For then I'll be baptized, you see.

Again, I have a hard time believing that my little girl is eight. It wasn't that long ago that I was holding her in my arms for the first time. Then yesterday she was outside on the deck singing along to her boom box, pretending to be Hannah Montana and knowing every word on her CD. She's just not my little girl anymore.
While I'm realizing more and more how quickly time passes, I love the relationship Maggie and I are developing. Her capacity to understand is growing exponentially, and sometimes I'm in awe of how fully she comprehends things. For example, a few weeks ago she and I were driving to the church for her baptism interview with the Bishop. Our conversation went something like this:

Maggie: "What's an interview, Mom?"
Me: "It's when you visit with someone and they ask you questions."
Maggie: "Why do I have to have an interview to get baptized?"
Me: "Heavenly Father needs to know that you're worthy to be baptized and it's the Bishop's job to make sure you are."
Maggie: "So what will he ask me?"
Me: "He'll ask you things like, 'Do you read your scriptures and pray?' and "Why do you want to get baptized?' Why do you want to get baptized, Maggie?"

Here's where I was expecting Maggie to say something like, "Because I want to." "Because I'm eight." "Because Meagan and Bailei got baptized and now it's my turn." It was then that I was taught by my eight year old daughter. My eyes welled up with tears when she tenderly said, "Because I want to have the Holy Ghost with me ALL the time so he can help me make the right choices and I can feel all warm inside." She gets it! She really gets it, and I couldn't have been happier that her reason for wanting this baptism was right and pure.

Me: "I think that's just about the best answer I've ever heard."


The day of her baptism was a bit frantic, as we discovered that the font--that takes 3 hours to fill--had only started to be filled 30 minutes prior to our arrival at the Stake Center. Needless to say, she was baptized successfully by her dad in about 16 inches of water!
Thank you to Aunt Meredith and Grandma Barbara who gave wonderful talks on Baptism and Confirmation. To Uncle Tyler and Grandpa Paul who gave the prayers and were our witnesses. To Sister Workman who did a fabulous job of helping us fill a little time with her piano playing and leading the children in Primary songs while Maggie got dressed. And to all our friends and family who came and helped make Maggie feel so special on her big day. I can't wait to experience more milestones with Maggie, and I'm so hopeful that she will gain a great testimony of the power of the Holy Ghost in her life.