Little dab of Sunshine

Spencer, our eight-year-old, got to meet with the Bishop for his baptism interview the last Sunday in April. We came home from Stake Conference and had just enough time to eat something before Tom and Spencer went back to the church for his appointment. Unfortunately, Spencer forgot and was quick to change his clothes as soon as we got home. Then when we reminded him of his meeting he was adamant about not going.
Tom took some time with him in our bedroom to talk through whatever was bothering him. He had been excited about his baptism so we were a little surprised by the sudden change of interest. One thing about Spencer though, is that once he makes up his mind about something, it is hard to change it. I joined their conversation after a little while but didn't make much progress. Spencer did ask if Ashley had to meet with the Bishop when she got baptized so Tom quickly brought Ashley into the room and we left to give them a moment. We were running short on time, so after a few minutes Tom peeked in the room to see if they were done talking. As he slowly opened the door he saw Ashley and Spencer kneeling on our bed, saying a prayer. Ashley was praying that Spencer wouldn't be scared and when they were done Spencer put his church clothes back on and went to meet with the Bishop. He was still a bit hesitant and as he trudged out the door Ashley ran over and gave him a hug.

When Spencer got home from his appointment his countenance was completely different. He was smiling and skipping, and whatever he was worried about (I still don't know what it was) was no longer a problem.

Spencer's baptism was Saturday, May 2nd. He was little hesitant again that morning and refused to smile for some "before" pictures, but luckily we didn't have to coax him into the water. He went willingly, did a great job going under, and as they were getting out he said to Tom, "That's it?" Again, he was much happier afterward, and we eventually got some pictures of him smiling.


I am so thankful for these little kids we have been blessed with. I love them more than anything and am so happy to see them making the choice to follow the Savior.

Awhile ago (I wish I could remember how long ago it was), Ashley and I were looking at the website for Locks of Love. They are a non-profit organization that uses donated hair to make wigs for children that are suffering from medical conditions that cause hair loss. Ashley was very touched by the pictures of bald children we saw on the web-site and she immediately wanted to donate her hair. Now, just so you understand, Ashley does not like to have her hair brushed, curled, braided, touched - anything! She has shed many tears over Tom or I trying to brush her hair before she leaves for school, and the most she would let me do was put it in a pony tail. At the time, her hair was a few inches short of the required ten inches and she had already been asking me to give her a hair cut, so for her to keep growing it out was a really big deal. I wanted to make sure she knew what she was committing to, but it didn't even phase her. Once she decided to donate her hair she was determined to let it grow.

Caleb, my 6-year-old, has a very contagious smile. There is something about it that is so genuine and cute, I just can't help but smile myself when I see him. Today he won an award at school and he had one of the biggest smiles I had ever seen. His teacher nominated him for the Star Student Award because of his positive attitude. We got to go to an assembly where he and other students from each grade were given the awards. He got a dolphin pin and gift certificates for free kid's meals from Chili's, Red Robin, and Mimi's Cafe. (Mmmm, I can't wait to take him to cash them in.) They also took his picture with the principal and it will hang up on his classroom door for the month. I am so proud of him, and even as I post this he is still smiling. : )

This is so exciting. It only took me 8 days to set up my page, choose a background, try different fonts, and pretend to know what I'm doing. Surely that should tell me that I have little time for this, but after following blogs of a few friends and being cheered up by feeling included in their lives, I had the urge to give it a try.

I should also thank those same friends for having such cute blogs because I had to do a little bit of copying. (How else would I know that the link on the top doesn't have to say "About Me" or that it doesn't have to even be at the top?!) And, of course, if it weren't for those talented girls at TCBOTB I would have no desire to be sitting here, typing words that would appear on an ugly background! My life will seem much more interesting when you are looking at one of the cute blog layouts they have created. I'm sure of it.

Now, as for the content, I realize that part is completely up to me. That's also the part that has ultimately been holding me back from joining the world of blogging. Lucky for me though, I have 5 little people running around my house and I have a feeling that one of them will provide an interesting topic soon enough. : )