Ella's Baby Blessing

Lots of people came to see us for Ella's baby blessing this month! Her blessing was on Sunday, August 19th, so we had people trickling in for almost the whole week before. Matt and Linds arrived with their girls on Monday, August 13th, and stayed with Scott and Jillian. The six of us have all been close friends for about four years now, so it was so much fun spending the week together, renewing our friendship and introducing the miniature members of what we all hope to be a lifelong bond. The three big girls (Big?! They're all under the age of 2 1/2!) loved playing together while the adults talked and shared stories and yummy food.

I think this looks like an AT&T commercial!

Linds and I had our little girlies, and Jillian is expecting their little boy next month, so we totaled 11 1/2 people: 6 adults and 5 1/2 little kids. Even with the extra parent, we still sometimes felt out-numbered, but overall, we had a great time. We all went to the zoo, and to the playground, and on Friday night we all went to Scott and Jillian's apartment for really yummy steaks.
That day, the 17th, my parents were driving over from Idaho, so after dinner, Todd and I took the girls over to my parents' hotel room so they could meet their newest granddaughter. Evie was super shy around my parents, especially my dad, but Elizabeth just snuggled right into their arms.

Then, very abruptly, Ella was awake and looking around at everyone with her huge eyes!

The next day, Saturday, everyone who was in town was invited over for a barbecue at John and Margot's house. Todd and I brought the meat, and we served hamburgers and beer brats. Mom loved holding Ella, and she got several cute shots of her sleeping contentedly on her lap.

Evie still wasn't quite warmed up to her Granddad by this point.

Actually, Evie wasn't really warmed up to ANYbody. She was crying on my lap a couple of minutes after this was taken.

Sunday morning was not as fun for me. We were planning on hosting a baked potato luncheon at our house after Sacrament Meeting, so I was running around desperately trying to get us all ready for church and trying to get the potatoes into the oven so they could bake while we were gone. We got to church with only a few minutes to spare, and I only had a couple of minutes to nurse Ella before they called her name, and Todd took her out of my arms and up to the front of the chapel. This time around, most of our priesthood circle consisted of men on Todd's side: Todd, my dad, his dad, his brother Scott, our brother-in-law John, and Matt. Mom and I wrote down the blessing as well as we were able, and Mom took a couple of pictures of Elizabeth in her blessing outfit. The dress was the same one Evie wore, but we got Ella her very own pair of little white satin slippers and matching headband.

Mom realized that the fluorescent lights were making the settings on her camera act funny, so she adjusted them for the last couple of pictures she took. Elizabeth was never as jaundiced as Evie was, and was never as orange as the first couple of pictures make her look. I, myself, was planning on taking family pictures with Ella in her blessing dress when we got home; but just before I was able to, she exploded all over her dress, so I had to hurry and throw it in the washer before it stained. Thus, there are no "family" pictures, but rather random pictures of various family members.

Elizabeth decided that she was starving...

...even though I felt like I'd JUST fed her.

Linds let me borrow her Boppy to feed Ella, and I decided: I WANT ONE!

We were so glad Matt and Linds came, and that Matt was able to be in the circle. We were afraid he wouldn't be able to because of his arm.

Clockwise: John, his son Collin, Mariah and Alyssa, their mom Jenette (Todd's sister), and John's other son Kevin.

This is Linds's cutie-patootie, Todd's mom and dad, and Collin.

We were sad to discover that my parents needed to get back to Idaho a day earlier than we'd expected, so they left Monday morning (today). Matt and Linds were leaving this morning, too, so we all had breakfast together at IHOP.

Granddad, Nonna, Ella, Mommy, Daddy, and Evie.

Our girls and the Hopes' girls. Someone needed to hold Elizabeth, so it's me, Ella, Evie, Lily, and Emma.

A nice couple walking in offered to get a picture of all of us. Bottom row: Me holding Ella, Evie, Anya, Lily, and Emma. Top row: Todd, my dad, my mom, Jillian, Linds, and Matt. Scott had to work, so he wasn't there.

We were sad watching everyone drive away, but I had lots of fun this weekend spending time with beloved family and friends! Thanks for sharing our baby's special day with us!!