Dessa getting baptized

I can not believe that my baby is 8!! It makes me feel really old. However, I am so excited that she is getting baptized tomorrow. She chose Josh to baptize her, which is way cool since he and Steph are moving soon.

I also just found out last night that Dessa and one other girl in our ward are the only baptisms in the stake this month. So we (the other girl's mom and I) are in charge of the program. Luckily she is taking care of most of it. She asked that I find someone to speak on the Holy Ghost and if I would do a prayer. I asked Aaron if he would speak, and wonderful brother that he is, he agreed. This other mom is also making a special book for her daughter and asked if I would like a copy for Dessa. She is so sweet. Of course, this girl is her only child, and she is married, so she has more time/help than I have. I am grateful for her effort. I have not done anything for my kid's books yet, so at least Dessa will have this.

I asked Annee if Dessa could wear the dress Annee wore to her baptism. I saved it for her, and she still wants it for her kids, but she agreed to let Dessa wear it. Dessa is a lot smaller than Annee was though; the dress goes almost to the floor and is loose around the top. But she looked so cute in it this morning. I just have to figure out how to do her hair now. I don't want it floating up and making a mess of things. :)

Off topic, but I had SEP's for the kids this week (that is the new name for parent-teacher conferences). I am so incredibly proud of all of my children. Annee had straight A's, Tyler's only lower grade was handwriting, (not something I am overly concerned about,) and Dessa had almost straight A's.

Dessa's citizenship was straight 5's, the best there could be. Compare that to last years straight 1-2's, and I think she is doing a fabulous job! She is above level at reading and math. She is reading more and more difficult books. She may be loud, rowdy, and all over the place, but she is one bright kid!

Tyler's teacher went on and on about a special project he and 3 other kids did. She was nervous for him, because it was an oral presentation in front of the whole 4th grade, administration, and family members. She said he didn't stutter once, not once! She was hesitating recommending him for debate, because she didn't want him to feel awkward about his speech, but she found with practice and determination, he was an excellent speaker. I was so happy to hear that. Miss Wilson also stressed with him the importance of being more respectful at home, to me and what I ask of him. I was so impressed that she actually cared enough for Tyler and me to talk to him about it. Very nice of her.

Annee's teacher really wants her to stretch her abilities. She said Annee's minimum effort brings her A's. She now wants to see her go above and beyond that. I totally agree. While it won't show on paper, her best effort will show in the quality of her work, (not that it is bad at all, but it can be so much more enhanced.) She had finished a story in 15 minutes when she forgot it was due. If she had taken the full time to do it, and not left it to the last second, she could have developed the characters and story better. As it was, she still got an A, which is very impressive. She can just do so much more with her talents.

I have to say that I have the 3 best kids ever. They are reasonably well behaved, incredibly intelligent, and so darn cute! They do so much to make my life better. I am very blessed to have the privilege of being their mom.