Grant is Baptized!

Our Saturday was so wonderful! Our oldest son, Grant, was baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Mimi led the music, Faith gave the opening prayer, Aunt Rosemary gave a sweet talk, acting as her twin sister (Grandma Croshaw), and Uncle Jack (President Wixom) spoke about the Holy Ghost.

After Grant was baptized, he got up and bore a very sweet testimony. He told us afterwards "I was really, really nervous, but I was trying to make it look like I wasn't!" Andrew reassured him that we all feel that way when we speak, and Mimi added that it shouldn't keep him from sharing his testimony in the future!

Heavenly Father "granted" me this sweet boy 8 years ago, and now as I get to see him join the church and become one of Heavenly Father's Valiant Servants, I just couldn't be happier. Grant will do so much good in his life, and I feel so blessed to be his mother!

The baptism was held at the Mt. Vernon building, just across the street from the Potomac River and a couple miles from Mt. Vernon, where George Washington had an estate. I think this will be a fun memory for Grant to share with his friends as he grows older. We love you, Grant!

We finished out our day with a trip to the Washington D.C. temple. The kids stayed and played with our dear friends, Jon and Melissa, while we enjoyed some adult time. The temple was beautiful and we enjoyed a very impressive lightning show on our drive home!

Our Nation's Capitol!

John and I waited for everyone to go to the bathroom, and had a little silly face photo shoot to pass the time!

I got this great picture with OUT the flash. I had to hold the camera so still, but was very pleased with the result. Something I would love to do someday is sit at the Lincoln Memorial and ask people where they're from. I'm sure I could find someone from almost every state and many, many countries all there to celebrate our past Presidents. God Bless the USA!

Lincoln Memorial as the sun has finally gone to sleep. Isn't that amazing? No Photoshop on that blue sky, just a still hand to capture the picture without the flash.

Here Daddy is explaining all that he knows about the Vietnam War. Walking through these Memorials is such a humbling experience as you realize that every name on that wall is a son, uncle, husband, friend, or father. I am so grateful to them all for serving our country and sacrificing their lives for my sake!

Potomac, here we come!

On Friday night, we went down to see the Monuments at nighttime, something we've never done because of bedtimes. First, we stopped by the Potomac River, climbed a tree...

walked along the river, and incredibly didn't have ONE child fall into that mucky water. Now everyone knows that Mommy likes water, and I don't mind a bit jumping into a swimming pool fully clothed, but this water was gross! Glad that everyone was obedient tonight!

The lighting was amazing, and Grant was on a SILLY streak, hence the pose. Faith looks cute in anything, and of course, my beautiful Mom is enjoying the kiddos.

What do you think boys would do if they couldn't jump in the water? They'd live vicariously through the rocks! They thres handfuls and handfuls and handfuls of rocks into the water, and loved it! Mimi's face doesn't look pleasant - I'm wondering if something other than rocks was just thrown in. I don't want to know.

Mimi and Papa come for the weekend!

This was a special weekend for us, and we are so grateful that Mimi and Papa could come and be with us! This is our adventure to the Clemyjontri Park in McLean. It's a children's DREAM and the overcast weather made our morning just wonderful!

Here's the whole gang by the rainbow. We rode on the carousel, climbed on the helicopter, raced on the racecars, flew across the monkey bars, ate a picnic...

got pushed on the swings REALLY high, went through the maze, played songs on the piano, had races on the track, rode on the "boat", and...

their favorite...the tire swing! They like to be pushed "Robby Roundy" where they're not only spinning, but also going in a circle with the swing. They laughed SO hard, and eventually Grant got sick and had to sit out on the carousel while his stomach recovered! What a GREAT morning we had.

Singing in the Rain!

Grant and I just ran outside and danced in the rain.

I have NEVER seen rain like this in my life! We were only outside for about 10 seconds before we were completely drenched! Clark and John just stood at the open screen door watching us be silly - they weren't interested in participating.

The thunder was clapping RIGHT over our house and it was just GREAT!

I love the rain!

Here are the pictures from the previous post!

Grant's is 8 Years Old!

I love this boy! Grant has lived in 5 states and is attending his 5th school right now. We have made a lot of memories with this amazing child! He never ceases to amaze us with his love of life! He has figured out his new Heelys, reads a book in a day, and is excited to be a new Cub Scout! Happy Birthday, Grant!

For Memorial Day weekend, Andrew brought home a yellow balloon in remembrance of his sweet sister, Cristin. Cristin passed away at the age of 19 in a serious car accident. Although I never met Cristin, I feel very close to her. Cristin was a violinist and the shortest member of the family. She had a love for all people, and was just amazing.

When Faith (age 6) was born by Emergency C-Section, I felt a closeness to Cristin that I had never felt before. I truly felt that Cristin was watching over this little girl. She knew how much Andrew and I both needed to raise this daughter, in order to grow and develop into the people we could become, and maybe even encouraged her to stay.

So, now Faith Cristin shares her name with her Aunt and I know they will have a very sweet reunion someday!