modern garden: {welcome to the family}

Friday, June 14, 2013

{welcome to the family}

Last weekend Finola was baptized. In our family we do infant baptisms, and my dad, being a pastor, has been able to baptize all his grandchildren. I grew up sitting in the church pew watching countless babies have the water poured and the Word spoken as the Holy Spirit came upon them. Our church congregation would sing a song called "Welcome to the Family" as my dad would walk down the aisle with the sweet babe in his arms and show the baby to those lucky enough to have an aisle seat. As I got older this always made me tear up...hoping someday it would be my baby getting baptized.

Well, Dad retired before my babes were born...but I still got two amazing experiences. Cormac was baptized at 3 months old at the church my dad was preaching at in Prague in 2011. Dad walked with him and the congregation did sing "Welcome to the Family." Not exactly the same since it wasn't my familiar church congregation, but...I still cried. {check out the video one of their prague church members was kind enough to make for us here. Ignore my super frizzy hair and the fact that none of the words sync up. :D}

Finola was baptized at the park that Hubby and I were married at. We actually did it in the garden where we were supposed to have the ceremony - but it rained so the location was moved. {You can read about that here.} The baptism was a private ceremony, with just my parents, my dear friend M and her family (she is one of Finola's Godparents) and us. There was no "congregation" so just me and my parents sang the song. Still such a special moment that I'll never forget.

Oh, and we snagged a few impromptu family photos that day! Thanks to my Dad and M's hubby Matt for helping me capture some of these shots! I love randomly making someone "photographer" and seeing what magic comes about...and this was no exception.

Here are a few favorites from the day...