James is 8!

Happy Birthday, James! This was a big one for him. At age 8, he was ready to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was delighted to get baptized on his literal birthday, even if it meant sharing with General Conference :)

He woke up bright and early! We opened presents and had crepes for breakfast. Then we got dressed and headed to the church building for his baptism. This would be unlike any other baptism in our family to date. First off, it was just us, Erin, and the Bishop in the room. Second, we were allowed to invite others to attend via Zoom Conference. We invited everyone...family, friends, family friends who had moved away. I was in charge of the technology, so that had me all wound up, but everything seemed to run smoothly on that front. I did not accurately estimate how long it would take Bobby and James to change out of their wet clothes, though. Oh well. 

There are things I would do the same again and things I would change if I got another chance, but overall, I want to remember these things about this day:

James was smiling ear-to-ear.

James chose his grandpas to give the prayers. He really likes his grandpas.

Alice gave a great talk on our baptismal covenants.

Alice and I got to be witnesses. It might not seem like a big deal to some, but it was special to me.

I felt the Spirit. Even with all the things that were different this time. Live piano music would have been soooo much nicer *sigh* but the sing-along videos were effective and much more enjoyable to see/hear than our little family singing a capella all by our lonesome.

After James' baptism and confirmation, we came home to watch the first session of Conference. Bobby had set up bowls of treats for different key words. That kept the kids engaged a reeeeeally long time. 

James chose Papa John's pizza for his birthday dinner (surprise, surprise) and he wanted S'Mores for his birthday dessert. I like a good campfire, so I said okay. Well, it rained on our campfire all evening until we were stuffed with stove top S'Mores. Then, I looked out and saw blue sky and a fire pit full of great coals. Like I said, I like a good campfire, so we stoked the fire, added a few more logs, and hung out on the back patio until way past bedtime. 

He got his special day. The day he was looking forward to for so, so long. He went to bed satisfied. That makes me happy.

Now, James, this part is for you.

It's hard being the middle kid in this family. I see and feel the struggle in you every day. You're doing a fantastic job at it, though. You are finding ways to relate to your older siblings (Minecraft, video games, cooking, art) and your younger one (imaginary games, wrestling, reading). 

You have empathy and compassion. 

You think deeply about your experience. Just today, as we ate our lunch together, you asked me, "What is your favorite part about life?" I thought about it a bit and said that I like that I get to learn things about other people and myself and the world around me. You sort of nodded your head, averted your eyes, then said, "My favorite thing is this family." Then you looked up at me and asked with that signature twinkle in your eye, "Does that change your answer?" I replied that learning new things wouldn't be nearly as fun if I didn't have the people I loved with me. So, yes, I changed my answer :) 

You like to figure things out. 

You spend hours at a time working on projects that are meaningful to you: building a deluxe fairy house, painstakingly replicating your favorite Pokemon creatures from a library book, drawing elaborate plans for a future house or garden or ultimate crime-fighting boat, planning scavenger hunts for your siblings, reading and reading and reading, building with Lego, turning an overgrown bush into a secret base, preparing a proper burial for a wild creature or a beloved pet alike. 

I wouldn't have you any other way.

Happy Birthday, my man. Thank you for being a part of this family and an important part of my life. 

Love,

Mom

James made a pumpkin pie out of one of his pumpkins. Mmmmm.

One of James' writing assignments: Write 5 Great Things About Yourself.

A real smile from James. That's a beauty.

He loves the set of scriptures that Grandma and Grandpa Evans gave him for his birthday. He's especially thrilled at the possibility of the gilded edges being real gold. (I wish that boy would let me cut his hair. He's too big to wrestle into submission anymore...sigh.)

James upgraded to Robert's bike this fall! He was reluctant at first, but got the hang of it in a matter of seconds. Less work for greater speed?! Sign me up!

For his birthday, Robert gave James a roll of unsorted wheat pennies with 2 Indian head pennies. I missed seeing their warm, excited hug in real life. Thanks, Bobby, for preserving this moment for everyone. The look on Robert's face...more golden than gilded edges :)