Baptism Weekend

Just a couple of weeks after her 8th birthday, Ramona chose to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was an exciting time for us--we picked out a white dress for her, sent out invitations, planned a luncheon for afterward, and hosted some family members who came in town for the event.

Paca and Teresa arrived around lunchtime on Friday.

Paula wowed Paca and Teresa with her tablet skills

Ramona got a second dose of birthday with some gifts from them:

Uncle Josh, Cousin Aubrey, Cousin Caleb, and Cousin Maxwell came later that afternoon. Thankfully, all the cousins found something to do in our rather pink play room--at least for a little while.

Once they got tired of the play room, some of the kids opted for a pillow fight in the basement.

Then we had a popsicle break, dinner, and a little birthday party for Uncle Josh, who was turning 40 the following week.

Caleb and Mika--just one month apart

After such an exciting day, most of us were exhausted.

The next day was Baptism Day--it was a busy morning, but we got a few pictures both at home and at the church building.

Ramona got to share her baptism day with her friend, Emersyn.

A giant candy bar Ramona got as a gift from a friend

Being able to watch my own husband baptize our daughter was an incredible experience for me. It was so short and so fast, but in those brief moments, everything just felt right and I knew Heavenly Father was with us. Ramona was beaming afterward--and pleasantly surprised at how warm the water was. 

Forest, Paca, Uncle Josh, and Brother John Petersen from the bishopric stood in the circle for Ramona's confirmation. It was also a short but very sweet moment, being able to hear my husband's voice as he blessed our daughter with the power of the priesthood.

Ramona's friend Annabel was able to come to watch the event. Not being a member of our church, it must have been a very unique experience for her, but we were so glad she came to support Ramona.

 What an awesome morning!

It was a pretty good afternoon, too. We had friends and family over for the luncheon . . .

. . . and then we set out for a little hike in Lory State Park.

That evening, Aubrey and Wylie had fun cracking each other up with a little water bottle. Aubrey would set it on the cooler and Wylie would knock it down and laugh. Over and over again. I thought Wylie might fall over from laughing so hard.

The cousins all huddled around some Star Wars action figures for a while . . .

 . . . and just the girls got a mini-slumber party up in Mika's room.

Sunday morning began with doughnuts for the kids and a few more pictures before church.

It was definitely a celebratory weekend. I hope Ramona will always remember how happy and clean she felt after getting baptized, and how loved she felt being with her friends and family.

And just in case she needs a little extra help remembering, here is a picture she drew afterward and gave to Forest:

We love you, Ramona! So proud of the choices you are making and the person you are becoming.

Catapults and Derby Cars

Early in second grade, Ramona had an assignment to build a catapult using household items that could launch a cotton ball as far as possible. She and her dad had a great time experimenting with different designs and watching that cotton ball fly across the room. She ended up getting second place in her class for her launch distance.

Once she turned 8, she was able to start participating in Activity Days--a girl's youth group at church. Her first activity was the AD Pinewood Derby, where she entered a lovely turquoise car with a dolphin painted on the top.

Ramona painting her Pinewood Derby car

Unfortunately for this project, she and Forest did not get a chance to do nearly as much experimenting as they would have liked to test for performance capacities. Instead of being awarded second place, Ramona's car came in second from last. For a moment during the races, Forest and I fretted that our daughter would be crushed by this experience, and that we were largely responsible. But when we looked over at Ramona, we saw that more than anything, she was excited to be with her friends and chose to cheer for their cars, instead. Whew.

Now she proudly displays both projects on a shelf in her bedroom. I hope they help her remember how fun and rewarding it can be to try and build something from scratch. Despite setbacks and challenges.

Ramona Dixon, Age 8

This daughter of mine just keeps growing up. Last month she turned 8 years old.

To celebrate, I took her and some of her friends to go see "Beauty and the Beast" at the movie theater.

Here is on her actual birthday, heading out to the bus stop for school.

After school, she got a mini rose bush from Daddy.

She requested homemade pizza for dinner that night, and afterward she opened her gifts. She loved the way Baachan wrapped her presents.

Card from Jii and Baachan:

Mika gave Ramona a dolphin sun-catcher to paint.

Paula gave her a tiny American Girl doll, and so did Wylie.

Among her many gifts, she also got several "Ramona" books by Beverly Cleary (thank you grandparents!), a giant Barbie head to help her practice braiding hair,

a little lego set,

and pictures of some Beanie Boos that had not yet arrived in the mail--Zoey the zebra and Sparkles the pink dolphin.

Torpedo the chubby dolphin:

A pencil holder I repainted to match Ramona's room:

The birthday girl was pretty excited when she saw her cake at dessert time.

 Even Wylie got to taste some cake!

Ramona was such a happy birthday girl on her special day.

A few days later, her much-anticipated Beanie Boos arrived.

Zoey the zebra shares a birthday with Ramona (all Beanie Boos have their birthdays printed on their tags) and Sparkles the dolphin is as sparkly as her name.

She was so thrilled with her birthday. Ramona made me a thank-you card at school that just about melted my heart. 

Dear Ramona,
   It is amazing how much you have grown up in the last year. Not only have you become more independent, but you have also gained a greater awareness of others around you, demonstrating kindness and willingness to help out those in need. This has been a huge blessing for our family as you step up to nurture your younger siblings and lend a hand with household chores.
   You continue to love learning and trying to figure out how things work. You are as observant and inquisitive as ever, and I love hearing about what you are working on at school. Also, you have become a lot more expressive through writing, dancing, and music.
   Thank you for being such an amazing "biggest sister" in our family. I know you will continue to set a wonderful example for all of us! Enjoy this year . . . it really is great to be eight.

Love
Mommy