Junior Gets Baptized...

Saturday, March 3rd was Junior's baptism day (something we do in our church when children turn 8). I had been both looking forward to this day and dreading it for a really long time. On the one hand, I was so proud of my boy and so astonished that he is already 8 years old (and so love having an excuse to throw a party...) On the other hand, the day came with other stresses, such as the first meeting between my family and my ex since he left, as well as the potential painful/awkward presence of the DLS. No one wanted to do anything that would make the day anything but awesome for Junior, but there was no doubt that there was major potential for tension even with best behavior all around. In the end, the day was really lovely. "She" wasn't there, opposing parties shook hands and spoke pleasantly and the baptism and confirmation were really spiritual and sweet. Right now, Junior just remembers his baptism as the day when "he had to go to church and it WASN'T EVEN SUNDAY!!" I, however, will remember it as a day of blessings and a hundred tender mercies. I had been really worried...
My favorite part was that Junior's great grandpa (j's grandpa) came up from California to baptize and confirm my boy. G-pa Bob (and G-ma Barbara) are two of my favorite people in the world. In the short decade I have known them, I have found so much to admire about the kind of people they choose to be, the tremendous faith they have and the love you just can't help but feel when you are around them. I treasure the emails and messages of love and support they have sent me over the last few years and I felt very strongly prompted to ask G-pa Bob to participate in the baptism right from the start. We are lucky enough to have lots of great men on both sides of the family who would gladly step in for something like this, but it was extremely special that both of them could make the trip to be a part of this day.

Regardless of the end of my marriage, I am constantly grateful that my in-laws and the extended family are the kind of people that they are. I loved them before my divorce, but possibly even more since. They have been active and outspoken about remaining family and in athese last few years of adjustment and painful change, their love and support along with that of my own family has been my greatest source of stability. The total loss of the company of my in-laws would have been a particularly bitter side-effect of this divorce because I genuinely enjoy them and would really have missed them.  I love that I can share days like this or birthday parties or playdates with cousins without awkwardness and that my kids don't have to divide their time among the extended family as much. I come from an incredible family and I am thankful that I had married into one as well. While I often don't feel like the luckiest girl, I do know that I am one of the most blessed.

It was still too early in the morning for Sis. Her interest in sleep is how I am 100% sure she is my daughter. There was literal kicking and screaming going on when I tried to put her dress on (and then later on, kicking and screaming again when she had to take it off for bed.)

The Three (extremely good looking) Amigos.

Junior is rocking the new suit his dad bought for him. I might have gotten a little teary when I saw how grown up he looked in it...