~Baptism~

Kaiden was baptized on November 20th, 2010.

It was such an exciting day. Kaiden just could not wait to get baptized. He was so cute to watch. Everything he did that day he did with a smile on his face and when he talked....well, it was in his "man" voice. (He always does his man voice when something is really serious or important or even really fun) We love it!!! Kaiden was so excited to have everyone come. And he wanted to send invitations to EVERYONE!!! He helped me send out the invitations and kept thinking of different people he wanted to have come. It was pretty cute. Kaiden also helped plan the "program". We decided that since Kaiden still has ALL of his Great Grandparents, that it would be fun to have them help out. So Kaiden decided which grandpa's were going to talk or witness and what each grandma was going to do. It worked out perfectly.

I have always wanted to do a Baptism video for all of my kids. My aunt did it for her kids and I loved the idea. I just expected that my brother-in-law, who is totally AMAZING when it comes to making videos, would be able to help me out. But unfortunately he headed to Iraq about a month before I was even ready to start. I was really, really stressing about making a video and was even considering paying someone to make one for me. But my wonderful sister stepped up and let me know that she would help me make a video. Now she has absolutely no experience at videos at all. And put a LOT of time into making Kaiden's for me. I am sure that after reading this that she is wishing that she would have told me that she would make if for $$$$$. It was hard because I couldn't just run over to her house and help her. All of the help I did was over the phone but that didn't do much either because I couldn't see the video. But she did a GREAT job and it turned out perfect!! THANK YOU SUE!!!!
I wish that I could show it on here but it is way to long and will not upload. We played the video while Kaiden and Eric were getting dresses after the baptism.

Kaiden's baptism went great. He did have to do it twice because his toes came up out of the water. He said that he forgot to bend his knees and his feet slipped. It was kind of funny because at the last minute Eric noticed his toes so he held him down in the water just a little bit longer hoping that they would go down but they didn't. So when he pulled Kaiden up out of the water he took a huge gasp of air. It was kind of funny. But the second time they got it just right.

Grandpa Williams talked on Baptism and explained it like a sheet of white paper. When you are baptized you paper is as white as can be and when you sin you put a mark on your paper. And when you repent your mark gets erased off. Well Kaiden just could not imagine anyone wanting to ruin a perfectly white piece of paper with marks. Now if you need to know anything about Kaiden it is that he is a PERFECTIONIST!!!! Everything has it's spot, everything has to be done just right and at the right time. And he told me later that there is no way his paper is going to have any marks. And if it does get marks they are going to get erased right away. Seriously who would have any marks on their perfectly white paper?? *sigh* Oh how I wish he could keep that attitude!!

My Grandpa Burr talked on the Holy Ghost and did a great job. He talked about the steps we take in our lives to get back to our Heavenly Father and how we need to make sure that we are making those steps at the right time and that we always have the goal of eternal life. It went over really well with Kaiden and he still talks about the steps that he is taking.

Above: All of the Great Grandparents.
Below: All of the Great's and Grandparents.

12 in all. From left to right.
Top row: Hal & Jann Heiner (Eric's parents), Blair Erickson (Jann's dad), Ralph Heiner (Hal's dad), Noel Williams (my mom's dad), Jack Burr (my dad's dad), Diane & Terry Burr (my parents).
Bottom row: Alice Erickson (Jann's mom), Gwen Heiner (Hal's mom), Kaiden, Marilyn Williams (my mom's mom), Carol Burr (my dad's mom).

I can't express to you what this picture means to me. I have been wanting a picture like this for years and was so excited to be able to get all of them together in one picture. This is one of those pictures that I will treasure FOREVER!!!!

After the service was over we all headed down to the Church house for dinner. I didn't get any pictures of that but it was really good and we had a ton of food. It was such a good time to spend together as a family and was really good to see everyone. It was an important day not only to Kaiden but me too. It is one of those things that as a mother you start planning for and thinking about from the time your child is born, if not before, and it went so well.

I am so very grateful to have such good influences in my life. For Grandparents (mine and Eric's)who have lived the gospel faithfully and have taught me so much. And then for them to continue with my children is such a blessing. I am so grateful for a husband who is worthy to perform these sacred ordinances and to be willing and eager to do them. I never had that growing up and it was always something that I REALLY wanted for my children and family and it just means so much to me that they do have it and that to them it is just a natural thing. Of course their dad is going to baptize them. Why would that even be a question? I am so grateful for the life that I have and for the blessings that I have been given and I am so very grateful for a Heavenly Father who knows me! Who is watching over me and my family and pours out blessings upon us. I do have a testimony of this gospel and of the importance of it. I know without a doubt that the gospel of Jesus Christ is real and that our Savior Jesus Christ suffered for all of our sins and that it is our responsibility to make sure that he did not suffer in vain. We are so blessed to be on this Earth today, to have a living prophet of God who wants us all to be happy and at peace. And that we need to do all that we can do to return to our Father in Heaven and be worthy to stand in his presence and have him welcome us home with open arms.