Andy's baptism

Though it's been two weeks already, I still need to blog about Andy's baptism. I can't believe I already have an 8 year-old kid that's old enough to get baptized. Andy is growing up to be such a fine young little man, and I'm very proud of him and his decision to get baptized.


The date of Andy's baptism was a source of frustration for us. He was baptized on August 1st. In our stake, the only option is to participate on the date of the stake baptisms. We were trying our darndest to figure out a way to have it on a different date, but it would have ended up being much more complicated (like taking the event out of state to do it in tandem with our neice's baptism in Colorado). The main reason why the 1st was a problem is because of an annual reunion taking place up in Montana that weekend. We LOVE attending the Oler-Burnett reunion (Paul's grandfather's siblings and all the posterity) and hated to see that the dates would be conflicting. Not only was it conflicting for us, but for Paul's entire immediate family. My in-laws ended up having to leave the reunion early in order to be at the baptism and I truly appreciate that sacrifice they made in order to be there to support Andy's choice. It was a blessing to have so many of them there, even though we all live close and see each other all the time!

A bunch of my family was also able to come over from Colorado and down from Brigham City to be there. This also required a bunch of sacrifice, and again... it was truly appreciated. It's always nice to be surrounded by the people you love the most; and thankfully, that is our family.

The baptism itself was quite low-key. Our stake doesn't allow for talks, so the ordinance itself is pretty simple. Andy was able to be baptized by his daddy with both of his grandfathers as witnesses. No foot popped up (despite the font barely being full enough), so once was all it took! I'm so grateful for the vaste amount of priesthood in my life. Thank you to Paul, Arlo, Steven, Jason, Spencer, & Luke for participating in this special ordinance for Andy and for setting such powerful examples for Andy to follow as he progresses in the gospel.

Our bishopric member surprized us a little by inviting the mothers to bare their testimonies about the gospel. Under normal circumstances, this isn't something difficult for me to do, but I do have to admit that this experience was a bit harder. It's always a little scarier to be bold about your beliefs and state them clearly when there are loved ones present that no longer share your beliefs. But I was able to share with Andy my feelings about how much I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how my life has been blessed by being a member of the church.

After the baptism, we gathered at the lodge and we had hawaiian haystacks for the luncheon. Yummm! Thankfully, we had plenty of food, even though that is a meal that is difficult to figure out if you have enough of everything! We had a great time hanging out with everyone until they needed to take off. My parents and sisters, Alisha and Nicki, stayed through that night and drove home on Sunday. I love ANY amount of time I can spend with them. I definitely don't get my fair share being a state away!

So, all in all, it was a fantastic little event for our family. One that I hope Andy will always remember fondly and especially never regret!