A couple weekends ago our son had his first sleep over at my parent's house. In preparation for his first night away I eagerly stocked his overnight bag with everything necessary to take care of him for a solid week. Then I called my mother and meticulously went over a rough schedule with her. Since my mother has successfully raised four children and helped raise several subsequent grandchildren, all of this was more about giving me piece of mind then out of necessity. As I placed his elephant slippers and bathrobe in his bag I was a mix of emotions. I was worried about our first night away from each other and yet I was really looking forward to it. I wasn't afraid anything bad would happen, rather I knew how much I would miss him. 

An important day in the life of Jasper was his blessing day. Baby blessings although not considered life saving ordinances, allow the father to give the child a name by which he will be known on the records of the church along with a blessing for their life. On Jasper's blessing day, we were fortunate to have both sets of grandparents present along with some of our friends. For the past month I have agonized over what to dress Jasper in but ultimately I decided to put him in something sentimental and festive for the season. When I was pregnant with Asher, Cameron's parents purchase an adorable outfit for him. For Jasper's blessing day I was able to dress Jasper in both the pants and the shoes they had purchased. Although no one had any idea the sentiment behind the clothing, it was my little way of including and honoring Asher on our family's special day. We are grateful for all the many people who were so supportive during this pregnancy. Jasper is more than we could have ever asked for and we are feeling blessed beyond measure this holiday season. 

While this year I have felt particularly blessed there have been times in my life when gratitude and feelings of Thanksgiving have been harder to come by. When life is going well it is easy to feel grateful, but when life throws you a couple curveballs that is when your true test sets in. During a particularly hard time in my life when nothing seemed to be going right I started to feel a bit hopeless. One day I got the idea to document five things which were going right in my life; some were big things like having a healthy body and a strong faith in God, but equally important were the small things.  Over the next couple of months I continually read through the list and clung to these things which were going right. 

Since the arrival of Jasper friends and family have continued to shower us with presents galore for him. Some of the sweetest gifts have not been the most expensive or extravagant, but simple handmade gifts like these adorable crocheted baby booties. 

What are some of your favorite gifts to give a new little one?

When I placed the order for Jasper's stocking I thought nothing of all the wonderful possibilities of its use as a prop. However, once it arrived in the mail I realized he might just be able to fit inside of it. To my surprise he was a perfect fit and an impromptu photo shoot ensued.

Tis the season to create priceless photos of your child in which you can later use to entertain or embarrass your child.