I'm holding up the show here! I keep trying to get everything all neat and tidy--all the pictures in a presentable state and a video and my thoughts in the same place at the same time--and life is just not. Tidy, I mean. So I'll come back and add in the loose bits but I've got to get the main part down.
And the main part is that we love our boy Davy. He's truly an incredible kid. We feel honored to be his parents and watch as he grows into a lovely person. Davy is a strong, sensitive soul. He feels and thinks deeply. He is mature beyond his years in some ways yet as silly as any eight year old has a right to be. He is a fantastic older brother to his brother and sister.
This year was a special birthday year. He got to have two celebrations. The first, his family party, we marked the day before he was officially eight. He chose to have pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate cake into a Lego shape with 8 studs, and Neapolitan ice cream. I didn't really know what he was most hoping for in a gift, though I gave a few (in my opinion) good ideas to those who asked. A few days before his birthday I overheard him say to Eddy that all he really really hoped for was a pair of goalie gloves. I was in time to slip a word to Grandma, who promptly sent them. His face when he opened them was priceless--so happy. The other gifts of books and experiences have been very well used and appreciated, too!
On Sunday, Davy's eighth birthday, he chose to be baptized into the church. He was as ready as could be. He helped plan the entire program. He willingly (I had a harder time) accepted the addition of another convert last minute when the missionaries were anxious to do it before the Christmas holidays. He invited several neighborhood friends and our distant English cousins. We were even able to have grandparents from Utah and California facetime in for the ceremony. He felt very special and he simply glowed. I admit I was a little concerned how all the attention and stress of the day would affect him but he handled it all perfectly well. He told Collin that he wished he could be baptized again right after he came out of the water. I was so proud of him and his choice--it was his choice. I hope he can always remember the feeling of wanting to be clean.
Davy asked for the "jumping in jumpsuits" picture especially.
After the service of course we had a party! Davy requested M&Ms, Fanta and Oreos. I threw in some veggies, soup and bread (he said I could) and made him some Pulla Finnish bread like my mom did for my baptism. Everyone stayed and ate the platters clean so it was a success!
I'd still like to take some baptism pictures but it's just so cold and drab outside right now. I will try again come spring, but here are some pictures Davy willingly-enough sat for so I could remember my eight year old just as he is. Silly and serious and snaggle toothed and sweet as spun sugar.
