Emma's Baptism Day

Emma Baadsgaard standing with her father Jacob Baadsgaard
right before she was baptized

Grandma and Grandpa Baadsgaard
with Emma right after she was baptized.

All the people who came to support Emma on her special baptism day.

 

Tea Party With the Young Women

We have a newly formed ward with all new families who have recently built in the area.
We needed a chance to become friends.
The Young Women in our ward hosted a "Tea Party" and invited the mature women to join them.
They served us delicious food and we played games that helped us get to know each other better.
What a fun night! A big thank you to everyone involved.

Story for a Five-Year-Old

TESSA’S BEST FRIENDS

by

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy Birthday to a wonderful five-year-old I love with all my heart.

“I’m lonely and bored,” said Tessa to her mom and dad. “I wish I had a friend to play with.”

“Look no longer,” said her mom. “I’ll be your friend.”

“You’re not my friend,” Tessa answered. “You’re just my mom.”

“I’ll play with you,” said her dad.

“You’re not my friend. You’re just my dad,” Tessa answered.

So Tessa’s dad found a top hat and cane and her mom found a tutu and they both tap danced while they sang this song arm in arm ….

A friend is someone who will stay with you a while

A friend is someone who will play with you and smile

A friend is someone who sees your best side first

A friend is someone who makes your smile burst

        

A friend is someone who shares a bite with you

A friend is someone who lets you wear their shoes

A friend is someone who shares their treats and snacks

A friend is someone who calls you just to chat

A friend is someone who always has a hug and kiss

A friend is someone who when they’re gone – you miss

A friend is someone who walks right at your side

A friend is someone who takes your mistakes in stride

A friend is someone who never leaves your heart

A friend is someone you love even when you’re apart.

          Then Tessa and her Mom and Dad joined hands and danced in a circle until they all fell down. Next, Tessa picked up her dad’s top hat and slid into her mom’s tutu then tap danced while she sang this song . . .

Friends make you happy when you’re bored or sad

That is why my best friends are my mom and dad.

Alisa Carnegie Hall Performance and NYC visit

Trinity Church

My daughter Alisa Baadsgaard had the awesome opportunity to perform in Carnegie Hall with her school orchestra in February 2016. They have to audition and meet a high level of excellence to be invited to perform there.

During the trip she was also able to visit all the well known and exciting places in NYC pictured below.

Saint Patrick's Cathedral

The Rock

Broadway Plays

Statue of Liberty Cruise

Metropolitan Museum in NYC

At the Met

Mass at Cathedral

LDS church and temple in NYC

Carnegie Hall Performance

911 Memorial Museum

Central Park

Lily's Gift - story for my four-year-old granddaughter

Lily’s Gift

by

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy fourth birthday my precious granddaughter Lily. I love you so.

Once there was a family of three white lilies that grew on a hillside above a small village including a grandfather, mother and young girl. In the winter, the lilies were dormant bulbs that slept deep in the soil. In late spring or early summer, sun created warm soil and the bulbs grew slowly toward the light. Gentle rain fell and soon three small spears of green appeared. Slowly the family of lilies grew upward until delicate petals appeared at the tip of their stems.

“I want to live on this hillside forever,” the young girl said to her mother.

“I love it here too,” the mother said, “but remember people from the village often climb this hill and choose us to help with their happy times and sad times.

“But if they choose me, I will die,” the girl said.

“Yes, you will die,” the mother said, “but only for a season. When spring comes again you will return.”

“Don’t be afraid,” the grandfather said. “I have been chosen many times. Eventually we all die from the killing frost. The only question is whether we will learn how to love before our season ends.”

But the young girl was still afraid because she had never been chosen before and she longed to be with her mother and grandfather forever.

One bright summer morning, a young man from the village raced up the hill and quickly picked the mother lily.

“This will be the perfect flower to give my wife to celebrate the birth of our first child,” the father said dashing back down the hill.

The young girl was sad as she watched the father race toward his cottage.

