Aislin's Baptism

Aislin turned 8-years-old on Wed, Aug 3rd, and was baptized that Saturday the 6th. We knew that waiting a few more weeks would've made the planning part a little easier, but with school starting on the 10th, we felt it was so much more important for her to start school with that sense of strength from having just been baptized and with the comfort of the Holy Ghost by her side.

So we set off to find a dress...

Crismon Baby Boutique in Mesa, AZ

Then we got her hair cut and took some birthday pictures...

She decided who gave which talks and who said the prayers...

And then we took pictures in front of the Mesa Temple the day before her baptism :)

We've always talked to Aislin about baptism, and she's been waiting years to complete this first ordinance...but we never realized what a shock it would be to us. More specifically - me! I realized that I am now old enough to have an 8-year-old, a baptized child, a girl in Activity Days. And, for the first time in 8 1/2 years, I felt completely inadequate as an adult convert. I felt overwhelmed, emotional, and completely clueless as I asked a handful of other moms where they bought their daughters' baptism dresses, what templates they used for the baptism program, what items I needed to bring from home on the day of, and so on! I was given a lot of help with the program and great advice, and yet still managed to miss a handful of things. (Thankfully, the spare underwear and hairbrush were not among those things!) 

We learned that Aislin was not the only one who needed to be prepped, either. It being only his second baptism in 8 1/2 years, Tim was a little rusty ;) Hopefully he'll remember to mention our child's name when it's Desmond's turn!

We also learned that securing another Priesthood holder to stand as a second witness is pretty important! We knew that a couple of our friends who held the Priesthood wouldn't be able to attend, but we didn't anticipate so many women and children to attend without their dads/fathers or sons! Thank goodness for ward members who are willing to step away from their Saturday chores, jump in their car in whatever clothes they're wearing, and stand as a witness to a baptism :)

In spite of the day's mishaps, and the stress and emotional rollercoaster that had built up throughout the week, Aislin's baptism was still lovely. We felt the Spirit with us, we felt the support of people we love, and our oldest was baptized and confirmed. Life is good ;)

Hanging out while Bishop filled the font :)

From the talk on baptism

Love, Angel

We love you, Aislin!