Ellie's Baptism

Ellie turned 8 this September!  Which meant it was also her year to get baptized.  Ellie wanted to be baptized on her official birthday, luckily it fell on a Friday so we could make it happen.

Invitations (Ellie loves trees right now, so they became our unofficial theme):

Waiting for the big moment:

Guests:

Spencer's favorite friend from Church: Evangelina:

The Bulman Family:

The Steurers (one of Ellie's primary teachers), The Carlsons:

Meg stealing strawberries, one of her favorite things to do!

The Sheffields:

The Mergenthalers:

Ellie's teacher from last year, Mrs. Gorsh.  Ellie really wanted to invite her and was so happy that she could come.  Afterward Ellie invited Mrs. Gorsh to Church on Sunday.  She is quite a little missionary, and much braver than me.

Anna Sheffield:  Anna sang a song at Ellie's baptism that Ellie had written the words to herself.  She wrote them late one night while trying to fall asleep.  She came upstairs to tell me, and first I gave her the angry "get back to bed" speech.  Once she read me the words, I remembered what a special girl she is.

"That God"

by Ellie Wood

I know a God that you might know.

I really hope you do.

And if I tell you about Him,

I think you'll love him too.

That God who is my Father.

That God who had a Son.

That God who loves me just as much as He loves everyone.

I love that God, of course.

I know he loves me too.

He sent the Holy Ghost to help us know what we should do.

Shauntel Anderson wrote music for Ellie's song that her daughter Camille (Ellie's piano teacher) played.

Visit to Salt Lake to Meet Baby Eli

Spencer and I spent a quick Labor Day weekend visiting his new cousin Eli in Salt Lake.  The first two days he ignored the baby (Eli is a very good baby that rarely cries).  Then, when he noticed the baby cried and that it was real, he became very excited.  From then on he would hold out his little hands saying "Peas, peas."

Playing with cousin Olivia and the phone camera (Spencer was very shy on this trip and cried when I went anywhere... unless Olivia produced the phone):

Falling asleep at night on the couch (Spencer is not used to sleeping without Grant):

With cousin Cody:

School Days

Ellie goes to 2nd grade, and Meg goes to kindergarten.  They were soooooo excited.  Meg has the same teacher Ellie did in kindergarten and she was so happy to go to school.  (Two weeks later, she is a little disillusioned with waking up early and anything not called recess, but she is still doing a good job.)

Ellie walking to school with her friends: Aimee and Erinn.