catching up: eve's baptism

I'm back! And I survived! The last few weeks have been a wee bit hectic, but it was completely worth it - Eve's birthday and baptism were wonderful, all the youth trips went great, and we had such a great time with all the family that came down to visit us. Phew! My schedule is so open, I hardly know what to do with myself.

So, naturally, I signed the girls up for another round of swim lessons this week. Hey, I'm just not happy if we aren't rushing out the door to somewhere or another!

I can't possibly cover the events of the past few weeks in one post, so I am going to try (try!) to do a quick post every day this week to cover all the things we've been up to this summer.

I'll start with the most recent event: Eve's baptism. I don't want to be too wordy, but I do have to say that this was a wonderful, wonderful day. I have never seen Eve look so radiant and happy, and I have never been prouder of her. And it made the day even more special to share it with so many dear friends and family. And we appreciated the love and well-wishes of all you family that couldn't make it - you were definitely here in spirit.

A big thanks to Jared's dad for taking pictures. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have any, so thank you!

Doesn't she look lovely? This sweet little dress is the one that Jared's mom made for his sister's baptism. All of her girls have worn it and she let Eve borrow it for her special day.

My sweet Evie. I sure love this girl.

Sam, Nora, and Eve with cousins Caitlin, Dylan, Marie, and Ryan all waiting to cut into the "I like to look for rainbows" Costco cake. Don't laugh - I was willing to go to great lengths to save my sanity and find a baptism-appropriate Costco cake! Eve picked this one.

We had all of our family over after the baptism for dinner and it was so much fun having everyone all together. My only regret from the day was that I didn't get pictures of everyone being together because it was one of my happiest memories from the the day. Jared's parents, his sister's family, my brother's family, and my sweet aunt and uncle and cousins all came down to share the day with Eve. It just warmed my heart and made us feel so loved. I'll have to get more pics at the next baptism in 2.5 years!

(Okay, so I just read over that potentially guilt-inducing last paragraph and had to add a note to the rest of my family. You guys are awesome, too! We saw each of you earlier in the spring/summer - well, with the exception of my parents - and it was perfect. Thanks for your phone calls, emails, and other thoughtful gestures. We love you too!)