Busy Blessing Weekend

Mark and I decided that we still wanted to celebrate the 4th even though these babies are unpredictable in the evenings.  So we dressed in our patriotic best (Thanks Aunt Janine & Tiffany for the little outfits) and headed to our friends home on Wednesday to preform a test run on how they would do with fireworks.  For the most part they did great.  So we decided to tempt fate and go to the city fireworks the next night.  They surprised us by sleeping through the whole show without even flinching!


Friday the party really started to get going.  Dean and Rachel's Grandma & Papa and Aunt Paulette came in from Virginia and their Grandma & Grandpa D. came in from Utah for their blessing weekend.  Saturday morning we all went to the Farmers Market on the Square.  They slept the whole time and even Gizmo did a great job. 

Saturday afternoon they met their first set of cousins when the Clark kids got into town!  Their Great-Grandma Jennings and Uncle Scott also came into town that day and the house was full of love. :-)

Sunday Mark gave them a name and a blessing at church.  Mark's family dressed Dean & mine dressed Rachel.  I took pictures. 

We were lucky to have many family members attend the blessing and many priesthood holding men join the circle to help Mark. (Left to Right: Bishop Greg Chandler, Uncle Scott DeYoung, Grandpa DeYoung, Daddy, Cousin Dale Schofield, Uncle Matt Clark, Bishop Craig Cude, missing - friend Spencer Clive).

Our after-church photo session was interesting.  The meeting went over by almost 30 minutes so Rachel was starving and not asleep as I had planned.   As a result most of the pictures don't show content binky-free angelic babies.  

Instead there are a few like this:

And many like this:

It was a special day for these two and Mommy thinks they looked quite handsome and beautiful.  Dean's blue tie, white sneakers, and blue blanket just make me smile every time.  Rachel's custom dress with the pink bow, bracelet, pink blanket, and pink ballet slippers came together so perfectly it couldn't have been better!  We feel so very blessed to have these two in our family  I'm so grateful for the knowledge of eternal families and the blessing it is that we will always be together!  Mark and I thank our Heavenly Father for them many times through-out each day and recognize what precious miracles we've been entrusted with!  We hope to raise them to become instruments in His hands.