Special Day

This weekend Brian and I had the opportunity to go up to Provo and visit his family for a very special occasion.   Yesterday was my niece's first birthday.  We had a great opportunity to spend time with her and eat cake.  The first birthday cake is always the best to watch.  She loved the stuffed animals we got her and we loved watching her play with them.

She and her brother also received their baby blessing that day.  This is a great opportunity for LDS children to be blessed at the beginning of their lives.  Their name is announced and an official Church record is started.  To give context, from what I understand it is similar to a christening in other Christian faiths.  The blessing is typically performed by the baby's father and early on in their lives.  This was a unique blessing, because Brian (as the uncle) actually blessed our nephew who is almost four. With no children of our own, this was a great experience for Brian being his first time.  And as I mentioned in previous posts, we have a special relationship with him too.

It was a great spiritual feeling as everyone gathered at the Church for the blessings and they were performed.   It was sweet to see Brian with Evan and the love that just flowed through the room.  And our little niece Avi is a bit young to really understand what was going on, but old enough to squirm and cause problems. She was calm, peaceful, and really genuinely seemed to understand what happened.  She even made a sound that sounded like, "Thanks" at the end when she can't completely talk yet.

On top of it all, we had all of Brian's sisters in town so it was a great family reunion and experience that I don't think anyone will forget anytime soon.

From https://www.lds.org/manual/behold-your-little-ones-nursery-manual/lesson-28-heavenly-father-blesses-me-through-the-priesthood?lang=eng