You, Me, and Us

Just warning you now, this post isn’t a short one- and pictures will be in the next post.

Today was payday for me as Halle’s mom. Halle turned 8 on Sept 17th and patiently waited to be baptized up in Utah so her family could all come.

Leading up to the baptism, there were some hard feelings from Halle’s dad about Steve being the one to confirm Halle. He wasn’t able to participate in any of the ordinances and I can understand that he would feel bad that someone else would have to. We left it up to Halle to chose who she wanted to do what for her special day. She chose Aunt Lisa to give a talk on Baptism, Uncle Jesse to give a talk on the Holy Ghost, Grandpa Wright to baptize her, and Steve to confirm her. At first her real dad would have nothing to do with Steve having any part in Halle’s special day. After talking with Halle, her dad was ok with letting her have Steve involved.

When we got to Utah, the anxiety level was high. I kept thinking of how her day would pan out with both sides of the family in the same room together. I was so worried that it was going to be awkward and that would affect the whole mood of the day. I have to say that our prayers were answered and I honestly didn’t feel any anxiety or animosity the day of her baptism. None of that happened. There were no hard feelings present and I think everything went smoothly. The spirit was so strong and Halle was able to be baptized and confirmed.

Friday night before her baptism Halle was so adamant about getting to bed early because she needed to get a good night’s sleep. That didn’t happen. Saturday morning Halle woke up around 5:30 or so. She just couldn’t sleep and she wanted to make sure she was all ready for her baptism. We got her all ready for her special day including a fresh coat of nail polish on fingers and toes. On Friday I found her a cute headband at a boutique that matched her dress perfectly.

I made her a special baptism towel and gave it to her that morning. She read the poem and got teary eyed. It was so sweet. After that, Halle and I spent some time “cuddling” on the couch talking for a bit. She was SO ready to be baptized.

We got to the church around 10:05. The baptism started at 10:30. There were already quite a bit of people there. 76 to be exact when all was said and done. Her dad’s family was all there except Aunt Leslie and her family. My whole family was all there except two of my brothers. We met in the RS room and once everyone showed up, it was nice and cozy in there. Aunt LeeAnna played the piano for us and brought the spirit into the meeting. Once her actually baptism program started, I felt the spirit so strong. It was great!! Like I said earlier, I wasn’t sure how it was all going to turn out. We listened to the talks and then Halle read a cute poem about her white dresses. She did such a great job.

We went into the font room and I got Halle’s towel ready. I watched her timidly walk into the font and grab tight onto Grandpa Wright. The baptism ordinance was performed and as Halle came up out of the water her smile was SO big and she was SO happy!

I went in to help her change and she was just glowing. It’s a feeling I’ve never felt before with Halle. She was so grown up and now she had been baptized. She got her beautiful white dress on and did her hair. She couldn’t stop smiling. Weeks prior to the baptism I got together pictures of Halle of her whole life. I made them into a DVD with primary music in the background. It was a surprise for Halle. She liked it!

After the DVD Halle sat in the middle of all the wonderful men in her life who hold the priesthood. It was so special!! I cried once again! Steve gave Halle a beautiful blessing! She was so happy!

After the baptism at the church we all headed back to my parents house for a brunch. Once again, I was worried about how it was going to be with everyone. I was a little insecure. However, once again-our prayers were answered and things went smoothly. We had some delicious food and enjoyed talking to everyone. It’s been a while since I have talked with some of the Whitney’s. I have to admit-I miss talking to them. I miss the good part of the relationships that we had. I miss Duane and Sandra. I have a special place in my heart for them. I am so grateful for the strong spirit that was there on Halle’s special day. It was such a wonderful day.

I just have to thank everyone who helped with Halle’s baptism. Thank you to everyone who helped. Thank you for the gifts you gave Halle. Thank you for allowing the spirit to be present on her day. Thank you for the love you have for Halle and the support you showed her and us!