rob's registry, and a cute vase and flower. So creative!


Isn't this a CUTE apron? Karin, Janna's sister-in-law, is awesome at making cute clothes from what I hear, and made this for her shower.


This was my gift to Janna - a cute Betsey Johnson satin number, a couple of small candles, and a bottle of wine. That goes along with the shower theme, right? :)


Triple Threat... that's our nickname for the three of us - Abby, Janna, and Julie. We all played volleyball together in high school, and would often joke about how we were a triple threat to meet on the VB court... the nickname just kind of stuck! But seriously, the three of us have remained good friends over the years, and I was even lucky enough to get Abby as my sister-in-law. We always have fun when we're together!


After the shower we all went to downtown Minneapolis to have dinner at one of Janna's favorite hangouts, Maxwells. We had a great time chatting, and the food was great. I'm sitting next to Bev and Abby, and Janna is next to Karin (who made that cute apron) and her friend Megan, whom I also sang in the choir with at Bethel. The shower and after party were so fun, and I can't wait for the awesome wedding coming up in just a few short weeks!