A Very Special Day

We've been spending the last several days at my mom's house because my brother and his family are here from Oklahoma.  They came down to visit family and to attend Bud's baptism.

Boys wrestling with their uncle:

It's been a lot of fun visiting with them.  I have had some great conversations with my sister-in-law and have had a great time getting to squeeze my adorable niece and nephews again.  They are the sweetest little kids!  I have also loved going on morning hikes with my brother and the great talks we have along the way.  We've always been really close and I have always loved the way we can talk and inspire each other.

Yesterday was Bud's baptism.  It was beautiful.  I hope he never forgets it.  So many kind people helped to make it such a wonderful experience.

 
He picked the song When I am Baptized for the opening song, then my mom gave a beautiful prayer.

Afterwards, my brother, Ricky, gave such a sincere, touching talk about baptism.  We asked Ricky to give this talk because Bud looks up to him a great deal.  Ricky is always joking with him and rough-housing with him.  Ricky is my only unmarried brother and he has that youthful, thrill-seeking edge.  He is a lot of fun to be around.  I really wanted Bud to see and hear his testimony.  It was very memorable.  Ricky teared up a bit as he started his talk and mentioned that it had been a while since he had felt the Spirit.  He said that as he was preparing for this talk that he had recalled many experiences from his mission - some that he had thought he had forgotten.  He talked to Bud about the symbolism of baptism, the joy and peace that comes when you make those covenants, and encouraged him to go home and write "I will remember my promise" so that when he gets older he will remember that when he was a little boy, he made a promise.  He told him, "This church is true - no doubt about it".

Bud had never seen his cool uncle Ricky cry or talk about Spiritual things this way.  It will be something he will never forget.  I'm so thankful to him for his influence and for the Spirit that we all felt as he shared his testimony with us!

After Ricky's talk, we had a musical number.  Little Miss sung the first verse to I Know that My Savior Loves Me then the rest of the kids joined her for the second verse.  I couldn't record it at the church, but I asked her to sing it for me again this morning and I recorded it.  Unfortunately, she has yet to give me permission to put it on my blog, but if she ever does, I would love to share it!

She just granted permission!  They mess up in the middle, and it's a little more giggly then the way they sung at church, but adorable nonetheless.   Here it is:

After the musical number,  Spice gave a talk about the Holy Ghost.  It was a sweet talk and I was glad to hear how well she seems to understand it.  She mentioned how she feels the Holy Ghost a lot when she gets worried and then she prays and feels everything will be okay.  She mentioned that before she got baptized she needed to know if the church was true, and if the prophet was a true prophet and if the Book of Mormon was true so she prayed and she felt a really good feeling.  She also says that sometimes she wants to get mad at her brothers and sisters, but the Holy Ghost helps her not to.  She also talked about how the Holy Ghost feels: like you want to be good, like a warm blanket when you need comfort, like everything is clear in your heart and your head and you know what path to take.  She also said that to her it feels like a burning feeling and like she is about to cry.  She told him that to keep the Holy Ghost with him he needs to keep the commandments and follow the promptings that he gets.  If he does this, he will have joy and that is why he is here on the earth.

After Spice's talk, Bud went with his dad into the baptismal font and got baptized.  As he came up out of the water, I felt such joy as the thought came to my head that he had chosen to become a follower of Jesus Christ, that he knew what he was promising, and that he was dedicating his life to Him.  I know he is young and it is a mighty big promise he was making, but I knew that he knew what he was doing and he knew that it was right.  I am so happy that he has chosen to get on the path that will lead him to eternal life and happiness!  I love that little boy so dearly and I felt the love that Heavenly Father has for him as well.

After the baptism, he got confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and was given the gift of the Holy Ghost as a constant companion.  As his father was blessing him, I, again, felt the love that Heavenly Father has for His precious child and what a privilege it was to be his mother.  Little Bud - I hope you know how much our Heavenly Father loves you!  I hope you never forget the great work you are embarking on and how much our Heavenly Father needs your help in leading more of His precious children to find Him.  Please remember that nothing will bring you more happiness and joy than to help in that great work.  I so want you to have that peace and joy in this life (and forever)!  So does your Heavenly Father and His Son.  He sacrificed himself for it.

Today, I asked Bud how he felt during his baptism.  He said he felt a little nervous before it and then after it he said, "Ï felt happy.  It was burning and cold at the same time - I was cold on the outside and burning on the inside."   I asked him how he felt when he got the Gift of the Holy Ghost, "Light a lightbulb inside - whooaaa" (as he put his hands on his heart and extended them outward).

After the confirmation, my mom and I bore our testimonies, everyone sung Holding Hands Around the World, my sister-in-law offered a beautiful prayer, we took pictures, and then went to my house for lunch.  It was fun visiting with family and friends.

Family and Friends (Rock had left to buy plates and cups that I had forgotten. Also, our good friends, the Vanoys, who helped a ton at the baptism and for the lunch had left as well, so had Bud's primary teacher):

Family at the baptism:

My handsome little man: