8 is Great!

Miya, you turned 8 years old yesterday and my heart is so full of love and appreciation for you. You are an incredible girl and today at your baptism I thought about all the wonderful memories I have of you and couldn't help but get excited for all the future holds for you. You are a kind, sweet, tender, smart, quite, loving and beautiful girl. Your teachers at school love you. Your reading teacher, Ms. Grant grabbed daddy and me in the hall at parent/teacher conference just to rave about both your reading skills and your personality. It makes me so proud to hear of all your accomplishments, but it also always makes me happy when I see other little kids at school light up when they pass you in the hall and say good-bye for the day.

Today at your baptism you invited some of your favorite friends from since you were a baby. Cora and Sundi came and both brought you special presents. I love the way you all light up when you are together even when it is months between visits. You had lots of family there to celebrate and I loved that Aunt Ashlee and Uncle Michael were here for you from my side of the family, because we now have them living close enough to come. Titus sang because you asked him and he is a great cousin. The font lost the plug when daddy tried to fill it up so when we got to the church 20 minutes before the baptism was scheduled to start there was about 8 inches in the bottom of the font. We lost all the hot water down the drain and your water, once we were able to get it partially filled was super cold. You had to do it twice because your hair came up out of the water...which was only about 16 inches deep. I asked up how you felt today and you said "cold". When we were planning the program for the baptism I tried to think of anyone else I could get to give the talk because I knew I would cry, and yes I did do that. I am so glad you get to have the gift of the Holy Ghost to help you in this life. It is such an amazing gift and it makes me happy to know that you can always have that guidance, direction, peace and comfort in your life.

You are a fantastic daughter and daddy and I are so very proud of you. You are a great big sister for Cannon and Lyla. They love you and I am glad they will have such a great example to follow.