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!