Blessings

Last week was Hinckley's baby blessing in church. Grandparents and family joined us for the special event, and this little guy got all the attention he wanted!

Hinckley gives a grin from his swing seat.

I continued laboring in my classroom, and almost lost my door covering thanks to an over eager student or two. Things are extremely hard, but that is the name of the game for a first year teacher. I love those kids, but they certainly don't make things easy.

The grand entrance to Room 27

The blessing went really well on Sunday, and it was quite a spiritual experience. Kassie spent lots of time when we lived in Provo to make Hinckley's blessing outfit by hand. I am very impressed, and she continually points back to Sister Schofield from the Oak Hills 1st ward who coached her through it.

You may be reading this and aren't very familiar with the LDS church or what a baby blessing is. A baby blessing is not the same thing as a baptism. It says in one of our scriptures that "every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name." Priesthood members gather in a circle in front of the congregation and one person gives the blessing (usually the child's father). The person who gives the blessing addresses Heavenly Father, officially gives the child a name, blesses the child as guided by the Spirit, and closes in the name of Jesus Christ. It represents that we will raise our child to follow Christ and His example. Baby blessings have also kind of become a way of celebrating the birth of a child and the joy of life, and Mormon culture has sort of turned the event into yet another reason to eat lots of food and enjoy company with family :)

We are starting to see much more of these sorts of faces - hurray!

Mother and Boy

A Dramatic Family Picture by the Stair Case

Nana and Grandpa with the Child

"Chunky Thighs and Nanna's Handiwork" should be the title of this pic. Denise's
blanket is a beautiful creation, and Hinckley sleeps well in it :)

We are grateful for baby blessings, for babies which are blessings, and for the blessings we enjoy daily though they are not always as apparent as we might wish. God has blessed us tremendously, and reflecting on how we have seen His Hand in our lives is yet another blessing in and of itself.