Life Within the Cuckoo's Nest: Isla's Blessing Day

Isla wore the same blessing gown that Evie wore. It was a gift from my Mom and it was so special to have both daughters wear it.

Isla had the most beautiful blessing day and we spent it with some of our favorite people! We were just missing Grandpa Nate who had to work :(. That weekend, Grandma Janis and Grandpa Steve flew out to spend some time with us and we had a lot of fun at the park and ordering take out so we could just hang out at home and enjoy their company. Uncle Nick and Aunt Jenn also flew in that weekend and the kids had a blast rough housing with their favorite uncle while Jenn gave me all sorts of tips on how to sleep train Isla since it has been 4 years since I last had a newborn and I've already forgotten so much!

Uncle Nick is a fan favorite!

Aunt Jenn has so much baby knowledge and makes the best sister in law for me when I need advice!

We loved having Grandma and Grandpa with us!

Fun at the park!

Even Isla enjoyed herself! :)

Austin learned how to ride his bike without training wheels recently and couldn't wait to show his grandparents!

Grandma couldn't get enough snuggles from this girl!

Church wasn't until noon, so we spent the morning playing board games with family and then Grandma Janis helped me get the baby all ready for her special day! Aunt Jenn bought Isla a special bracelet for her keepsakes and it was so adorable on her tiny wrist! I was so happy to have everyone here and to show off my sweet baby to the family. We hadn't been back to church since she was born so it was also fun showing her off to all our ward friends! Josh gave a beautiful blessing with Grandpa Steve, Uncle Nick, and Bishop Nash in on the circle. Our blessing circle was small because most of our family has left the church, but the spirit was even stronger that day than I had ever felt before. Maybe it was just my hormones, but I was in tears the entire time in sacrament. I was so proud of my amazing husband for his faith in providing our children with special blessings from their worthy father. I was so grateful for his family who all came to support us. Grandma Helm took my hand during the blessing and I knew it was symbolic for how far she has come with the church and how proud she is of me (she was inactive most of her life and is now coming back and has even asked me to do her work for her and my grandpa Helm after she dies) and for how we were the only two people representing the Helm side of the family. When Josh named the baby Isla Frances in the blessing, I squeezed grandmas hand and she tried not to cry. Frances was her mother and my most special grandmother whom I miss deeply and hope to honor her with my child who is named after her. The only three people from my family there was my Grandma Helm, my Mom, and Grandma Wiegel. That hurt my feelings deeply. But I tried not to let it bother me and only focused on how grateful I was for the people who WERE there. I do have to give Briana and Aunt April credit for trying to come though. Gracelynn threw up in the car on their way to the blessing so Briana had to miss the blessing so she could bathe Gracelynn at our house. And I accidentally gave Aunt April the wrong church address so she spent sacrament in the wrong ward!! Ugh.... I felt like such an idiot when she told me. After the blessing, I got up and bore my testimony and tried so hard not to cry, but it was inevitable. My heart was overflowing with gratitude and there didn't seem to be words to express how I was feeling! I did my best though and I hope the holy spirit did the rest. During sacrament, the kids played quietly with Aunt Jenn and my Mom and Grandma W. held the baby. So for the first time in forever I was able to just listen to the speakers and hold hands with my husband while I sat next to Grandma Helm and enjoyed that moment with her. It was a tender moment and I don't know how to describe the sweet joy I was feeling in that moment. It was like all was right in the world and I knew we were exactly where we were supposed to be. Very rarely does one get that kind of validation.

We held a luncheon at our house after sacrament and had many more people show up for that! We enjoyed the food and company while the kids ran around and had fun swiping food from the kitchen and having a dance party with their baby cousin Gracelynn :). Like I said, it was the perfect day, and blessed is an understatement. We may not have it all together, but together we have it all. Isla, you perfect our family in a way that only you could. I prayed for years to have you and now that I do, I don't know what we ever did without you!