Kaden's baptism

My nephew, Kaden, got baptized this last weekend...on Halloween! The poor kid ended up having to get dunked twice but was a real trooper. He's showing off his CTR bracelet in this picture here.

Eight is great!

On Saturday my nephew, Jesse, got baptized. We were so glad we were able to attend this special day of his. He was really excited and looked so handsome in his suit and tie. His mom, Beckie, said that Jesse wanted to know if you had to pay to get baptized. He also wanted to know if he lived in China if he would still be getting baptized. Good questions..he is a thinker, this kid. :0)

We are so proud of you Jesse! What a great choice you have made in getting baptized. I hope you can stick with your goal of staying clean for a WHOLE year. :0)

My Baptism Day

Yesterday I got baptized. It felt good. I was nervous, but I did it. I went out to eat lunch with Mandy and everybody before the baptism. I ate macaroni and cheese, pizza, and green beans and corn. It was good.

Lots of people came to my baptism because I have a big family. It made me nervous, but I was glad they came. After I was baptized I felt great! I was worried the water would get in my eyes, but I just rubbed it out.

And now I am a real member of the church. And I can't make mistakes. But if I do, I have to say sorry and mean it! That's what my mom says.

Thank you for coming to my baptism. I love you very much.

Ashlee side note: I can't believe my baby got baptized. It's wierd to feel so many different things all at once. It was so great to see so many people there to support Landon on his big day. He has so much family now, he's a bit spoiled. We counted last night and realized he has 7 grandma's (great grandma's included). That's crazy! I honestly think we had the biggest crowd at the baptism last night. And he knew you were all there for him, which made his day that much more special. So, thank you!

Thanks Grandma!

Today, Grandma Burnham took Landon to get his baptism scriptures. I had already bought him the bag for them and was going to take him on his baptism day to get the scriptures, but found out that it is tradition in the Burnham family for Rita to get the kids their scriptures. So, we decided to just all go together to get them.

Since there was no option for RED scriptures (burgundy was NOT going to be sufficient), Landon chose the blue ones. And, he also went for the quad vs. seperate books. Grandma even got him a scripture marker and a book mark so he's totally ready for church on Sunday!

And not to be outdone by her brother...Mackenzee gave Grandma the "PLEEEAAASSEE" look and ended up getting this pink teddy bear which she has name PINK. Sigh.

Seriously though, he is so excited to have gotten these. In the car he said, "Mom, this is silver on here!" My favorite though was, "what does H-o-s and J-u-d mean?" Yeah...I had to explain a little to him about how the books worked. But I am truly enjoying these one on one moments we are getting to have because of all of this. It's such a special time for him, and such an important time all at once. I'm so glad I get to share in it with him.

Something to think about.....

Ok...so I'm going to get a little deep here.
Landon had his interview with the bishop tonight for his baptism. The bishop gave him homework and told him to go home and read with us D&C 20:77,79 and then to talk about it.

77 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

79 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

We hear these scriptures on a weekly basis. Half the time I don't even get to listen due to my wonderful 2 year old. But, having to fully explain the meaning of these verses and how they pertain to Landon getting baptized really made me think about it. When we get baptized we promise to take on the name of Jesus Christ....to keep His commandments, and to remember him. Of course, we get plenty in return, but what I had to explain to Landon was that we don't just promise to do all of this on our baptism day. We have to do it EVERY day. And by taking the sacrament on Sunday it helps us to remember those promises we made when we were baptized. That was 20 years ago for me.
I know....I'm getting kind of deep. It's been so interesting as Landon gets older the kinds of questions he asks and the innocent faith he shares with me. And after reading these verses with him tonight it makes me want to pay attention just a little bit more.
So, thanks Landon.