The next day a happy bride in her wedding gown climbed the hill and chose the grandfather for her bridal garland.

“This will be the perfect flower for my wedding bouquet,” the bride said.

The young girl was sad as she watched the bride hurry to her wedding celebration.

Now the young girl was alone. She missed her mother and her grandfather. She did not want to be alone.

The next day an old woman climbed the hill and knelt weeping next to the young girl. Then she reached out and picked the small lily before she slowly descended the hill. At first the young girl was scared. She did not know what would become of her. Then she felt her petals and stem placed on the polished wood coffin of the grandmother’s husband. She felt compassion for the old woman.

Then a man in a black suit opened a black book and said these words, “Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if you are not of little faith. Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat: or, what shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” 3^rd Nephi 13:28-33

The young girl did not know lilies were mentioned in sacred books. She did not know how exquisite she was. Now she knew and she would never forget.

That fall and all that long winter, there were no lilies on the hillside. Then one spring day when the sun was warm, three small green spears pierced the soil. After days of gentle rain long green stems grew upward toward the light. Soon the grandfather, mother and young girl lily appeared again.

“You were right,” the young girl said. “We did die, but only for a season. Here we are together again. I wonder who I will learn to love this year.” 

Alisa Performs at Carnegie Hall Feb. 13th 2016

My daughter Alisa Baadsgaard performed on the cello at Carnegie Hall today.

Here is the play bill and ticket.

This is Carnegie Hall looking out from the stage.

Emma's Baptism Letter From Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy 8th birthday to my beloved granddaughter Emma.

Dear Emma,

I’m so excited that you are turning eight years old this year because that means that you are old enough to choose to be baptized. I’m so happy you have made that choice.

I remember when I was baptized. I was baptized on my eight-year-old birthday on a Saturday night in a little white church across the street from my house in Union, Utah. My congregation had all the children being baptized sit on small wooden chairs and talked to us for a while. I don’t remember what they said, but I do remember what I felt.

I felt excited and a little scared before I was baptized. When I was baptized, the water was warm and I felt clean. After I was baptized and put my dry clothes back on, I walked out of the church into the cold January winter air. I remember looking up and seeing lacy white flakes of snow falling all around me. Even though it was cold outside, I felt warm inside. I knew God loved me and was pleased I wanted to come home to heaven someday.

I also knew that Jesus was my best friend and that if I tried to live like Him that I would be happy. When I was your age, they waited until Sunday to confirm me at church and give me the gift of the Holy Ghost. I felt protected when the men with the priesthood made a circle around me and put their hands on my head as my father confirmed me.

What I didn't know was that the man I was going to marry someday was being baptized on the very same day, January 6^th (my birthday) in a little town called Spanish Fork, Utah. He was a little scared and excited too. Because we both wanted to be like Jesus, we found each other many years later. We recognized that we had the same dreams and plans for life.

           When he returned from him mission to Samoa, we were married in the SLC temple. We made special promises to God. We were sealed for eternity. Pretty soon your dad was born. Then he grew up and married your mommy in the temple and then pretty soon, you were born.

Being baptized was the beginning of everything wonderful in my life. Being baptized is such a special time because we are able to participate in our first saving ordinance and make our Heavenly Father our first official promise. You are a daughter of God, Emma, and your Heavenly parents love you very much. They want you to be happy so they have made a plan of happiness for you to follow so you can return to them someday. 

Up until now, you have been a child who is learning, growing and maturing. You have made some mistakes; everybody makes mistakes. That is how we learn and grow. Now that you are eight, God thinks you are wise enough to know the difference between right and wrong choices. Heavenly Father knows that some of the choices we make will not be wise. Because He loves us, He wants us to know how to change so we will not be trapped by our mistakes and bad choices. So He invites us to make a promise to Him and then He makes a promise right back to us. When we make a special promise to God and He makes one right back to us, it is called a covenant. Heavenly Father never breaks a promise.

