Elleen's Baptism

Elleen was baptized on September 14, 2015 at our church, The Bridge, by Pastor Paul. It was a special day. Even though we missed having many of our immediate family members there with us, we did have some family and friends surrounding us as we officially welcomed Elleen into our church family and made promises to raise her to know Jesus.

 

 Molly, Emily, and Melanie blessed us with a beautiful song.

It is our prayer that Elleen would someday claim these meaningful words as her own faith.

Selah's "Before the Throne of God Above"

Before the Throne of God Above

I have a strong and perfect plea

The Great High Priest, whose name is Love

Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands

My name is written on His heart

I know that while in heaven He stands

no tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair

and tells me of the guilt within,

Upward I look and see Him there

who made an end to all my sin.

Because the Sinless Savior died,

My sinful soul is counted free.

For God the Just is satisfied

to look on Him, and pardon me.

Behold him there, the Risen Lamb

my perfect spotless righteousness

The Great Unchangeable "I AM"

The King of Glory and of grace.

One with Himself I cannot die

My soul is purchased by his blood

My life is hid with Christ on high

With Christ my Savior and my God

 Elle wore the baptism dress that my mom and grandma (Elleen) made for my oldest sister, Laura's, baptism. It has been worn by me, my sisters, and many many of our cousins and their daughters. If I remember correctly, Elle was the 26th baby to wear it for baptism. Each baby that wore it has her name embroidered near the bottom hem.

 It was a blistering hot day, so of course Elle was tired and uncomfortable by the time we got home for the brunch we had planned. Thankfully, every one was gracious, and our nephew Jonathan kept all the kids entertained with his newly acquired skills of making balloon animals!

 The embroidery sitting on the piano was made by Auntie Jana.

 The jar of buttons came from Great Grandma Elleen's collection.

 As we were getting ready for the party, Jack wanted to make a welcome sign for our guests. He needed some help with spelling, but he wrote it out and punched the holes so we could hang the sign on the front door. :)

 "We Thank God for Elleen"

We are so thankful for the legacy of faith that our grandparents and parents gave to us, and our prayer for our own kids is that they will grasp just how deep and wide God's love is for them so that they, too, can experience the joy of living for Him.

Namesake

Looking at these pictures, and the videos we have, of this long awaited encounter make me teary eyed every time. Naming my baby girl after my incredible Grandma was certainly a dream come true. The icing on the cake, which I always dreamed of and prayed for, was getting to introduce them to each other. I really doubted if these dreams would come true at times, so to have been given this gift is beyond joy.

 Of course, I was a little nervous about how the meeting would go. Grandma's dementia is really quite severe, and babies are... well, unpredictable, too.  But God's grace and mercy are never ending, and I will never take for granted how joyful this moment was.

 When we pulled up to the home where my Grandma lives, she and her husband Frank just happened to be sitting on the front porch. As I walked up, I greeted them both, then told Grandma that I had her newest great granddaughter there to meet her. I asked Grandma if she'd like to know the baby's name, and she answered, "Elleen?"  I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. Yes, she had been told, a few times by various people, that baby Elleen had been born and named after her... but never in a million years would I have expected her to have a moment of recollection like that. It was like God opened up a tiny window into heaven. I said, "YES! You already know!" and she said, "Well, yes, you told me!"

I placed Elleen in her arms, and Grandma was totally comfortable and confident to hold Elleen, switch the baby's position, rock her and pat her back, and quietly say sweet things to her like, "You don't know all these people, do you?" and "It's ok, nobody's looking at you but me." My heart just melted. These two. My dear sweet Gram. And my precious baby girl. Almost too much emotion for me to hold.

We had a really nice little visit, then agreed we would come back another day to take some more pictures. We arranged for baby Elle's grandmas and great-grandmas to be present for some cherished generational pics.

 Great Grandma Ruth and Great Grandma Elleen

 Nana Kristy and Grandma Kathy

 As these two ladies gazed at their great granddaughter, they grasped each other's hands and marveled at how beautiful she is and what a treasured gift we've all been given in each other.

Summer at the Lake with Grandpa and Grandma

The second half of our trip was spent at G&G K's new lake house.

 Playing cards with Grandpa.

 Building the boat shed.

 Playing off the dock with Grandma.

 Picking blueberries... yum!!!

 Visiting the farm; getting a tractor trailer ride from Uncle Keith.

 Barn kittens (a sweet part of Betsy's childhood memories... so fun for the boys to experience)

 Fishing with Grandpa.

 Sunday after church snuggles.

 Fire pit; making s'mores.

 Peaceful and relaxing... beautiful!

Elleen's first smile!!! For Grandma. 

 Elleen and Elleen, meeting for the first time... such a sweet moment!

 Baby Elleen taking a lakeside nap in Great Grandma Elleen's old laundry basket.

 Four generations of Koning/Smit/Klaasen/Dykhouse ladies.

 Sweet family time...

 Teaching the boys about how to dye Queen Anne's Lace flowers.

We loved just getting to hang out and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Days were relaxed and carefree with fun and easy activities, and nights were quiet and calm with the sights and sounds of lake living (think lightening bugs flashing, cricket and frogs humming, and bright moonlight reflecting off the still water). Thank you, Lord, for the time and resources to spend three weeks enjoying a Michigan summer with dear loved ones.