Baptism Keepsakes

01. Monogrammed sterling silver cup from Reed + Barton. It came out so lovely. Buby received a cup on his baptism from Grandpa J., too.





02. Rosary. Aunt Judy bought it at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and had it with her when she was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to Catholic University. It is so special that she + Uncle Jim gave it to Bleu.





03. The Magic Hanky. A gift from my Godmother Kathy at my baby shower... for Buby. It didn't fit him, so I kept it in a safe place and pulled it out for Bleu almost three years later. The note with it reads...

I'm just a little hanky, as square as square can be.

But with a stitch or two, they made a bonnet out of me.

I'll be worn from the hospital or on the Christening Day.

Then I'll be carefully pressed and neatly put away.

For her wedding day so we have been told.

Every well dressed bride must wear "something old."

So what would be more fitting then to find little me.

A few stitches snipped and a wedding hanky I'll be.

But if perchance it's a boy, someday he'll surely wed.

So to his bride he can present something once worn on his head.





04. Bleu's first piece of jewelry that was bought for her. How cool. This little cross necklace is so dainty + perfect. Thank you Uncle Mike + Aunt Melissa.





05. A gorgeous cross-stitch for Bleu framed alongside her baby photo. Thank you to Grandma DJ for the gift of things made with love.





06. Debbie {Bleu's Godmother} included this "Angels" wall plaque for Bleu's nursery. I think angels did dance the day she was born.





07. A bible from Uncle Billy + Aunt Lauren. Books make wonderful gifts, and Bleu will treasure this one.

08. The supersoft pink blanket I photographed all of these items on. Crystal + Jason gave it to Bleu along with the cutest outfit.

Give Me Grace ~ Friday

Excerpt from this favorite new book.

Give Me Grace ~ Thursday

Excerpt from here.

Give Me Grace ~ Wednesday

Today's excerpt from this book we love.

Give Me Grace ~ Tuesday

I can't say enough how much we love this book.
Here are this morning's pages.

Give Me Grace ~ Monday

"Give Me Grace" by Cynthia Rylant made it to Buby Land via Grammy DJ last week. It's such a perfect little puffy board book for our wee ones. I devoured it immediately--as I do with most of Buby's tomes--and found it to be delightful + inspiring. But it's a book of days, starting today, so we waited until this morning to read it together. I promise you will adore the short rhymes and pretty artwork as much as we do. I'll post new pages as we discover them each day.

Click here to buy.

The Best Book

We showed this book once before... it made it into Buby's hospital bag.
It's STILL his go-to book! A major marvel in Buby Land where toddler tires of everything at lightening speed. It's the perfect size for him to tote all around the house. We read it together before bed last night and again early this morning. As I say the body parts, Buby points to them on both of us with a big proud grin. "God Bless Me" by Helen Haidle {with illustrations by Susan
Banta} is such a sweet book geared to the 4 and under set. Given it's longevity
in Buby Land, it's definitely worth an excerpt. Even without the wonderful illustrations, it makes for a fun and easy-to-memorize bedtime prayer.

God bless my eyes. They help me see. I like to watch the bumblebees.
God bless my ears. I love to hear. The trumpets blowing loud and clear.
God bless my lips. God bless my nose. I kiss my mommy and smell the rose.
God bless my mouth. It opens wide so lots of berries fit inside.
God bless my teeth. God bless my tongue. I chew my tasty food--it's fun!
God bless my hands that clap, clap, clap. And bless the toes I tap, tap, tap!
God bless the fingers on each hand. I'll build a castle in the sand.
God bless my arms. I reach up high. I'll hug you tight and wave good-bye.
God bless my feet. They help me run. I hop and skip out in the sun.
God bless my voice--I sing and pray, and thank my God for each new day.

God Loves Little Boys

I just picked up this wonderful "Why God Loves Little Boys" saying affixed to an antique wooden plaque. Buby & I found it at the community yardsale for only .50 cents. Quite the find, I think. It celebrates all-things-great about my little boy: strength, courage, curiosity, spirit, and eagerness. And the image of boys fishing in canoes could not be more apropos.

