Happy Birthday, Aaron!

Our oldest child, Aaron, turned eight a few months ago; he continues to delight and surprise.

He is our hobbit child, who wants nothing more than to be outside with bare feet, tilling the earth, fishing the waters, and spearing the wildlife. As he said not long ago, "Is there anything I like to do that isn't best done outside? I don't think I can name one thing." When not outside working on his garden, practicing his bow and arrow skills, or foraging for nuts and other exciting finds, he can usually be found curled up inside with a book.

Annual Interview with Aaron, February 8, 2012.
(In red text, my questions; in black text, Aaron's responses verbatim.)

What is your name?
Aaron

What is your favorite thing to do?
Go fishing.

What's your favorite subject at school?
Math. Science too.

What do you like about living in Oklahoma?
That we have our own fishing pond very near our house.

What do you like about our house?
That it's pink. (That's just a joke.) That we have our own yard.

Do you like your school?
Yes.

What do you like about it?
That it's in our backyard.

What's your favorite book?
*groan* Every single series. Harry Potter, Redwall, Gregor the Overlander, etc.

What's your favorite movie? 
The eighth Harry Potter movie.

What's your favorite food? 
Ribs and corn and beef and meat and rabbit stew and fish and rice. And anything that I catch in my backyard


such as old tree nuts that taste like dirt that I usually spit out.

Who are your friends?
So many friends that I can't remember their names.

What do you usually play at recess?
I don't usually really play anything. I just sort of hang around and do fun stuff, like let's find BBs/tag/let's do something.

If you could go on a vacation to anywhere, where would you go?
Probably to the middle of the sun.

What about somewhere that wouldn't kill you before you even got close to your destination?
Still the sun, in about one thousand years.

Why would you still be alive in 1,000 years?
Because by then I will have invented a pill that will keep you alive longer.

And why would travel to the sun be possible in 1,000 years?
Oh come on, in 1,000 years we will have invented space ships that can withstand the most hottest pressures in our galaxy.

Okay, well where on Earth would you go?
Probably to the middle of the Earth.

What's your favorite holiday?
Christmas and Halloween. And the turkey one, whatever it's called. Thanksgiving.

Sowing a net for cousin G.

An excellent patient during an uneventful EEG.

Holding cousin little P and with cousin A.

Two brothers, sharing a pair of pants joke

Among the lions in his second grade class play. 

Family band in the works

With self-designed Batmobile derby. 

Family night treats gone awry

Aaron's Baptism

Aaron turned eight a couple of months ago. I still have aspirations to do a birthday post but cannot confidently say it will happen. I'll try to get an interview this week and post it. For now I will just say that he is an awesome kid and a joy in our family.

Aaron chose to be baptized a couple of weeks after his eighth birthday. As part of his preparation, we worked together to memorize Mosiah 18:8-10, emphasizing Alma's points about what we should be willing to do before getting baptized: bear one another's burdens, mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and stand as witnesses of God always. We talked about each of these things and focused our family scripture reading around them for the weeks preceding the baptism. Aaron seemed ready and excited to be baptized. I know it's a big choice, and he is still young, but it is really great to see him take on responsibility and work through the decision making process. He has many years to grow into this decision and will continue figuring out what it means as the years go by, but he has made an important step and we are excited for him.

Aaron and his dad before the baptism

We were thrilled that both of Ben's parents, Ben's brother Daniel, and my dad could join us for  the baptism. Also, my nephew Tucker happened to be here. Despite her best efforts, my mom couldn't make it because she had to stay home and nurse her perforated colon in preparation for surgery. We greatly missed mom but we were very grateful for all the family we had here.

We had special invitations made to give to interested friends and neighbors.

Besides various friends from our ward, Aaron's teacher and all of Ben's colleagues attended the ceremony and were all very happy to participate. I was really pleased and surprised at how gracious they all were. None of them had been to a non-infant baptism or a Mormon ceremony so everything was new to them. They all recognized it as an important family event and as a sort of rite of passage. One of our friends, who is Jewish, commented that she liked the idea of such a religious ceremony being at the age of eight instead of say, thirteen (when bar/bat mitzvahs are held) because eight year olds are still excited and fresh and not quite old enough to be sarcastic and awkward about it. I hadn't thought of it in those terms and appreciated the insight.

The program for the ceremony included participation from every family member present.

Baptism of

Aaron Peters

December 11, 2011

Presiding ……..……….…………….…….…….........Bishop Todd Turner

Conducting…...………………………………………...Brother Ben Peters

Pianist………………………………………………….Sister Tiffany Engel

Opening Hymn………...………..…………………....I Am A Child of God

Invocation…….……….………….…...........………Brother LeeR Lambert

Talk on Baptism…………………………..Sister Kourtney Lambert Peters

Special duet, Beautiful Savior.…..…………….Brother LeeR Lambert and  
                                                                         Sister Marsha Paulsen Peters

Talk on Holy Ghost…………….…………...…..……...Brother John Peters

Baptism of Aaron…….....………………...............performed by Ben Peters

Confirmation of Aaron……….….…………..........performed by Ben Peters

Words of Welcome……………………………………Bishop Todd Turner

Closing Hymn.............................…..…………………..     A Child's Prayer

Closing Prayer……………..…………………………Brother Daniel Peters

My talk focused on the idea of Aaron's baptism being a part of his spiritual journey, that there would be many more, and that this experience will be one that he can build on, similar to how our many experiences in Jerusalem helped us all come closer to Christ. I went through each of the aspects Alma talked about that we should be willing to do in order to be baptized.

Marsha and LeeR sang beautifully together (just as they did at our wedding breakfast) and brought a nice spirit to the meeting.

John talked about William Herschel, the great astronomer, said that it took a lifetime to learn how to read the heavens correctly. Similarly, learning to listen an obey the Holy Ghost takes practice and refinement through the years, since it too is a way of reading the heavens. He also bore a powerful testimony of how the Holy Ghost has helped him in his life.

We all had a wonderful time, and enjoyed snacks afterwards, with the menu chosen mostly by Aaron. 

Congratulations to Aaron!