Samantha's Baptism

Today was a special day for our family, especially for Samantha, because today she was baptized.  We are so proud of Samantha and the good choices she makes.  She's a sweet girl who always tries to do the right thing.  Her personality is more quiet and reserved than the sisters who are on either side of her, but she still stands out because she is kind, hard working, smart, and fun to be around.

We were working on these cupcakes for after the baptism up until the last minute.  Samantha took over the decorating so I could take care of my hair and makeup before we headed off to church.

I love these two wonderful people and I love that they look so much alike.  Jared is such a good father to our girls and perfectly makes up for my shortcomings as a mother, I am so grateful to have him by my side as we raise our children.

I love being Samantha's mom.  She's an amazing person and a great example to me.

This little girl was seriously excited about her baptism day and was literally skipping through the hallways at church from the minute we got there until it was time for the service to start.

It was a pretty standard service, as far as baptisms go.  Samantha was glad the water was warm and that it wasn't as deep as it looked.  Jared made sure she went all the way under the water, even though I think it would be kind of cool to have to be dunked twice. She came out of the water beaming and practically giddy she was so happy.

Abigail gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and did a really good job despite a big case of nerves.  She was also confirmed and given the gift of the Holy Ghost yesterday as well.  I think Jared asked every priesthood holder who was in attendance to stand in the circle so Samantha had a lot of hands to shake afterwards.  She was a little teary eyed afterward and told Jared that was because she was feeling something.  It was a sweet moment for us and a great chance for Jared to point out to her that what she was feeling was the Holy Ghost.

We had extended family in attendance for all the older girl's baptisms, but no one was able to make it here for Samantha's.  It's hard when you're an entire ocean away from the ones you love.  I was holding on to a secret, irrational hope that a grandparent or two would miraculously appear for the big day.  Of course that didn't happen, but there were a lot of people there from our ward to support her and it make me even more grateful for our wonderful ward family.

Four baptisms down, one to go!