Emma Lynn's Baptism and a few words about my mother

A few weeks ago, my oldest was baptized. It was a wonderful experience. I grew up with a strong LDS mother and a wonderful father for whom the church did not really work. I was, therefore, baptized and confirmed and all those kinds of things by friends in the ward. Having married a great LDS man, all priesthood ordinances have been performed by him. This baptism was no exception. It was wonderful to have him baptize his daughter and it was a bonding experience between them.
My mother and my little sister were able to come from Connecticut. We had a small, intimate group of friends and family gathered for the occasion. It was a really touching experience. I think all that were there were touched by the Spirit and we all walked away spiritually filled.
Having my Mom come out was, as always, awesome. There have been times in my life, unfortunately, when I did not appreciate my mother for who she is. I often judged her for silly things and worried about her spirituality for no good reason. In recent months, I have seen my mother in a new light. She is stronger that all of us. My mother has found a balance that many will never find: a balance between being in the world and not of the world. She lives in Connecticut where there are few LDS people. She is a women of power in the field in which she works and is a strong member of her community. My mother is a spiritual giant. She has a relationship with her Heavenly Father that is unique and awesome. She loves all people and excepts everyone with open arms. She is selfless and caring but knows when she needs to lay boundaries. My mother has a testimony based on no one but her own spiritual understanding of things. When boats are rocked in her spiritual life, her firm foundation is only strengthened. I admire my mother so much. I can go on and on, but I will refrain. Just know this, there are many of us who pay so much attention to small details of rules and regulations that we miss the big picture. That is to love everyone and be Christlike. My mother has not missed the big picture, she is painting it.

Adrienne-isms

Our middle child is five years old and is the comic relief for our family. Here are a couple of things Adrienne has said recently that has made us laugh and many others that are willing to hear the tale.

1. When, during homeschool, Adrienne was asked what the Declaration of Independence told King George, she confidently answered, "It told him to go get the brass plates".

2. After discovering a rash on Adrienne's face, Jesse said to her, "Let me see your face". She replied, "Which face?".

I am confident that we will add more "Adrienne-isms" as they come. So, stay tuned.

PJ Potter

Paige has discovered her magical ability. Here is a video of her trying disarm her Mommy, the cameraman. She is saying, "expelliarmus" (the disarming spell from Harry Potter). Adrienne is in the background translating whenever I try to get Paige to say it again. I love this age!

Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I tend to go overboard with costumes and such. I spend hours planning and sewing. No detail is too small. This year, I searched far and wide for things like wands, Gryffindor fabric, and aviator goggles. Everything was found except for aviator goggles. I finally settled for thick glasses that were very patriotic. Honestly, they more closely resembled something Elton John would wear than Madame Hooch.
Every year we have a family theme. This year, as you may have guessed, we were all characters from Harry Potter. Emma Lynn, age almost 8, was Hermione. Adrienne, age 5, was Harry Potter. Paige, age 2, was Crookshanks. I was Madame Hooch and Jesse was Professor Snape.

By the end of the night, Adrienne's black hair spray was spread all over. She went from being Harry Potter to being Dirty Harry. Paige had sucked on so many lollipops that her tongue was black, resembling a giraffe. Emma Lynn was on such a sugar high that she was positively out of control. The fact that she got very little sleep the night before because of excitement for the upcoming holiday may have contributed to the craziness. What is she going to be like on Christmas eve?

Which brings me to the main reason I love Halloween so much. It kick starts the holidays. Finally, canning season is over and I can spend hours with my sewing machine. Cold weather comes and we spend time cuddling and reading as a family. I love crunching leaves and falling snow (in Idaho, they pretty much come at the same time). It is great! So Happy Halloween!