Holy Water

Helen Grace was dedicated to the Lord on September 26th, and we had a wonderful celebration! I apologize in advance for the amount of pics- I couldn’t choose just a handful.

An important note:  Bubba made this christening dress for us years ago before we started talking about babies. It made me a little teary to finally see my baby girl wearing it after years of seeing it hanging in the closet. I hope for it to be a dress that can be passed from generation to generation and be worn by many many children in our family.

Baby Girl all dressed up with her daddy before mass. The pics you really should have seen where us in the family bathroom at the church trying to get this child in the slip and dress that was twice as long as she was- hilarious! Grandma Jeanne and Geggy gave Helen Grace a beautiful claddagh bracelet for her baptism. Ms. Jeanne was smart enough to think to tie it onto her sleeve so that it didn’t disappear throughout the night. You think she’s done this a time or two before, uh?? Geggy was a reader in mass that day- how special! She has a magical voice, and during HG’s days at their house, Geggy will hold her and whisper all kinds of stories in her ear. HG will just smile and laugh- she loves to hear Geggy talk and share her secrets with her!  Nervous family before mass- well, maybe just nervous mama, but I had no clue what was going on! Adickes Thomas, Emily Nail, Leighton and Rebecca Thomas, Me, Helen Grace Getting ready to get wet She was ok with the water until it pooled in her eyes- then she let Father Ed know that she was over it! (Father Ed also married us a little over three years ago.)Anointing with oil on the forehead and blessing of the ears by Father Ed Helen Grace’s wonderful godparents- my aunt Gloria and Bill and Michael Egner. Helen Grace wore the claddagh bracelet, as well as a gold bracelet that belonged to me as a baby. It was engraved with “DeSha” on one side, and my mom had “HGT” added to the other side. All the girl cousins had to get a look at Helen Grace afterward. “What is that slimy stuff on her head??” Hastings and Hayes Hasseltine and Grace Ann EskriggeMoma hosted a get together at her house afterward. Yuummmmmy and beautiful cake by Michelle! And they had the Crepe Maker too…wonderful catering idea if you are looking for something creative and fun…and delicious!I wanted a pic of her adorable bloomers made by Sweet Stitches, and this is what her daddy did to her. Sorry, HG!Cousin William (pronounced Wee-yum)My mom made these awesome coasters at Shutterfly, and she put them around on tables as favors. She didn’t intend to have these specific picture coasters next to the tea signs, but hey, the truth hurts! ;) Mysteriously, the coasters were switched when Ms. Jeanne discovered it- ha! Moms are so loyal!Spif, the hostess with the mostess, and Helen GraceReba gave us an adorable plate that everyone signed.  Big Red crooning to HG as she got sleepy. Ms. Jeanne and Bubba All the Helens William’s the closest thing I have to a twin- cousins born three months apart. Luckily, I’m the younger one! Heehee! RaychGotta kiss those cheeks!!!! John thought he’d do the same thing- but to Mama!We have had a wonderful night and are thankful for our baby girl and all our family and friends.Time to get comfy and head home. Grace Ann and Hastings were so very helpful getting HG into her pjs! I think this was the only time they were still all night long. ;)

Our Little Punkin’ in a Pumpkin Patch

What a fun afternoon! We have discovered Cedar Hill Farm (http://www.cedarhfarm.com/), thanks to some great advice about a fun pumpkin patch, and we are now HUGE fans! We didn’t quite know what to expect, but this place knows how to put on an awesome show.

First, we took a hayride out to the pumpkin patches (one for big pumpkins and one for baby pumpkins), and they also had a corn maze and a pirate ship for the kiddos out there. After scouting for the perfect pumpkin, we checked out the playground and hay bale maze and visited the cafe for a cool treat. We sat in rockers on the porch and enjoyed some ice cream.  Then, we walked through the petting zoo (which was very animated and educational), and we just missed the pig races. Can you believe they had pig races?! Wild! We wrapped up our visit with a stop in the market/barn and picked out an albino pumpkin. They also had tons of gourds, mums, hay bales, etc.

We had such a fun family day, and I would go back a million times this fall if John wouldn’t make so much fun of me! They are open basically year round, so I hope to get back there for Christmas, Easter, etc. Oh, a P.S. for all my adventurous readers, they have a paintball course that John is secretly dying to try out. Please let him know if you’d like to go check it out. He would love to go! One recommendation I would make if you plan on visiting Cedar Hill Farm…wear tennis shoes. John found a friendly fire ant that attacked his left foot- eek!

Bouncy, Bouncy, Bouncy

With Helen Grace being so independent now and wanting to sit up like a big girl and look around, we thought it was time to try a jumper. To be honest, I think I was more excited than she was! It arrived at our door yesterday, and John put it together and we dropped her in there. She looked at us like, “What? You just put me in here and then stand there and look at me? What is going on here?!” Since her legs were too short, we tried to put something underneath her to give her some support to push off of. She ended up not being very impressed with the jumping part, but she loved to gnaw and slobber on the pretty red seat.

This morning (after a wonderful time dancing around at our first Kindermusik class- so glad there weren’t cameras in there!), we tried it again. Mama found a shorter pillow so that she had more room to move her legs, and she really took to it. She was trying out her voice and her legs at the same time- watch out! She still loves to chew on the seat, but now she is actually jumping. I got some great video from it as well, but I had my camera turned up and down so I’ll post it when I figure out a way to watch it without turning your head to the side! :)

Take One: “What are you doing to me, Mama & Daddy??”Take Two: “Ok, I might could get used to this…” “Yeah, I am digging this!!” 

Helen Grace was baptized last weekend!! Despite huge concerns with the MidSouth Fair being held next door to the church and with the constant rain for two weeks, the event went off without a hitch! Praise Jesus! Part of me hates that the fair hasn’t had the attendance that it had in Memphis, but on Saturday night at 5:00, I was elated that the traffic was nonexistent! Also, the rain finally cleared, and we saw blue skies! I had nightmares that HG would either spit up all over the priest or have a huge tantrum, but of course, she was a complete angel. My mom hosted a get-together afterward at her house, and we had such a good time enjoying each other and the beautiful weather. We asked Chad, a friend of Rachel Anglin’s, to come take pics for us so that we would have one major thing off our list. We are still waiting on the pics, so I will post more when I get them but here’s a preview…

 

Off to the pumpkin patch tomorrow to take some fun, fall pictures! I can’t wait to get out in this wonderful weather and play with my family!