Daniel's Baptism

Today was a special day! Daniel was baptized this morning. 

He was very excited to make this promise to follow Christ. He was just beaming, cute Daniel.

Baptism was put on by the stake, even though it was just Daniel/just our family. 

Our Provo college kids were running late, but we didn't wait for them. We probably could have waited?  But felt a little of self imposed pressure to get it started and so as to not take too much of the bishop or the stake people's time, so we started as soon as Wayne arrived cause close, compared to Mel, Ethan and Bella who were 30 minutes away, coming around the point of the mountain. So they missed the baptism, but were there for the confirmation. And Bella gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. Wesley said he forgot but he gave a call tonight to congratulate Daniel.

Before his younger siblings hijacked the video call...

Hyrum tuned in via fb messenger... H listening to LSN musical number (could have practiced a bit more...)

Joseph and Eliza weren't there but they said hi tonight too. It's all good. After the baptism, people who wanted to were invited to come over for some ice cream, berries and bananas, and vanilla wafers. Daniel had invited a friend from across the street and we were so happy he and his mom came. After the baptism, Ethan and Bella had to head back to Provo, but Mel was able to stay for the day (took the frontrunner train later). Corey decided to do something with the boys and Mel. I went along too, we went up Millcreek Canyon close to the Porter Fork trail, and took a little ride on Pipeline. We listened to the BYU game on the radio on our drive. BYU vs. Arizona. Abi was at a Lyceum recording all day (10-5) Lily and Sophi wanted to stay home, and said they'd clean the whole house, Daniel was over at his friend's house, so it was Corey, Me, Mel, Natalie, Owen, Peter, and Katharine for the ride. Kids were a bit mopey (well, just Natalie and Owen - they wanted to go to grandpas to watch the BYU game). After I was tired of their sulking we turned around. 

Peter was having a great attitude. 

Natalie and Owen led the way as we went west on the trail. I was behind them, but would pause to check on Peter who was behind me with Mel watching him, followed by Corey and Katharine.

To help N&O stop being "bored", Corey told us to not wait for them, so we took off and didn't get very far - there are so many places where the trail has a total cliff off of one side that I had a hard time enjoying it, as I was concerned for my kids, and they were a little scared, and still wanted to stop, so I gave in and after just a few minutes of going ahead, we turned around and headed back. Them Mel, Natalie and Owen took off back to the car, and I stayed with Peter. He and I we walked along the steep scary parts. Corey and K left us to go catch up to MNO and load up the bikes, then he came back to help us. We were coming slowly but surely. Soon we were back at the car and went to Waynes. Mel did her taxes and we watched the BYU game.

I'm not sure they knew what was going on, but they knew to cheer for a touchdown. BYU won 41-19 over Arizona

I wasn't interested in staying, so I snuck away to Park City for a ride while they watched the game. Went up Armstrong and HAM, then down Seldom Seen.

Most of the leaves had fallen, but there were still yellows. It was still lovely and beautiful. I listened to the 1st session of Conference, I was beaming when the 3rd speaker Karl Hirst spoke about the mountains!

"When we don’t feel the warmth of divine love, it hasn’t gone away. God’s own words are that “the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but [His] kindness shall not depart from [us].” So, just to be clear, the idea that God has stopped loving should be so far down the list of possible explanations in life that we don’t get to it until after the mountains have left and the hills are gone! I really enjoy this symbolism of mountains being evidence of the certainty of God’s love. That powerful symbolism weaves into accounts of those who go to the mountains to receive revelation and Isaiah’s description of “the mountain of the Lord’s house” being “established in the top of the mountains.” The house of the Lord is the home of our most precious covenants and a place for us all to retreat and sink deeply into the evidence of our Father’s love for us."

So I was loving it up there. I saw a few hikers but there were no other bikers on the trail I was on. I enjoyed myself for that hour and 13 min. Turned on tunes for the descent. Had to take a photo of my favorite part of HAM! You turn the corner and get to go rolling through the pines twice, this is the second corner. 

Corey and the kids finished watching the game, and Abi picked them up on her way back after the Lyceum recording, so the I just headed home. I had all the bikes on Corey's car, but only had a lock on his. Thankfully none of them were stolen, yay. Wes called on the ride home, got home and helped with dinner, Corey finally got to leave to get some work done as I tagged him for being the parent on duty. Giving kids baths and ready for church tomorrow. 

Now it's 11pm - I've been blogging, Corey's cleaning his office. We're still up cause we get to sleep in on Sundays, and cause we're waiting for Abi to get home after asking to Monster Mash. I just did 3 chin ups, starting from a dead hang, and doing all of them from a total hang! I did 3! I didn't know I still had that in me! I still have callouses and I've kept my upper body strength from climbing better this time than I did last year after our summer break. Excited to start climbing again, hopefully in a few weeks!