Jacob's Baptism

When Jacob was younger he used to say that he wouldn't get baptized until he was 18. I think he just assumed you needed to be an adult. So as Jacob was approaching turning 8 we began to talk more about if he would like to be baptized and we were thrilled that he was actually excited to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost once he turned 8. He has always been sensitive to the spirit and has developed a testimony of prayer and faith, and does his best to choose the right.

Since his birthday fell on a Saturday this year, Jacob made the decision he wanted to be baptized on his birthday! He said he knew that would make it a great birthday because by then he will have the spirit with him too. We thought that was a great idea, and a great way for him to always remember the day he was baptized! 

I tried to get a few nice pictures of Jacob the month before his birthday and used one to make a baptism announcement. He passed these out to the other kids in his primary class and we mailed them off to extended family also.

 

The morning of the baptism we went to the church an hour early to prepare the food and set up chairs. The kids kept themselves occupied pretty well- this picture of Ava calmly roaming the halls with the baby stroller makes me laugh. 

We had a pretty good spread of subs from the local deli, veggies, fruit, chips, mint brownies, and cupcakes. I also made these cute little CTR shields for the cupcakes.

The baptism itself was very nice! We had a great group of friends there to support Jacob, and of course all his grandparents who came in from out of town. Here was our program. 

When Luke took Jacob down to the font, he was a little nervous but he said the water was warm and he had practiced a lot with his dad. When it came time for him to go under water his foot popped up and then he quickly brought it down. But they did it a second time just to be sure ;)

Brother Barzee gave a great talk with an object lesson about how life can get messy like cotton candy, and we need baptism (baby wipes) to get clean again. My dad also gave a talk and my mom led the music, which really took me back to feelings at my own baptism. Overall it was a wonderful program!

One thing that I am especially glad we did instead of showing a video while Luke and Jacob got changed after the baptism, we had everyone who was there write notes for Jacob. They were collected and we put them together that night for him to read. It was a really sweet moment to stay up late on his birthday reading all the thoughtful messages from friends and loved ones. I hope it is a gift he can treasure and a way to always remember his special day!

After the program we had our refreshments in the gym and it was nice to visit with everyone for a bit afterwards. We didn't get a picture of Jacob's full primary class- (though they were all there!) but here is a picture of him with Claire and Natalie!

And here is all our family that was here- we're so grateful they could all come!

It was a fun and memorable way to celebrate Jacob's 8th birthday and we're so proud of the choice he made to be baptized!

Jacob Turns 8!!

First off- four days before Jacob's birthday we got hit with a blizzard! Storm Stella brought us about 20 inches of snow!! We were not too pleased! The boys did try to go out and play once the snow stopped the next day, but it was so tall and powdery they could hardly get through it!

The kids only got one snow day out of it, plus a 2-hr delay and then they were back in school! Which at that point was fine with me because I had a lot to do to get ready for Jacob's birthday and family coming in! I was grateful that by Thursday the roads were fine for Luke's parents and his Grandma Martha to drive up from Virginia, and on Friday morning the flights were fine for my parents to make it in also. We had a full weekend to celebrate Jacob's birthday and were happy to have family come in to join us!

After a short school week due to snow cancellations, the boys also already had Friday scheduled off for some conferences. It also happened to be St. Patrick's Day, and we decided to throw Jacob a birthday party at the bowling alley. He didn't want to actually go bowling though! They played for a half hour in ballocity, then hit the arcades, then a bumper car ride! The place was pretty empty so the kids had everything to themselves!

The grandma's helped keep Ava happy while I watched over the kids and helped with tokens and tickets, and the men went bowling!

I think the highlight of the party was when Jacob's neighborhood friend Jude won the jackpot on an arcade game! He won 1000 tickets and the kids were so excited! It was pretty crazy but great because then he shared his tickets and helped everyone get the prizes they wanted!

The bumper cars was a great activity to end on- they all had a blast!

Then we headed over to the restaurant adjacent to bowling alley, and had our little party in a quiet corner. The kids who were all there were his whole primary class- Henry, Rylie, Claire, and Natalie, Jude from the neighborhood, and Jude (Henry's little brother) was also there with Blake. We are so grateful that Jacob has a great group of friends!

We had our cake, pokemon themed, and Jacob opened a few presents. The parents picked up from there and the kids all got goodies bags stuffed with pokemon themed toys and candy. I think he and all the kids had a fun time!

After the party we all headed over to Red Robin for dinner with the family. 

It was Jacob's request to eat here for his birthday so of course we had them sing and embarrass him!

The next day on Saturday was Jacob's birthday! Not only was it his birthday but he also got baptized that day! His baptism was that morning at 11 but we went over early to get ready and we spent the first half of his birthday enjoying the baptism together with family and friends. It was a very special day! (I made a separate post about the baptism!)

That afternoon we were a little more split up with running errands and things, but one thing Jacob wanted to do for his birthday was to go sledding at the big hill at the golf course down the street. It actually doesn't even seem like much of a hill but it's kind of the only one around! Blake wasn't as interested in going and their other sled was buried under the snow and could not be found! So I took Jacob alone and he brought his new snowboard which can also be used as a sled.

I was surprised how fast that sled went down the hill! Even the other kids there were impressed! The hill was much more steep and bumpy than it looked, but Jacob wasn't scared and had so much fun! After a bit he practiced some snowboarding too. He still needs a little practice, but I thought he didn't look too bad!

The tradition seems to be that for birthday dinners we do homemade pizza so that's what we did that night! Jacob's favorite is olive pizza, and we also had pepperoni, a veggie (with no cheese), ham and pineapple, and a pepperoni with sausage. We're not the most creative with toppings but they were all great!

Finally, it was time for Jacob's presents! Jacob was so patient all day waiting for his gifts and even let his brother open a lot for him. He got a ton of great gifts this year- mostly minecraft and pokemon related. He probably even got too many gifts- but I guess 8 is a big year!

We saved our cake from the birthday party so we'd have some for his birthday- turns out we had plenty!

Let's hope Jacob made a great wish because he blew out the candles all at once!

Happy birthday bud! 

I can hardly believe my oldest is already 8, but I know I am so lucky to have Jacob as my son! He is so sweet, easy-going, patient, generous, and forgiving! He is still a great and helpful big brother and he always works hard! I am so proud of him for the person he's growing into and how he always tries to do the right thing. We hope 8 is a great year for you Jacob!