At Last!

James is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! 

James' baptism was extra sweet. He turned 8 in March but we waited to baptize him so my parents could be here. It made for a big weekend (with my parent's mission homecoming too), but it was special. 

Things I want to remember about the baptism:

-James got his own set of scriptures and a basketball scripture case. He fell asleep with them next to him in bed and even brought them to read in the car as we drove somewhere. Bringing them to church the next day was a must. He didn't need any reminders.

-To prep for the baptism, we watched a video, read some scriptures as well as a book, and Andrew and James practiced the baptism pose. The few times they practiced, James couldn't help but giggle. We told him during the real thing, he shouldn't laugh. After he was baptized, James made a happy sound and wore the hugest grin. It was so cute.

-Isabelle played the violin with Jessica! Talk about confident. She hasn't been taking violin lessons long but nailed "I Am a Child of God." (She learned the first line.)

-James felt so loved. Many supported him! Grannie came from WA! Cousin Malia came on her way home from a camping trip. Cousin Jacob drove from Provo! The Hendricks made the drive from from Pleasant Grove. Some other friends, The Thomans, supported James even though they have a rocky background with the church. Jeff and his family were in town as well as Jill and Rob. My grandparents came! Ward friends showed up too! The Carrs, Bradshaws, Boones, Rosevears, and James' dedicated primary teachers Sister Littlewood and Sister Martin. James was bummed his 2 best buds from school (and others) weren't able to be there but it's a hectic time of year. James is a popular guy!

-There were many helping hands that made the day go smoothly. After, we had cookies. James requested some of his favorites: ginger and s'more cookies. We also had oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter kitchen sink cookies, and m & m cookies. Friends and family helped bring those which helped ease my load and I am so grateful! I made the s'more cookies.

-Jessica had decor ideas and told me what to do and executed a simple yet graceful design transforming the drab space. It's hard to get the vibe looking at the pictures. We put candlesticks on stylish holders and tied blue ribbon around them. Fresh flowers added a nice touch too.

A few bumps that day:

• I lost my car keys in the mayhem loading things up which lead to crabbiness and arguing.
• James left his dry and clean underwear in his backpack in the car. When it came time to change into dry clothes after the ordinance, I had to dash to the car to get those.
• Several family members went to the wrong church building which lead to a late start. Tip-- If you have a baptism in Utah, be sure to send extra reminders since buildings are plentiful. 

President and Sister Denning now reside in South Jordan once again!

They arrived around noon on Wednesday, June 25. They're home at last! The day had some hiccups. My mom lost her phone which lead to an extra long wait for them in the airport. We had a pizza party at their home and one of their ovens stopped working! Oh well. We still got the 6 pizzas cooked. 

It was fun to see almost immediately that my parent's habits haven't changed. My mom pulled out all sorts of souvenirs for her grandkids and kids (dolls, bracelets, shoes, earrings) and was helping whip food up in the kitchen. My dad couldn't contain himself and got right to work on household chores. He hadn't even changed out of his suit but that could wait. The dead spots on the lawn were calling him. Within 24 hours, my dad had borrowed a truck, bagged 6 giant trash bags of yard excess, and took his broken treadmill and grill to the dump. Some things never change. He has already started his new job!

My parent's homecoming was on Sunday, June 29. They are loved and it showed.

My parent's were the only speakers and I felt the spirit. My mom shared miracles she saw on the mission and my dad wrapped up with his testimony in Portuguese. So many of their missionaries were in attendance and sang "Called to Serve" in Portuguese for the musical number and it was vigorous! My parent's were also asked to teach the combined 5th Sunday lesson. Boy the room was toasty and jam-packed. Following the meeting, there was a lunch at my parent's home. I'm not exaggerating when I say that 200 people came! Whew! Many family members traveled here for the occasion. I guess over 500 people were in sacrament meeting.

These are the missionaries and I think some had left before this pic was taken!

Mission pic wall

Mission quilt and aprons

Jessica was in charge of the decorations for the homecoming party and I helped with the food. I wish you could have been there to see how Jessica transformed the space! Lots of cute balloons and flags. The backyard was beautiful with seating at tables and under the pergola. I am pleased to report that we had food to spare! Especially carrots. The carrots left their mark in more than one way. I cut myself peeling carrots and my hands turned orange from cutting so many. (The orange didn't fade for awhile even after a shower or multiple hand washes.) 

MENU

*Individual chip bags

*Pao de Queijo

*Veggie cups filled with celery, carrots, tomatoes, and ranch

*Sandwiches (We ordered platters from Costco and picked them up the night before)

Drinks

*Guarana (a popular soda in Brazil)

*Water bottles

*Kool Jammer juice boxes

*Izze sparkling water

Dessert

*Cookies (My mom had 10 friends bring 2 dozen cookies each)

*Acai with granola, fruit, and sweetened condensed milk

Party favors

*Biz (Brazilian oreos)

*Pacoca (Brazilian peanut butter goody)

My mom had 8 friends helping in the kitchen and others jumped in too. It's safe to say I needed a shower and worked up a sweat. Things settled down after the initial rush.

I didn't even touch on the other family bonding moments/activities/food we've had. Lots of catching up to do. More to come! In the meantime we're going on a little getaway together to make up for lost time. Stay tuned.