Claire's Baptism

Finally Claire's baptism day arrived! I could hardly believe it...my first baby was getting baptized. The very first thing I did was lay out Claire's dress. I picked this dress out for her months ago. I had always planned on taking Claire shopping for her baptism dress, but I passed by this one at Costco one day and I knew it was the one. Luckily, Claire loved it too! :) With Claire's dress laid out, it was time to get started with the day. There was so much to do before the baptism at 3:00 pm!

Lily was on hair duty. This amazing girl has such a talent for doing hair! Whenever we're with her, my girls always look especially cute. And I realized as I was thinking through the baptism itself that I wasn't sure what to do about Claire's hair once it was wet. I always assumed I would blow it dry before taking her back to be confirmed, but without a shower to wash and condition her hair, that wasn't going to work. I talked to Lily about it, she found some options on Pinterest, and she got to work. What would I do without my Lily May?!

Megan and Alyssa...and Megan's significant other Cody, worked on getting pictures in frames for the display table outside the Relief Society Room. Alyssa managed...and for some reason it took both Cody and Megan to put three pictures into frames. I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that they were sitting so close together that they only had one working arm each. ;)

As it would turn out, after all the fun we had ALREADY had, everyone was beat. Most especially me! It was evident by late morning that I wasn't going to make it through the day under my own power. I never do this, but I needed some caffeine! So we availed ourselves of Fizz and everyone got a soda! Mine was a Dr. Pepper flavored with Blueberry Cupcake and Huckleberry Syrup. Sounds funky...but it was oh so delicious! I only got a small, but I spent the rest of the day feeling like my thoughts were running a million miles a second and my heart was beating a bit faster than usual. But that's what I needed to get things done!

It's all a blur now (probably because of my caffeine induced manic episode), but somehow we made it to 3:00 pm with everyone showered and beautiful and ready to go. Claire was supposed to be baptized on the first Saturday in June with the rest of the Stake Primary children turning eight in May. But we were able to get special permission to do our own baptism in Danny's parents' stake since her cousin Braxton was also coming from Texas to be baptized. Claire was very excited to share her special day with Braxton. They are such good friends. 

Claire and Braxton divided up assigning the talks and such for the program. We started out by singing "Baptism", with the opening prayer being given by Susie Call (Braxon's Mom). After that, Tavin (Braxton's little brother) was prepared to recite, from memory, "The Living Christ". He's only six, and nerves got the best of him. So amazingly, his mother stepped in and recited the whole thing from memory. I have never seen something like that at a baptism, but it really brought a neat spirit. It was nice to remember why we're baptized, who's example we're following, and the name we take upon us when baptized. After Aunt Susie finished, Grandma Call gave a talk on baptism. She talked about her baptism, and told Braxton and Claire both how proud she was of them. That she knew that those closest to Braxton and Claire that were beyond the veil were there that day, proud of both them and anxious to participate in their own way. It was a tender talk.

Following Grandma Call, it was Claire's turn to be baptized. I was able to walk Claire over to the side of the font by the women's restroom and stand there as she walked down to meet her Dad in the water. The whole day had been so crazy busy, but in that moment time stopped. I was overcome by emotion as I watched my baby girl, my first baby, step into the waters of baptism and make her first covenant with her Heavenly Father. She looked so beautiful and Danny looked so handsome. I could tell he, like me, was struggling with his emotions. But it was more than just Claire getting baptized. After talking with Danny later, we both recounted feeling so strongly that Luke was there. It was such a precious experience! Danny baptized Claire, with her Papa (Roger Call) and Uncle David Call serving as witnesses. Danny and Claire made it look easy, with the first attempt being successful. Claire gave her Daddy a hug, and then made her way to me...her mess of a mother crying by the bathroom door. I wrapped her in her towel, and we stood together so she could watch her cousin Braxton be baptized. After that, the two of us made our way into the bathroom to get her dressed into her beautiful white baptism dress. I got the chance in the changing room to give her a big hug and tell her how proud I was of her. It was a fantastic experience! Once she was dressed, Lily met us in the bathroom to help me get her hair looking perfect and then the three of us walked back into the Relief Society Room.