The promise you make to God is that you will remember Jesus, follow Him and keep His commandments. Heavenly Father promises you that He will forgive you if you make a mistake or do something that you know is wrong if you feel sorry and repent. He also promises you eternal life. He also gives you the gift of the Holy Ghost to help, guide, protect, warn and comfort you.

When you choose to be baptized you tell Heavenly Father that:

*You want to be a follower of Jesus Christ

*You will serve your fellowmen

*You will stand as a witness of God all the time

*You will obey the commandments of God

 God promises you that:

  *You are accepted as a member of Christ’s church

   *You can be forgiven of your sin if you repent

   *You can have the gift of the Holy Ghost

   *You can live in the kingdom of God

          Everybody makes mistakes after they are baptized so Heavenly Father gave us the sacrament every week on Sunday. That is when we remember the covenant we made when we were baptized. We think about our week and decide how to be better during the coming week. We think about our Savior Jesus Christ and how He atoned for all our sins, pains, disappointment and grief. We also think about Christ’s resurrection and that we can be resurrected too someday.

I hope you will write about how you feel in your journal when you are baptized. Never forget that you are a child of God and that you can inherit the eternal life God has planned for you. And never forget that your grandma loves you with all her heart.

Love,  

Grandma Baadsgaard.   

Carnegie Hall Performance Tonight!!!

My daughter Alisa will be performing in NYC at Carnegie Hall next week with the MMHS orchestra and choirs. She will be playing the cello. 

If you want to see their Carnegie Hall Performance before they leave 

be sure to come to their dress rehearsal concert tonight at 7:00.

Provo City Center Temple Tour

We sure enjoyed our Provo City Center Temple Tour.

Disney World Fun

We sure had fun with Aubrey and Kyle and Rylan and Griffen at Disney World in January.

Birthday Poem for a Sixteen-Year-Old

NOW THAT I’M SIXTEEN

by

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy Birthday Josh. I sure love you.

Now that I’m sixteen,

I’m old enough to drive.

Everyone stay off the roads,

If you want to survive.

Now that I’m sixteen,

I’m old enough to date.

I hope she says, “Yes,”

Before it is too late.

Now that I’m sixteen,

I fix pizzas with a flare.

Get your Papa Murphy’s

But only if you dare.

Now that I’m sixteen,

I make stuff that explodes.

Parents getting grey hair

Afraid they will implode.

Now that I’m sixteen,

I’m ordained to be a priest

I see a man emerging

At times and places at least

Now that I’m sixteen

I bless the sacrament

In white shirt, tie and suit coat

I knell – a prayer is sent

First the cups are filled

Next I break the bread.

Then slowly I read

And sacred words are said.

 Soon I will leave home

Take Christ’s promise with me -

For I’ll serve a mission

Where God will help me see -

That life is so much more

Than getting just for me.

It is giving and receiving love

Joy and peace you can see.

When I return home

I will grow to be much more

For when you work with God

Your manhood learns to soar

Birthday Poem for a Nine-Year-Old

NINE TIMES NINE

By 

Grandma Baadsgaarad

Happy Birthday. I love you Isabella with all my heart.

Being nine is surely a sign

I’m growing up too fast.

Afraid my childhood won’t last.

So I won’t waste a day

For running around and play.

Being nine is surely fine

If I don’t miss a day in the sun

Fly to the moon or stay on the run

If I hear music in my heart

Or sing out like a lark

“Wow I’m nine - the world is mine!”

I’ll be a lion who roars

Or a bird who dips and soars

I’ll climb every tree

So I’m way up high to see

Turning nine is so divine

I’ll eat birthday treats and say,

“I’m royalty the whole day.”

I’ll open presents and eat cake

There’s a fine party for my sake.

When you’re nine you can’t whine

For whining is for babies -

Not for fine young ladies.

I’m old enough to say, “Sorry and please.”

I’m too old to poke or tease.

When you’re nine people say, “Toe the line.”

But I’ll have you know - I am free

Because I’ll always be me

A little older and a little bolder.

no matter how old I be.

