Baby Dedication

Our church has a wonderful program called Baby Dedication. It's not intended to be a baby baptism or christening, but instead, it's a special time with family where we commit to raising Kendall in a Christian home where she learns about God's love. It's also a time to ask our family to come alongside us in this and keep us accountable in our actions and in our walks with the Lord. We could only invite immediate family because of space constraints, but it was such a great time of asking our parents, siblings, and their significant others to come around us and hold us accountable as we raise Kendall.

Before the dedication, we had to do a little bit of "homework". There were several messages we listened to about parenting, marriage, and raising little ones to know Christ. We were then asked us to come up with five values and two habits that we want to make a priority in our home. Ryan and I really enjoyed completing this task. In fact, I think we're going to type them up, along with their longer explanation, and frame them in our home as a constant reminder.

What do we value as a family?
- A personal relationship with Christ
- Love, compassion, and respect for each other and those around us
- Generosity and service toward others
- Fun, laughter, and quality time as a family
- Open communication and honesty

What habits do we want to establish:
- Consistent Saturday family time
- Nightly prayer time with Kendall

We pray that the Lord will continue to guide us and teach us as we raise Kendall. Parenting is by far one of the hardest but most rewarding things we have ever done. We know that it is through God's guidance that we will be the parents that Kendall needs. We pray that other family and friends will also keep us accountable to these values.