My Baptism Day.

I turned eight this year.  Eight is a very special birthday.

 

Eight is the year that I get to be baptized.

It is a very important decision.

By choosing to be baptized, I am following Jesus.

Jesus was baptized.

spiritual enlightenment here.

We are baptized at eight because that is the age of accountability, or the age that we begin to understand right from wrong.

I was baptized on Sunday, September 16, 2012.

I was baptized by my father.

I wore a very pretty white dress.  My dad also wore white.

By making the choice to be baptized, I am setting an example for my younger brother and sister.  Jex set the example for me.  He was baptized two years ago.

My Aunt Kristin and cousin Luke came all the way from Las Vegas to be with me.

My Aunt Lindsay and cousin London came all the way from Utah.

My Aunts played a very important part in my special day.

They both spoke at my baptism.

Kristin spoke about Baptism.  She told me about the 3 “bears” that we take on when we are baptized.

1.bear his name

2. bear one another’s burdens

3.bear your testimony

Her testimony helped strengthen mine.

Many other people from our ward family came to support me.

That was a testimony to me of the love that is shown by those who follow Jesus.

When I was baptized, I was baptized by immersion, which means fully submersed in water.  I went down and came right back up.  That represents my sins being washed away.

The water was very warm, but my mom was there to wrap me in a warm towel when I came out of the water.

I was given three white towels that day as a gift.  They were each made by friends or family.  I feel so loved.

After I was baptized, I came out dressed in a new white dress.  My mom put my hair up in a braid because it was all wet.

A member of our ward who is an artist, drew this picture of me while we were listening to the speakers. It is a beautiful reminder of that day.

Then my Aunt Lindsay spoke, she spoke about the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost is the gift we receive after we are baptized.

She told me the Holy Ghost gives three signals just like a traffic light.

1.red-stop what you are doing and repent

2.yellow-warns me of danger

3.green-a time to testify, teach or prompt

I am so thankful she came to help testify of this important gift.

After she spoke, I was given the gift of the Holy Ghost; also by my father.

It is given by the laying on on of hands.

My father asked every worthy priesthood holder in the room to stand with him. 

There were many wonderful fathers and friends who helped administer this ordinance.

I was touched.  The spirit was very strong.

Along with the spiritual gift of the Holy Ghost, I received many other gifts from family and friends.

This necklace says; I am a Child of God.  Which I know to be true.

My parents gave me new scriptures, and I also got: a scripture case, a new pillowcase, and lots of jewelry.

This is the pillowcase from my Grandmother.

After my baptism was finished, we had a nice evening of refreshments.

My mom made these cookie cakes to help celebrate.

CTR means: Choose the Right.

It was a beautiful day.

A day I will always remember.

I am happy when I follow the Savior’s teachings.

You may enjoy seeing my entire baptism photo session found here.

For my family who is far away and couldn’t make it, my mom made this video to celebrate my life and my decision.  You may enjoy watching it.

Sister visit/Picture Story

As you know, my sisters came for a visit.  They came to celebrate the baptism of one special little lady.

  I am so excited to tell you all about it.

…But before I get to that, I have to share what a fun week we had.  I am thankful for sisters, cousins, and time to share with them.

While they were here, we just had to take advantage of some of the fun things PA has to offer.

Some of you may recognize a few of these photos from Instagram; if you follow me.

On that note: I am using my iphone more for photos.  It is so convenient, but not necessarily the quality that I love.  However, it captures the moment. And I love sharing life with you on Instagram. It’s like a quick way to blog.

Here is our week in pictures from my awesome camera, and my iphone:

Kids wake right up and get to playing.  Even though one little one didn’t get to my house until 3am.

We took the kids to the park to play and have lunch.

I took the girls to Eastern Market; a fun farmers market that happens all year round.  It is open every Friday; I buy all my produce here.

My sisters agreed to watch our kiddos while Jonathan and I went to a concert.  Our second concert this week. We went to Luke Bryan just 3 days previous.

 

The kids piled up on the couch and watched a movie while we were gone.  AWE!

(taken with Lindsay’s iphone)

Back at the concert: Justin Moore, “If heaven wasn’t so far away.” This song was played during my Grandpa’s funeral video.  Miss you Grandpa.

