*Samuel*Heather*Kalia*Annie*Ella*Aria*: July 2013

Kalia is standing front and center in this group (5 kindergarten classes) because her teacher chose her to recite a line in the opening poem- each teacher chose one student. We were proud of Kalia. She was known by all her classmates (and her teacher...lets just be honest) as the smartest one in the class. Her classmates would ask her how to do their worksheets because she could always read the instructions so well. She always knew the most sight words in the class, and like I mentioned in a previous post, about halfway through the year she was reading at a 2nd grade level.

This is the best picture we got. I was sitting right up front to get a close up shot, and right as I went to click, some RUDE lady walked RIGHT in front of me and I got a picture of her butt, and we missed getting a pic of Kalia getting her diploma. I was furious at the time. I guess it's kinda funny now. But geez, lady.

Kalia absolutely adored Ms. Beardsley (and so did I). It was her very first year ever teaching and she ROCKED! I requested her for Annie next year.

Annie got to do an academic preschool and Joy School with me and other moms. This was her graduation from Miss Tanya's preschool, which really helped Annie get ready for kindergarten. She is going to start even though she is too young. She tested in early so that she will only be a year behind Kalia. I didn't want a 2 year gap in school when they are only 14 months apart. (Annie missed the deadline by 3 months.) I thought these little cap and gowns were the cutest thing ever.

Aria's blessing was a special day, because we got to have so many there to celebrate it with us. We drove up to St. George for a family reunion, so we decided to bless the baby up there while everyone was together. The most important reason was because my dad's dad, my Grandpa Don, is losing his memory due to Alzheimer's. He still knows and recognizes us, but he probably will not by the time I have my next baby. Samuel's parents were not able to come up for the blessing because of some prior commitments, but Samuel was so kind to let us have the blessing without them, so that my Grandpa could be a part of it.

Samuel blessed her on May 26, 2013. It was Aria's one month birthday. :)
She was blessed in the ward that I grew up in, so that was extra special. The ward meets at 9 a.m., which is 8 a.m. to our Arizona bodies, so getting everyone up and there on time and looking nice was a bit of work. Aria was awake the whole time but didn't cry (always my biggest worry, silly as it sounds.) Samuel gave her a really beautiful blessing, and in the circle with him was my Grandpa Don, my dad, my uncle's Daryl and Tyler, my brother-in-law Wayne (Jeff was in China), and my brother Jonny. Both my Dad, Daryl, and Tyler all told me afterwards that Aria was really focusing on her attention somewhere above her. My dad gave me a cool talk that mentions how important it is, this day that they get their name and blessing, and how there are angels who have watched over the little one until this event happens, and maybe this is when they stop seeing them as frequently. They must have lingered around her ALL day, because she was staring up...ALL DAY. Like, you'll notice in these pictures that she is looking up in half of them. I wish I knew who was present. I'm pretty sure my Grandma Loy and Grandpa Bama (my mom's parents) were there- she is, after all, named after her Grandma Karen.

My dad wrote some things down, and I loved what he shared, and I wanted to include them here for our family record. He said,
"As I stood next to Samuel, in the circle of priesthood holders, I looked into the beautiful eyes of Baby Aria- I confess that I did not close my eyes but continued to look at her while she received her first blessing in the name of Jesus Christ. It was clear to me that she was looking up to the right of Samuel- gazing intently at someone or something. She continued to do this for the duration of the blessing. This is not the first time I have noticed this- Baby Titan did the same thing. He was also looking past the circle of the priesthood holders. They were or appeared to be in contact with angels- maybe they were saying goodbye. It was like they were thanking them for looking after them until they were safely blessed and protected in and by the name of Jesus Christ and His power and authority- safe from Satan and his destroying angels, until the receive the next saving ordinance of the Gospel- baptism. Then when they become accountable for their own actions they will become willing to take His name upon them and given the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost to guide and protect them. Angels will continue to look after them as they did when I I had my close encounter with that bear. I am just beginning to understand what it means to "Take His name upon us." Aria & Titan have been given an earthly name and a fathers blessing, and it was done in the name of Jesus Christ, a name they will continue to take upon them every time they receive a sacred ordinance, and with that name they will continue to be blessed, protected, and watched over by angels- maybe the same ones they saw during their blessings."

The blessing said that she would be full of joy and be a light and comfort to her family, that she would enjoy the spirit in her heart, as a song, like unto her name. She was blessed to be safe and happy. She was told that her Heavenly Father loves her and that she would have a life of joy (this word was mentioned at least 3 times in the blessing) and that as she would be faithful she would be blessed. She was told to share her faith and her joy, and as she would grow to maturity, she could have the opportunity to serve a mission. She was blessed to be faithful so that she could receive many blessings. She was reminded of the importance of prayer and scripture study, and would be blessed to have all the things in life that she would desire, which are righteous. She was blessed to remember the importance of a temple marriage and to be a strength to her husband and to serve with him.

One of the things that has been especially neat about our sweet little Aria is that she really responds to music and singing. She LOVES it. She smiles and coos and gives you 100% attention when you sing to her. It's so perfect, seeing as her name means "a beautiful song". She really does seem to have a joyful disposition and she really makes a lot of effort to communicate with us. I wonder if she'll grow up wanting to talk a lot or communicate a lot. She seems much more intent on this as a baby than any of my other babies. Maybe she will really love to sing. I don't know. But she has brought me a ton of joy and I am so thankful for her sweet little spirit. She started smiling over the weekend (giving her Grandpa Don the biggest smile of all when she met him for the first time.) She loved her Grandma Ruth too- once she started smiling at them, she started smiling for everyone, and now she is a smiley little thing. I can't get enough of her sweet smiles. Now she is almost 3 months old and is becoming more entertained with toys. She reaches for things and grabs them and she also loves to use her feet to kick the toys in her bouncy chair- just like her sister Kalia did.