Our Family is Forever

What an incredible experience, to take our precious son to the temple and be sealed together as an eternal family.

So many emotions culminated with this experience. To think that one year ago, Dave and I were apprehensively driving to our adoption classes with a little bit of wonder and fear in our hearts for what the entire process entailed. To think of the growth we've experienced through the trial of infertility and the countless prayers offered to heal our hearts and help us move on to what the LORD has in store for our family. To think of the humility required to receive such a precious gift from an angel birthmother. And to think of the joy of motherhood... fatherhood... parenthood... finally. It all brings tears to my eyes. What a wondrous blessing!

(Here's Sammy "on the way" to the temple.)

Samuel was so happy all day long. He got to stay in the children's room and his attendants said he was just an angel. When it was finally time for the ordinance, he came in to the sealing room full of smiles, giggles, and shrieks of happiness.

Children are definitely closer to the spirit. Christ said, "Suffer the children to come unto me..." in the New Testament and when he visited the Nephites in the Americas "he commanded the children to be brought upon the ground round about Him..." then later, "angels descended out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them. (3rd Nephi 17) It felt as if that circle of fire had been extended to our family as we knelt around the alter and became an eternal family.

As we walked out of the temple, we ran into Kris and Scott Leishman. Kris was one of my laurel advisors as a young woman and someone that I looked up to tremendously, especially as an example of an eternal family. What is the significance of this seemingly insignificant meeting...?

Flashback: September-October 2006

Dave and I were living with my parents in Bountiful while waiting for our home to be done. Dave signed us up for an early morning sealing session in the Bountiful temple, an act, I now KNOW was a direct answer to my prayers.

The sealer at the session was Lowell Leishman. Upon entering the sealing room, he asked, "Who's at home with the kids." To which we replied, "We don't have kids yet." Without skipping a beat, he said, "Well, adoption is great too." He then shared with us the blessings of the sealing ordinance that would be extended to us if we were to choose to adopt. I was in awe of the tender mercies of the Lord. Brother Leishman didn't know us, or our situations, but the Lord knew. I had been thinking about adoption vs. expensive medical procedures and now I knew what we needed to do.

We shared our experience with Kris and Scott and asked them to pass the news on to Brother Lowell. It felt like the Lord had written the perfect ending to the perfect beginning of our adoption story.

We (truly) are a happy fam-i-ly!

After the sealing we headed to my parents church to give Sammy a name and a blessing.

(Sammy, all tuckered out from the spiritual experiences at the temple.)

Sammy, having missed his afternoon nap while in the temple, was asleep when we arrived at the church. When Dave picked him up for the blessing, he woke up slightly, but the gentle rock of the priesthood hands holding him gently lulled him back to sleep. Sitting, near the circle, I could hear Sammy's soft inhale, exhale as the blessing was given. The blessing ended with a sincere and confident 'Amen' which startled Sammy awake like an electric shock (he startles at Dave coughing...he's quite the jumpy little fellow). He looked around at everyone grinning at him and broke into the sweetest smile. What a special spirit we have been blessed with.

The blessing Dave gave Samuel was so heartfelt and obviously God given. Sammy is our gift from God.

Thanks everyone for coming and sharing in our special day!