8, Going on perfect!

Katherine's party at the park was so fun! She has so many good friends that she loves and we were so glad some of them got to come!

The back row of the picture shows Travis, Katherine, Olivia and Abby. The front row is Ella, Shay and Sophie, Selena and Kendi.

Katherine had a great time!

Saturday morning, Katherine's birthday, she got Breakfast in Bed! Johnny made her "Egg in the Middle", or "Hole-in-ones" with bacon. What do YOU call it? She felt pretty special :)Soon it was time for her baptism. We made it to Jasper, and Johnny and Katherine got ready. Doesn't Katherine look cute?!


Her baptism was beautiful! Thanks to everyone that participated and came! My little sister Rachel gave a great talk on baptism and then it was time! Her water was pretty freezing- she'll never forget that! lol When she came up out of the water, her face was unforgettable! Her eyes and mouth opened so wide and she looked like she was trying to catch her breath. So funny! I had brought a blow-dryer luckily. While I helped her get dressed I told her about the pioneers that had to be baptized in the rivers in the winter and how they had to break the ice to do the baptisms. She said, "That's dangerous. Why did they do that?" I said, "Because they knew how important baptism is and didn't want to wait for summer." I had several special gifts for her about baptism that would help her understand and remember her day. Her primary teacher from the Jasper Branch, Sister Bobbie Ruggles played the piano for us and she gave Katherine a white towel that was monogrammed with BAPTISM in hot pink. That was the perfect addition to what I'd brought. I gave her a special baptism necklace, a baptism poem that came with a white handkerchief and a baptism bookmark that told what she promises to do and what the Lord promises.

My mom spoke on the gift of the Holy Ghost and then her Uncle Michael Ratcliff confirmed her a member of the Church and gave her the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit was so strong and her blessing was beautiful. It said she would be able to discern what choices to make and that, by her example, many people would come unto the gospel. After her blessing she hugged everyone that helped- my dad, Johnny's dad, Uncle Michael, Uncle Erik, Uncle Thomas, Uncle Benny, Brother Cantrell (our Branch Mission Leader- he conducted the baptism), and of course Johnny. I hope I didn't forget anyone. I had a sign in sheet for her memory book and an 8x10 of her in her baptism dress on the table in the foyer with her programs we made. I kept the color copy for her memory book as well. (Her memory book is on it's way- it was on backorder from Deseret Books.) Also, Sister Markett May, the Jasper Branch President's wife, gave her a corked bottle with a little bleach in it that we put some of her baptism water in to keep. It has a poem on it with her name and baptism date. Such a great idea to make this a lasting memory. That was really my focus for her birthday this year- to make it so memorable for her. Here's the poem:

Today I made a covenant
Between my Lord and me.
I was baptized in His name
An you can clearly see
They gathered up some water
That I was immersed in
To help me to remember
My special day with Him.
Each week I'll take the sacrament
And listen to the prayers.
I'll make my promise once again
And feel His Spirit there.

We had also had FHE on baptism and read several scriptures about the covenants we make and the prayer that is said during the sacrament and baptism. It really helped Katherine know what was happening and she understood it all.

After the baptism we went to Johnny's parents for Katherine's birthday party. It turned out great! We had pretty fair weather- it got a little warm, but not too crowded, which was nice. We had delicious hamburgers, (thanks Johnny!) chips, drinks and Marianne made a delish cookie cake and I brought little cupcakes. I had decorated with white and light pink streamers and balloons.

She had so many wonderful presents- she loves ALL of them! She got two Fancy Nancy books- her favorite and Frenchy, Fancy Nancy's dog. She got two cute shirts, a new dress, beads to make jewelry, lip gloss, earrings, a purse, $5, Pocahontas on dvd and lots of hugs and kisses! The last surprise I had for her was a DVD all about her! I worked all week while the kids were at school or in bed, so it would be a surprise. I scanned pictures into the computer and used digital pics and added music- I used Windows Movie Maker and DVD Maker. It was a little over 17 minutes long. She loved it! It was nice to watch it with everyone at the party too. Definitely worth my time!

Katherine, you are so special and we're so glad you were born to our eternal family. Happy 8th Birthday!