one of the best days of my life.

yesterday we were able to bless sweet little avery mae.

the entire day was absolutely wonderful.

{it was our first time attending church as a family of FOUR!}

danny gave avery a beautiful blessing and she looked equally as beautiful.

she was able to wear the blessing dress that i wore as a baby.

something about carrying on that tradition is so special and sweet.

sometimes, i still can't believe that she's mine.

she is just so dainty, sweet, and tan!!

{everyone comments on her olive skin and her white dress made her look especially dark!}

the men in the circle included avery's:

daddy, grandpa mckinley, grandpa george, great-grandpa gardner, uncle greg, uncle aaron, and "uncles" caleb, elliot, braden, sammy, logan, cody, chris and brother jamison mcpherson from the bishopric.

we had family + friends down for the event and it all came together perfectly.

we had delicious french dip sandwiches, broccoli + potato salads, fruit galore, chips, almond poppyseed muffins, strawberry cookies, cheesecake salad, and chocolate cake:

let's just say i ate wayyyyyy too much.

yesterday morning i also cut some peonies fresh from the backyard to decorate the table with. isn't that awesome?!? i love fresh flowers!

we feel so blessed to have avery in our family, and we are so grateful to all of our wonderful friends + family who came to support ave on her special day. we love all of you!!

and this is quite possibly my favorite picture of the day:

trying to recreate this picture with me + my momma:

{almost 23 years ago, to the day! isn't this picture awesome?? gotta love my mom's hair!}

all in all, it was a beautiful day. the spirit was very strong and we were able to recognize, once again, just how very blessed we are. not only that, but the sun didn't hide behind the clouds once--making it the hottest day of the year!

oh, and last night avery slept through the ENTIRE night. it was glorious!

from 9:30 p.m.-6 a.m. she didn't make a peep!

we love you little avery mae!!