Blessing

Sunday, February 14, our little Leah received a name and a blessing.

Brad's parents came on Thursday to spend a few days with us before the blessing. My parents were able to make a very quick trip, and arrived Saturday night. It meant so much to us to have both sets of grandparents here. They both sacrificed time and money to make it to this special day, and we were so grateful.

Brad gave Leah such a beautiful blessing. There was a special spirit in the chapel as those priesthood holders surrounded my little baby and pronounced blessings upon her. I felt (as I did after Lainy's blessing) very privileged and very humbled to be entrusted with such a special little girl.

I'm grateful for special days like that when it's easier to dwell on eternal things. I'm so grateful for a husband who bears his priesthood righteously. I'm grateful for parents who are such wonderful examples to us. I'm so grateful for two healthy little girls with pretty incredible futures ahead of them. What a blessing it is to be a mother!

So, without further ado (and before I get ridiculously sentimental), here are some pictures to document the day.

Dad, Mom, Lainy, Me, Leah, Brad, Dad H., and Mom H.

All dressed up - and don't we look nice?!

A few facts about Leah's ensemble: The dress was made by the same company that made Lainy's dress. It's very similar to Lainy's, but just different enough to be perfect. Mom Hansen helped me alter it a bit. The headband was provided by Grandma Smith, and is the same one Lainy wore on her blessing day. The shoes were provided by Grandma Hansen. The quilt was made for me by my Grandma Dye when I was blessed 25 years ago. The rest of my siblings were all blessed in it, as well as all of Leah's cousins. (Cool little bit of history, huh?) 

The only downfall of the day? Leah's sudden case of baby acne...oh well. She's still beautiful!

Me and my girls (and yes, I realize I should have brushed Lainy's hair before the photo shoot)

Happy Family

Sisters

Happy little baby

L-O-V-E

Here's what love looked like four years ago...

And here is what love looks like now...

Happy Anniversary to us!

Guess Who's Smiling

That's right, our little Leah!

Here's proof (kind of):

Okay, so my camera was a little slow and took the picture right after the cute ear-to-ear smile. But it's still kind of there...right?

I guess she'll just have to prove it to her grandparents in person when they come this weekend. Both sets.

We can't wait!

Conversations...

Me: Are you ready to be potty-trained?
Lainy: I want to ride the potty train!!

Lainy: Mom, you're cute.
Me: Oh, thank you.
Lainy: Mom, you're my very best friend.
Me: (smothering her in kisses and hugs)

Brad: What do you think about baby Leah?
Lainy: I love her so much!

Me: Why did you color with crayons on the wall when you got in trouble for doing that yesterday?
Lainy: I wanted to help clean up!

Me: Why didn't you tell me you needed to go potty?
Lainy: I was just too busy Mom.

Mt. Ranier and Paradise

This is the sign we passed last weekend as we made our way out of town:

Why did we head out of the city? Well, Brad didn't have school last Thursday and Friday. It was awesome. We needed a break. All of us.

I left the planning up to Brad and he found us a cute little cabin in the woods near Mt. Ranier. (It even had a hot tub.)

Lainy was so excited that she chattered non-stop the whole 2 hour drive there. After an hour and a half of it, Brad turned to me and asked, "Does she do this all the time?"

"What? Talk all the time? Yes, she does." I replied. What can I say? The girl loves to talk. I happen to think it's adorable.

We found the cabin in a nice secluded piece of forest near the entrance to Mt. Ranier National Park. Lainy and Brad wasted no time in exploring the lofts, bunk beds, and wooded back yard. We were a little dissappointed there wasn't snow (we'd packed all our stuff) but it was a wonderful getaway nonetheless.

We spent a lovely evening relaxing in the hot tub, having a pajama-rama (which is wearing your pajamas, making yummy snacks, and watching a movie together on the floor), and turning off all the lights to look at the sky and listen to the quiet.

Our lovely vacation was interrupted briefly around 2 a.m. when Lainy fell out of her bed and was not at all happy to wake up in a strange place on the cold floor, and when Leah awoke not much later with a very stuffy nose. We spent the next two hours soothing each child and putting them back to sleep. That's life with two kids. I guess.

In the morning we made stuffed french toast, jumped in the hot tub one more time, packed up, and left to explore the park.

We made our way to Paradise (a destination spot on the top of a mountain), driving slowly so we could take in the beautiful scenery. The higher up we drove, the more snow appeared on the ground until we arrived in Paradise, which was laden in about 6 feet of fresh snow.

Unfortunately, the lodge was closed, so Leah and I had to sit in the car while Brad and Lainy went out to play. We all had fun though. Leah sleeping. Me holding my baby and watching my cute girl play with her cute dad. Lainy re-discovering snowballs and snowmen. And Brad getting to be a little kid again. It even snowed softly while they played.

Paradise really was paradise for us!

My Day

This is what I felt like today:

Except there were two of them.

And instead of hiding outside the barn, I'm escaping to my blog.

Good thing I love them so much!!

(I'll post real pictures of the little girls when I find the time. Right now I have a sink full of dishes calling my name.)