#blessed, literally

Saturday was a perfect, special day for our family! Dalton was blessed by his father with our family in attendance. We decided to do the blessing as a combined event with Ryan's cousin, Sarah Kate's, baptism since many of our family members would already be in town. I had such a fun time planning and decorating for the small luncheon after both events. I decided to go with a rainbow theme to compliment a favorite children's song on baptism called "When I am Baptized".

One of my favorite things about the day was Dalton's blessing outfit. A family friend made an outfit for Dalton out of the fabric from my wedding dress. The ribbon in the center of the outfit was given to me by my grandmother to wear at my baptism. I also wore the ribbon on my wedding day. I am very excited to have this heirloom piece in our family. I also love that there is an attachable skirt to accommodate a baby girl in the future. (There isn't another baby coming anytime soon... Don't get too excited!) Dalton used the same blanket that Ryan used when he was blessed as an infant. The blanket was made by Ryan's grandmother. I personally made Dalton a post-blessing outfit because spit up and blowouts in mom's wedding dress will get you in trouble, even at 3 months old.

As Latter-day Saints, we do not baptize children until they are at least 8 years old. We believe 8 years to be the age of accountability. Infants, instead, receive a name and a blessing from someone who holds the priesthood. Once the infant is blessed, they are recognized as part of the church. However, they do not become an official member until after baptism. During the blessing, priesthood holders gather in a circle and hold the child in their arms while one of them performs the blessing. The baby blessing typically addresses Heavenly Father, gives the infant a name, and adds a blessing on the child inspired by the Holy Spirit. Each blessing is unique to the individual child.

Dalton's blessing by Ryan was beautiful. I enjoyed listening to the powerful words of hope that Ryan shared for our son. I could definitely feel the strong love that Ryan has for Dalton during the blessing. I was especially touched when Ryan asked Heavenly Father to bless Dalton with "the gift of patience and understanding," as well as "that he may be guided to help others around him". The words were perfect, and I definitely feel blessed to have these two guys in my life!