The BrehiThomas Family Blog: April 2022

General Conference

We did our traditional Bingo Blackout for General Conference this year. Maverick chose God and baptism as his words to listen for and Lincoln chose missionary and church. There is always such a sweet spirit surrounding conferences, even if it tends to be snippets when trying to keep young children engaged/occupied.

Maverick's Baptism

I always heard the stories of Satan working hard to prevent big events from happening. Well, we experience it all firsthand with Maverick's baptism. He was throwing up a few days prior, so we just kept praying it would pass with enough time to hit that 24-48 hour mark of no symptoms. Then, I started throwing up on Friday. I didn't want to miss his baptism, so the game plan was to do my best to keep my distance from everyone. We had a heck of a time finding white underwear for Maverick to wear and ended up buying an industrial pack that had a single white underwear.

The morning of, Lehi went early with Maverick to get their baptism suits, go through details of what would happen, etc. I was trying to get everyone and myself ready (while still not feeling 100%). About 5 minutes before we were supposed to leave, I walked into the hall to get my shoes and saw water tickling out under the laundry room door. Water was everywhere and a solid 1-2 inches throughout the entire laundry room, all coming from a full washer. I turned off the water supply, got the washer to start draining, gathered every single towel in the house to soak up water, and started to pull out the washer and dryer from the wall to clean behind them. I called Lehi crying, telling him what happened, what I was dealing with, and praying I would make it on time. I hung up with him and called Bobo to let it all out. She gave me the calm reassurance and validation only a sister can give. I told her I just needed to get all my emotions of being completely overwhelmed out now and then I would take a deep breath and move on. She was the best in just being there for me, even hundreds of miles away.

I was planning on trying to be there early, but clearly, that was not going to happen. After getting all the water soaked up (my tears included), I loaded up the three kiddos in the car and headed to the church. As soon as I walked into the chapel, I had an overwhelming sense of peace. It was like walking into the temple. I knew we were where we needed to be and Heavenly Father was so happy with Maverick's decision to be baptized. Since it was a Stake Baptism, there were two sisters who have a talk about baptism and the Holy Ghost to the whole group in the chapel. Maverick leaned over to me and said, "I wish they would stop talking." He was so anxious and excited! He was able to have his friend Ethan Glazier and his family with us, too (the two from our ward getting baptized that month).

We were the last group to be called into the Relief Society room for a baptism. Brother Nelson asked Sherry and I would both share our testimonies (I was a bit of a hot mess but I think it meant a lot to Maverick). Gina and Matt were Mavericks' witnesses.

We moved into the chapel for his confirmation. While waiting for Maverick, Ethan, and the Dads to get dressed, we wrote notes to Maverick. After being confirmed, I laughed when Mav only hugged Lehi, despite all the friends and family he had in his circle.

Friends and family came to our house afterward for donuts. I pretty much went to my room to avoid sharing germs with everyone. But it was awesome to have so many family and friends support Maverick in his decision to be baptized.

Sunday Maverick bore his testimony for the first time. He said, "I know that being baptized is the first step to know Jesus and the covenant path is the way to God."

...let's also pretend this family picture was taken the day of his baptism and not the Sunday afterward.

Maverick's answers/reflection on his baptism (I took a video while asking him questions and him responding). Here is a summary/highlights:

(Me): When you and Dad had to leave for your baptism, when did that happen and what did you do when you got there?

8:00. We started getting jumpsuits on and getting ready for the baptism. Lincoln came with us but he was just hangout outside when we were in the bathroom. Since we were in the bathroom right by the font, I saw the thing and said "whats that?" And Dad said, "Let's see if we can see it" and then we got to check it out. (the font)

After you were in your jumpsuit, where did you go?

The chapel. We listened and did a few songs, Tyson sang and song and people bared their testimony. (Brother Nelson talked about baptism, Tyson sang Gethsemane, Sister Russel gave them a pack of cards with pictures of different stuff to remind you of the Holy Ghost).

In our Stake Center, how many other kids were baptized at the same time as you?

3 others. Ethan was in our ward. We had to wait to watch some videos the the chapel, but I was the first out to me and Ethan.

How did you feel right before you walked into the font?

Holy. Not really nervous; I had a lot more confidence. The water was warm. Dad baptized me.

