Opal's Blessing

Opal had her baby blessing! With the holidays coming up, early November seemed like the best time for the occasion. It is good we didn't wait any longer to bless Opal because she would have been bursting out of her dress. She wore the dress Penelope wore for her blessing. Isabelle's blessing dress was too snug for chunky Opal. The dress Opal and Penny wore was made by my friend Valerie. How neat to use a handmade dress.

My mom gave Opal a bracelet for this notable day

We had so much support for the event and I am grateful. Jill even flew in! 3 of Opal's great grandma's were there! Grandma Ditto, Grandma Langlois, and Gigi (Grandma Denning). Sadly, (but understandably), Grandpa Denning wasn't up for attending the event due to his poor health. Andrew's Mom, Debbie also couldn't make it. 

Grandma Ditto

Grandma Langlois

Gigi (Grandma Denning)

Since Opal is #4, Andrew knows the blessing process well. He put Nate on pacifier duty in case Opal decided to make a peep during the prayer. Andrew said some really sweet things. Opal was honestly an angel! She slept through everything and I couldn't have asked for her to be more chill. Her eating schedule aligned perfectly too.

 

Some family watched via YouTube which meant a lot. Sara even snuck a couple of screenshots for me which made me grin. She knows me well and said they were for my blog. I appreciate Alison taking the group pic!

Ditto's: Addison, George, Nate, Laynie, Malia, Dan, Gma

Langlois': Doug, Sheri, Jake, Hailee, Holland, Gray, Sara, Steve, Abbie, Hollie, Eli, Gma

Denning's: Nana, Papa, Jill, Jessica, Chris, George, Dorothy, Gma

Friends: Michael, Hiday, Jaedyn, Josh, McCall, Trevor, Harrison

It was fast Sunday and I decided to bear my testimony. I do not love the cultural expectation for a new mom to share her testimony when her baby is blessed, but I could not hold back. Opal is a miracle. Her smiles and presence bring so much joy to our home. She is beloved by her siblings! I shared a raw testimony and was very open about the challenges we've been through in the last year miscarrying twins and losing Joel. I hope my point came across that through it all, the Savior understands what I've experienced and how I feel. He has shown me his hand through these hard times. I'm glad I'm done with that. I got more emotional than I wanted.

When planning the menu for the lunch, soup sounded hearty and good. We did not know the weather would be rainy weeks in advance when preparing, but it worked out perfectly because it was a very dreary and wet day. The soups hit the spot.

Menu:

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Smoky BBQ Chili

Country Chicken Stew

Tomato Macaroni Soup

Cornbread muffins

Homemade bread and jam

Grapes

Sugar cookies

Kids:

Uncrustables

Chips

Capri Suns

I had helpers. I'm indebted to Jessica and my mom! They did so much! They came over Friday morning and helped decorate. The pictures don't quite capture how beautiful everything looked so envision this: white tablecloths, an Opal Ruth banner, green, white, and pink flowers, candles, pictures of Opal, chalkboards to label things. I also had assistance with the food. My mom and Jessica made soups and cookies and McCall brought grapes. How could I have pulled this off without them?? I borrowed so many things from my parents-- a table, folding chairs, baskets, and more. It was a hectic weekend with Halloween, but I was actually able to enjoy the event and not be stressed and grumpy and I am forever thankful. It happened to be Daylight Savings, so we had an extra hour Sunday morning to prep which was convenient.

Nana and Papa

Jessica

Big George meets Little George. My kids have 2 cousin George's--George Ditto and George Crandall.

Dan is Andrew's Dad's brother. Since I never had the chance to met Ken, I look to Dan and can kind of picture what Ken was like.

Honestly, I could not have asked for a better blessing day! Everything went smoothly and I was delighted. Andrew teased me later because after we had cleaned everything up, he couldn't keep his eyes open and fell asleep. Meanwhile, I was amped and full of energy. My heart was overflowing. Opal, we are so blessed that you are here!