It's Great to be 8!!

 

Mikayla is now 8 years old! She is chatty and social and loves playing with friends. She is creative and imaginative. She loves to color, draw, and write. She likes to play school at home and pretends to be the teacher and uses her little sisters as her classmates. She is a great big sister (most of the time). She is really good about playing with Brooklyn and Katelyn which is often a big help to me. She is independent and strong-willed and persistent. Hopefully we can channel that into a positive direction that will be motivating and empowering throughout her life!

About a month ago Mikayla was given a school assignment to research her name. We discovered that her name means "gift from God." Craig and I both had to smile when we learned that because sometimes we have a difficult time knowing the best way to parent her. So whenever it has been a rough day I remind myself that she is my gift from God. She is teaching me to be more patient, more loving, more forgiving, and more humble as I try to figure out how to be a good mom to this beautiful girl! I have no doubt that as she grows older she will not only be my gift from God but she will be able to reach out, love, and help others and they will see her as a gift from God as well.

 We love you Mikayla!! More than you will ever know! 

 Something exciting and special happens at the age of 8 in our church. Mikayla made the decision to be baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

Brooklyn wanted to join in the picture taking. I hope Mikayla will understand someday how important she is as an example to her two younger sisters. 

Mikayla helped plan her baptism program and we are lucky to have so many family members close by that she could ask to participate. She had a room full of people who came to her baptism including family members, friends, her primary teacher and her past primary teachers. In her journal, Mikayla even wrote "I was almost going to cry because of all those people at my baptism celebrating me."

 The baptism was sweet, special, and perfect. While I was in the locker room with Mikayla after her baptism I asked her what she thought and how she felt? She said "I feel really good."

 For her birthday, we got Mikayla her own personalized set of scriptures. We hope that as she grows up, she will gain a love for the scriptures and use them to help her in her daily life!

At her baptism we asked those who came to write down their name and favorite scripture on a piece of paper and put it in a jar. We have enjoyed looking them up in her new scriptures and highlighting them, hoping to begin a discovery of eternal truths that will strengthen her testimony and love for the gospel of Jesus Christ!