Sealing Day

January 10, 2015 (last Saturday) was one of the best three days of my life.  It was the day Mason Mark Rasmussen was sealed to our family for time and all eternity in the Portland Temple.  It was such a sacred, special experience that it's difficult to describe.  I have never felt the Spirit stronger or such complete joy in my life.  

Spencer got to come inside the temple with us. He was an observer since he is already sealed to Alan and I so he didn't wear white, but it was really neat to have him there with us.  He was excited about being one of the few six-year-olds to see the inside of a temple.

We were blessed to have family and friends attend the sealing.  My parents flew up from Arizona and Katelyn and Zac drove down from Seattle.  Alan's parents, grandparents, aunt and cousin came as well as a few close friends from our ward.  We had decided to keep it a small group of people who know us and had been involved in Mason's adoption in some way.

Spencer and Mason spent about an hour in the youth center while Alan and I prepared for the sealing.  Spencer gets nervous around adults he doesn't know well, so it was a tender mercy when we got to the youth center and I recognized one of the sisters as Spencer's best friend's grandma!  She had never met Spencer before, but just having that connection made him feel more comfortable.  We have yet to hire a babysitter for Mason and I have no intention of doing so anytime soon, but I wasn't nervous at all leaving him in the youth center.  The Spirit in the temple made me feel so peaceful and calm.

We requested President Lloyd Campbell as our sealer.  President Campbell was our previous stake president and has known Alan's family for years.  He had also worked for LDS Family Services before he retired and knows A LOT about adoption.  President Campbell said some really amazing things that touched our hearts before the sealing.

After the day was over, I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures of the star of the show by himself.  So, I dressed him in his whites again and had a photo shoot in Spencer's sunny bedroom.  Such a sweet heart!

 

The Portland Temple has an atrium in the foyer.  They let us stay in our white clothes to take pictures in there after the ceremony.  It's a little weird that Spencer wasn't in white with us.  The wonderful sisters in the youth center offered to help him dress in white, but Spencer didn't want to and that was one fight not worth fighting.  Much better to have a happy day and happy pictures than white clothes.

My boys!

Grandpas!

A very happy, forever family!

He got tired of pictures.

Brothers!

Grandmas!

Kate and Zac!

Aunt Teri! (Jim had accidentally double-booked himself that morning)

This was a day Alan, Spencer and I will never forget.  The feelings of truth, rightness (is that a word?!), peace, joy, and love were indescribable.  We are so happy!