Dedicating Luke to the Lord

Today was a very special day! We dedicated Luke to the Lord and made a commitment as parents to raise Luke according to God's word. Before I used to think that baby dedications were just a simple way to share with the congregation how cute your baby was and simply pray for them. The Lord has revealed to me that there is way more to it than that!

I now believe that baby dedications are as serious as a wedding ceremonies! This is commitment we are making as we stand before our church, friends, family and most importantly the Lord and admitting that we cannot raise Luke on our own. We need prayer and we need the Lord's help and guidance to raise Luke and we can't do it on our own! 

In a way I dedicated Luke to the Lord the day I found out I was pregnant. The morning I took a pregnancy test and saw that it was positive I took a walk by myself. It was a chilly november morning, Fred was still asleep and I needed some fresh air and needed to process what I had just found out. The chill air confirmed that it was not a dream, this was really happening. I just prayed the whole time as I walked. I was scared that this was going to end up as another miscarriage but the Lord was just putting it in my heart to pray. 

I prayed for Luke, back then the size of a poppyseed! I first acknowledged that Luke was not mine, he was the Lords. I had been given the privilege to borrow Luke and being the Lord's meant he could take him from me at any day. I prayed for his health, I prayed for his salvation, his purity, his future career, his spouse, I prayed for every day the Lord had prepared for him. 

Today I was reminded of that sweet prayer, a prayer that I have committed to continue. Im excited Fred and I get to introduce Luke to Jesus. We get tell him about how Jesus loves him so much and died for his sins and rose again! We get to introduce him to God's word! As exciting as it sounds its such an important and crucial job, which is why we need your prayers! We can't do this on our own!

Also!!!! Please pray for Luke's Kidney! 3 months ago I shared about his kidney, to read that click here. His doctors appointment is tomorrow, we scheduled this appointment months ago and what a coincidence that it happened to be the day after we dedicated Luke! Please pray that the ultrasound shows a healed kidney and no more baby Nemo! 

For I know the plans that I have for you...

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

How wonderful and true are the Lords promises. The 2010 picture was taken a couple of days before I found out I was pregnant and then miscarried. The 2012 picture was just a few weeks ago! In the last 2 years the Lord has led me through a beautiful bumpy journey full of tears, pain and despair to hope, joy and tears full of happiness! 

The Lord bringing Luke into my life is answered prayer. 2 years ago I knew that the Lord would carry me through, I knew he had a plan for me I just didn't know what that plan looked like. I didn't understand why he had me suffer and I still don't understand why back then it was not meant to be. All I know is that 2 years ago as I prayed for a child and didn't see myself today here with Fred and Luke this happy. Life with my family is better than what I expected and more than I deserve from the Lord.

As I continue to trust in him and hold tight to his promises I have a better understanding of God and how he is continually working in my life. As happy as I am today I know life is not perfect and we live in a fallen world, I know there will be sorrows and I know that no matter how rough life can get, God has a plan for me, to prosper me and give me hope and a future! 

As Thanksgiving approaches I am thankful for the Lords faithfulness, for hearing my prayers and blessing me with a beautiful family. But I am more thankful that the Lord sacrificed himself and died  on the cross for me that I may have everlasting life! Because of Jesus I can enjoy my life and family today and look forward to my eternal family with brothers and sisters and the Lord! Thank you Jesus!

Here we are with Fred's parents at the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm! Chilly day, pumpkins, hay-rides, feeding goats, lovely fall time!

Love the look on Luke's face!

With my punkin!

Thankful for this little guy!

Chillin with abuelito!

Riding the hay ride with abuelita and abuelito

Luke sure loves his abuelito!

My favorite guys!

 

"Feed me" face!

Going through a hay maze!

I have the best in-laws!

There was a no climbing sign but Fred is too cool!

Texans... Gotta love them!

Texas State Fair 2012

I was excited this year for Luke to meet Big Tex! I day dreamed about the day we would get to take Luke to the fair! When I was pregnant I would estimate how old Luke would be when we would take him. I romanticized in my head a picture of Fred and I holding Luke with Big Tex in the background...

And then what happens? The day before we decide to go to the fair... BIG TEX BURNS DOWN!!! Oh just my luck! Well our day at the fair was not ruined, it was actually pretty humorous being there the day after Big Tex passed. The news reporters were there, there was a memorial set up for Tex with flowers, people were sad, it was pretty absurd. But then we thought, I guess to these Texans the icon of Big Tex burning down would be the equivalent as if the Disneyland castle in California burnt down or if Mickey Mouse caught on fire from the fireworks shooting out of his fingers during a Fantasmic show! Tragic! I think that would make me cry! So then I had a little compassion afterwards as a shoved my face with fried green tomatoes!  Here is Luke posing as Big Tex where he once stood.

It was fun going with the Hilton's, they are great! We even combined our left over tickets to get a lemonade and drank it from the same straw, gross, but we're like fam! We also made a bet on how many compliments Luke was going to get on his hair, I think he ended up getting like 14! I'm glad we got to share Luke's first time there with them!

At one of the booths where they sell all the crap you don't need I convinced Fred to buy me a whisk! Yes a whisk... Out of all the cool useless stuff they sell I choose a whisk? I guess it was super cool at that moment, she sold us when she made froth out of milk in like 60 seconds tipped the cup upside down and the froth didn't fall out! Amazing right??? I think we got caught up in the moment and Selina and I walked away with our magic whisks at hand and even bought one for Fred's mom! Now Selina and I both agree they don't even work that great!

My favorite part of the day was riding the ferris wheel! Did you know its the tallest ferris wheel in the U.S.A! Everything is bigger in Texas, even Luke! Every year Fred and I have been on together we have to share the gondola with complete strangers but this year we didn't and got to go on with our faves! The Lord is great, blessed us with a beautiful view of a Texas sunset while we were high in the sky! The little one was sleeping and ended up waking up just in time to snag a picture of him!

With sore feet and hungry stomachs we ended the night at Deep Ellum to eat Cane Rosso! I've been on a Neapolitan style pizza kick for days since Pizzeria Testa opened so it was the perfect spot! Cane Rosso was featured in Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives with Guy Fieri so I was super excited to try it! It lived up to the hype! I had the Delia with fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, spicy bacon marmalade and arugula, gahhh, my mouth is watering this very second! I need to go back! And when I say "I had.." I mean I ordered that pizza for myself! Oh and having Uncle Nick there paid off! We got a discount because he's a Dallas Firefighter! Luke also received the best compliment of the day by a group of ladies, they said "His hair says 'I'm a stud' his cheeks say 'I'm a baby!'" cracked me up! Luke sure is the babe magnet!

Well that was our super fun Luke's first Dallas day! Love all these memories we are making as a family, I'm one blessed mommy!

Papa Bear & Mama Bear

Staying cool in the shade!

Crepe Crazy! My fave!

Lukey waking up!

Dancing with mommy and crazy ladies in the background!

RIP BIG T

Tornado chasing car!

Foot massage!

Borden Cow

Drinking chocolate milk!

Lukeing around!

oh silly luke!

The Hilton's

Beautiful Dallas Sunset

Look above their heads!