Catelyn--The Birthday Girl!

She knew.  I told her that she was getting a dress for her 8th birthday.  We tried some on, and fell in LOVE with the one we ended up surprising her with!  Doesn't she look too grown up?  I teared up as I watched 12 more years flash before my eyes as I saw her in this mini-wedding dress.  But it was the one for her.  We knew it.

With Grandpa Dean's passing, we received special permission {which Kyle didn't like to have to ask for, because in the church handbook, it specifically says "Members should not ask for special permission to baptize their children. . .blah, blah blah....*Oh!! not that I am making fun of the handbook.  I just don't what it says exactly*

I argued back that this was a rare exception, and we should at least ask. {Also, not as rare as I thought-- as I found out Friday night -March 18- that the family who had a viewing going at the same time as ours, at Coltrin's, had a baptism and a funeral in the same day as well!  It was so funny!  What are the odds!?}  My brother Blaine, who is an active duty Marine was able to come home--Red Cross does that one an immediate family member passes away.  My family from Utah was coming, and among these reasons a few others, it made the most sense to me that we should baptize her while everyone was here, instead of a week later, when several others wouldn't be able to be here or come back.

When we asked Bishop Belnap, he did indeed feel that this was a rare occasion, and we proceeded to make arrangements to have her baptism.  I had to plan a lot more than if we had done it with the Stake.  Programs needed printed, music selected and words printed for that, find a pianist, plan talks, get a white jumps suit, get Catelyn in for her baptism interview, get the program approved, schedule the building, arrange for the font to be filled, etc.  Kyle was a gem to help with all the phone calls, and with God's hand involved, it went off without a hitch.

Darn those shoes!  Can't believe we bought a pair in SLC only to have them *disappear* {I think they were stolen!} from the waiting area in the hospital.  Thanks to Janelle for getting her a new pair  I mean, paying for a new pair, I mean, offering to pay for a new pair, which I bought, hid, wrapped, and delivered.  Aunties get all the credit.... Better pay up sista! *insert wicked smile with a wink*

At four pm on March 19th our little Catelyn entered the waters of baptism with her Daddy.  After he baptized her and confirmed her, we snapped a few photos for the years to come.  One shot I will have to add later is of them in their whites.  We'll do a photos shoot with them dressed in white soon.

We had some wonderful friends and family there to support her, including {mind you I might miss someone, but we just didn't do a guest book!} All seven of the Dean Pack children, with spouses and children, Janelle and Ryan, Blake and Blaine, and his girlfriend Paula, the Gallants, Liz and Lulu Seedall, her primary teachers: Jason Schulthess and Ryan Newby, with their wives, Ashlee Olsen and kids, Rachel Holdaway and kids, Jason Ward and Kailey, Kerrie Hansen, Ila Layton and her family, McKyra and her mom, Krystal and Bradee Klassen, Kaylan Moser and her mom, and of course, her own siblings!   And most importantly! Grandma and Grandpa Larsen, and Grandma and Grandpa Pack.  Did I miss someone? Probably.

Later that evening, and after a bath to wash that-mess-of-a-rat-nest-hair-do, she opened some gifts and first was her first Quad of scriptures with her name printed on them, from Grandma and Grandpa Larsen. She loved them, and I hope she will read them!  There were more gifts: a Little Pet shop, and skirts and hair bows, and journals, and Scripture markers, her purse baby from Cindy and BJ, etc.  She is a lucky and blessed child.

Then came the cake.  Oh, the cake.  So I wanted a simple all white frosting cake, for her special day, and I only wanted it the size of the top of a wedding cake.  You know, a little 6 or 8 inch cake.  With all that had been going on I hadn't ordered one just yet, and I found that ordering one the day before her birthday made things tricky! Smith's was dumb, Walmart was worse.  It was the Cupcake Factory that saved the day!

Well, until BJ and Paula picked it up and the icing fell off it. {Might I mention here, this was ruining the already crazy day I was having, with an $80 speeding ticket, that I admit I deserved and the $450 cell phone bill I had got THAT same day...what do they say?  They come in 3's?  Tell me about it!}

It seemed like it had been frosted while the cake was warm.  It was Paula who took the bull by the horns, and took that cake back and demanded {in a nice way} that they fix it.  Which they did!  Paula, in my eyes, is a keeper!
*hint hint little brother!*

Paula and Blaine, who was at at the wheel, were so awesome to take that job over for me and will never know how much she did to help make Cate's day special.  Even if it didn't seem like much, it was a big deal!  And it was DELICIOUS.  SO MUCH better than the nasty stuff from Walmart, and it only cost us $8.50!  Seriously, we should have got a bigger cake, because there wasnt' enough for us all.  I didn't think we would need extra cake though with all the food that had been brought in with the funeral.  But we snarfed this cake!  As long as the Cupcake Factory stays open, I will be buying any cakes I might need there!  {and I'll need another one on April 8th for Brooklyn's birthday.}