Dedication and a First Birthday

On Saturday, June 25, 2011, Scott and I dedicated our son to God in the presence of our village of approximately 50 family, church and friends.

The festivities were held at the beautifully landscaped home of my parents, Elvin and Linda Burnell.

We were blessed with perfect weather as we finalized our preparations and greeted our guests.

 Scott and I formally welcomed everyone who had come to celebrate with us.

Then Matt Wentz sang "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" while accompanying himself on the guitar.

Tony Viscioni, the pastor of Ontario Free Methodist Church (our home church), shared biblical instructions to parents and then asked covenant questions of Scott and me, as well as those gathered with us.

Then Art Haring, who married us 10 years ago, prayed for blessings for our son as he was dedicated to the Lord.

My sister, Tanya, concluded the short service with a prayer of benediction.

Then the party began as we celebrated Abraham's first birthday, which was actually on June 17.  We ordered a special cake. . .

. . . as well as a small cupcake for Abraham to enjoy.

It was a wonderful day - both sacred and special.

 

And we are very grateful for the video and photography services graciously provided by Fred and Doris Coisman, a couple from our church, and my Uncle Rich Makino.

OBX 2011

We just returned from our most recent vacation to the southern Outer Banks.  Scott's family began vacationing there in the 1960s - long before it became a popular destination - and we have traveled there once or twice per year ever since we were married.  This photo captures one of Scott's earliest experiences on the beach while his father, Keith, fishes.

We tried to reproduce the photo with the next generation when we took Abraham to the Outer Banks for the first time last summer when he was just seven weeks old.

We enjoyed taking our new son to our perennial vacation destination last year.

But he spent most of his beach time like this.

This year was much more fun for him - particularly when he discovered he could crawl from his sheet on the sand . . .

. . . all the way down to the ocean water.

We bought Abraham a hat to match Daddy's.

And he sometimes wore both hats at once.

It was a fun, relaxing opportunity for our family to spend time together.

But we weren't alone.  Over the years we have had various family and friends accompany us, including Scott's parents, my Uncle Mark and Aunt Susan and their children, and - for the past seven years - our friends, Matt and Jodi Wentz, and their children Cooper, Jaci, Cori and Canaan.  Here's the group last year (minus me, the photographer).

And here are the children this year.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that notwithstanding all the photos on the beach, some or all of us spent a significant amount of time eating, reading, assembling puzzles and playing Settlers of Cataan.  Here's to next year with the hope that we have the same perfect weather we had this year!

April Showers Bring May . . . Showers?

Every spring we renew our attempts to tame our land and direct it toward what we deem to be useful purposes.  Sometimes I wish we had 100 acres, but then the work makes our 10 acres feel like 100 acres anyway, so I don't know why I wish for more. 

The record rainfall of April and May has not assisted; Scott has struggled just to keep this property and all the various apartment lawns mowed. 

Despite the obstacles, we do our best to move forward.  The orchard - or, more appropriately, what we one day hope will be the orchard - was planted.  If you squint, you can see the 12 saplings in the foreground - a mixture of plums, pears and peaches.

We also made a lot of progress toward fencing in approximately 6 acres.  Here you can see one of the man-gates and a corner of the fencing in front of the Ring of Fire (aka "Scott-henge").

Alas, it is not yet complete.  All of the fence posts have been driven into the ground, but if you look carefully in the background you can see that some of the rails are still missing.  We need these before we can graze any livestock, which is the ultimate goal.

We also expanded and planted the garden.  The main garden and its two new flanks for vine plants total approximately 3500 square feet.  Notwithstanding our efforts, I worry that the never-ending rain may have drowned our seeds this year.

Below are the blueberry bushes and raspberry vines.  They are also just getting started following their planting late last fall.  All but one blueberry bush seem to have survived the winter.

Last year we installed a vineyard, as well.  We put in 600 linear feet of Chancellor grapes.  This year each sapling is approximately 3 feet tall and should grow to be nearly 6 feet tall (the height of the post to the right).

Abraham was not always a happy participant in our efforts.  I'm sure he will be even less enthusiastic when he is a teenager.

He enjoyed a break with Daddy, however.

The spring hasn't been all work and no play.  My mom, Abraham and I went to visit Aunt Tanya in Chicago.  She has a lovely condo in Lincoln Park.

This spring also brought Abraham's first Easter.  Grandma Linda Evans bought him a cute sailor outfit to wear to church.

I also celebrated my first Mother's Day with Abraham.  And Abraham hit a major milestone when he learned to crawl.  He is enjoying his new mobility, and the accompanying freedom, which meant we had to add serious baby-proofing efforts to our never-ending to-do list. 

Finally, after nearly nine years with Jones Day (12 if you include summer internships) in Columbus and Hong Kong, I am starting a new job as in-house counsel with a firm client, Red Capital Group.  I look forward to the new challenges and rewards that will accompany this professional opportunity.

Sunny, Warm and 40

The weather was beautiful today - sunny, warm and breezy. 

And Scott turned 40. 

We sometimes wonder whether being older parents will prematurely age us or prolong our youth.  Based on this photo, I'll vote for the latter. 

I mean, how can you feel old when this is in your bathtub?

You can ask me again when Abraham is a teenager.  For now, you can see the joy he also brought to his grandmothers during our lunch celebrating Scott's birthday.