“Child of blessing, child of promise, baptized with the Spirit’s sign; with this water God has sealed you unto love and grace divine.

Child of love, our love’s expression, love’s creation, loved indeed! Fresh from God, refresh our spirits, into joy and laughter lead.

Child of joy, our dearest treasure, God’s you are, from God you came. Back to God we humbly give you; live as one who bears Christ’s name.

Child of God your loving Parent, learn to know whose child you are. Grow to laugh and sing and worship, trust and love God more than all.”

This is one of my favorite hymns, and one that I’ve sung to Brittain since she was born. I have always liked the hymn, but it wasn’t until she came into my life that the words started to have a deeper meaning for me.

This past Sunday Brittain was baptized. The day couldn’t have been more perfect. All of the people that love her the most surrounded her. She wore a gorgeous baptism dress made by “Gramy”. She was truly a sight to behold…a perfect angel.

A few days before she was baptized I was talking to my mom, telling her that I had been envisioning her getting baptized, and each time I did, it brought tears to my eyes. She told me that when Cecilia was baptized she can vividly remember looking around and seeing that everything had sort of a white haze over it. As I stood up and watched Brittain as the preachers laid their hands on her head, I felt the same way. I stood there in awe of her, in awe of the responsibility I had been given, in awe of this child that God has blessed us with.

After the service, the celebration continued at Brittain’s home:

Kate Evans made a beautiful cake for Brittain’s special day:

For her first Halloween, Brittain chose to be a Red Hot Chili Pepper which her parents thought was very fitting.

Brittain asked us if we would take her to her friend, Emma Kate Kirkland’s house for the picture taking. As you will see, she thoroughly enjoyed it for the first few minutes, but then got very tired of her costume and longed to have her comfy sleeper back on.

Brittain proves she is a Red Hot Chili Pepper while Emma Kate continues to be her normal, innocent self:

We’re not sure if Brittain was still in character, of if she was upset that Emma Kate was being able to get out of her costume before her:

I am so thankful for my friends. As I’ve said many times before, having a baby has been the most wonderful change in my life. But, along with that, it has also caused a lot of feelings and emotions that have been stressful. The changes that your body goes through is such a huge part of it that many people don’t think about. Then, there’s the added stress of just learning to be parents. I believe the thing that has helped me the most have been my friends, especially the ones I have who have just had children.

My church has always been an important part of my life. Being involved in music there is one of the most enjoyable things I do with my time. There are 3 couples in the adult choir with me that Dan and I have become close with. All have children, 2 of them had babies within a month of Brittain’s birth. The other one is having a baby in February. Being able to spend time with these other couples is therapeutic for me. Being around others with as much sleep deprivation helps me to know that we all experience it…and all come out of it being semi-normal humans. It’s nice to know that we all have each other to call on no matter what we need or what we want to talk about. Again, it’s wonderful having good friends.

Last weekend we all got together at Kate and Justin’s house. Kate made some scrumptious food. We all hung out with the children and played Cranium. It was a great time and I look forward to more of these evenings together.

Leah Evans welcomes Brittain to her home:

Emma Kate Kirkland and her mommy:

Kate Evans takes time out from munching to pose with Robert for a quick picture:

Will Mulder sings a fight song (ring tone from his daddy’s cell phone)…um…can’t remember which one.

A candid shot of Will playing:

Brittain and I smile for the camera:

The three new mommies:

And the whole group: