Ethan's Baptism

After a whole week of fun it was finally time for the main event:  Ethan's baptism.  This little boy has been waiting patiently for what seems like years.  In the LDS Church, children aren't baptized until they are 8 years old or older.  This is considered the age at which they can choose for themselves if they want to make that decision and commitment in their lives.  Ethan has been sure he wanted to be baptized for years and has been waiting patiently for his turn.  

Ethan really is a wonderful child.  He's the definition of oldest child- responsible, good-natured, wants to be a part of everything, and sometimes a little bossy ;)  This little boy sees things in very black and white terms.  Wrong and right.  And he tries really hard to do what is right.  It's pretty fabulous to be his mother.  Taylor would agree except for the times when Ethan reminds him to put on his seat belt.  He's a great helper and very conscientious about doing what he should.  He also has a smile on his face 95% of every day.  Life is just fun and he's easy going enough to enjoy being anywhere with anyone doing anything.  Seriously.  He is just so happy.  And I love him for it!

Our stake in Utah has so many baptisms each month- and there's just 1 font between our 3 buildings, that once a month they hold a baptism day.  They always do it on a Sunday at 5 pm.  Having been to several baptisms this year- some in our stake and some not, my conclusion is that I LOVE having baptisms on Sunday evenings.  Ethan got to spend the whole day surrounded by the spirit and primary and church leaders who were so happy for him that it was almost like having his birthday on a Sunday.  He ate up the attention.  And then instead of everyone coming to see him baptized and then all rushing off for a dinner or activity or something, we just all went home to our home and had a small, quiet (okay that's relative- the kids were pretty loud in the basement), family focused dinner.  The day wasn't about anything but his baptism.  And I loved that.

Taylor got to baptize this little cutie and besides having to learn the prayer in English instead of Bulgarian, he was ready to go.

See?  Just try to catch him NOT smiling.

Our primary has a tradition where they give each child a white felt blanket embroidered with their full name and baptism date when they get baptized.  They read a cute little poem and then give them the blanket as a symbol of the "Comforter" that Heavenly Father gives them (the Holy Ghost) when they get baptized.  It is really a heartfelt gift and what amazes me is how much Ethan loves it.  He keeps it on his bed and treats it with such care- which is saying a lot for this little boy.

So excited- hopefully it will stop being 100 degrees around here so he can use it more.

And lastly my mom found these little armor sets at a dollar store and was so excited to be able to teach him about the "Armor of God" that he'll need to protect him.  I never really know how much is sinking in, but Ethan is good enough to listen and nod and smile (of course) before rushing off to play with his cool new toys.