Caleb's Blessing Day!!

On Sunday April 29th we blessed Caleb Jeremy Johnston in my parent's home.  It was a wonderful experience.  Everyone in attendance was in church clothes and my dad conducted the gathering.  We sang an opening song ("I am a Child of God") and there was an opening prayer ("Granny Jo").  Then Jeremy gave a powerful blessing focusing on the central themes of the gospel - and how those would be a reality in Caleb's life.  He also mentioned the significance of Caleb's name.  It was beautiful!  After the blessing I had a chance to stand up and bear my testimony about eternal families and also share how grateful I am for Caleb's namesake - his daddy - Jeremy.  There was a closing song ("Families Can Be Together Forever") and a closing prayer ("Grandma").  Then we ate yummy refreshments (leftover from Marla's reception) and visited.  It was a wonderful and special occasion. 

There were lots of my family and Jeremy's family that were able to attend.  From my side of the family there was - my parents, Tiffany and her family, Michael and Melanie, my Aunt Susan and Uncle Jamie (with 2 of their kids - Jonathan and Melissa), my Uncle Rodney, and Grandmom and Grandad Wallwork.  From Jeremy's side of the family there was his Dad and Step-Mom Cindy (with Jeremy's half brothers - Jerrod, Jonathan, and Joseph and 2 of Jeremy's step-sisters Emily and Sarah), his Mom and Step-Dad Keith, Grandmother Dixie Amberson, and Julie and her family.

After the baby blessing we decided to take some 4 generation pictures with Caleb (and one with Elise too - because she had never had a 4 generation photo taken yet).

We are so lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful heritage in our families.

Unfortunately, after just a short hour or so of visiting with our favorite people on the planet - our FAMILIES - we had to hurry and finish packing our things and head off to the airport for the flight home to Missouri.  Our trip had come to an end already! :(  The return trip was uneventful.  We drove in to our driveway at 1 am.  Exhausted, but happy from a wonderful trip to AZ.  We are so grateful that we got to make the trip and see everyone!  Until next time....

Dancing!

The reception's grand finale was a dance... and it was an awesome dance!!  We are all still talking about it.  It was SO MUCH FUN!  Perhaps I should preface this by saying that my siblings and I, growing up, and beyond... have always loved getting together and dancing.  Even as adults we put on some music and go crazy in my parent's living room.  It's just something that all 4 of us kids (randomly) really love and really get into.  Some of my funnest family memories are of us all dancing together.  And that has carried into my own little Johnston family.  Jeremy loves to dance and we often turn on music and dance with our kids at our house - so really, this dance was a family dance in my book... and we were ALL in our element... loving every moment of it. :)  That being said, Elise deserves a special shout out here.  I think EVERYONE at the reception was watching her - out there dancing like an all-star (the entire time!) - and EVERYONE commented on her darling dancing.  In fact, she helped get the party started out there on the dance floor. 

Love these "action" shots!  So, yes, the dance was a beautiful end to a beautiful day.  Yay for eternal families that continue to grow!!!

The Reception

Marla and Sam had a beautiful wedding reception.  It was held at my parent's church building... and it was lovely.  Twinkly lights overhead, white grand piano being played for background music, gorgeous photos of the happy couple, and an amazing spread of food.  Seriously - it was lovely.  The evening flew by as we visited and reconnected with lots of friends and extended family that we hadn't seen in years... oh and chased our small children around. Here's a few photos from the reception:

Marla and I.

Who else, but the happy couple themselves.  They are so cute together!

Two of my personal favorites, Jeremy and Caleb.

 

My Aunt and Uncle came all the way from California.  It was so good to get to see them.  

Aunt Kay (Niland) Rizzoli and Uncle Jim Rizzoli

A highlight of the night was the traditional cake cutting!

(p.s. Grandmom made that cake - beautiful!  And delicious.)

Isaac and Elise thought the cake cutting was fun.  As they ate their cake slices, Elise kept holding up the cake and then saying "silly cake" as she put it into her mouth.

Family Wedding Photos: Professional Edition

A few of the official photos taken at the wedding reception:

Isn't this a nice looking bunch?

The Whole Niland Clan

Papa & Grandma with all 6 of their grandkids!

Sam, Marla, Mickie, Jeff

Grandad and Grandmom

(Mickey and Janice Wallwork)

Us again!

Caleb

(11 weeks old)

Sarah and Elise

(Sarah crouched down in this photo... she's not really that short :)

My sisters!!!!  I love this photo.  Seriously... these are some of my favorite women EVER.  I feel SO lucky to call them my sisters. 

Tiffany (Niland) Larson, Marla (Niland) Gale, me, and Melanie (Henry) Niland

A few "Bridesmaids" photos - just for fun:

Family Wedding Photos: Our Camera's Edition

When we arrived at the Reception there was some downtime, and the kids all looked SO DARN CUTE - so we did a quick photo shoot.  Here are my favorites.

All of the Niland Cousins

(Jake - 4, Isaac - 3, Elise - 2, Davis - 8, Caleb - 2 1/2 months, Sarah - almost 6)

Best Buddies... need I say more?

Elise adored Sarah!  And I think the feelings were mutual. :)

And a few attempts at a cute photo of our little clan:

A (nearly) Photoless Wedding Luncheon

After the temple sealing there was a family luncheon (yummy Hawaiian Haystacks) at a nearby church building.  Our kids were having a particularly difficult time at this point (it had been HOT out... it was lunch time... it was NAP time... they are KIDS) so we ended up sitting and eating at a table alone (it was a necessity!).  We survived though... and even had a chance to visit with some family.  My Dad and Sam's Dad each took a moment to speak and we got to see Marla & Sam's Wedding Photo slideshow.  We didn't take any pictures of the event... except this one.  Evidence that Elise insisted on wearing her bib backwards (like a cape) and running around... luckily she eventually found the nursery and was content for a little bit.  Even LUCKIER after the luncheon we headed home and all of the kids took much needed NAPS so that we could be in good spirits for the party that evening!

The Temple Wedding

The big day finally arrived and on Saturday Marla and Sam got MARRIED!!! 

They were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mesa Arizona Temple at 11:15 am.

It was a beautiful ceremony and they are such a wonderful couple!  We are excited to have Sam in the family. :)  I am so glad that they have each other... and, of course, being in the sealing room with Jeremy reminded me of how grateful I am that our marriage is eternal.  I love marriage!  Anyway, here's the happy couple exiting the temple as Mr. and Mrs. Gale for the first time!

(sidenote: We were so lucky - and grateful - to have Jeremy's Dad and Step-Mom Cindy come up from Queen Creek to watch Isaac, Elise, and Caleb during the Sealing Ceremony.  It was nice to know that they were in good hands - we didn't worry a bit!).