Jase's 1st Birthday

Food & Fun!
Jase was not too hip on the messy cupcake. He's a lot like his mother---a little OCD!

The happy Birthday Boy!

This was before he made too much of a mess.

Emma Grace helps Jase open his presents.

To my precious Jase:

God has blessed you with nearly one year of life! We are so honored to be your parents! God has only given you to us for a short time, and we pray more than anything that we can teach you how to truly love Jesus and trust Him for everything while we are caretakers over you. You have just been such a blessing to our family for this first year, and we all look forward to watching you grow up! Sometimes I sit and wonder and pray about what it is that you might become in this world. I must confess one year ago I sat in church on Mother's Day without a named picked out for you and, upon hearing the sermon about Hannah and her vowing to give Samuel back to the Lord (which she kept that vow), I wondered if we should call you Samuel. That name had been in my mind almost the entire 9 months I carried you, and I felt the Lord telling me that you were to be given back to Him even as we raise you. That God was getting ready to entrust to us another little life to help shape and mold.

Well, you came into the world on May 20, 2008 and your daddy and I decided you were going to be named Hennies Jason Pope III. But even at this your one year birthday coming up on the 20th, I know still that God has asked us to give you back to Him...that you are His covenant child and that we can give you no greater present than to pray for you to come to know Him at an early age! WOW! What an awesome blessing you are to us! We do pray for you in all areas: your salvation, to love God's word, to use the gifts He gives you, for wisdom and discernment, for a servant's heart, for kindness & compassion, health and safety, self-control & diligence, spiritual protection, friends, sibling, teachers, and one day your future mate. He can handle all of those things and MORE, so I am not scared to hand you back over to the One who lays our paths. May yours be filled with more love and joy than you could ever imagine. I love you, Jase Pope!!!