Tayten's Blessing

The weekend after Labor Day we headed up to Idaho for a baby blessing. We drove up on Friday night, and stopped to see Layne and Kris (Brian's parents). They had just moved into their new house in Idaho. It was so wonderful to get to see them. They gave us a tour of the house, which is just gorgeous, and then we sat up talking and catching up until late. We spent the night with them and had a leisurely breakfast with them the next morning. It was sad to leave after only spending a short time with them, but not as sad as saying goodbye when we lived in NYC. Knowing that they are  only a few hours drive away now, makes it a lot easier. It's not saying good bye for 6-12 months or more. 

We drove from their house to my parent's house in Chester. I was so excited to get to spend time with all of my nieces and nephews. I hadn't gotten to see my sister Jamie and her family yet. I couldn't wait. It was such a sweet reunion, and it makes me so happy that the kids get excited to see me too. :)

That afternoon we all got ready for family pictures. The first time everyone was in the same place since my sister Annie's wedding the year before (and five years before that!). It was a little hectic getting everyone ready in time, but we made it. 

We drove up the road to the dry farm where Mom, Tyler, and Luke had already scouted out some locations. We stopped and took some shots by the nearby river. The kids were really well behaved and cooperative...except little Sophia. She wouldn't smile and kept putting her hands up by her face. She was not too happy about the whole experience. 

There may have also been some goofing off of the adults at times.

Next we drove across the road and over to the place that we call the cliff. This is one of my family's favorite spots in the whole world. When my siblings and I were growing up, we would all load up in the car and Mom and Dad would drive us up here. We would drive out by the rocky portion and just walk around and enjoy the fresh air. There were always a family of owls that made their nest in the rocks. In the evenings, if we stood really still we could hear them hooting and see the fuzzy little babies sitting on the rocks. I'm not sure what kind of owls they were...great white owls maybe.

Another tradition for our family was to go on a hike here on the occasionally summer Sunday afternoon after church. There is a trail that runs up the side of the hill to the left of the cliff. We kids loved doing this. It was one of our favorite summer family activities. Us kids would have races up the trail, hunt for walking sticks, try to identify what animal lived in the various holes we'd find along the way. It was paradise for us crazy, wild kids, and I'm sure my parents loved being able to turn us loose for awhile and have a moment of peace. 

On one such hike, we carved all of our initials in a tree at the top of the trail. For years afterward, it was so exciting to be able to walk back up there and find our tree and identify our initials. I really had a golden childhood. :) 

I was having too much fun with the kids, so I didn't take too many pictures. I wish I'd have gotten a better picture of the cliff and off the hill with the trail running up it (you can see it through the trees). The sun was setting by the time I thought to catch any pictures of the area. So next time we make it up there, I'll get some better ones. I always want to remember this place. Thinking about it makes my heart happy.

Back to family pictures. We found some nice places to get some photos taken at the bottom of the trail. Then we took a walk up it. The trees were just barely starting to turn, and it was so beautiful. We stopped here and there to get some more pictures along the way. It was so awesome to get to share this special place with the next generation of our family. The little kids had fun exploring as we had done so long ago. I hope someday to be able to take our own kids for a hike at the cliff.

     

 We didn't make it all the way to the top, because the littlest kiddos were getting tired and fussy. They'd done really good up until that point, but they'd had enough and wanted to go home. It was also getting a bit late and was close to some of their bedtimes. So we loaded back up and headed home. Brian and I rode in the back of Luke's pickup along with Jake, Annie, and Carson. It has been a few years since I've ridden in the back of a pickup and it was fun.

Beautiful Idaho sky.

The next morning we all got up early and got ready for church. It was another crazy time, but reminded me of how crazy Sunday mornings used to be when I was a kid. Good times, although my Mom probably wouldn't every label them as such.

We all carpooled up to the Ashton Stake Center for Sacrament Meeting where little Tayten was to be blessed. It was kind of fun to be back in Chester Ward and see ward members that I'd known all my life and hadn't seen for quite a few years. 

The blessing Tyler gave Tayten was wonderful. I can't believe my brother is a dad! But I'm so happy for him and Kelsey. Tayten, who every one calls Tater Bug, cried through the whole blessing. As soon as Tyler said Amen, his cries cut off so abruptly that it made everyone laugh.

After church we stopped outside the building to get some pictures. 

The happy family.

Proud parents and grandparents.

Little Tayten looked so dapper in his suit. He was so adorable...even though he wasn't too happy when I tried to hold him. He even had a little pocket square!

     

As my sister Kiley wrote on Facebook when she posted photos of the weekend, I love all my people...big and small!

Miss Kaylee, always the character.

We drove back to Chester for a luncheon at the Pavilion afterwards. Everyone had a good time eating and catching up with each other. I got some time to visit with my Grandpa, who I love so much. He's my favorite person. I've missed not getting to visit him. There were more pictures after the luncheon. Here is my Grandpa with two of his great grandkids.

Late Sunday afternoon, Brian and I loaded up and headed back home. I was so happy that we were able to visit everyone and be there for the blessing. I can't even tell you how nice it is that we live close enough that we can be apart of family gatherings again. I feel so blessed.