A Very Blessed Little Girl

On December 19, 2010, we welcomed Adelyn to the world by blessing her at our church.  It was a beautiful day and I couldn't think of anything more perfect than blessing our little angel during the Christmas program.  Here's a recount of her special day:

We had a bit of a rough start before church. Addy had quite the tummy ache and wanted nothing to do with pictures or her beautiful dress that her grandma Stephenson made for her.  This is me trying unsuccessfully to soothe her.

If you ignore poor Addy's screaming face, this is a pretty good photo. :D

Thankfully she settled down when we got to the church and went to sleep for her beautiful blessing. We had so many wonderful family and friends attend the Sacrament meeting.  It was a full house!  Addy is a very blessed little girl to be surrounded by so many people who love her.  Her daddy gave her a beautiful blessing.  The moment her daddy took her up there in her beautiful white dress and all the Priesthood surrounded her, I just felt the Spirit so strongly.  It's a wonderful thing to have such good men that love Addy be able to use their Priesthood to bless her. One thing I distinctly remember from her blessing is that she will love her Savior.  I've always wanted for my children to have a love for the Savior.  Her blessing gave me reassurance that she will always know the way that her Heavenly Father wants her to go and live and that she will fiercely love her Savior.   There isn't much better than that.  It was beautiful and our sweetheart slept right through it all. 
The Christmas program was beautiful. We enjoyed the music and talents of members of our ward. One song in particular that I enjoyed was "Mary's Lullaby" which you don't hear very often, but as I sat in Sacrament meeting holding my sweet new baby, it made me feel connected to Mary as a new mother and how much she loved her newborn babe. 

After church we snapped a few photos before our dear friends, the Finlays, headed off to their ward.  I don't think we've ever taken a photo of our families together, so I'm so glad we got one.  It meant so much to have them there.  We love you guys!

Here are the priesthood holders that participated in Addy's blessing. (L to R) Jake Finlay, John Darrington, Bishop Scott Darrington, Wes, and Jason Aguilar.  Again, we are so thankful to have such wonderful men that love our sweet girl.

Here is our bishop, Bishop David Giles. He's a wonderful man! It's funny because he actually knows many members of our family through his work. He's a podiatrist and goes to Schurz every so often, so my mom knows him. He also knows my Aunt Carla because he works at the VA.  I'm so glad he popped over for a quick picture with Wes and Addy.

Here Addy is wearing a bonnet that my Aunt Pam gave to me when I was a baby. My mom always loved it because it is so sweet and soft, so it was perfect to keep her head warm on such a rainy day. Plus, she looked pretty darn sweet.

Here's a better attempt at a family photo after church. :D

After church, we had a lovely luncheon at our home. It was so wonderful to have so many family and friends gather in honor of Addy's special day. Here are a few photos of the afternoon:

Scott and Addy:

Liam, in the middle of the action, as usual! 

Brent and Elise Adams joined us as well.  They are such kind, wonderful people. I've worked with Elise for 5 years at the Oral Surgery office and it's wonderful to have them as a part of our life.  Addy was sleeping when we took this pic, but it's a great picture of them with Liam.

Addy and her G.G.  Or should I say, G.G. and her Addy? :)

Our family with the whole Darrington gang.  I know I'm sounding redundant here, but we just love them so much and feel so grateful to have them in our lives.

I just loved this picture that I snapped of sweet Izzy. :D

Nana and Papa:

The whole Fawcett/Stephenson/Cannon gang!  We are truly blessed.

Aunt Pam and Uncle Bill.  They made us the most beautiful gold, sand dollar ornaments to remember her special day by.  Thank you!

And with G.G. and Grandpa-Great and Izzy checking out my toe nail polish. :) 

For some reason, we didn't get a photo with Cousin Larry Fawcett, Uncle Larry Smith, Miranda and Courtney Smith, or Uncle Danny and Aunt Carla Smith. :(  We were so happy they were able to join us though. 

Just going back through these photos just reminds me how richly blessed our life is by the things that matter most.  Having her blessing this time of year was a very special reminder of the true reason for the season.  We are so blessed to have such amazing family and friends and for the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.