Dear Jaron, Joshua and Eliana,
Mommy & Daddy have been blessed with three very beautiful, very special and very different children. When we look at each of you, we know how blessed we are and how thankful we are for these three wonderful gifts God has given us. Each of you have your own very special gifts and attributes that we love about you and that make you who you are. We are certain that God has a plan to use you and your gifts and strengths in a way that will glorify Him.
Mommy & Daddy have been blessed with three very beautiful, very special and very different children. When we look at each of you, we know how blessed we are and how thankful we are for these three wonderful gifts God has given us. Each of you have your own very special gifts and attributes that we love about you and that make you who you are. We are certain that God has a plan to use you and your gifts and strengths in a way that will glorify Him.
To Jaron:
Mommy and Daddy remember the day we learned we were expecting twins very clearly. I went in for a sonogram hoping to see a healthy, developing baby. Instead, we were told Mommy had two babies growing inside her. One twin, Twin B, was much smaller than the other and right away we were told not to be surprised if that twin was gone the next time we had a sonogram – which would be one month away. One minute we found out we were having twins, and the very next minute we were told that we could lose one – that it happens all the time early in twin pregnancies. All of a sudden, even though we had just found out we were having two babies, when all along we had expected only one, we wanted both as though we had known you all along. For the entire next month we prayed and prayed for Twin B to thrive and grow. We asked for friends and family to pray for us and with us. The next month we went in for our sonogram and found Twin B growing and thriving just as we’d prayed. That twin was you, Jaron. Today, as you stand here, a whole head taller than your once bigger twin brother, we are amazed by all of your talents, abilities and gifts. A life without Jaron would be a life without the best hugs ever – you have always been our biggest snuggler. You know and love ALL creatures big and small and you connect and care about them in a way that most people don’t. Your heart is pure and kind and innocent and your sense of humor is smart and surprising to us all the time. Mommy and Daddy pray that you will always seek God in wherever life takes you and that you’ll grow more and more confident everyday and realize what a wonderful gift you are to everyone who knows you. You don’t always see how great you are and you shy away from things in fear, but Mommy and Daddy KNOW that you ARE great and that God has wonderful things in store for you in your future.
To Joshua:
From birth, your personality could dominate a room. You’ve always had a love of life and people – always the class clown, the attention-getter but also always very passionate and sensitive. When you were very small, even though Mommy & Daddy hadn’t really taken you to church very much, you would always ask us to take you to church. You ALWAYS had questions about God – what he looks like, how big he is… You once asked “Mommy, if God is so big then how does he fit in the car with us?” You have always been the one to make sure we all pray before we begin eating. You’ve always asked for prayer when you or someone you know is sick or hurt. You learned about the news of the Haiti earthquake and you immediately said “Mommy, we need to go there and help those people.” One Sunday a couple months back, Pastor Andy told the story about you always giving your heart in the offering. Two things stood out in my mind about that story – one was, how important that seemingly simple act was to you and how determined you are to give your heart to God. The other thing was how that’s all God really wants from us – our hearts and our love and devotion and some how on some level you seem to understand that at such a young age. I’ve shared this story with others – believers and non-believers who then shared the stories with even more people. I know of one individual who couldn’t get this story out of their head and decided to go to church because “if a child could understand it, then I can too.” Now, I don’t know what exactly God has planned for you, but whatever it is, Mommy & Daddy’s prayer is that as you grow up, you’ll always want to give God your heart and that you’ll always make prayer a priority, just as you do today.
To Eliana:
You were a special sweet gift from God. Somehow, though God knew we had our hands full with twin boys, that a sweet little girl was exactly what our family needed. Mommy & Daddy had a hard time finding a fitting name for you. One day as I was flipping through a baby name book in a bookstore, I came across the name Eliana. It said it was the female form of Elijah and that it meant God has answered our prayer. Daddy’s first name is the Spanish form of Elijah so we thought this all was so perfect – and as we look at you today, we believe that your name, Eliana Grace is so, so perfect for you. You are now seven months old and we’re seeing your personality more and more everyday. You love to smile and laugh and be silly. You are very confident and independent – trying new things all the time, testing your limits, and having no fear. Mommy & Daddy pray that you’ll always have a close relationship with us and that you will grow into a strong, confident woman who still isn’t afraid to try new things but that you’ll always keep that smile & happiness in your heart and that you’ll always let God guide you in all that you do throughout life.
