Baby Blessing, Flying Solo, Family Reunions

What a weekend! Saturday was spent painting (Brandon) and backyard cleaning (me, my parents, my brother, my kids) and family seeing (dinner at my sister's house) and then! We blessed the baby yesterday at Church. Well, "we" did not bless the baby --technically, it was Brandon who asked Heavenly Father to bless the baby through the Priesthood, after pronouncing his name (which, just so you know, is not "#6.").

If you want to get all semantic-y with me.

It was a FANTASTIC day. Truly. Not very many people could come to the blessing, but we were very grateful to those who did! The blessing was beautiful. I bore a short testimony during Fast and Testimony meeting and then --to my delightful surprise! --Brandon bore his testimony (and it was amazing --not only was I crying, but so was my mom!). Then I taught an excellent lesson (haha! Not really, but I tried) in Sunday School on the Allegory of the Vineyard (from Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon) and Relief Society was full of awesomeness.

Next it was home for pictures, food, and family. Behold! The pictures! Of some of us!



[Brandon's grandmother makes the blessing blankets for all of her great-grandchildren. She sent #6's in the mail since they couldn't attend--so grateful for her and the love she has for all of her grandkids! She has a bazillion (okay, maybe just 60 grandkids and 30 great grandkids...I'm totally estimating --it's probably more) and yet we all feel like her favorites!]




"What the?? Mom, why do you keep taking photos of me?"


"Because you're so cute! And you won't hold still! And it's your Blessing Day!"



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I'm flying solo this week. Another business trip for Brandon. Yay? But I have a lot to do, so I'm going to try and focus. Stuff to get done this week:

*Turn in Cobra paperwork
*Return #6's SS card so they can spell his name right!
*Order birth certificate (and pray they spelled his name right. I'm not counting on it.)
*Move older boys into bedroom downstairs. Huzzah!
*Emotionally eat too many sweets
*Finish laundry
*Get ready for General Conference and plan Easter FHE for next week
*Take the kids to FOUR soccer games and THREE soccer practices
*Help baby get over his cough. :(
*Try to shower at least once. Maybe twice. But that's pushin' it!

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I've been thinking more about Canada and Lake Lopez. You may not remember, dear reader, but in a previous rant, I realized we couldn't go. Too busy. Too much money. Not room in the car for all of us.

But then I re-read something Brandon's Aunt wrote recently. Go here and read it. Not only did it make me cry (although it's not sad!), but it made me realize something. This is the text I sent Brandon after I read her post:

I just read this by Aunt Carrie (sent him the link) and it gave me 2 thoughts. First: we Have to go to Lopez. Somehow, we do. Second: that's how Canada is for me. it's my Lopez. We have to figure out how to do both this year. It's really that important. I'll brainstorm and figure out a way to make it work.

And so I am. I'm figuring it out. I think we've already found a way to get us all to Canada as frugally and intelligently as possible, but I still need to work on it. I'm still working on Lopez, too.

But here's the important thing: What do we take with us when we die? Don't you remember? We don't take the money we made. We don't take the days we could have taken off from work.

We take memories.
We take regrets.
We take our family traditions/vacations/experiences.
We take joy and we take sorrow.

I just don't think it's worth skipping. My grandparents are not spring chickens anymore. I rarely see them --it's been almost 2 years since I've seen my paternal grandparents. How is this possible? The reason we're going is because it's my maternal grandmother's 90th birthday celebration. How could we miss this!?

Lopez is a family tradition we try to keep at least every two years. This is the year to go. We have to go! My kids talk about Lopez as if it was a dream vacation --to them, it simply is.
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Let's see, what else: Microburst this morning, Erica was voted off American Idol (boo!), and the boys have only eaten cookies all day.

How's your Monday? How was your weekend? Planning any family reunions/trips this year?