Sam's baptism weekend

Sam had a great weekend. We all did. It was so fun to have everyone up here. Ted's sister Rebecca and her family came up, my sister Lara came with her daughter, Rebecca, and they brought another cousin, Katelyn, too. My parents were here, and so were Ted's parents. It was a great time. On Saturday the baptism wasn't until 4:00, so in the morning we went to the Discovery Center, and the kids had a great time and were able to run off a lot of energy. It was perfect.

I had to laugh because this is a giant bubble screen, and every time Sam would lift it up the little boy in this picture (don't know who he is) would wait until Sam was about to blow a giant bubble, and then he would reach in and pop it. It was funny in an annoying sort of way. This seriously happened about 25 times, and finally Sam just walked away muttering "that boy is not very nice and kind of annoying." I was thinking the same thing, but I was happy that Sam didn't get too upset.

Then it was time for the actual baptism. It was seriously the most perfect day. Sam was SO excited. He had invited several of his non-LDS friends to be there with him, and they were, and he was thrilled. We all were.

Here is a picture of Sam and his buddies: Chase, Sam Wagner, Sean, Sam Cain, Blake, and Jaren. The two on each side of him aren't members of the church but were so polite and excited. The other boys are giddy about when it will be their turn to be baptized. It was so exciting and touching to have so many people there to support him. I was overwhelmed by how many people love this sweet boy. We all do.

The girls saved the musical number for us - Tessa sang the first verse of "I Am A Child of God." She had been throwing a tantrum moments before, but when she got up there she sang loud and clear, and I couldn't help but think how perfect it was. Then the older kids sang the next two verses, and it was beautiful. The boys sang too, but they weren't quite as excited about performing as the girls were. Regardless, it was beautiful.

Lincoln and Spencer - inseperable the whole time.

Oh my, where did the last eight years go? I see this picture and begin to panic at how quickly the next ten years will go and we will begin suit shopping for another momentous occasion - his mission.

All the grandparents.

Wagner family.

Thompson family.

Of course there are always hiccups in the day. Lincoln had to tease Sam over something while they were getting ready, we forgot a comb for Sam's hair, and Tessa absolutely had to be the center of attention at all times so she weasled her way into the circle while Sam was being confirmed (we didn't know that until after the fact). But these are the very moments that add color to the pictures in my mind, and the picture I have of this day is stunning.

I had to chuckle because Sam's friend, Sean, was very curious about the whole baptism itself. He went home and was describing to his mom what happened, and how he thought we should call it "bathtism."

Seriously a great day.

Congratulations, Sammy. We love you.