My mom came out for an extended weekend in March then to cover for Ericca while she was on vacation in May - thank goodness for Grannys! She really gave me and Barry a break with the little guy - from bathing to strolls to the park, they had a great time. Of course, she took great care of us too! As always, we hated to see her go and are looking forward to her next visit.
We had a great time at the March of Dimes Walk which raises dollars to support research and family programs for premature babies. It was a lovely warm day and we enjoyed a leisurely 4-mile stroll around the Capitol Mall. Aunt Christina navigated DJ in his stroller most of the walk while the rest of us clowned and enjoyed the day. Next year you should come join us dear reader. :)
When Barry and I called my dad to find out what time this year's Watch Night Service would be held, he asked if we wanted to baptize Doyle. We had taken the class for parents and even scheduled the baptism for the first Sunday in December around my birthday. Doyle had a very bad cold at that time so we put it off. Barry and I agreed that baptizing our son literally "at the New Year" would be a wonderful way to start the coming year. Having my dad perform the baptism was especially meaningful to us. For those who do not know, baptism is not the same as "Christening" a baby...the latter is a naming ceremony. Baptizing is one of two sacraments of the AME Church (the other is communion) whereby believers publicly acknowledge their faith and are ritually washed with water, symbolizing a cleansing from sin, linked with repentance and admission into the community of faith. In the case of infants and children it is expected that all who present them for baptism will use all diligence in bringing them up in conformity to the Word of God.
Christmas gave us the incentive to get out and have professional photos taken of the family. While DJ didn't know what all the "hoopla" was about...he certainly got into the spirit - showing some personality in every shot!
Doyle II and I travelled with the "Little Massingas" Ben & Madeline, to our Long Beach Bed and Breakfast to enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday with the Reed-Claverie-Massinga clan. I'll have to admit, I was in need of a break and did lots of resting as my mom, aunt Ruth, sister Courtney and the Little Massingas entertained DJ. Cousins Donavan and Doyle got along swell - I really appreciate Dono's enthusiasm about little DJ. We celebrated Benjamin's 9th birthday with a beautiful sports cake, and a dinner menu of his choosing (hamburgers and hot dogs) - the photo below shows Grandma Ruth, Maddie and Ben right before we sang "Happy Birthday" and cut the cake. Uncle Raj found himself the center of attention (no surprise there) as he read a fun book to Dona and the rest of the young ones. DJ enjoyed some one-on-one lovin' from his Granny, Grand-Nannan Ruth and Auntie Courtney. With Ervin in Cote d'Ivoire, the responsibility of the family photo fell to me - luckily I had him teach me how to operate the timer on my camera before he left. I'll spare you the shots of me "getting into position" and let you enjoy one of the shots where I actually got in the photo AND the timer was set correctly (above) as well as one with me behind the camera (below).
As the photos show, my mom had
Needless to say, a good (and restful) time was had the entire trip!
