Eden's Dedication

On Sunday we had the privilege of dedicating our baby boy at St. Marks! It was a wonderful time and an encouragement to both of us to have so many of our church family present. While we missed our family in the States so much and would have given anything for them to have been there, we felt so much love from our friends here at church.

Eden is a future rock star…clearly, because he was chewing on Sean’s mic by the end. We thank God for our sweet boy and for the life he has ahead of him! It is such a joy to watch him grow and to think of how much the Lord loves him.

Object Permanence

Having a baby has taught me a few things:

• Do not leave exposed flesh within reach of a teething baby
• Do not think about accomplishing a task. The baby will find out and have strong feelings against it. 
• Once you have mastered the art of dressing a baby, you are now qualified to enter steer wrestling competitions at your nearest rodeo. 

We love our kid...but he is definitely a challenge. One of the most challenging things is the fact that he does not yet have the concept of object permanence. This means that whenever we leave a room, he is not sure we exist any more...and he wails.

So, is this just a rant or is there a spiritual nugget in there somewhere? Oh yes...just keep tracking with me.

There are so many times in my life when I’m just like Eden. God feels near and almost tangible in my life. Suddenly, when it seems like I am in a vulnerable place, I do not feel like He is on the scene like He should be.

Just like any human parent, God is always there. When I am near the door of Eden’s room as he’s crying in bed, I think about how God has His hand on my shoulder as I am going through any situation - He is watchful, patient, and loving. I would never leave Eden to cry on his own without my help close by. I cry on the other side of the door with him. God weeps with us when we weep and is happy for us when we feel happy. He loves us and will never leave us.

Now, if you’ll excuse me - the baby was notified of my productive blog-writing and has a few choice words for me. Later, friends.

Friends and Family

Just a quick family update for you.  

We’ve been in the states for a week now. It has been amazing to see friends and family, most of which are meeting Eden for the first time. We did a whirlwind tour of Oklahoma City attendingThe Bridge (our US home church) and speaking at Lakeside Church of God. Literally every waking moment was filled with coffee or food spending time with as many people as we could. If we missed you, please forgive us. We will try and catch more people next time around. 

We’re now in Nashville with my (Blake’s) parents, sister, and bro-in-law enjoying some time of rest. We miss our friends and home in Dublin so much, but I can’t tell you how cool it is to see our dear friends and family holding Eden for the first time. He is doing so well meeting all these brand new people. Thank you all for giving us the opportunity to introduce Eden to his family. 

We hope you are able to stop and enjoy friends & family this Christmas season. We pray you make wonderful memories and that God would bless you.  

We love and appreciate you all.