Conrad's Baptism and Visits from Grandparents

Conrad was baptized on October 11th! It was a beautiful day full of all the things Conrad loves - soccer, family, Jesus, and food. 

First up, we all supported Conrad at his soccer game. It was especially great for Gram and Grandpa to get to catch a game while they were in town. 

Afterwards, we headed to the church for the baptism. Conrad had been looking forward to getting baptized with his friend Tucker in Utah, but plans had to change once we moved. Despite the fact that we just arrived in Iowa, we felt so loved and supported on Conrad's big day. So many people from our new ward came out to show their support. We were also joined by tons of family and friends on Zoom! 

Conrad has such pure, simple faith. While the Bishop met with him in preparation for his baptism, I loved hearing Conrad talk about his understanding of the gospel. He's not mindful of lots of specifics, but what he does know, he knows deeply. He loves Jesus Christ and wants to follow him. He knows the importance of trying our best each day and repenting when we make a mistake. And he's eager to do his best.

Conrad, I hope you alway remember this day! I hope you remember how many people came to support you, the beautiful music by Alicia on the piano, the powerful talk on baptism by Grandpa Smith, a lovely talk on the Holy Ghost by Grandma Ballard, your sisters witnessing your baptism, and the big hug Daddy gave you as he pulled you up out of the water. Most of all, I hope you never forget how you felt. We are SO happy for you! 

Because of Conrad's baptism, we also got our first visitors to Iowa! Grandma Ballard came to help Alicia get settled at her new home in Boone (yay for having one family member close by!) and made it to Iowa City for the day to support Conrad. It was SO special to have them both. 

My parents were also able to come and stay with us for several days. We loved having them here, exploring West Branch, and showing them some of the sights here in Iowa. 

We had a great visit! While living close has many perks, one thing I love about living far away is how much quality time you carve out when you do get together. This trip was jam packed with quality time, great conversations, and lots of fun and laughters. 

Ten Years with Orson

Orson turned TEN! In true Orson fashion, he didn't ask for anything specific for his birthday and even went with Michael to volunteer serving food at an interfaith event. Don't worry, we did celebrate with gifts (including a chess set since he LOVES chess) and a yummy dinner outside. 

Orson has become super excited about survival skills after watching the show Alone with Michael. He built himself a shelter in the backyard and read a survival skills book from the library. So as part of his birthday we got him a flint and steel set, and Michael took him and Conrad camping for the night. Michael intentionally didn't bring any matches or lighters, and asked Orson to start the fire. It took them several hours to get that fire started, but they cooked their dinner over that fire and loved EVERY minute of it. 

Orson is capable well beyond his years. He's always been a strong, hard working boy, but this year he's really become trustworthy with so many things. He can chop wood, shovel snow, mow lawns, drive a riding lawn mower, clean bathrooms, do laundry, and help out in so many ways. The amazing thing about Orson is that he does all of these so willingly, often without being asked. One day when Michael had to leave early for work, he was outside shoveling the fresh snow off the walkway without me even asking him to help out. He just sees needs around him and steps up to help.

While he may be responsible, he's definitely NOT boring! He's alway up for a good laugh, a silly antic, or a photo-bomb. 

I don't think Orson would say he loves school, but he is very on top of his studies. He starts his math each day without reminders and works diligently through his school work. When he needs my help, he's quick to seek me out. The other day he was ready for my help for quite a while while I was focused on Walter. When it finally seemed like I was done, he walked up and handed me a paper with a big red E on it. I was confused until he said, "Red E - Ready?" I love his sense of humor! 

Orson's a natural at math and has worked hard to excel. This year he's started reading much more for fun. He really loves the "I Survived" series right now. He's studious and generally loves to learn, but good luck reading his handwriting. 

Orson is an awesome brother! His easy going personality and naturally mature demeanor contributes to the good relationships he has with each of his siblings. He and Conrad are especially close. They're thick as thieves - always playing or hanging out, sometimes wrestling each-other, challenging each other to Nerf battles or tests of strength, playing outside, and occasionally getting annoyed with the other. I love the bond they share!

He's also such a great big brother to the little boys! He is helpful and fun, and they both just adore Orson.

I've loved watching Orson grow spiritually. Not only has he become more fluent reading scriptures, but he's also understanding more and more of what he reads. During discussions, he often has great insights to share. I can't believe that this next year will be his last year of Primary before advancing to Young Men's. Wild! 

The highlight of Orson's fall has probably been going hunting with Michael. He and Conrad both went on two long, cold days of deer hunting without any luck. But, then they got to go pheasant hunting with Michael and some friends in the Stake, and had a great day. Orson especially LOVED these adventures. 

The years of Orson being a little boy are waning, but we are SO proud of the amazing boy he's becoming! Happy Birthday Orson!!!

Conrad Turns Eight

Conrad turned eight at the end of September. This boy is such an awesome kid. He's fast and fidgety but also tender and kind. He's carefree and so much fun. 

Conrad loves to learn. He thinks deeply about things and will ask me things that literally stop me in my tracks. Mostly because I've never looked at the world the way he does. He currently is super interested in mummies, I Survived books and reading chapter books in general, Harry Potter, and taking his turn to read verses during family scripture study. 

He also makes the most goofy faces

Conrad's main love is still all things physical. Soccer, riding bikes, roller blading, even doing yard work are all things he excels at and bring him great joy. He's been learning to fix his bike himself and LOVED visiting a local bike shop where workers helped him gain new skills. Of course he's always perfecting soccer moves. His love of sports is expanding beyond soccer to pretty much any ball he can get his hands or feet on. I'm brainstorming how to keep him busy enough through the cold winter months to keep the rest of us from going insane. 

Conrad also loves his family and the Lord. I've been so impressed by how kind and gentle he is with the younger boys. He's actually very attentive and responsible when helping care for them. He also teaches them plenty of silly things too. 

While Conrad mostly drives the older girls nuts, he is also fiercely loyal to them, asks them questions about their lives he genuinely cares to know the answer to, and is first in line to cheer them on (especially when they're cooking something he will happily sample for them). 

Then there's his bond with Orson which is so strong. The two are pretty much inseparable. Maybe it was forced upon them since they're so close in age and have always shared a room, but I LOVE seeing them play, rough-house, learn, and work together. 

Most of all, Conrad loves the Lord. He has a simple, but pure testimony. While he can be goofy and fidgety, he deeply cares about doing well in life and the gospel. On Sunday he was giving a talk in Primary. He spent all of Sunday morning following me around the house with his scriptures in hand while rehearsing and asking questions about how to give his talk. I think he changed the focus of his talk several times, as he refined what he hoped to say. It was very sweet. 

Now that I think about it, there is one thing Conrad might love more than anything else - FOOD! The kid is always eating. He eats full helpings at meals then finds snacks in between. I love the things he chooses to snack on though - full sized carrots, raw cabbage, fried eggs which he cooks for himself, sunflower seeds, and apples. 

Normally Conrad has an extensive list of birthday requests, but this year it was super simple. He wanted the whole family to play sports after dinner. So after stuffed peppers for dinner and an impressive soccer jersey cake that Lenora helped me make, we all headed out to play kickball. Conrad was in heaven! 

Conrad, we love you SO much! Keep being you. Keep moving though your life the way only you do - with tip-top speed pushing you onward to excellence and with a healthy balance of moments of slow curiosity and reflection. You really are amazing at both.