During the time that Claire and Braxton were getting changed, some interlude music was played on the piano by Braxton's uncle Wade Roberts. While he was playing, everyone in the room had the opportunity to write their testimony on a card for Claire and Braxton. The program proceeded with a musical number by Natalia Downs (Claire's cousin). She sang "Walk In His Way", and I accompanied. Natalia did a beautiful job, and it was a wonderful way to bring everyone's attention back to the meeting after the interlude portion. 

Next was a talk by another of Braxton's uncles, Lloyd Roberts. He gave a wonderful talk on the Holy Ghost, and explained how having the companionship of the Holy Ghost is a lot like have a really good flashlight when you're hiking at night. The Holy Ghost, like a flashlight, won't remove obstacles in our path...but it will illuminate those obstacles so we can safely navigate around them. 

At that point, it was time for Claire and Braxton to be confirmed. Claire was first to be confirmed, and  that ordinance was again performed by her Dad. Standing in the circle to support her were her Grandpa Roger, Uncle Kenny, Uncle David, Sae Tautu, Bishop Ferguson, and Bishop Strueling. Claire was given the gift of the Holy Ghost, and a beautiful blessing. I asked her afterwards how she felt, and she told me that she felt like Luke was there. :) Again, such a wonderful experience! Braxton was confirmed after Claire, and was followed by some closing remarks from Bishop Ferguson. The closing song was "When I Am Baptized", and the closing prayer was given by Grandma Candy.

After the baptism, things got crazy. And this is where I have a confession to make. I was so busy visiting with everyone (and my everyone, I mostly mean Michael and Sae and his family) that I neglected to take pictures! I will forever hate myself for that. I didn't get a single picture of Claire in her baptism dress, I didn't get a picture with her grandparents, or siblings, or cousins, or anything! I didn't get the big family picture to show everyone who came from near and far to support Claire. ARGH! Definitely one of my biggest regrets. I'm so sorry, Claire...

Anyway, after the baptism we all made our way to the school for dinner. And I mean EVERYONE! That means everyone that was there supporting us, and everyone that was there supporting Braxton! There were a ton of us. :) We were having a potluck, but Danny and I provided the smoked pork. And let it be written that I smoked that pork shoulder like a pro! :) Danny couldn't do it as he was at Fathers and Sons the night before. Anyway, the food was delicious and plentiful, and everyone had a fantastic time. I was able to snag a few pictures right at the very end. We're so glad Megan and Alyssa came! And of course Michael and Sae and his family. Claire really wanted to invite them both, but I wasn't sure if they'd come. But it meant the world to all of us that we did, and we very much enjoyed catching up with them. Especially the time getting to know Ashley and Maeli. Sae got himself quite the family! We love them all so much, and are so grateful they are a part of our family now. And luckily Grandma Candy remembered to get a picture with Claire!

So, I didn't realize until the next morning that I hadn't gotten any of the pictures I had wanted to get. Oh, the crying!! I was beside myself. We were having our Stake Conference that day at the Ogden Tabernacle, which is located on the temple grounds. So Danny, the wonderful husband that he is, suggested that we take the camera to get some pictures of Claire in her dress. It wasn't what I wanted, but it did help me feel a bit better. 

And just like that, my baby girl is baptized! I'm so proud of Claire, and the girls she is. She makes being good look so easy! I am grateful for the gospel, and the ordinances that put us on the path to returning to our Heavenly Father and that keep us with those we love forever. I am grateful to know that it is during times like this that I know Luke is present and aware of our family, sharing in those memories with us. It is a tender mercy for us to know that. Claire Bear, we love you and are so proud of you!!

And in 16 months...it'll be Sophie's turn!