Christening Continued...

We waited to dress William in his gown at the church because I knew he'd be a hot mess if we tried transporting him in it. Once we arrived, we didn't have much time for pictures but my sweet cousin, Lee, snapped all of the pictures below. We are so thankful to have her back in Birmingham and glad she could be a part of William's special day. 

Each grandchild will wear this gown and have their name and baptism date added to the Christening slip - such a special touch that I know will be treasured for years to come. My mom put so much thought into this family heirloom and I will be forever grateful to her for this!

I don't think I've mentioned this on the blog before but William's godparents are Ragan and Kyle. William is one blessed little boy to have them in his life. They went up to the front of the church with Grant and me when he was baptized. I couldn't have been more proud to have them standing next to us as we made our vow to be Christian parents to William. I know they will be wonderful role models to him for many years to come.

 William and "The Godfather"

 William being doted and primped by his great- grandmother, grandmother, and mother. 

This picture crack me up! Loving all of the attention!

 The "men" laughing at who knows what!

Some of these are i-phone pics below. The best pictures are always caught on my phone!

William with his mama and godmother

Look at that wrist and dimples on his hand! CHUNK!

 As usual, just eating his fist :)

William and Juju

 A rare family photo

The most special part of the entire weekend was Sam presenting William for Holy Baptism in front of the entire congregation. I still get emotional thinking about it. He did such an amazing job! It's no easy task being 82 years old and speaking in front of a room full of people with very little preparation. He has been a faithful member of FUMC Dothan for many years.

Introducing William Crozier Davis

The closing hymn was "I Need Thee Every Hour." I sat next to Sam during the service, so we shared a hymnal as we sang this song. As I heard my grandfather proudly sing with a boldness and faithfulness that only a man of 82 years can, I really paid close attention to the words in the hymn, which I must admit I rarely do. I pray that William will always know that he needs God every hour of everyday. 

Grant and I promising to instill Christian values in our child for all the years to come. To be completely honest, we both took these vows as seriously if not more seriously as our wedding vows. 

Some of the verses to my new favorite hymn:

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;

Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;

O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessèd Son.

So thankful that Lee got these pictures. 

Something special that Dr. Sanders does after christening a baby is walk up and down the aisle singing, "Jesus has little bitty William in his hands, he's got little bitty William in his hands, he's got little bitty William in his hands, he's got the whole world in his hands." This was my favorite part of the service. William just looked around and took it all in. 

After the service everyone headed to my parent's house for a luncheon. My mom worked tirelessly to make this weekend so special for us, and she definitely delivered! She said next Davis baby will be christened at our church in Birmingham ;)

It was such a wonderful, memorable day! Now the real work lies ahead...teaching William all about our Lord and Savior.