Mommy and Daddy remember the day we learned we were expecting twins very clearly. I went in for a sonogram hoping to see a healthy, developing baby. Instead, we were told Mommy had two babies growing inside her. One twin, Twin B, was much smaller than the other and right away we were told not to be surprised if that twin was gone the next time we had a sonogram – which would be one month away. One minute we found out we were having twins, and the very next minute we were told that we could lose one – that it happens all the time early in twin pregnancies. All of a sudden, even though we had just found out we were having two babies, when all along we had expected only one, we wanted both as though we had known you all along. For the entire next month we prayed and prayed for Twin B to thrive and grow. We asked for friends and family to pray for us and with us. The next month we went in for our sonogram and found Twin B growing and thriving just as we’d prayed. That twin was you, Jaron. Today, as you stand here, a whole head taller than your once bigger twin brother, we are amazed by all of your talents, abilities and gifts. A life without Jaron would be a life without the best hugs ever – you have always been our biggest snuggler. You know and love ALL creatures big and small and you connect and care about them in a way that most people don’t. Your heart is pure and kind and innocent and your sense of humor is smart and surprising to us all the time. Mommy and Daddy pray that you will always seek God in wherever life takes you and that you’ll grow more and more confident everyday and realize what a wonderful gift you are to everyone who knows you. You don’t always see how great you are and you shy away from things in fear, but Mommy and Daddy KNOW that you ARE great and that God has wonderful things in store for you in your future.
To Joshua:
From birth, your personality could dominate a room. You’ve always had a love of life and people – always the class clown, the attention-getter but also always very passionate and sensitive. When you were very small, even though Mommy & Daddy hadn’t really taken you to church very much, you would always ask us to take you to church. You ALWAYS had questions about God – what he looks like, how big he is… You once asked “Mommy, if God is so big then how does he fit in the car with us?” You have always been the one to make sure we all pray before we begin eating. You’ve always asked for prayer when you or someone you know is sick or hurt. You learned about the news of the Haiti earthquake and you immediately said “Mommy, we need to go there and help those people.” One Sunday a couple months back, Pastor Andy told the story about you always giving your heart in the offering. Two things stood out in my mind about that story – one was, how important that seemingly simple act was to you and how determined you are to give your heart to God. The other thing was how that’s all God really wants from us – our hearts and our love and devotion and some how on some level you seem to understand that at such a young age. I’ve shared this story with others – believers and non-believers who then shared the stories with even more people. I know of one individual who couldn’t get this story out of their head and decided to go to church because “if a child could understand it, then I can too.” Now, I don’t know what exactly God has planned for you, but whatever it is, Mommy & Daddy’s prayer is that as you grow up, you’ll always want to give God your heart and that you’ll always make prayer a priority, just as you do today.
To Eliana:
You were a special sweet gift from God. Somehow, though God knew we had our hands full with twin boys, that a sweet little girl was exactly what our family needed. Mommy & Daddy had a hard time finding a fitting name for you. One day as I was flipping through a baby name book in a bookstore, I came across the name Eliana. It said it was the female form of Elijah and that it meant God has answered our prayer. Daddy’s first name is the Spanish form of Elijah so we thought this all was so perfect – and as we look at you today, we believe that your name, Eliana Grace is so, so perfect for you. You are now seven months old and we’re seeing your personality more and more everyday. You love to smile and laugh and be silly. You are very confident and independent – trying new things all the time, testing your limits, and having no fear. Mommy & Daddy pray that you’ll always have a close relationship with us and that you will grow into a strong, confident woman who still isn’t afraid to try new things but that you’ll always keep that smile & happiness in your heart and that you’ll always let God guide you in all that you do throughout life.
God has blessed us with the privilege & honor of being parents to three beautiful children. While we can’t promise we won’t make mistakes along the way, we can promise that we will do our best to raise you all to learn about and to know and love God and that we’ll do our best to encourage you all in your Christian walks as you grow and go through life. We love you and Thank God for you everyday.
Love,
Mommy & Daddy
At the end of the Dedication service each child was presented with a gift - a "prayer quilt." The quilts were handmade by ladies in the church who prayed for each and every one of the children being dedicated today as they were making these quilts. Each stitch represents a prayer for our child and everytime our children are covered by these quilts, they are also covered in prayer. Here is a picture of each of the children with their quilts. We will cherish these beautiful gifts forever.
