Hesston's Baby Blessing

 Family Picture :)

 Getting to spend some quality time with dad...

 And mom...like always. He might even get a little too much mom time, and that's why he likes it when Grandma Garling or Hales-Reed comes to visit.

 So, Hesston looks like he's flipping us all off, but really, his pointer finger is extended on the other side of his collar. He had his collar pinched between his two fingers...ha ha.

 Garling Family that could make it up to the blessing. Hesston loved spending time with his cousins! As you can see from this picture, Adam made the long trip from Arizona to come to the baby blessing. That was a HUGE surprise, and we were extremely happy to see him! Jake and Melissa came over from Twin Falls, and Charity and Nate came up from Utah. Jake, Karleen, and Elisabeth came down from Ammon. It was quite the trip for everyone to be there! We appreciate and love our amazing families!

 Hancock/Hales side of family that made it to blessing. Rama and Dean, Karen and Craig came up from Utah to support us. We missed getting pictures with Steve's kids, Brennan, Angela, Channing, Carrissa and her girls. We thought of pictures at the last minute, and half of the people had already left. Grrr...But, we loved having the support from the newest members of our family.

 The night before the blessing, there was a Romrell Family Reunion at Heise Hot Springs. Here is Grandpa Romrell with Ted and Hesston. Grandpa Romrell would be Hesston's Great-Grandpa. Hesston is way lucky to have great-grandparents...especially ones that are as genuine and caring as these! Grandma Romrell was there too, but we didn't get a picture with her. The reunion was a blast! It was very fun to see everyone!
I think my favorite part was getting to hear the history of the family told in first person by the grand and great grand kids. It made the stories more relate-able and real. Touched our hearts.

 Hesston in his Woombie, hanging out with dad and watching the Olympics. He loves being swaddled and held. I think it is a comfort thing for him, but he won't sleep without his Woombie.

  Look at these pictures of my dad that I added, and then look at Hesston below. Don't they look a ton alike? My dad even had a look like Hesston's that he would give us when he was thinking.

 Love this face. It is his serious, thinking face. I think he looks a lot like my dad in this picture. It is funny, the older he gets, the more he looks like Grandpa Hales. It is great because we could all use a little more Grandpa Hales in our lives. :) Miss you, Dad.

I had to post this picture because I love Hesston's outfit. Sure, we named Hesston after farm equipment and it is from the Case line, but John Deere works too. He is a future farmer, and we have to have proof that it was planned from the time he was born.


The baby blessing went wonderfully! Ted did a great job blessing Hesston. After he got his blessing and Ted held Hesston up so the audience could see him, Hesston squirmed and Ted said he about lost his grip. It was funny, because I kept telling Ted to make sure he had a good hold on him, because I would hate for him to drop Hesston in front of everyone. Hesston must've known, because he gave daddy a run for his money by squirming.
I was so happy Hesston didn't cry during the blessing! That was my biggest worry. That, and, if Ted and I would be able to get to bear our testimonies. The testimony thing went well...we got right up after they opened the meeting to the public. It was cute, Ted asked me if I wanted to bear my testimony at the beginning of the meeting, and I told him that would be great. So, we were done bearing our testimonies before we even had time to get nervous or worried over what to say. I think that is the best way for me to bear my testimony. I tend to over think things, so when I just do things on a whim, I am much less worried and am able to really go from my heart instead of all my head.
Hesston is a great baby! Especially in public. We need to spend more time out and about, because he is great with people and loves being out. Yes, it is stressful for me, because I have to pack everything up and nursing outside of the house is tough, but he loves it...and a happy baby makes me happy too.
Hesston is getting super strong! And, he has grown a ton! At six weeks, he is 11 pounds and growing! It seems like every week he advances to a whole new level of maturity.
He has been sleeping through most of the nights for the last week, which is awesome!!! He will sleep for 6-8 hours each night. It is funny, he will eat like crazy before bedtime, and cry forever, like he is trying to wear himself out (which he does), then pass out. It's like he knows he needs to be extra full, tired and worn out so he can sleep that long. It just amazes me at how smart he is...I mean, seriously...how could he know to eat a lot and then cry for a  long time so he sleeps two to three times as long as any of his naps during the day? I won't complain. I love the much needed sleep, especially when it is at night.
Well, life at our house is centered around little baby Hesston...as you can read. It sure is fun and keeps us super busy! As for the farm...2nd crop of hay is done and we're getting ready to harvest grain. Farming is more than a full-time job for my family and it amazes me at how busy they are. Ted is still working hard at Verizon and foot zoning before, during lunch breaks, and after work. Today is his day off, and he is zoning people. So, he keeps super busy. His only "real" day off is Sundays. And he teaches Elder's Quorum and Sunday School, so it's really not a day off either. But, we love being busy. I am finally starting to go back to young women's (I've missed the girls a ton), and love being able to talk to grown-ups. It is amazing at how good you get at reading your baby, but they never talk...so when you are around people that actually communicate, it is like a miracle. I never realized how valuable language was until I had a baby. But, the young women are doing great, and I work with some of the greatest leaders! I feel so abundantly blessed! Life has never been better!