My New Niece

I am proud to announce that I have a new niece. Here are pictures of Eden Mai Luu. Caleb's beautiful sister Josephine and her husband Huy had their second daughter a few weeks ago. I was very lucky to get to be in the hospital room when Eden was born. She is so cute! Caleb and I spent Sunday with the Beacham Family and I had the privilege of getting to hold Eden for a whole hour while she napped. Of course this launched me into mommy mode, but dont get too excited, Caleb and I are not planning on having a baby for a few years. Here are a few pictures that I stole from Josephine's Blog (www.mommaluu.blogspot.com). I wanted to make sure everyone got to see how cute she is.(Above) This is a picture of Josephine and baby Eden.
(Above) This is Huy (Dad) and baby Eden. Both exhausted...(Above) This is my 20-month old niece Esther, and my new niece Eden. Josephine and Huy have their hands full!

I know I am just the aunt, but I love these two so much!! I love Esther for the girl she is becoming, and the woman that she will be. Eden is only a few weeks old, but I know she will be and incredible person. The potential for both these girls is extraordinary and I am so proud to be their aunt. As a gift to Josephine and the girls, I painted each two paintings that I thought would speak to their personality and who God created them to be.

First, when we found out that Josephine was pregnant with Esther, and that her name would be Esther, I painted the following Water Lilies. The first was this bud. I chose the water lily because of the heritage that Esther has. She is half Vietnamese and in the Asian cultures, the water lily is a symbol for royalty. Esther as the woman in the Bible is Queen. She is a strong woman in the Lord. Esther's character in the Bible is one of obedience, strength, and beauty. I felt these qualities would be evident in Esther Josephine Luu. I am blessed to say that Esther is my beautiful, independent and obedient 20-month old niece.
The second of the paintings was this water lily in full bloom. To me, this water lily is the picture of hope and promise that we have in the Lord. Esther will one day be a mature woman in full bloom. I am excited to see that day.

For blessed Eden, I painted a Bird of Paradise. Eden was named after the Garden of Eden. When I thought of Eden the girl and Eden the Garden, I thought that both would be rich in vibrant colors. Both would be exotic and passionate. Eden's middle name is Mai, after Huy's mother. Mai is a Vietnamese name meaning "golden flower". I thought these images would be perfect for my Eden Mai.
This one (above) is called "Burning Heart". I believe that Eden will have a burning passion to know the Lord. I can't wait to see the fruits of her life.
This abstracted image of a Bird of Paradise, is called "Fire". It also speaks to the passion that will be in Eden. On the back of one of these I wrote Eden a letter. I described my reasoning in painting these images as well as spoke to the woman that God wants her to be. I encouraged her through different Bible verses and life experiences that I have had. I hope that it will be something that she cherishes once she is older. I know that my great grandmother was a wonderful artist and I cherish her work a lot. I hope that this will be similar to the girls. I love both of them so much. Hope you all enjoy the photos of the girls and the art. I am sorry the image quality for the paintings isn't 100%, I am currently working on documenting my work more clearly.