Braden's Baptism

Well, I'm back, in an attempt to try to play catch up. 
Along with the grand arrival of this cutie patootie,

(I think he must be saving that puff for later.)

we also had another momentous event this summer, Braden's baptism.  I still can't believe that he is even old enough to be baptized!  What happened to this baby?

Oh yeah, he now looks like this!

I wanted the day to be very special, and I wanted it to be a day Braden wouldn't forget; I also didn't want the spirit to be lost in too much craziness.  In preparation for the day, we had been having Family Home Evening lessons about baptism for several months leading up to the big day.  Rich and I want our children to truly understand the gospel, and we want them to have a personal relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  We want them to do what is right and keep the commandments out of love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, not out of fear.  We wanted Braden to understand the promises and covenants he was making by getting baptized; we didn't want him to simply get baptized because it was what was expected of him, but because he had a desire to be baptized.  We want Braden and all of our children to gain their own testimony; it is so important they have that foundation of faith to get them through life and any trials that may come their way.

(Braden dressed and ready to be baptized by his daddy.)

After much preparation, he was ready for his interview with the Bishop (his daddy) and for his baptism.  His Grandpa and Grandma Maseda flew in from California, and all of my family came as well.  This was an event no one wanted to miss!  I prepared a special DVD to be shown at his baptism, made the program for the day, made party preparations, and worried waaaaaay too much about details; I wanted so badly for Braden to feel special, I didn't want to forget anything! 

(Braden loves his Aunt Elizabeth!)

(I would like to point out that I was VERY pregnant with Seth in this picture.)

I think the baptism was perfect!  LaNae and Rich did a great job on their talks, Lindsay sang beautifully, the DVD touched many hearts, and the spirit was felt during the baptism.  Once the baptism was finished and pictures were taken, we headed back to the house for the festivities to begin.  We had a Mexican Fiesta complete with food, decorations, good company, and a pinata.  All in all, I think it is a day that Braden will never forget, and I don't think he can doubt how much he is loved!

Loooooong Time, No Blog!

Okay, I admit it, I have been a blogging slacker!  Things have been quite busy at the Maseda House; I will attempt to catch you up, starting with one of the most important recent events, the addition of our latest bundle of cuteness,

Seth Michael Maseda.

Seth joined our little Motley Crew in July of last year. 

At first, I didn't even know I was pregnant with this little miracle, but this little girl knew.

As my friend LaNae and I were driving to Target to buy baby shower gifts for one of our close friends, Emma blurts out to LaNae, "My mama has a baby in her tummy."  I looked at LaNae and quickly shook my head, letting her know that Emma had been misinformed by someone, and that I was indeed not pregnant! Emma however, would not be deterred, and again announced that I was in fact having a baby.  Knowing she would not let it drop, I just said, "Okay, Emma" (while letting LaNae know she was wrong).  This story of Emma's prediction got retold at the baby shower, and again I refuted Emma's claim.  Over the next day or two after the shower though, I began to think about how this boy

knew that I was pregnant with this bundle of cuteness

before Rich and I did; he also informed us that not only did I have a baby in my tummy, but that it was a boy.  We now call this bundle of cuteness Colton.

So, as I started thinking about this and doing some calculations, I realized there was a good possibility that Emma was correct. After a trip to Wal-mart and a little test, we discovered that Emma was in fact correct; we were going to have another sweet miracle joining our family, and now that sweet miracle is eight months old.

Next up: Braden's Baptism (which this very tired woman will write tomorrow)

*As a side note, I am sorry that I have so many posts that are missing pictures.  The site that I made all my slideshows with, slide.com, is no longer there and neither are my pictures.  As time goes on, I will try to add individual pictures to past posts.