One of my favorites: Eric Church. Springsteen. “Funny how a melody sounds like a memory.” I love how music can recall a memory.

..and always a beautiful sight when the audience pulls out their cell phones.

Thanks again Kristin and Lindsay.  It was so nice to get away and know our kids were being loved on by their aunties.

Saturday, it was the whoopie pie festival.

Complete with a whoopie pie launch, and YES!! those are real whoopie pies that they are launching. Oh, and that guy… yes… he is MY husband.  Isn’t he Hunky?

157 flavors of whoopie pies to choose from.

We bought a few to try.

Strasburg; which is Amish country.

Old time Icecream shoppe…

…when a Amish buggy pulled up.

We enjoyed icecream…

…Luke slept in the car.

Then we toured Amish country. This is one of their schoolhouses.

(taken with Kristin’s phone)

Another concert. This time Jonathan watched the kids, and I went with my sisters. Yes! I am a concert junkie.

A little Lauren Alaina? She was great. This is my third time seeing her this year. I loved it. We had a great time and even enjoyed sharing a red velvet funnel cake. Love my sisters.

Paulos farm; which had fun FREE things for the kids to do.

They loved feeding the animals.

I was dead set on feeding a  baby goat that was being bullied by a bigger goat.

I finally succeeded.

The kids just really enjoyed being together

….and I think that is what it is all about.

Sweet Frog frozen yogurt for FHE.  Everyone loves this place.

Oh, and the FROG in Sweet Frog stands for; fully rely on God.  Love it!

We also did a little Christmas shopping.  I am so excited about what I found. Plus, I really love shopping with my sisters.  It is what I miss most about being away from them.  We all love a good deal.

It was a great weekend.

Thanks Kristin and Lindsay for sharing the week with us. The only thing I wish I had a picture of; a picture of the 3 of us together.

Coming soon:

Stella’s baptism.

 

What is going on here?

This morning, I woke up to a text at 5:12 am.  This is what it said:

No school today due to snow.

WHAT?  Snow?

Sure enough, there was snow on the ground. 

We are once again stuck on this mountain, and wouldn't you know I am once again almost out of milk.  Oh, and soda... could someone bring me a diet coke please?

Today was grocery day, instead of shopping we stayed inside and watched it come down.  Boy, was it coming down.

Isaac could not wait to get out in it.  So while I snapped some photos, he found his cowboy boots and came right out.

I couldn't help it.  The glow of the snow could make any face look adorable. 

Look at those lashes... I would love to have a transplant for some of those.

You have to remember this little guy has never lived in Utah.  He hasn't seen much snow.

I know what you are all thinking right now...

"She is the worst mother.  Where is his coat?" 

He snuck past me and I just couldn't get to it fast enough. 

I did get all the kids bundled soon after, and they took it outside. 

I didn't get any pictures, because I was on the phone chatting with a high school friend that I haven't talked to in over 5 years.

HI!! Jamie:)

In the meantime, I made Sugar Cookies.  YUMMO!!

Don't you love Stella's sprinkle job.  That girl loves her sprinkles.

This is my new favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe.  My old favorite, which I still love (you can find the recipe here), takes a long time.  They are delicious, but also very tedious.

This is my mom's recipe.  There is no rolling out, or chilling dough.  Therefore, they whip up in a snap.

My Mother's YUMMO cookies.

2 C. shortening

1 C. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 t. salt

1 C. powdered sugar

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1 1/2 t. baking powder

4 1/2 C. flour

Cream sugars and shortening.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix well and add dry ingredients.  Roll in to balls or drop with a cookie scoop, flatten with your hand, and bake.

350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  They are definitely better under cooked.  Add some frosting and sprinkles and enjoy.

We enjoyed them tonight for FHE.(family home evening)

We are beginning to talk about Baptism since Jex will be baptized this year. 

At the end of the evening when we shared something that made us happy  he said with tears beginning to roll down his cheeks(tears are always the spirit talking.)

"I am happy we could talk about baptism, and that I could feel the spirit.  It helped me know that I am making the right choice to be baptized. 

This is a special time in his life.

At the close of this Snow day, I got another text that read:

No school tomorrow due to snow.

When will we ever get milk and diet coke?