The Weekend - Elijah's Baptism!

Viewing + funeral + Relief Society lesson on death = 1 Long Weekend.

Here's the happy news:  I chose to attend both the viewing and the funeral because, as I chanted to myself repeatedly, I am an adult.  Turns out that I AM an adult.  15-year-old Tamra didn't show.

I did NOT, however, choose to sing the song with the Relief Society.  I'm hopeful that one day I will be able to do something like that, ... but not too hopeful.  It seems like a lot to ask.

Baptism

Saturday afternoon Elijah was baptized and it was wonderful!  Elijah was EXCITED!  Bouncing off the walls excited.  Rob and I were laughing about it.  Miciah was quiet and reserved about her experience 2 years ago.  Very thoughtful.  Elijah was just a ball of energy!  Too cute.

Rob, his sisters and their father all sang Joseph Smith's First Prayer while their mom played the piano and our friend Melissa performed it in ASL - in time to the music.  AWESOME.  My mother and our good friend, Tim, gave excellent talks.  Really, I couldn't have been more pleased with how the simple program went.  Afterwards we all enjoyed cookies that other people made (genius! - I didn't have to worry about that part of the day at all!).   It was a wonderful baptism.

We had a lot of family and friends there to support Elijah - it was standing room only in the Relief Society room.  And afterwards family gathered at our house for a meal.  It's so nice to have people who love us and support us.  I don't know what I'd do without any of you.  Everyone who came to the baptism, and others who couldn't be there, you make our lives rich.  Thank you.

The picture that we took for the program cover.  Taken about an hour before the baptism, because we're lazy:

Here are some illegal pictures that my Mom took.  Before and after shots in the font:

Elijah is a good kid.

The whole experience wiped him out.  Today he crashed and burned around 5:45 pm, including a full-on screaming fit with door slamming and all, and was asleep by 7.  Very unusual for Elijah.  Here's my favorite part of the fit:  Rob asked Elijah to put the basketball in the garage.  Elijah was mopey about it.  Rob asked several times, very nicely, and Elijah screamed, "I'M PUTTING IT AWAY!  CAN YOU SEE ME WITH YOUR EYES?"  Awesome.