Our baby boy was blessed on Sunday, July 1st at the Mink Creek Church house.
We stayed up at the farm there for the weekend and had a few adventures prior to the occasion. For instance, rappelling out of the neighbors barn:
This is Jake showing off his mad skills. You can see him mid-flip and diggin' it! We took turns watching Denym so I even got to go a few times - It felt so good to get out and do something active. It was really the first physically challenging thing I had done since being pregnant. I felt like me again!
As you can see, Denym loved it too. And although we seriously considered strapping him to us as we jumped out of the barn, he spared himself by taking a little snooze in the shade.
That night we went up to the Costley household where a group got together to play wallyball - Also right up my alley. What an awesome day full of some of my favorite things! But somewhere in the course of the evening my good mood vanished for no good reason and I was left with a grumpy face. I could very well blame it on the lack of sleep I had experience the last few months, but it was a mixture of things really. That morning I did not have "play" clothes to get dirty in because none of them fit my post pregnant body; I forgot some of the ingredients for treats I had wanted to prepare for the luncheon; I was upset that some of my friends weren't going to be able to make it to the blessing; And then I just couldn't play wallyball at 100 percent, which rather frustrated me [See? totally irrational freak outs...and they were constant. Which is why my sweet husband earns sainthood every. single. day.] I also had a bit of the "worry wart" syndrome that I get the day before any big event. Anyway, whatever it was that caused it, my attitude was a bit on the negative side - Okay, it was more than a little negative -like WAY past the end of my rope and was going to start sobbing if I tried to explain how I felt to my dear husband. And.... then I DID try to explain. What was I thinking!? So he tried to reason with me as we drove back and got ready for bed. (Which of course did not work.) It was late, very very late, and I just needed to go to sleep. After all, Denym would be waking up in about two hours.... or so I thought. What a good baby - he slept for a total of 6 hours that night, which was a new record! What a blessing. God SOOOO loves me :) I actually awoke refreshed and Sunday was a "new day with no mistakes in it yet." ----Anne of Green Gables
We arrived at church on time (not early, mind you, but on time) and the atmosphere was calm and peaceful in spite of the morning rush. I had a few quiet moments to reflect and just gaze and our perfect little babe. He was nice and sleepy, but due to some extra long introductory announcements in Sacrament Meeting he woke up before his moment. I was worried he would be fussy, but he did great. The men in the circle said he stuck his tongue out during the naming, but I guess that's just the "free" in him.
Daddy gave him a wonderful blessing:
“Our dear Heavenly Father, by the power and authority of the
Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, and in the name of Jesus Christ, we present this
child before You today to give it a name and a blessing. The name which has
been chosen to be given on the records of the Church is Denym General Free. At
this time we also wish to give him a blessing. Bless him that he will be
strong, in mind, and in spirit, and in faith. Bless him that he will seek opportunities
to love others and to serve thee. Bless him that he will be an example to those
around him, that he will seek to enrich others’ lives as well as his own. Bless
him that when choices are placed before him, he will counsel with thee and
choose things that will lead to happiness in his life, and joy. We are so
grateful to have him in our lives. We pray that Thou will guide him and look
over him as he grows, that he will grow to be the man that he can become. We
pray for these things and do so in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
Later in the meeting I handed Denym over to Grandma Hyde and Jake and I headed up to the stand to express a few of our thoughts.
Testimony Jake Free: “I lost the race up here with Camille!
I would be very ungrateful today if I didn’t stand before you today and bear my
testimony. I look out in the audience and see a lot of family and friends here
to support me and my family, and I’m very grateful for that. I’m very grateful
for our son. I was asked by a co-worker the other day how he was and I said,
“Oh, he’s a little turd.” And she said, “The apple didn’t fall far from the
tree!” and I didn’t think that was very nice, but if you know me, you know
that’s probably true! I am grateful. He is a blessing in my life, most of the
time. I do know that the Church is true. I am very grateful for a loving
Heavenly Father who knows me better than I know myself. My ambition, or goals
that I set for myself, sometimes He resets them. I am very grateful for His
willingness to smack me up the side of my head and let me know what I ought to
be doing. I know that He lives, and very much
loves me and looks out for me. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Back at the house we had a yummy lunch. Sandwiches, watermelon, several different types of salad, chips, and I made mini cheesecakes. Some ate outside, while others came inside where it was cooler. It was really fun to celebrate and share the day with such a wonderful group of people.
All "the boys" got together for a picture (see above) and Denym is now the newest member of the "Panda" club... Power of the Panda. (no one really knows why, but we'll just assume it's cool.) Soon after that, Denym fell asleep and snored adorably through the rest of the chaos.
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