Max's Baptism/Emily's Birthday

Well, today is Emily's 11th birthday. At just about this time (10:00 a.m.) 11 years ago, I was pushing her out into the world after a very exhausting labor all through the night. She was so tiny! 19 inches and 6 pounds! Now you should see her! She is 5 ' 3" and definitely looking more like a teenager all the time! My dad and Ann are coming back tonight and we will have a family party for her. This weekend we are going to pick up her friend Alexis and have a shopping date at the mall. She must be growing up because she chose this instead of a party! I'll take the two girls to lunch, too.

We had a lovely weekend. Tutu and Papasan came on Thursday evening, and got here just in time to attend the kids' music concert at school. The 5th grade played recorders, and the 2nd grade sang a lot of cute songs. Max played the drum on a couple of songs and did a good job. They took us out to dinner, which was a special treat. Ginny didn't know what to think of these people at first, but it didn't take her very long to warm up to them and join in the barrage of "show and tell" All the kids wanted to show them their special treasures and talents...all at once! Ginny, in particular wanted to dance, and Max of course wanted to play his favorite songs on the trumpet. On Friday, we met Trevor for a picnic lunch, and then we went to the Butterfly House with Tutu and Papasan. Wow! The butterflies were magnificent! So many stunning tropical plants and butterflies! The colors were amazing. They said that at any given time, there were 1500 butterflies in flight! They would just come and land on you. We weren't supposed to touch them, so you pretty much just had to wait until the butterfly decided to fly somewhere else! It was fun to see the rows and rows of chrysalis's in various stages, too. Truly amazing. I picked up my Dad and Ann from the airport that evening.
Then Saturday was the highlight of the weekend. Max looked so handsome in his new suit. He was really excited about his baptism. Sam wanted to be baptized, too, and had a hard time understanding why he had to wait until he turns 8! He put on his white shirt and karate pants, and announced that he would be baptized, too! Tutu played the piano, Grandma Ann gave the opening prayer, and the grandpas were the witnesses at the baptism. Max asked me to give the talk on baptism. I got a little teary, but I felt so happy to see Max starting on his path as a member of the church. He is such a good boy, and I love him so much. Trevor baptized and confirmed him. His confirmation blessing was really beautiful. Trevor got a little choked up with emotion, which always touches me, because he's not usually very emotional. I don't really remember all the words of the blessing, but he talked a lot about just how special the gift of the Holy Ghost is, and blessed Max that he would be able to learn how to listen to the spirit, and that it would help him in all phases of his life, as he was deciding to serve a mission, to marry in the temple, choose a career, etc. The Holy Ghost would help him stay on the right path. All in all, it was a beautiful day.
On Sunday, we just relaxed and had a nice dinner together. It was fun to go to church with our grandparents. Papasan offered a really touching testimony. I'm glad the kids had this opportunity to hear the testimony of their great grandfather. I think it is invaluable for the kids to have the reinforcement of knowing their grandparents share their faith. Their lives can be built on a foundation of faith from their families. Max was warmly welcomed into the ward by Bishop Lower.