a blessed baby

Sunday was Daniel's blessing day. We were lucky to have lots of family present to participate -- Blake's parents came from Texas, and the New Jersey Wiests also drove over. Blake gave the blessing, and those who stood in the circle included his father, Gary, my uncle Joel and cousin Zac Wiest, his counselors in the bishopric, Adam Grimshaw and Edwin Yam, and our friend, Evan Jordan.

The blessing he gave was beautiful. Daniel was blessed to always feel and know of Heavenly Father's love for him; to be sensitive to His sweet spirit and to listen to the promptings he receives; to remember the Savior often and to follow His example; to be an example to others; and to live a life of obedience following the pattern of the prophet Daniel and to always remember the names he was blessed with and the heritage they come with. He was also blessed to be patient and kind to others; to be loving to his brothers and to be a peacemaker in the home; to always know of his parents' love for him and to remember the many blessings he's been given; and to be sure to live a life of service.

At a few days shy of three months, Daniel was the oldest of our boys when he was blessed (the others were each blessed between four and six weeks of age). Perhaps because he was bigger, and consequently less colicky, he was an absolute angel baby during the blessing. He didn't cry, squawk, or squeal once, and after it was over and he was back in my arms, he slept soundly for the next two hours.

Afterwards we all gathered at our home for photos and lunch. We were able to all the traditional group shots, including our first decent shot of our growing family of six.

For lunch I served "baby food," as in small things, not purees (I'm not a cruel hostess) -- chicken salad served on tiny slider rolls, baby carrots, mini zucchini muffins, and mini chocolate chip cookies. Aunt Colleen and Jessica also contributed little ham rolls, mini vanilla cupcakes, and diced fresh peaches.

Overall it was a beautiful day, and especially lovely to be surrounded by so much family. Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us!