The great birthday/baptism weekend!

My original plan was to make an individual posting for each event, but I decided one post would work since all the photos from that weekend are together in a Shutterfly slideshow below. Geoff's sister, Steph, took some really great shots--nearly 250 in all! We are so grateful to her because Geoff and I were able to enjoy the party and Christening without worrying about the camera. Feel free to look through them at your own leisure--there are some shots of the church first as Geoff, Steph, Colin, and I had to meet with Rev. Kempsell the morning of the party do a dry run-through. It's a gorgeous old church, St. John's Episcopal Church in Centreville. The church dates back to the 1800s, and that church bell you see is from a naval ship, but I've forgotten which one.

Then come shots of the party--fun pictures of the kids playing, Liam with his cake, and then the family just hanging out after the guests left. Towards the end of the slideshow, there is the actual Christening and some family shots outside of the church. For those who haven't met all the folks in those shots, here's a list of who attended the Christening: Steph and Colin--Geoff's sister and brother-in-law and Liam's Godparents; Matt, Laura, and Caleb--Geoff's brother, sister-in-law, and our sweet nephew, Jim and Janet--Geoff's mom and step-dad; Granny (Jean)--Geoff's grandmother, and finally Davis and Judy--my parents.

Now for the details, as best I can remember. The party was FUN! I decided on an alphabet block theme, and I think it turned out well. I decorated in primary colors, and had ABC favor boxes and a banner. The cake was the best part though. On top, there were 4 fondant-covered blocks that spelled out Liam's name and had designs on the side that started with each letter in his name--things like a lion, an ice cream cone, an apple, and a monkey. Not only was it the most darling thing I've seen, it was delicious! Liam was so sweet as people sang to him, being as observant as always. I was so full of emotion that I could not sing. Instead, I just watched him, tried to hold back the tears, and thanked God for the many blessings surrounding that precious baby boy. After cake, we opened presents, and Liam got many wonderful things, but he was most interested in 1) a green envelope someone's card came in and 2) a car. He played with those 2 items as I opened the rest of the gifts. Everyone was so generous! (I'm still working on thank you notes.) The evening of the party, the family members stayed for some burgers and college football. It was nice to hang out and relax after the fun stress of the day.

The Christening was absolutely beautiful. Sadly, Liam had long outgrown the heirloom gown from the Slater side of the family (Geoff's grandmother, Sally's side of the family), so he wore a pair of white shortalls and a collared onesie. A cute moment occurred when the time came to present him. The Rev. said, "The candidate will now be presented for baptism," and as if Liam knew that meant him, he said, "Ah-AHHHH" loudly. That got some laughs from the congregation. He looked angelic and behaved beautifully, even when sprinkled with water and marked with oil as "Christ's own forever." I choked up at the part in the service when Rev. Kempsell prayed that Liam be given "an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and persevere, a spirit to know and to love [God], and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works." Those words have never meant more to me than now. I have added them to my prayers because it so beautifully expresses exactly what we want for Liam. After the service, an emotional Howard/Gallagher/Glenn clan posed for some family shots, and then we raced home for lunch, gifts, and various departures to the airport and points in Maryland.

It was a chaotic, hectic weekend, but we would not have changed anything. It meant so much to Geoff and me to be able to have so many friends and family members with us during two such important events. Thank you all for coming, and enjoy the pictures!

Pictures from Liam's Birthday/Christening

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One year and walking toward the future!

Okay, corny title. Sorry. I was trying to combine the one-year-old updates with a walking video. (Pics from birthday party and Christening are forthcoming--they deserve their own posts!)

Height: 31 1/2 inches (90%)
Weight: 23 lbs. 12 ozs. (50-75%)

So again, we have confirmation that Liam is a really tall toddler, but not particularly fat. He's just a solid boy. I can't wait to teach him to throw a football!

Other updates--as you can see in the video below, Liam is really walking now. He's got the whole balance thing figured out and will speed walk clear across a room! He's also starting to show signs of concrete knowledge. He'll point to familiar objects when you ask him, "Where's ______?" (Bella, moon, etc.) He's still very curious and quite observant; I love watching him trying to figure things out. His joy in learning is so endearing, and I am constantly in awe of how quickly he catches on to things. He has learned a lot this year and has grown so much. I can't believe how quickly this year passed. He'll be 18 and playing Tight End for Auburn before I know it!

Family Breakfast

One thing about my new job that I am enjoying is the fact that I have more time at home in the mornings; therefore Liam has more time at home in the mornings. This morning, we were able to sit down and have a family breakfast. Liam decided to feed his Dada some Cheerios to get the morning started right!