Eight is Great!

Yesterday, my little 4 pound miracle baby turned 8! Tanner is no longer a four pound baby, he is an ever growing (and eating), eight year old bundle of energy and enthusiasm. He is constantly on the go and never stops moving. He is a very intense, passionate person who takes whatever he is doing seriously. He loves to learn new things, loves to talk, and can make friends wherever he goes. He thinks his purpose in life is to make people laugh, which can get him into trouble sometimes! I have grown so much as a person because Tanner is in my life. He really has taught me a lot and I know I have much more to learn from him. We love him and are so happy to have him in our family.
We believe that at 8 years old, children have reached the age of accountability and can grasp the meaning of Baptism. So, Tanner chose to get baptized yesterday on his birthday! We are so proud of him and know that entering the waters of baptism, and keeping the covenants made there, will bring him happiness throughout his life.
As a mother, there are so many things that only you can do for your child. I am so glad Heavenly Father has allowed a few things that only a father can do for his children, like the ordinance of Baptism and giving the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was so neat for Ladd to be able to baptize Tanner and bless him with the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I loved watching the two of them participate in these sacred ordinances together. They both were so handsome in their white clothes.

Tanner with Grandpa Cook, Aunt Monica, and a red-faced Mom
I had intentions of getting a lot of other family pictures after the baptism, but as I mentioned earlier, Tanner is a face paced person and didn't have much time to hang around taking pictures!

Most of our family were in attendance, and I am so grateful for all of this support. We let Tanner choose who did what at the Baptism, and it was cute to see who he picked to participate. He wanted Grandpa Hoyal and Uncle Mike to be the witnesses of the baptism, his Aunt Jayme to give a talk, Aunt Lawni to say the opening prayer and Uncle Brett to say the closing prayer. All of the willing cousins sang a song. Willing cousins translated to girls that are old enough, and Tanner. They did a great job, thanks to the help of Maquel and Jayme. When we asked Tanner how he felt when he got baptized, he said he felt good and warm inside. A quote from his journal says his baptism was "spiritual, and fun, and awesome." Spoken like a true 8 year old boy. It was a wonderful day and I hope one that Tanner will always remember.

The "singers" practicing at our house prior to Baptism

We had a Birthday Luncheon for Tanner at our house right before the Baptism. It was nice to have lots of friends and family there. All the kids had fun running around the house and eating the cute Lego cake my mom made.

Yesterday was a great day and we are so happy to have a new member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in our family!
Happy Birthday Tanner!