Great to be Eight

Sometime over the last 8 years, when Jack I weren’t looking, this little munchkin

Became accountable for her actions.

So we loaded up our covered wagon, then boarded a Southwest flight for Utah, where she could be baptized with her beloved cousin Julia.

They are two peas in a pod, that Jolie & Julia, and have been planning a joint baptism since they were babies. Here they are in 2004, discussing the details.

It was a beautiful, simple day, filled with family, love, the Spirit, and good food, which I happen to consider the four elements of a happy life.

Comic relief was provided by Cal, who could not have been more excited if we were at the Super Bowl, and interrupted the silence with a rally for his boy cousins to check out the sins being washed away. There were also a few tears, as the Bishop bore a heartfelt testimony that family members from beyond the veil were in attendance.

My favorite moment of the day was this one, which I captured on my phone just after she came out of the water

For that brief moment, she was my newborn again. Fresh, clean, perfect. Taking her very first steps into the next phase of life. It broke my heart a little to know that these steps would be bigger than the last, and that they would carry her further away from her dependence on Mom and Dad.

We love you Jojo, and are so proud of your decision to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized.  The last 8 years have brought us so many moments of joy. But today, I dare say, topped them all.