Blackouts, Birthdays and Baptism

Wow.  Look at the time fly.  I was a little sidetracked this month with the start of school and a variety of various activities.  So many wonderful blessings were happening all around me, and I didn't have the time to write about it.

Let's start with the blackout.  I think of the poor guy who was blamed for the blackout.  I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was accidental.  Maybe it was intentional, but who knows?  To be honest, I don't really care.  The blackout was a blessing in my book.  I thought it was wonderful that the blackout occurred when it did.  The kids came out of their hiding spaces, pulled away from their computers and TVs.  We had more than enough daylight to look for the things we needed to get through.  As I looked, it became very apparent that we were missing a few things to truly survive a long term blackout or disaster.  That disaster preparedness box that I was always going to put together?  Still just a thought in my mind.  Working flash lights??  If they worked we didn't have batteries for them.  The ones with the batteries were broken.  I did get an A+ on candles. It was a dry run for what we would really need in case of another disaster.  But as much as people complained, everyone seemed to notice the same thing.   The gift of slowing down and unplugging, of togetherness, and laughter.  The kids were joyful as they ran around the backyard at night, trying to keep cool.  We sat outside eating hamburgers we barbecued, marveling at the stars in the sky.  I remembered some glow bracelets we had left over from a party and cracked those open.  The little ones had never had a chance to see something so cool.

No, that is not me yelling "Weeeeee" in the video.

So, the blackout was definitely a blessing in disguise.  It was a lovely time to stop and take stock, and be grateful for the conveniences that we take for granted each day.  It was also a great time to thank God that you were not one of those few who were stuck in an elevator.  

So, on to birthdays....

Two special men in my life had a birthday this month.  My wonderful, loving little boy turned four.  He didn't ask for any presents.  He just wanted a party.  A dinosaur party to be exact.  

Here is his wish list:

Dinosaur plates

Dinosaur cups

Dinosaur cake

Dinosaur pinata, hung from a tree, filled with candy

and an Easter egg hunt.

Oh, and dinosaur balloons.

Hmmmm...... Let me see... an Easter egg hunt?  

I asked him over and over again what he wanted as a present for his birthday, but again he just kept repeating the above list.  He just wanted a party.  It's not like he hasn't had a party in the past, it's just he doesn't remember them.  And this would be a birthday he would remember.  The blackout came the day before his party, so thankfully it ended early so I could bake his cake.

He was so excited that we had all of the things he asked for.  (On a budget)

There were balloons.....

And a pinata....

And a instead of an Easter egg hunt, we had a dinosaur egg hunt with baby dinosaurs inside....

And of course cake....

And presents...

It was wonderful to have our family and friends present for his birthday.  Mother nature gave us the wonderful gift of beautiful weather, and SDGE gave us the power to bake the cake.  All in all, Jr had many blessings that day.  But it is Jeff and I who are truly blessed to have such a wonderful little boy.

The second man in my life to have a birthday was my Godson Ethan.  It was his first birthday, a small affair with his cousins and grandma.  He was so sweet and knew exactly how to open his presents.  And then came the cupcakes.......

Isn't he the cutest thing ever???  That's Grandma's video of Ethan.  I love him so much.  He is a miracle wrapped in a layer of cuteness.

Onward to the last event I'm going to talk about today and then I promise to stop typing:

Katie's Baptism!

Kaitlyn Rose started her official spiritual journey on Sept. 18th, 2011.  It was a quiet affair that took place after services on Sunday afternoon.  Katie wore the same dress that Emily wore, as it was so beautiful that it needed to be worn again.  She did really well, and her family was there to witness it.

Having faith is a blessing.  I don't think I need to expand on that at all.  It was a wonderful moment, and everyone there seemed to feel it as well.  On the way home Emily broke out in song.

I see trees of green

red roses too

I see them bloom 

for me and you

and I think to myself

What a Wonderful World!

I see skies of blue

clouds of white

bright blessed days

dark sacred nights

and I think to myself

What a Wonderful World!

Yep, it's a wonderful world alright!  Blessings to you all!