a weekend celebrating Chris and Emi

I have a mound of laundry and unpacking waiting for me but Emi is sleeping and I wanted to write about our special weekend.

Chris finished his time at BYU a year ago but he didn't actually graduate until last December. Since it's a pretty big step in life, we decided to fly back for graduation and make it official. I was so proud of Chris watching him walk across the stage in his cap and gown when his name was called. It felt a little funny since we've been in California for a while but it felt good to close that chapter of our lives.  Many people when they graduate don't know where they're going to work but with the timing of internships and everything, somehow he already has a full-time job. He worked really hard in college to prepare for his career and future family and it's amazing to see where life has taken us.

 We also spent part of the weekend celebrating baby girl! We've been trying for months now to plan Emi's baby blessing and it finally happened! It's a tradition in our church to give a new baby a name and blessing and after rescheduling it three times, we finally decided to do it the same weekend of BYU's graduation ceremony. It's pretty common for people to do it at the church they regularly attend, but since we have so many friends and family members in Utah, it made more sense to do it there.

Chris gave Emi the most beautiful blessing. It was full of love, hope, and positivity. With her recent diagnosis, it's very likely that she'll face many challenges in the future. As a parent, it's been almost unbearably hard to think of what she could go through, but Chris said some things that not only gave me hope she'll have a beautiful life, but that she'll be a light to others. Emi is a gift and we're so happy she's our daughter.

^^I just snapped this quickly because I wanted the cat in the picture and somehow it's one of my favorite photos from the weekend. Emi rarely looks straight into the camera but I love that she's looking in this one! 

 ^^my mom said "Emi is such a beautiful baby but she's not very photogenic..." Haha poor baby girl. I think she's cute no matter what ;)

 ^^she fell asleep after all of the excitement but still looked so sweet in white.

^^Emi wore the same dress I did when I was blessed! It's actually been passed around the family so all of my siblings, cousins, and nephew have been blessed in it. I'm so glad Emi still fit into it!

I love my family and friends so much. Some days it's really hard being so far away and I usually tell myself that skyping and calling is enough, but being physically together this weekend filled me up in the best way. Playing games, going to the temple with Chris, eating good food, watching so many shower Emi with love, and being with people who genuinely care about me and my family lifted me up in a way that I hadn't expected. Celebrating is always fun but this weekend it felt especially needed. Whether it was sent through the internet or shown in person, thanks for all the love.