Enjoying the holiday season with Alisa

Maple Mountain Chamber Orchestra Christmas concert.

At the BYU game with Dad.

Alisa is the best baker in the family.

Birthday Story for a Nine-Year-Old

WHEN YOU DIG FOR POTATOES

By

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy 9^th birthday Mitchell- my budding archaeologist.

            When Mitchell’s mom told him to go outside and dig up some potatoes for supper he groaned, “Do I have to? It’s my birthday.”

            “You never know what you might find,” his mother said with a wink.

            “What I’d really like to dig up is a mummy,” Mitchell answered. “There’s a mummy exhibit coming to Salt Lake City at the Leonardo Museum with real mummies from all over the world in January. I really, really, really want to go.”

            “But the admission tickets are so expensive,” his mother answered. “Now get those potatoes dug up. Since the snow melted off yesterday, you can get to the last ones next to the raspberry bushes.”

            Mitchell dragged his feet into the garage, grabbed a small shovel and reluctantly walked to the backyard. He found the spot his mother told him about and started digging. The shriveled vines were his best clue of where to dig.

            First Mitchel dug up a gigantic potato then several small ones. He brushed the moist earth off the spuds and continued digging. Suddenly his shovel hit against a solid object.  Mitchell’s heart raced. He quickly dug deeper and brushed the dirt away. Buried in the ground right next to the raspberry bushes, Mitchell found a wooden box secured with a lock.

            Mitchell wiggled the lock but nothing happened. He ran into the house yelling.

            “Mom, you’ll never believe what I found buried in the dirt in our garden. It’s a box with a lock. I want to get this lid open so bad. What do you think is inside? It could be anything . . . like papyrus or a gold goblet.”

            Mitchell immediately called all his friends to come over and bring every key in their house. He tried each key one by one. Nothing fit. The box stayed locked. All his friends went home disappointed. Then Mitchell remembered his own key collection. He tried every one, but nothing fit.

            Mitchell wondered what to do. Because he was born on December 19 there was always a Christmas tree in the family room in their home. He plopped down on the floor, flipped over on his back and looked up at the tree through the boughs. That is the moment when he noticed their giant silver key.

“The key!” Mitchell said. “I forgot about our magic key.”

That large silver key was how Santa got into their house on Christmas Eve even though they didn’t have a chimney and even if the door was locked. His family hung it on the tree each year. Mitchel always liked to leave the key on the front porch with a plate of cookies before he went to bed on Christmas Eve.

Mitchell grabbed the key off the tree and rolled it over in his hand. Then he walked over to the dusty locked box. He pushed the key into the lock and turned it to the right. He heard something click right before the lock opened. Mitchel quickly creaked open the lid to the box.

There in the bottom of the box were tickets for the mummy exhibit in Salt Lake City along with a treasure map and a secret code that looked like Egyptian hieroglyphics.

“Mom! Dad! Look what I found in the box!” Mitchell screamed running through the house. “The magic key worked. Now I can go see the mummies. And look there’s a treasure map with a secret code in here too.”

Mitchell carefully unfolded the treasure map. He carefully deciphered the hieroglyphic writings that formed the secret code in his notebook. Mitchell noticed a half moon, serpent and the bird along with the picture of a man, woman and child. He followed the treasure map through the house as he thought about what the glyphs meant. He ended up in his parent’s bedroom where they were sitting together holding hands and smiling.

“I’ve got it!” Mitchell said with a smile. This treasure map’s secret code translates to . . .  mother . . . father . . .  love . . .  son . . . Hey, does that means you guys love me. Ah shucks. Thanks Mom and Dad.”

Mitchell gave his dad a high five then he gave his mom a big hug right before he said, “You guys are a pretty great daddy and “mummy”.

John spreading musical cheer in Denmark 2015

My son John is on a mission in Denmark.
 He is traveling the country with this musical group putting on free concerts to spread Christmas cheer all around the country.