Alia's Dedication

Sunday, November 5, 2006

Paul and I publically dedicated Alia to God and dedicated ourselves to raising her to love Jesus and serve Him. I posted a few pictures from yesterday as well. Alia was so cute in the dress her great-grandma made for her! It was a fun day! Praise God for Alia Chloe, the sweet little life He has allowed us to borrow for a time!

Here is the blessing Paul and I wrote for Alia:

Alia Chloe Kortman, you have been desired, created and chosen.

The God whom your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents serve, who has been God since before creation, formed you and entrusted you to us for a time. We are blessed to be your parents and now desire to bless you.

We have seen that God has gifted you with a spirit of determination, caring and laughter. You are unique, and you are loved.

Alia, there is one who wants you to drink deeply of all the world has to offer and will tempt you with many things. Always remember that you have been set apart since your birth. You are a daughter of the King; a holy princess. May all your actions and words be in keeping with your royal heritage.

May you come to know Jesus as your Jesus, your best friend, confidant, savior and master. Spend time with him each day - learn to trust him.

Seek the benefit of others before yourself and make the ways of God a benchmark for your life. Alia, be unafraid to share your Jesus with other people.

May you grow to be a woman of noble character and be found faithful in all that you do.

Above all, we pray that you will live long, seek Gods face, follow the Spirit’s leading, and be a blessing to others.

Amen

What's New Pussycat?

Alia's 3rd tooth popped through this morning...4th doesn't look far behind. Her new favorite food is squash...especially if we mix it in with her homemade rice cereal--yum!! New favorite book is "My Big Animal Book" with large colorful pictures--especially likes it when mom does the animal sounds. She doesn't have a favorite toy right now. She seems to be transitioning away from her baby toys so I am starting to give her household objects to play with--wooden spoon, spatula, chip clip, empty yogurt container, pots & pans (for all you Dog Train fans out there), canning rings, and anything else not nailed down that is safe for her to explore. My philosophy is that if she can touch it later when she is older then she can play with it now (within reason). Ex. Not allowed to touch the toilet brush later so can't play with it now....WILL use a potatoe masher later so she CAN play with it now.

She is getting all over the house scooching on her belly while pulling herself along by her arms and pushing with her toes. She has been up on her hands and knees 5-6 times but not any forward movement associate with that yet--just a lot of rocking back and forth.

We are really looking forward to her dedication at church this Sunday. What a special time. We (okay, I) got a little weepy pondering on her life and the blessing God gave us in her! God is so good!

Paul's 6 month review at work went well on Wednesday and my eBay store continues to grow and as I develop new aspects of it (I'm having a ton of fun working from home!!!). I made my first International sale last week so I got good experience with the customs process. I have a little over 100 items at this point but I add anywhere from 10-30 each week.

My biggest challenge right now is to continue to balance everything in a healthy way...housework, my store, play/learn time with Alia, cooking, etc. So far so good. Paul has helped that by showing me some technology shortcuts that are helping me stay organized and on task. I live by to-do lists right now!

Well, I have to go.....a mother's work is never done!