Who were your two witnesses?

Uncle Matt and Gigi

After you were baptized, how did you feel?

It was so reverent. I felt the savior's love. I had an awesome time. Satan tried his best, he didn't want it to happen but it still got to happen.

After you were baptized, we went into the chapel and then what happened?

Well first I dried off. Lincoln came in and was standing by the sinks. We talked about stuff and then I got the Holy Ghost.

Did you give anyone a hug besides Dad?

Hmm...maybe Uncle Matt. (He didn't). Well, I almost did that.

(Me) What did we do after you were baptized and received the Holy Ghost?

Went home. We had a little party with donuts.

Favorite Primary Song: Gethsemane and Where is Heaven (not a primary song), I Feel my Savior's Love

Favorite Scripture Story; Moses parting the Red Sea

My testimony is: I know the church is true. That baptism is the first step on the covenant path. If you keep along the covenant path and going through, you can get through it and be ok and safe. And after you get through, it's like the first stone you need to cross the river of a first step on a journey. If you get past, you can have so much other covenants with God. And you can read the Book of Mormon and it will help you get closer and as you partake of the sacrament every Sunday.

Maverick's Birthday

Maverick requested a Zelda cake this year. He pushed my baking abilities, asking for two blue cake layers and a middle pink/red-gray layer like Malladus (Zelda bad guy, not sure if that is even the right name) and Oreo frosting in the middle. Since it was a friend year (even number) we had Carson, Thomas, Ethan, Elizabeth "Pickles," and Kenzie over to watch a movie and play some games. We started with German Pancakes (as lunch), then watched Star Wars: A New Hope with popcorn and a boxed candy of choice. After cake and ice cream, we played simple games like Keep the Balloon Up, Item Memory, etc. After friends went home we had Sushi--Maverick's request.

Maverick is a determined dude. When he puts his mind to it, he really can do anything. He is an observer, but can talk to anyone at any time (often doing a bit oversharing). He is eager to do good and loves his friends and family. He is stubborn and hard-headed but also has a balance of incredibly sweet and thoughful.

Primary Easter Egg Hunt

As a primary presidency, we decided it was time to put on an Easter Egg hunt for the neighborhood. We had a few eggs with stars in them, which allowed the lucky finds to pick a bigger prize from the prize table. All other eggs had candy. We had the Young Women stuff the eggs for us (I think we did about 900 total). To help with chaos coordination, we divided the park by age groups and had one group go at a time (so parents with kiddos of multiple ages could help/get pictures). We had a great turnout. So many families came (many were not active in the church). We even had a visit from the Easter Bunny towards the end! It was Brielle's first egg hunt and she loved it. (Yes, Maverick was there and no I did not get a picture of him--he was too fast and busy to stop for a picture).

Gigi & Poppi Easter Egg Hunt

After coaching Lincoln's soccer game Saturday morning, we headed straight to Gigi & Poppi's Easter Egg Hunt. The eggs had papers in them that the kiddos got to cash in at the "store" like a bag of chips, fruit snacks, rice crispy treats, summer toys, etc. I loved that it wasn't all candy and it was so creative. Each grandkid was assigned an egg color to collect their 12 eggs. Little started in the front and when they were finished the big kids started to go into the backyard. Husdon couldn't find his last one, so we all searched for quite some time until they recounted the eggs and found he did indeed have them all.

Easter

I love Easter. I love the reminder to focus on the Savior and the simple, fun traditions that come along with it. The kids were so excited to see where the Easter Bunny hid their baskets. They all got sunglasses, summer toys, and of course some candy. Maverick and Lincoln totally lucked out, with the bunny bringing them baseball gear for the upcoming season (like mitts, balls, and bats) which they put to use immediately. Brielle loved her "Mimmi" bubble blower and played in the yard with it for a long time.

Lehi's Birthday

Lehi wanted to try out a German restaurant for his birthday, so we invited Tyler and Alex to do a double date. I teased Lehi about his pretzel because he had gotten one in Disneyland, too. It was delicious..but their beer cheese was certainly more beer than cheese. We had an upper seating area and the restaurant style and design were really cool (like a bug parked in the upper area next to us). We concluded the food wasn't amazing, but it was somewhere worth going to and trying once!