Bethelle's Baptism

Ah, it was such a lovely day!  Quite a contrast with the snowy weather around her actual birthday.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we baptize on or after the eighth birthday, giving each member time to be old enough to understand the commitment made.  Being baptized should mean that you have accepted your faith and believe in it.  It should mean that you are committed to living the tenants of your church.  And that's just what it meant for Bethelle.  She had been looking forward to this day for a long time and had told us how dearly she wanted to be a "real" member of the church and to always have the Holy Spirit to guide her in her life.

We had a delicious lunch at our home after the baptism.  I made grilled sandwiches with bacon, havarti, and pesto (Bethelle's favorite), strawberry spinach salad, and coconut lemon truffles.

 We also had the cutest little Bethelle cookies and my mom brought her famous almond cookies.

We all love you, Bethelle!  Congrats on this big step in life!

We are KU fans

That's all.  No story.  I suppose these must have been taken on the day of a March Madness game.

A Very Girlie Birthday

Bethelle asked for an American Girl birthday party this year.  I had really good time putting this one together.

All attendees were asked to bring their dolls.  We had an extra on the ready, just in case, but it was not needed.  When the girls and their dolls arrived after school, they were ravenous, so we got those dolls set up for their snack and juice tout suite.

 The girls then, having fed their dolls, were able to have a bite of fruit and some juice as well.

Next up was some crafting.  The dolls began making headbands for themselves.

 Bethelle's little Caroline chose a blue butterfly for her headband.

 As the dolls worked, so did the girls.  Here, Olleke is decorating a tote bag for her doll, McKenna.

 Next, they made matching necklaces for themselves and their dolls.  Each necklace had a star pendant and an initial.

 Then we all made tutus for the dolls.  This project seemed to require more patience than most of the guests possessed.  I sent them home with enough scraps to finish the project.

As the girls crafted, they occasionally got up to "help" their dolls with the headbands, adjusting their positions.  At one point, I found these little ones hugging... so cute.

 One of the favorite gifts was this matching PJ set for her and her doll.

 Bethelle wanted cupcakes without frosting for the party.  As hostess, this did not seem right to me, so I came up with the idea of cupcakes topped with ice cream, whipped cream, and sprinkles.  We didn't tell the guests, so they were pretty surprised as they bit into the cold cupcakes.

 Rigby and Curie tried bravely to hold back from the party so that Bethelle could enjoy the time with her friends, but jumped in for the treat.  The girls welcomed them and conversation turned to what a cool brother Rigby is, and how they all have annoying little brothers and they wish that their brothers were as awesome as Rigby.  He was beaming.  So was I.

 The dolls had their own cupcake tower.  Wasn't that a find?  It was an egg display for Easter decorations.  Good thing Bethelle has a spring birthday.

What a fun day!  And I'm pretty confident that no men made it all the way through that post.  I couldn't get Nick or his dad to look through the pictures with me, so I doubt I could hold interest long enough.  But maybe some of the ladies out their are planning a doll party of their own!

Spring Snow

The day before Bethelle's birthday party left the birthday girl wondering if her party would take place at all.  We were planning the event for after school on a Friday, but on Thursday, there was snow on the ground and school was late in starting.  The crazy part in all this is that it was the end of March.  And we live in western washington.  I've been here my whole life and can't recall such a late, thick snow.  Just at this time, Rigby and Curie were learning about the signs of spring in their preschool class.  Curie was very confused.

 These first two pictures are of Wednesday night, as the snow began.  I didn't think it would last, so I let the kids go outside to play in it at bedtime.

 But last it did!  The next day was sunny and bright, but cold.

 We had a brief addition to our family.  Rigby and Curie built this guy on their own, as Bethelle was a school.  Pretty good job!