On July 16th, our granddaughter, Megan Seamons, turned 8, which means she was able to be baptized. Rollie and I loaded our car and took a road trip to St. George, Utah for the event. As you can see Rollie is poised and ready to go with the necessary gear.
We traveled from Elk Grove to Bakersfield, and then across the Nevada desert where Rollie practiced taking photos from the car window as I drove. We figured that if the pictures didn't turn out, we probably weren't missing much.
But, Rollie's skills prevailed. He took this picture of a moving train from our moving car. Pretty fancy photography.
After driving for eleven hours, we were very glad to have arrived at the Seamons' home, a welcome sight. You can find it by the white "polyg-rig" as Rob's students call their big van.
But, Rollie's skills prevailed. He took this picture of a moving train from our moving car. Pretty fancy photography.After driving for eleven hours, we were very glad to have arrived at the Seamons' home, a welcome sight. You can find it by the white "polyg-rig" as Rob's students call their big van.The evening of our arrival Karla was finishing the dress she made for Megan's special day. Megan chose the pattern and the fabric and was very excited to wear it.
Jeffrey and Joseph were still at Scout camp, but the other three children wanted their turn at posing. Here's Aubrey:
Ben:
Courtney:
The next day, Friday morning, Karla put the finishing touches on Megan's dress, the kids wanted to try their hand at sewing, too. Even Ben got into the act.
Courtney and Megan decided to make some outfits for their stuffed animals.
Grandpa wanted to get some pictures of the area around St. George. Like Nevada, it is desert country, but the rock formations make it a prettier desert. Rob, Karla, Courtney and Megan took Grandpa on a hike for his photos, while I stayed home to watch Ben and Aubrey.
Later in the day, Jeffrey and Joseph returned home from Scout Camp. Everyone is back together and ready for tomorrow's baptism. Here is Jeffery just as he got in the door. Notice how clean he looks? He actually showered three times at Scout camp, and has the beads to prove it.
The next day, Saturday, was Megan's special day. Her dress is finished and her Dad is ready,too.
She doesn't wear her dress to be baptized in. There are special jumpsuits just for that.
In the LDS church, we don't photograph the ordinances, due to the sacred nature of the event, but here is Megan ready to follow the Savior throughout her life.
No family baptism is complete without the family group shot, the Seamons' family, Grandma Bonnie Seamons, and Grandpa and me. Notice the hat that Courtney is wearing, more about that in a minute.
Joseph wanted to wish Megan a happy day by lifting her up in the traditional "boy scout chair" pose.
A few gifts were in order.
Later Megan took some time to write about this day in her new journal.
So, you've probably noticed that Megan has a hat too. How did this come about? I brought some yarn with me on the trip, and wanted to try out a hat pattern that looked interesting, and needed to make sure it would fit a child's head. It was a hit, and all of the girls wanted to wear one. So I went to the store and bought enough yarn to make them hats. Ben wanted one too! He didn't want to be left out. I spent most of my time at Karla's crocheting vigourously as each child waited for me to finish. Courtney asked me to teach her to crochet, which she spent most of the week-end doing. She designed a book holder, and a little basket while I was there.
Voila, the finished products.
Ben refused to pose with the girls, and his hat doesn't have a rose. It is a ball that serves as a "light" in the dark. He also stretched it to a more masculine shape and size.
No visit to the Seamons would be complete without a few reading sessions. Jeffrey has taken over reading to his siblings, so we get to listen in.
On our last evening there, Rollie and I drove to the bluffs to get a night shot of St. George, then we went to the temple grounds and enjoyed the cool evening. Rollie took some pictures of the temple. My favorite is the one with the flag waving in the breeze.
The St. George temple was actually completed before the Salt Lake Temple. Inside hangs a picture of the founding fathers of our nation. The ordinance work for them was done at this temple.
Sadly, we leave St. George. It was a great visit. There will be many more. (Off to Dallas Texas next. Stay tuned.)
Jeffrey and Joseph were still at Scout camp, but the other three children wanted their turn at posing. Here's Aubrey:Ben:
Courtney:The next day, Friday morning, Karla put the finishing touches on Megan's dress, the kids wanted to try their hand at sewing, too. Even Ben got into the act.Courtney and Megan decided to make some outfits for their stuffed animals.Grandpa wanted to get some pictures of the area around St. George. Like Nevada, it is desert country, but the rock formations make it a prettier desert. Rob, Karla, Courtney and Megan took Grandpa on a hike for his photos, while I stayed home to watch Ben and Aubrey.Later in the day, Jeffrey and Joseph returned home from Scout Camp. Everyone is back together and ready for tomorrow's baptism. Here is Jeffery just as he got in the door. Notice how clean he looks? He actually showered three times at Scout camp, and has the beads to prove it.The next day, Saturday, was Megan's special day. Her dress is finished and her Dad is ready,too.
She doesn't wear her dress to be baptized in. There are special jumpsuits just for that.In the LDS church, we don't photograph the ordinances, due to the sacred nature of the event, but here is Megan ready to follow the Savior throughout her life.No family baptism is complete without the family group shot, the Seamons' family, Grandma Bonnie Seamons, and Grandpa and me. Notice the hat that Courtney is wearing, more about that in a minute. Joseph wanted to wish Megan a happy day by lifting her up in the traditional "boy scout chair" pose. A few gifts were in order.Later Megan took some time to write about this day in her new journal.So, you've probably noticed that Megan has a hat too. How did this come about? I brought some yarn with me on the trip, and wanted to try out a hat pattern that looked interesting, and needed to make sure it would fit a child's head. It was a hit, and all of the girls wanted to wear one. So I went to the store and bought enough yarn to make them hats. Ben wanted one too! He didn't want to be left out. I spent most of my time at Karla's crocheting vigourously as each child waited for me to finish. Courtney asked me to teach her to crochet, which she spent most of the week-end doing. She designed a book holder, and a little basket while I was there.Voila, the finished products.Ben refused to pose with the girls, and his hat doesn't have a rose. It is a ball that serves as a "light" in the dark. He also stretched it to a more masculine shape and size.No visit to the Seamons would be complete without a few reading sessions. Jeffrey has taken over reading to his siblings, so we get to listen in.On our last evening there, Rollie and I drove to the bluffs to get a night shot of St. George, then we went to the temple grounds and enjoyed the cool evening. Rollie took some pictures of the temple. My favorite is the one with the flag waving in the breeze.The St. George temple was actually completed before the Salt Lake Temple. Inside hangs a picture of the founding fathers of our nation. The ordinance work for them was done at this temple.Sadly, we leave St. George. It was a great visit. There will be many more. (Off to Dallas Texas next. Stay tuned.)
