On Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016, we had the pleasure of watching our beautiful Hannah Kate's baptism. If I could use only one word to describe the moment, it would be joy. Pure joy. This girl herself was radiating so much joy the entire day that she could hardly contain herself!
Our morning began very, very early as we got up, dressed and went to the Sonrise service. We'd had a very busy few days leading up to Easter, and the kids were all really tired. We made them to go bed at 8:00 the night before in anticipation of our early morning, but they were still not at all excited about getting up so early. After the Sonrise service, we ate breakfast at church and then went to Bible study. As I was getting ready for the worship service, I sent Hannah Kate to change her clothes and asked Abbie to help her. I told her to sit on the top step once she was ready and to wait on Bro. Mark to call her down into the water after I played the prelude.
From where the piano sits on the stage, I can see back into one side of the baptistry. After I gathered all of my music, I looked up and saw Hannah Kate.
She was grinning and moving around. She finally made her way to the edge of the wall, and I soon saw her peeking around the corner and waving at people sitting out in the congregation. I finally had to motion to her to move back behind the wall. I mean, I was not expecting that from my shy butterfly! I can honestly say there was nothing shy about her that morning! The next thing I know she's made herself at home on top of the baptistry!
After I played the prelude, I moved down to the front pew so I could see her baptism. Bro. Mark called her down into the water, and she was just a grinning.
Before he dunked her, he asked her several questions. Of course, she already knew this was going to happen, and she knew she just needed to answer in the affirmative. We were expecting her to maybe nod or barely squeak out a "yes" or two, but I'm pretty sure even the people sitting on the back pew could hear her resounding, "YES, SIR!" every time he asked her a question. I told Seth it sounding like she was responding to a Captain in the military!
He immersed her, and she came up out of that water just a laughing! I mean, look at her face! And, y'all, she could not stop laughing! It was the sweetest, funniest, cutest thing! Her joy was just so contagious! She'd waited so long for this day, and it was obvious how special it was to her.
Before she got out, Bro. Mark prayed for her. And, y'all, she's still acting a monkey DURING THE PRAYER! I finally caught her eye (yes, my eyes were open) and motioned praying hands to her, at which time she bowed and closed her eyes. She later told me all the commotion was because the hairspray that we'd doused her French braid with that morning was running down into her face after she came back up out of the water.
After lunch we celebrated with a cookie cake. She's also wearing the cross earrings that her Pop and Mimi gave her for her baptism. PawPaw and MawMaw gave her some pearl earrings (one of hers got lost in the pool last summer, and we never found it). Aunt April and Aunt Ashley also gave her some cross earrings, but they are different from the ones Pop and Mimi gave her. She's been taking turns wearing each pair. Our church also presented her with a new Bible.
