We celebrated Landon’s holy baptism on Sunday, Aug. 26. The Reverend James Bertoti officiated the ceremony at St. Peter’s Reformed Church in Zelienople. I was baptized in that same church 34 years ago and having my son baptized there made it all the more special.

Our families joined us for the day — all six of Landon’s grandparents, my Nana and my brother, his wife and their four boys.

The gathering of people in this photo is unbelievably special. Landon might not understand it right now, but someday he’ll appreciate how he had his grandparents and great-Nana all in one place to celebrate him.

We have very few pictures of the three of us, so I’m thrilled to have another picture of our little family:

In what is becoming the norm for Landon, he hammed it up through the whole baptism ceremony. He smiled, talked, cooed, hiccuped and sneezed, bringing delighted smiles to most everyone in the congregation and even Pastor Jim couldn’t resist his charm as Landon made PJ laugh several times.

We were each handed a rose with special significance. The red rose went to Brian and it represented the family bloodline, as well as Jesus giving his blood. I received a white rose to represent purity and to remind me of my responsibility in raising Landon to live a pure life. That white rose also represents the purity that comes from the imparted righteousness of God. Landon received a rosebud that has yet to reveal the beauty within. In time, the potential and beauty will be revealed.

Afterward, we hosted a casual lunch at our house, which Landon napped through the majority of, but when he was awake enough to make an appearance enjoyed snuggles with many of his family members he doesn’t get to see as frequently.

Landon even got his very own picture Bible, which I imagine we’ll be reading through many times. If he’s like his parents, he’ll end up gravitating toward Noah’s Ark. Animals!

Brian and I took a moment at the end of the day to acknowledge the milestone by sharing a few sips of our fancy Duncan Taylor scotch. Celebrations all around!