Nickle City

The Saturday following Tatum's baptism we did his birthday party. It was totally last minute and not planned very well but the kids didn't care and still had a great time. We took 8 of Tatum's closest friends to Nickle City which has laser tag and arcade games. We drove them down there, played for a while and then came home to eat and open presents. It was totally low key, simple and oh so easy!

The last picture totally made me laugh. Elan had given Tatum his  "Big" gift on his birthday the week before. So for his party she made him an apron with a matching oven mitt. I thought it was adorable, but all of the boys we laughing and did not appreciate it. Haha. Tatum had to play Mr. Cool in front of his friends and pretend like it wasn't cool but really he couldn't wait to help me make cookies so he could wear it :)

Tatum's Baptism

The day after Tatum turned 8 he got Baptized. That day was so special and one that none of us will ever forget. Tatum was glowing all day and was so happy. I kept looking at him throughout the day and would just stare in awe of what an amazing boy I have. He has such a strong testimony and spirit about him. I couldn't be more proud of his decision to get baptized and I tried my hardest to keep it together through the baptism. I lost it when he got up with his cousins to sing "Gethsemane". He sang his little heart out and did such a wonderful job. The spirit was so strong that I looked around and saw that everyone was tearing up.  After he was confirmed, he leaned over to Eric and told him that he felt good. This boy is gold and I love him with all my heart and know that he will grow into a strong man one day.

The program went smoothly with only a small glitch when the Bishop forgot my Dad's talk. And then it came time for the baptism itself. Eric wanted Tatum to sing in his nice church clothes and then change after. It got a little chaotic as I was running back and forth grabbing their clothes. There was only a split second to take a family picture with Tatum in his baptism clothes, so the pics didn't turn out great.

Afterwards we held a luncheon at our house for all of our friends and family. We got a cake for dessert and had everyone sing happy birthday to Tatum. He had so many people there to support him that he felt so loved!

It was the end of the day and I realized that we didn't get a family picture. Cambria was asleep and Trey was a mess. Oh well, nothing like a great awkward family photo :)

And lastly here is the video of Tatum singing "Gethsemane".

Tatum's Birthday

On February 27th Tatum turned 8!! I know I say this every birthday but I really can't believe he is 8. I have an 8 year old! Crazy. Tatum was so excited for this day to come because it means he gets to be baptized. This sweet boy turned 8 on a Friday and the next day he got baptized. For weeks he was counting down the days to his baptism and not his birthday. I'm telling you, this kid is a keeper. Not only is he smart and thoughtful and the sweetest boy around, he has such an amazing spirit. He constantly reminds me of the little things that are so easy to forget. He keeps me in line and I can honestly say that I learn so much from this boy of mine. I consider myself one lucky mama to have him in my life!

On his birthday he got lucky and Grandma and Grandpa Bradley came in town for his baptism. We took the whole fam down to the Provo rec center to swim. They all had so much fun even though it was a tad on the cold side. Cambria loved the lazy river and my boys loved showing off their mad swimming skills.

Afterwards we went home and had dinner and opened presents. Grandma and Grandpa Larsen stopped by to see Tatum and he got so spoiled with all of his presents. He felt pretty special to have everyone there for him on his birthday and that was just the start of his celebrating!