We have been slowly collecting lovely old things for Buby's room. He's still in his "nursery" right now (the color scheme.. surprise!.. is blue and green). But he'll move from crib to big boy bed before he turns 3, and in plenty of time for the next bambino's arrival in Buby Land. (No, Mom, that is not an announcement!) We certainly don't want to rush the bed. (Are parents ever ready to have their baby run free in the dark and empty dresser drawers at 3am?) But he's already lifting his leg over the bar and nearly climbing out of the crib, so we know it's only a matter of time. When the crib and accessories eventually move into the new baby's nursery, Buby will get to help redecorate his pad. It will have some vintage things, sweet words about God, and no shortage of BLUE and GREEN.

Buby's Bible Study

You already know we're huge Eloise Wilkin fans. Her instantly recognizable soft illustration style is even more lovely and inspirational when paired with timeless messages about God's love for children. This latest edition of the classic Prayers for Children combines stories from the original tome by the same name and My Little Golden Book About God--both by Wilkin. One of Buby & Co's favorite stories goes like this:

Father, We Thank Thee

For flowers that bloom about our feet,

Father, we thank Thee,

For tender grass so fresh and sweet,

Father, we thank Thee,

For the song of bird and hum of bee,

For all things fair we hear or see,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee

For blue of stream and blue of sky,

Father, we thank Thee

For pleasant shade of branches high,

Father, we thank Thee

For fragrant air and cooling breeze,

For beauty of the blooming trees,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee

For this new morning with its light,

Father, we thank Thee,
For rest and shelter of the night,

Father, we thank Thee,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Buby's Bible Study

God is love. And I think Buby knows. If he doesn't, he feels. Our faith is all around us, always with us. Buby has some truly fantastical bibles for babies and young children, a whole bookshelf in fact, courtesy of friends and family. So I would like to suggest a few of our favorites. Each week we will post an entry in "Buby's Bible Study" for those who are interested.

I like "Little Boys Bible Storybook for Mothers and Sons" by Carolyn Larsen. It's a collection of 50 stories written for moms to share with their little guys. Each story is accompanied by a "Becoming a Man of God" section and a page called "A Mom's Touch." The series of course offers a version for fathers and sons as well as the geared-for-little-women counterpart titled "Little Girls Bible Storybook for Fathers and Daughters."

"Blessings Every Day: 365 Simple Devotions for the Very Young" with text by Carla Barnhill and illustrations by Elena Kucharik. I think this book will be around Buby Land for a long time. It's simple, endearing, and--though targeted for 2- to 5-year-olds--not something Little Dude is likely to outgrow. Every day of the year gets a page with a short inspirational story on it, stories a toddler can easily relate to life. In addition, there's a prayer from the bible highlighted at the top of each page and a two-line poem at the bottom. This illustrator happens to be the Care Bears artist, so the book is in a style I immediately recognized from my own childhood. What a great way to say goodnight. The Little Blessings series also includes "Who is Jesus," "God Loves You," and "What is God Like."

images: amazon.com

Palm Sunday

Buby will experience the traditional Palm Sunday processional later today as we have palm fronds blessed, sing along, and make our way into church. Cool!

Singing is a big part of our every day, and I like a church that sings. There's always music playing in Buby Land, because he's the only person who can bare Mama's voice. Regardless, the result is an enormous appreciation of music, melody, rhythm... despite talent, genre, or artist.

Above is Buby's recommended Palm (Passion) Sunday reading. "My Thank-You Bible" is published by Tyndale Kids and illustrated by Jane Dippold. It's one of several tomes Granny DJ sent for Gavin's Easter basket. It's chock full of fun little bible stories (perfectly short to match a toddler's attention span), vivid illos, and a sing-along CD inside. We'll listen to it on the way to church and see if we can't get Papa to belt out a tune. Watch out, Johnny C.!

PS Just back from church, so here's the delio. Buby was wearing his antsy pants, but in fairness it was a long service that ran into nap time, so he was a trooper indeed. Luckily, he spotted friends Grace, Allison, and Jon across the aisle and waved until he grew tired of them (Sorry guys!). After a brief break outside to let off steam, Buby returned. The CD is fantastic. Simple, mini prayers put to the tune of popular kid songs (like "Skip to the Lou," "Row Row Your Boat," etc), so it's catchy and easy to sing. And... not a peep from Papa.