Eight is Great!

I know I have been a bit absent lately. It's hard to keep up on blogging when you have a baby and homeschool and stuff. But I need to blog about a big event that just happened in our lives. Noah and Eli turned 8 years old and chose to be baptized! In our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) we believe that little babies do not need to be baptized because they have not committed any sins. By the time a child is eight years old they have reached the age of accountability. This means that they are old enough to know right from wrong and therefore can be held accountable for their actions. This is when children are given the opportunity to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. The boys had to meet with the bishop for an interview to see if they were ready to be baptized. It is not forced on them.

The day of their baptism they were so happy and excited. We do stake baptisms here meaning all the kids that turned 8 in the stake that previous month get baptized on the same day. It started with 2 talks in the chapel on baptism and the Holy Ghost. Grandma gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. She used props including a light bulb and and lamp to help teach about how we need to take certain actions in order for the gift to work. She did a great job. After the talks, the wards took turns going into the baptismal font for the actual baptisms. Aaron baptized both boys and Grandpa and Uncle Alan were the witnesses.

We then moved to another room and watched a couple videos while the boys changed into dry clothes. We watched this video about The Shiny Bicycle and a couple of these cute videos where children were interviewed about different gospel topics like baptism and the atonement. Once Aaron and the boys were back in the room, Aaron was able to confirm them members of the church and give them the gift of the Holy Ghost. After a few shorts words from the primary president and bishop we were done.

Daddy and Noah

Daddy and Eli

The primary president gave them each a notebook and pen to write about their baptism day. On the way home they both wrote about their special day. The next day was fast Sunday and the boys were super excited to bear their testimonies in church. They wrote their testimonies down in their notebooks and read them over the pulpit. It was very sweet.

Uncle Mike, Aunt Lanae, and Hannah drove all the way from Boise (a 10 hour drive) to be there for their baptism.

Aaron interviewed the boys really quick after their baptism. I asked them if it was OK for me to share these on here, and they said yes. These videos will just melt your heart. I love their innocence and faith. I'm so proud of my boys!