Kaleo's Baptism & Hatch's Chocolate

Kaleo wearing the same dress that Amy wore on her Baptism Day over 25 years ago!

Saturday, December 29, we drove early in the morning to Salt Lake, arriving just in time for my darling niece's baptism.  I can't believe Kaleolani Anne Kirby is 8 years old already and being baptized as an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!  She was so calm and composed on her special  day and seemed so grown up to me.  It was so neat to come into the packed room and realize that nearly every person in there was a part of our immediate family, all there to support KK.  

The Kirby Family - Kaleo and Karl ready to enter the font.

The talks given by Elijah and Ellen were beautiful, as was Daddy's musical interludes and witnessing the actual baptismal ordinance performed by Karl.  However, I turned into a complete bawl fest when all the nieces and nephews sang, "Holding Hands Around the World."  It started with just the Kirby children (Zakia, Kaleolani, Gideon and Amira) holding hands and singing the first verse and then one by one our other nieces and nephews joined the song, walking to the front of the room and grabbing hands with their cousins.  I was overcome with such feelings of love and fierce devotion to these darling, innocent, sweet children.  I especially fell apart listening to little Amira, not quite 2 and 1/2 singing her heart out in her high squeaky little voice.  So tender. 

After the baptism we were able to snag a group photo of our massive clan.  

We missed you Chelsea, Dixon, Desmond and Alyia!

After photos we drove into downtown Salt Lake for lunch at L&L Hawaiian Grill (yum) and then Burke and I joined Gabe and Ellen on a jaunt to Hatch's Chocolate Shop - a delicious little place owned and ran by a midget couple - in hopes of spying the "wee ones" in person.  We were cracking up as we walked in and were treated to these gigantic pictures of the Hatch Midgets frolicking in streams of chocolate. Pure magic. :)  When a worker came out of the back pushing a squeaky metal trolley Gabe had me giggling with his comment, "Oh man, in a minute we're going to hear that squeak again and out will come a midget and it will be the greatest tender mercy of our lives!"  Ha ha!  We may not have seen any real, live midgets, but the hot chocolate ($5 bucks a pop!) and the chocolates we each chose were absolutely divine and it was fun to be alone with the D.C. Bushes for a few minutes.

We had intended on joining the Ridings and Kirbys at Temple Square next, but Daphne was having a melt down, so instead we headed back to the Kirby house where Daphne could sleep and enjoyed a game of Illuminate with Devo instead.  That evening was full of nerf gun wars and visiting with a portion of the family before we climbed back in the car to finish the last leg of our journey to Logan.  As always, coming into Cache Valley at night with the glow of the temple in the distance made me beam with happiness!  My parents have also done a phenomenal job with the Christmas lights on their house and rounding the corner in River Heights to see it shinning in the night always help me to feel like I am home at last!