Will's Blessing Day

Sunday July 7, 2013

This was such a beautiful day! 

Mornings before church are always crazy - but we all tolerated the early morning and craziness better knowing we'd get to see Will blessed. We blessed him in Mark and Debbie's ward in Provo. The timing worked out just perfectly - all of our family (both sides) were in town - along with some of our closest friends. Aaron was the one who blessed our little man - and with him in the circle were the following amazing men: Mark, my Dad, Grandpa Phelps, Grandpa Williams, Jordan, Josh, Jake, Uncle Tom, Uncle Gordon (my great Uncle), Todd Greene, and Jason Summers. Watching these men walk to the front of the chapel was a special moment for me - I realized how blessed I am to have such righteous men, worthy of their Priesthood, in my life and in the lives of my children. We so missed having Matthew Erickson (serving a mission in Ecuador) and Matthew Duvall (sick with the flu) in the circle. We also missed our Allison (serving a mission in Texas), Chandler (sick with the flu), and Grammy (sick with the flu). Thank you thank you to all who could attend, and those who attended in spirit. :)

Oh, and did I mention that although Will is the sweetest, most tranquil little guy - that he CRIED during his entire blessing? Typical. :)

And for those that may not know about the beliefs/practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...when a baby is blessed, men who hold the Mechizedek Priesthood gather in a circle and hold the baby in their hands. The man who is to pronounce the blessing (in our case, Aaron) addresses our Heavenly Father, gives the child a name (William Aaron Erickson), and then gives the child a priesthood blessing as the spirit directs. 

After church, we all met up at the small park behind my grandparents' house for a potluck luncheon (chicken salad sandwiches, pasta and Jello salads, veggies, fruit, chips and Creamies!). We lucked out and had some great weather to start...but in the end we were stormed out of the park - literally! You'll notice some wind blown hair in some of the photos - though the rain was harder to capture on camera. Aaron and I were grateful for the time to visit with family and to catch up with old/lasting friends. Will enjoyed the attention, until he was hungry and later tired, being the star of the show is tough work! Olivia played with Zane and Zoey, and loved swinging on the swings with her Uncle Jake. 

But this day wasn't only about our sweet Will. My darling darling nephew Sam was to be blessed as well! We drove down to Payson to the Moody's home (Josh's parents house) where Josh blessed Sam. Sam is such a happy boy! He's always smiling and talking, most of the time at me (or so I like to believe). As usual, the Moody's had some delicious food to share - although, I think I may have consumed far more than my fair share of dessert. We definitely feel welcomed in their home - and Olivia felt AT home - she went straight for the toys and to bossing around the other kids. 

It was a long day - especially for the kiddos - but a special one for sure. And even if my little ones won't remember it, I will - watching Aaron bless Will, listening to what the Lord has in store for Will, visiting with family, seeing old friends, eating good food, being there for Sam's blessing, and all in all enjoying a feeling of gratitude for my little family and all that we have been given.