Sunday, August 31, 2014
It was a beautiful sunny day as we gathered together at church for this little man's blessing. Robert gave him a name and blessing with my brother Jeff, friend Patrick Kennedy, and Branch President David Stretch in the circle and with my brother Jason holding the microphone.
Robert did a wonderful job blessing Dawson. He blessed him that he is a loving child of Heavenly Father, that he should love his family and he can bring happiness to many others with his gentle spirit by sharing the gospel with others. He blessed him to take advantage of the temples on this earth and their great power, he will have the opportunity to receive and use the Priesthood and uphold it. Also to look out for others and let them know that the Savior died for us and has given us the opportunity to repent.
The Fountain side that came to the blessing (Robert's parents).
The Tolsma side (my two brothers and their families).
Our family of four:
This is how it usually looks though.
The proud daddy.
Kisses for my little guy. He was a sleepy sweetheart while at church.
Hanging out with Grandpa in the hall during the photo shoot to escape the heat.
We were all trying to escape the heat and were ready to eat.
Following Sacrament and photos we headed back to our place where we reserved a room in the building to hold a little gathering in order to celebrate Dawson's special day.
Come on in.
Here's the spread.
We had chicken salad and ham croissants with fruit and veggies for sides.
Annabelle and Dawson spent the first part of the party sleeping after an eventful day at church.
Rosalyn and Brielle hung out with us until it was their nap-time, then they headed back upstairs for some peace and quiet.
While people were eating and socializing we had this table set up for the tie activity I came up with.
I asked everyone to bring a tie for Dawson at some point in his life (meaning infant to adult size), and then I asked everyone to write a note to him that could be sewn to the back of the tie. I thought as he grows it would be fun to have ties that came from his blessing day with a note from the giver to help him remember his special day and to know that he is loved and supported by a wonderful family. Here's a tie that my mom sent as an example.
The girls crafting together.
And the boys...let's just say it took some prodding to get a select few to open up to their "crafty/sentimental" side. haha
They were all good sports though and it turned out to be a really special memory for me.
We all gathered together after we were finished and shared what tie we brought and the message that went with it. It was very touching and neat to hear and see why people chose the tie they did. Some purchased ties and some gave of their collection, which worked out perfectly. I think it is really cool that he will get to wear a tie that his Great Grandpa and Uncle wore. We even had some family mail in notes/ties and we read those as well. It was meaningful and very appreciated because it felt like they were there too supporting little Dawson. He is very loved and lucky to have this family.
Getting some snuggles in with Grandma who always spoils him and does a great job of holding him.
After lunch we enjoyed some yummy Texas sheet cake - one of my favorite cakes (if you cannot tell). Let's be honest, I really made this for myself. I was just happy to get a chance to make it because I knew there would be people there to share it with, so I would not eat the whole thing by myself.
One of the funniest moments was when Keaton came back from playing ball outside in the hall with Kaden and said some old lady yelled at them. She told them she was going to call the police, to which Keaton responded with a flabbergasted, "Are you for real?" We all laughed because he was so serious and upset in a "I can't believe her kind of way." You have to love living with old people who do not like to see kids playing around.
Welcome to the family Dawson. We're so happy to have you!
