Lincoln's Baptism

A few weeks ago, we finally got around to Lincoln's baptism. We did it a bit later for him, with our move, getting settled in the new house, and the overall craziness of this summer, it made more sense to wait than try and squeeze it in. Also, we were so eager to finally host a celebration in our own home. We used Lincoln's baptism as the opportunity to have guests in our home for the first time!

We spent the whole day prepping food and cleaning. Mike's brother has a smoker, and has become somewhat obsessed with it ;-) Mike found a pulled pork recipe, and they were up and starting that process before the sun rose. He also made a homemade barbeque sauce. Those men and their smoked meats. Seriously, such a process!

 

As I have mentioned a time or two (or ten), Lincoln is not the easiest of babies. So, to be honest I was a bit anxious about the baptism and service leading up to it. We have not been to church with the kids since he was born. Jackson is at a wild man age, and Lincoln basically refuses to sit, so we are just too nervous to even attempt it. Surprisingly though, they both made it through the service relatively well! We had to get up with both of them because they got antsy about halfway through, but it wasn't a total trainwreck, so I chalk it up to a win!

The baptism was held after the service, and again, I was a little anxious. Lincoln SCREAMS whenever I get his head wet during bath time, so I figured having water poured over him wouldn't be his favorite thing. And wouldn't you know, he didn't make a peep through the whole process! I got a couple of questionable looks out of him, but he stayed calm and I was so surprised. We prayed over him, he was blessed with oils (which smell just so amazing), and welcomed into the church. It is always such a special experience to take that step and have your child baptized. It is a blessing to know someone greater and more powerful than me will always be watching over my children!

 

After the ceremony, we bolted home to get the food set up. My brother and sister in law were so helpful and were preparing and setting things out while we were at church, so things were nearly all set up. I ordered cupcakes from my favorite local bakery, and a small cake for Lincoln. The rest of the menu included cheesy hashbrowns, a veggie tray, veggie salad, banana pudding, and fresh fruit. I will give Mike credit where credit is due, and say that the pulled pork was AMAZING. Totally worth the time and energy they put into it. It was seriously delicious.

 

For the adults, I made a caramel apple sangria, and it was super yummy! I will be sharing the recipe here on the blog soon :-)

Overall, the night went so well, our one setback we ran into was not having enough seating! In the process of moving, we just didn't quite think to buy extra folding chairs and tables, so even with our table and large sectional for people to eat on, people ended up sitting on the floor (bad hostess!) Needless to say, those items have been added to our need to buy list!

We are so thankful and blessed to have such amazing family that came out to celebrate our sweet boy, and we are so happy to have finally had him baptized. We all love you, sweet Lincoln!