Samantha's Baptism and a Quick Trip to Utah

I have not updated our blog in quite a few weeks and there is so much I want to post. Unfortunately, I am having difficulty getting the pictures to upload so I will just have to add them later.

We took a very quick trip to Utah at the end of January to have Samantha be baptized with her cousin Sydney. It was so fun to have our family there to celebrate this special occasion with her. We are so lucky to have such supportive families! We spent a few days with each side of our families and could not have had a better time. It really made me homesick. I loved watching all the cousins play and I loved being with my sisters and sister in laws. Kris was able to come with us this time. It is amazing what difference an extra set of hands makes on such a long airplane ride:)

There were many fun moments on the trip, but one that I will not forget for a long time is celebrating Samantha's birthday with all my family. We went to my Grandma's house and all my aunts, uncles, and cousins were there. It was so fun to see Samantha celebrate her birthday with the same crazy bunch that I celebrated with all growing up. I don't know when it started but somewhere along the way we all realized what a pathetic group of singers we were, so instead of trying to sing "Happy Birthday" to the special person we try to sing it horribly. I don't know if it makes us feel better to know that we are not trying to do it well, and so we don't feel like failures when it comes out the way or what. Whatever the reason it is quite the sound to behold. Now, you have to remember that the last time Sam had it sung to her by this group of people she was 1. You can imagine her surprise, (shock) when a group of about 25 people begin yelling (I have to admit it was one of the best performances I have ever heard)the Happy Birthday song at her. The poor girl looked at me as if to say,"who are these people, and why are they doing this to me?!?" That is the joy of extended family, they just grow on you over the years and they do not seem that strange, but you look on as a newcomer and wonder what planet you have been thrust into:) I love my family and I am so grateful that they make the effort to visit with us when we come to Utah. I am sure you made an impression on poor Samantha that is not going to be forgotten. She loved it!

It was also a great treat to visit the Draper Temple open house. My in-laws live within 1/2 a mile of the temple and we have watched the process step by step through my father-in-laws blog (see Dad's blog to the right). He was the stake historian for the project and got to know the builders and contractors very well. He has some great shots and it was fun to see the process through his eyes. The building is beautiful and it was fun to share it with my kids.

As always, we appreciate our families willingness to drop their busy lives and entertain us when we come to town. We wish it was more often. Come visit on the east coast anytime, we would love to show off our snow!