Jack's Baby Blessing

Today we blessed Jack in church and had a family picnic at Giant Springs following church. This entire weekend has gone by in a whirlwind, and I'm still trying to catch up. It might take a few more days. My Grandma Hess got into town on Friday, and we spent much of Saturday with my family, including a really nice dinner out last night. It was our first time really eating out as a family of five, and it was a great success! Sometimes succeeding in those little, every day events makes me feel like we can do this whole parenthood thing without completely losing our minds. Sometimes...

Today at church, Darreck blessed Jack along with my dad, Tim, Bryan (Hale), Bishop Brewer, Ben Royer, Jeremy Huntington, Jeremy Hill, and Cody Lowe. We're so blessed to have some great friends and family who participated in the day. The blessing was really beautiful, and while I can't remember it word for word, Darreck blessed him to always be optimistic and see the glass as half full, to know how much his family loved him, and to be an example of faith in his family. He said that "even though you are the smallest in your family, do not have the smallest testimony." Jack was also blessed that he would find a girl to take to the temple someday and that he would be able to pass on his knowledge to his kids someday. One of the major themes I got from the blessing was the importance of family, both our family right now and Jack's future family. I just hope that he can live worthy to receive all the blessings he was promised today.

The rest of church was kind of a rush. I was called into the primary presidency, and since we're still trying to staff our new ward and the primary president is out of town, the day was chaotic. Luckily, everyone ended up having a teacher, and the kids were extremely well behaved. I'm so excited to be back serving in primary with the kids I love. Our ward has some of the most amazing children, and I feel honored to be able to work with them.

After church, we took a few quick pictures, went home and changed, then headed to Giant Springs for a family picnic. While Darreck took the two big boys on a walk along the river, I hung back with Jack and the rest of the adults. The day was perfect, the food was good, and the company was the best part of the afternoon. My mom and I both commented that we need to spend more Sunday afternoons outside enjoying the warm weather while it's around. I think everyone had fun, but I'm not going to lie- I'm a little relieved the day is over. I'm reaching a point where I need life to be "normal" for awhile and to find a new routine to fall into. Hopefully, these last few weeks of summer can be low-key family time.