Mr. One Turns Eight

Mr. One turned eight earlier in March, and on Saturday, he chose to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I still can't believe I have an eight year old already.  How the time flies!

We knew that his baptism, especially being on Easter weekend, would be a big event, so we opted to let the focus be on this special ordinance, and we had a simple birthday party for him with family.  No friend party this year.  His birthday fell on a Saturday, so we had a fun, relaxed day together to celebrate.  The morning began with french toast and a late morning soccer practice.  After soccer, it was time for lunch.  Because this was a special birthday, we offered to take the whole family to a restarant of his choice for lunch.  He chose Ned's Crazy Subs.  So, off to Ned's we went!

After lunch, the boys played Lego Star Wars on the wii together for a while.  He opened some presents and we let him build some of his Lego sets (notice the Star Wars theme is still going strong at our house?).

That evening, we went over to my parents' house (they have a big tv and surround sound) for dinner and a movie.  Some of the aunts and uncles came over for the fun as well.  We ate pizza as we watched "Return of the Jedi."  I'm pretty sure that was the highlight of the day for all the boys!  They loved every minute of it.  I have to admit, I actually enjoyed watching too!

The next evening, we had a family dinner to celebrate and Mr. One picked the menu:  salad, french bread, spinach ravioli, and cake.  He requested the "chocolate cake with chocolate shingles."  Grammy, being a chocolate lover herself was happy to buy the decadent chocolate cake.  Yum!  If there was ever a doubt of who this cute boy's momma is, just look at his birthday menu.  Pretty much all my favorite foods, too.

My little sis Jenny made this amazing lego blanket for him.  I am so amazed with her talent.  He loved it!

Mr. One was baptized on Saturday, one day before Easter.  It was the perfect way to celebrate the true meaning of Easter:  to see him follow in the footsteps of the Savior and choose to become a member of His church, to be washed clean and spiritually reborn, to be baptized and confirmed by his father.  It was beautiful.

It was wonderful to have a full room of family and friends supporting him.  We had several out of town family members make the trip here, which was so special.  He even bore his testimony afterwards, so heartfelt and honest.  It was a treasured moment.

After the baptism, we had a luncheon at my parents' home (they have lots of space and are happy to let us entertain there).  Lots of yummy food and extra play time with cousins for the kids.  At the request of several family members, here is the menu and a few of the recipes we enjoyed that day.

Baptism Luncheon Menu

sub sandwiches

Mom's famous potato salad (eventually I'll post this one)

anitpasti pasta salad (recipe here)

veggies 

fruit salad (recipe here)

chips and dips

gingersnaps (recipe here)

no-bake cookies

caramel oat bars  (see below)

cake pops (recipe here although I used a yellow cake and chocolate frosting)  

(Mr. One's only request for the luncheon was cake pops and I was happy to oblige.)

Here is the caramel oat bar recipe:

Caramel Bars (made famous in our family by my Aunt Shelly)
2 cups flour
1 cup softened butter or margarine
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup whipping cream

Mix together ingredients with a spoon and pat into a 9x13 greased pan, reserving 1 cup of mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Melt 1 bag Kraft caramels with 3/4 cup whipping cream.  Stir until smooth, then pour over baked mixture.  Crumble the reserved 1 cup mixture on top of the caramel layer.
Bake again for 15 minutes.
Try not to eat the whole pan all by yourself. ;)