Sunshine In My Soul

Dear Moose....

You celebrated your 8th birthday almost 2 weeks ago! I can't believe how fast you've grown! I bet one of these days you are going to catch up to Bear and maybe even pass him up. I love that your heart is just as big as you are! You care deeply for those around you and I'm proud to be your mother! I love watching you with babies...how you love to hold them and make them smile and how you ask me to have another baby boy because you think we need some more boys in our family. I love to listen to you sing and am so glad that you decided to join the choir with Bear and Little Miss. You have a natural gift with music and I'm so happy to see you working on it and learning every day. I am lucky to have you as my son!

Your primary teacher stopped by a few days before your birthday with your much anticipated candy bar poster. She definitely knows the way to your heart....chocolate!

The night before your birthday, you asked me when you would get to open your birthday presents. I told you, "First thing in the morning!" You said, "Okay! Then I'll wake everyone up around 4:30 so they can see me open my presents!" Um no, buddy! We don't get up until 6:30. So you'll have to wait until then. The next morning, your birthday, you were standing by our door at 6:15, pacing back and forth, wanting to wake us. You make me laugh!

You were a little bit excited to open your presents....

You got THE Green Machine, a new set of scriptures with your name on them, the Wii game "De Blob", some Yu-Gi-Oh cards, and a certificate for a lunch date with dad to pick out a pocket knife. So fun!

The next day was your baptism day....a day that you had waited and waited and waited for. You've ALWAYS wanted to be baptized. Your baptism wasn't until 5:00 pm and all day long you kept asking me, "Is it time to go yet?" I had looked forward to your baptism for a long time, too. You'd planned out every detail from which songs you wanted to have sung, who would say the prayers, who would give the talks, what song you wanted to sing as a special musical number with Bear and Little Miss and Chubs, what we would have for dinner afterwards, and even what we'd have for dessert...a chocolate fountain, of course!

Just before it was time to head to the church, we knelt together in prayer as a family in our living room. A sweet spirit flooded our home and I just FELT how much our Heavenly Father loves you! How grateful He is for your good choices! We got to the church, you changed into your baptismal clothing, and we walked down the hall...just you and me and dad....to take a few pictures. You slipped your little hand into mine and said, "I'm a tiny bit nervous about being baptized. It's kind of just like swimming, though. So I should be just fine!"

We took a few pictures.....

and then we headed back toward the baptismal font. You said, "I sure wish Grandma Brimhall could be here today." We talked about how much she loved her grandchildren and how we were certain that she wouldn't miss your baptism for the world. The Spirit was strong during the whole program. I'm SURE she was there! I'm just SURE of it!