heaven...earth...same diff

 We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ 

of Latter-Day Saints.

You know,

Mormons.

When a child turns 8 in our church,

they have the opportunity to follow Jesus' example and be baptized.

I'm so grateful for the choice I made at the age of 8 to be baptized.

 Baptism is a sacred ordinance.

It's an occasion that children look foward to,

parents, also.

Being cleansed from sin and then receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

And then after the baptism,

there's usually a big hoopla to celebrate.

 

 This has been a tender subject for me

as Wyatt approached his 8th birthday.

You see, humbly speaking,

Wyatt is pretty much perfect.

He cannot make a mistake, ever.

He is not capable of sinning.

He'll be like a child for his whole life long.

The scripture says that Jesus

"came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; 

the whole need no physician, but they that are sick;

 wherefore, little children are whole, 

for they are not capable of committing sin...

 Behold I say unto you that this thing shall ye teach—

repentance and baptism unto those who are 

accountable and capable of committing sin."

{Moroni 8:8,10}

So having a child that gets a free ticket to heaven

is truly a blessing

but there was this part of my heart that was sad about 

not having that special celebration for our boy.

Or was there....?

Once I stopped pouting and realized that, wait,

we can still rock this 8 year old thing with some pizazz!

 

 

 We invited our dear ones

to Grandpa & Grandma's backyard

for a fireside program and ice cream sundaes.

There was lots of singing, some laughing and happy tears.

Wyatt shared some babbling into the mic.

 There are certain moments in life

that are just so special,

it's like heaven & earth join up

and you feel a true fullness of joy.

They're the moments that remind me that pushing through

hard knocks are totally worth it.

Because this life is but a speck of our grand adventure.

That backyard was so full of love!

God's spirit enveloped us all.

I was so reminded that His love is so motivating, healing,

joyful!

And that we can keep going because of it.

 

 Brian opened the mic up to anyone

who wanted to share some words to Wyatt.

There were so many sweet & inspiring words said

about our dear Buggy boy.

My goodness,

this kid!

He is the best.

And so cute!

{Go to lds.org to learn more about our faith.}

Yes, I float cake

 I had a birthday.

35 was not my favorite year.

But I definitely feel wiser, so it was worth it.

We celebrated at the lake.

 I have a pretty weird tradition on my birthday.

I seriously think about it all year long.

It is straaaange and I LOVE it. 

 I float my cake on water.....

what in the?!!

We've done the pond, the stream, even the tub.

Just depends on the year.

It is crazy!

Some years are easier than others,

like this night was so windy, the candles wouldn't even light.

There were so many waves!

Plus, I forgot the floater thing so the ice chest made do

but was so wobbly.

 I was dying laughing

in this picture.

The idea actually came from one of my favorite

children's books by Tasha Tudor called A Time to Keep.

It is so magical.

 I've never lost a cake yet.

Except to water bugs once.

Plastic wrap cures that.

  

It's starting to feel really wild,

this whole getting-older-thing.

Anyone else?

{smile, wink}

3 is hilarious

This 3 year old tells us she's going to be in 

"1st-garden" for school.
(She's not.  She'll be staying home with mom.)

 And if we can't find her blankie,

everyone takes cover.

She loves giving "tisses." (kiss)

She wears her swim suit

or a frilly dress or a costume every day.

There's really only those 3 options

as far as she's concerned.

 She is so attentive to Bugg.

Always has been.

They have a special bond.

 She is so funny!

She calls potato bugs "holy polies."

She says things like "What the freakin' heck?" and "Holy crap."

(I take the blame for that.  It could be worse.)

We love this sweet Adeline.

And did you know she has her own song?

What I am fighting for

 The girls & I went on an adventure

to see Temple Square in Salt Lake last Spring.

A favorite place of mine.

It's goooorrrrgeous, plus God's Spirit is so abundant.

 These 3, ooohhhh, these 3.

So darling, so spirited.

Creative, talented, energetic, independent.

And can really rattle my brain, heart, & soul!

Boy howdy, can they.

Wyatt may be physically challenging but he's CAKE really.

Our girls can make me want to run for the border some days.

 My mom is totally dying at this picture,

I'm sure of it.

 I worry probably too much about

how much attention my kids get or don't get.

I don't want the girls to resent their unique childhood

having a brother with special needs.

I am crossing my fingers and toes that it actually helps

shape their character into way awesome people.

Honestly, Bugg is so patient and chill

that it's often he who has to wait his turn while we deal

with Mia's drama, Ella's tantrum, or Addie's potty mishap.

The endless to-do's of life,

the constant "nurturing" of children (nagging, whatever),

keeping up with schedules,

maintaining marriage & family relationships,

for pete's sake!  It can be frazzling!

 But remembering God.

His Son.

Their Plan for me and my family.

I can press forward with faith.

Take deep breaths & prioritize.

Over and over again. 

 My dear friend, Tami, often asks me,

"Bree, what are you fighting for?"

She is so great to keep me on track.

"My family!" I answer.

I'm fighting to keep us safe, healthy, happy, together.

It's worth it.