Vivi's Baptism

We have a tradition in our family that the week before someone gets baptized, they get a "special" cookie for each day of that week. The first day is a "B" (for baptism) cookie, and we talk about what baptism means. The next day is an "A" cookie, then a "P" cookie and so on. Doing this has given Trent and I a great opportuniy to talk with our kids about the importance of baptism before they get baptized.

"B" is for Baptism.

"A" is for Atonement.

"P" is for Priesthood.

"T" is for Testimony.

"I" is for Immersion.

"S" is for Sacrament.

"M" is for Missionary.

Getting ready.  Buds was so sweet to help Vivi get her dress buttoned up.

Cute siblings.  Preston was so excited for Vivi's special day.  He even let me comb his hair, which is almost unheard of.

 The big day!  Vivi was supposed to be baptized the end of September, but we wanted to make sure all the grandparents could be there, so she ended up being baptized on November 3 instead.  We were so excited Great grandma Chapman could come!

 My girl and her daddy.

 Vivi had lots of people come to support her on her special day.  From left to right we've got Janet, Steve, Kristie, Sean, Grandma Guercio, Vivi in the front, Dustin, Jilly, Trent, Grandma Chapman, Colson, Jan, Trenton, Mike, me and Preston.

Jilly's favorite part of the day; dessert.  It was such a wonderful day.  We are so grateful for our sweet Vivi, and for the wonderful decision she made to be baptized.

Whew! What A Weekend!!!

It was a whirlwind weekend for the Stock family, full of some fun, exciting, wonderful, and terrifying moments.

Friday

After school on Friday, we tried to take the kiddos to the pool. We made it there with all our gear, the kids jumped in the pool, and then the lifeguards saw lightning. Typical. So we headed back home, amongst many tears, wailing, and whining. We all had our suits on, so we figured we'd make the best of it and have a serious water balloon war. It was vicious, but oh so fun. The kids and I all teamed up against Trent. (Except Vivi who turned traitor on us halfway through and joined Trent's team. Such a daddy's girl.) We had so much fun, as evidenced by the hundreds of popped water balloons all over our lawn and patio.

Preston didn't want to be finished with the water balloon fight. You can see him by the side of the house turning the hose on again.

Evidence.

After dinner we did the "S" is for sacrament cookie and had a movie night. You gotta love Fridays.

Saturday

The big day! Colson was baptized. What a wonderful and special day.

Before we left for the baptism, we did his "M" is for missionary cookie.
And he got to open his new scriptures.
During the program, Aunt Sherril gave a wonderful talk on baptism. (Thanks Sherril!)
It is such an incredible experience to see your child be baptized. I am so grateful for this important decision that Colson made. I am so grateful to my husband for being a Priesthood holder so that he can perform these saving ordinances for our children. (Want to learn more? Go here.) Colson is such a cutey. When stepping out of the font, he told Trent, "I feel so great. I think this is the best day of my life!" He also told me earlier that he had the butterflies in his stomach because he was so excited. It truly was a special and amazing day.

After the baptism we went to mom and dad's for a baptism/birthday BBQ. Happy birthday Grandma!
We love when Grandma Chapman comes to visit. She's such a fun and spunky gal.
We of course couldn't get away without having another water balloon war.
My kids really hate water balloon fights. Can you tell;)

It ended up as one of the "best days of Colson's life", as he mentioned no less than thirty times.

Sunday

Today we went to the first sacrament meeting of the newly formed Southlands Ward. There, Colson got to go up on the stand and be introduced as a new member of the ward. He was all smiles. Trent and I were sustained in our new callings today too. (Trent - 2nd counselor in Young Mens, and Kiffon - 2nd counselor in Relief Society.)

It was one interesting day after church today. I was down in my sewing room getting a few things, just happened to look out the window, and guess what I saw? A TORNADO!!! Yes, it was scary! My kids are still traumatized by it. It is all they will talk about. I finally had to put the kabosh on any tornado conversations because they just keep freaking themselves out all over again every time they talk about it. I have never heard so many prayers said all in one day as I heard today. Despite the terrifying circumstances, it was heartening to see how great their faith was as I saw and listened to them turn to their Heavenly Father at this alarming time.

While I don't have any pictures of the actual tornado, here is some of the damage the hail storm that came along with it did to our yard. All my poor plants. I might just have to replant our vegetable garden all over again.
All of my flowers were starting to look so good, until all that nasty hail. I'm just grateful that the worst we got were some ruined plants. It is amazing to look out my window now and see such a calm sky complete with beautiful sunset and think that just hours ago a raging tornado came from that same sky.

Following the wild and crazy tornado, Vivi had her preschool graduation! You'd think she would be excited to be done with school for a little summer vacation, but in truth, she's devastated. "But mom, I need to go to school. What am I going to do without Miss Jen?" Boy, that girl loves Miss Jen, but who can blame her? Miss Jen is completely amazing.
They started the program out with their Joy School cheer. What a cute bunch of kids!
They sang several songs to the parents and grandparents. My personal favorite is the "Oh boy, I got Joy!" song. So stinkin' cute.
Following the songs, Miss Jen handed out diplomas and said something special about each child.
Our little Grad!
Miss Jen's Joy School class of 2009!
There was a little dance at the end, and Vivi got to dance with her daddy.
Thanks Miss Jen for helping Vivi to have such a fun year at Joy School!

Wow! I think this is the longest post ever! Don't worry, it's over now. Like I said, whirlwind weekend!

"I" Is For Immersion

"T" is for Testimony

"P" is for Priesthood

"A" is for Accountability

When we asked Colson of he knew what accountability meant, he said, "I know, I know, (in an exasperated tone) it means I'm responsible for my own choices (Duh, mom and dad). I'm just glad he gets it.

"B" is for Baptism

Colson is going to be baptized this next Saturday, June 6th. We have a tradition in our family that the week before someone gets baptized, they get a "special" cookie for each day of that week. The first day is a "B" (for baptism) cookie, and we talk about what baptism means. The next day is an "A" cookie, then a "P" cookie and so on. Doing this has given Trent and I a great opportuniy to talk with our kids about the importance of baptism before they get baptized. This is such a special time in Colson's life, and we are so grateful for the decision he has made to be baptized.