First Gymnastics Meet and Brooks and Ellis Baptism

This post is going to be much shorter than my previous ones, but this weekend deserves a post all of its own!

The enemy tried to ruin and get in our way this weekend, but our God is WAY too good! Memaw, Papa Joe, and Aunt Jeanne drove up to McKinney from Houston and almost didn’t come because of the cold weather and possible ice. Praising the Lord the bad weather (not the cold but bad) held off and they were able to make it in time to see Shep win his basketball game!

They even got to see Brooks’ basketball game the next morning, but mommy didn’t go so of course nobody got a picture. You’ll have to settle for this sweet one of poor Memaw listening to Brooks read an ENTIRE book to her before bed, lol!

Saturday afternoon Ellis had her first ever Level 3 gymnastics meet– a day I never in a million years thought would come! Thank goodness for Aunt Jeanne’s french braiding skills! I hope she’s okay with buns for the rest of her meets, lol!

Introducing Texas Best Gymnastics level 3 gymnasts!

Ellis said she was more excited than nervous. She must get that from her Daddy!

Her sweet, sweet friends drove all the way to downtown Dallas to come and support her. Scarlett is a phenomenal gymnast, and gave her a key chain with a bible verse for good luck! We really are so blessed with some incredible friends!

First up was Ellis’ floor routine. I thought she did soooooooo good! I think she was a little off on her timing, but I’m so dang proud of her! I was a nervous wreck! She got an 8.125 out of 10. I think she was a little disappointed as floor is her favorite event, but I thought it was AMAZING!

Her second event was vault, which is her least favorite. She gets two chances and they score her best one. Adam didn’t know this and only videoed her first one, and of course her second run was much better. She scored an 8.700, which was her highest score of the day!!!

Her third event was bars, and I could’ve sworn she told me this was her favorite event?! Anywho, she did AWESOME and scored an 8.450

Her fourth and final event was the balance beam. Her handstand split hold was on point, but unfortunately she fell after her turn and was a little frazzled and almost forgot part of her routine. She kept it together though and still scored an awesome 8.150!

This was Ellis’ entire entourage who came to support our girl (minus Cristin and Nancy who were in the restroom)!!! Grandma, Aunt Kelly, Aunt Lesley, Uncle Christian, Liam, and Levi also drove up all the way from Houston straight to the competition! Goodness are we blessed!

Ellis tied for first place in her division for her bar routine– woohoo!!!!

She placed 5th for balance beam! I bet she would’ve gotten first if she hadn’t fallen!!

She placed 7th for her floor routine, and didn’t place for her vault routine, which was her highest score– crazy!

She also placed 4th overall out of the 16 girls in her division! To say we are beyond proud of her would be a complete understatement!

The icing on the cake– her gym won first place!

This girl truly amazes me! It was a looooong but amazing day!

The awards ceremony takes a while, so her entourage left after the competition. Ellis couldn’t wait to come home and show everyone her medals!! We had 9 extra family members stay with us on Saturday and my heart was so happy! My parents slept in our room, Jeanne slept in Shep’s room, Grandma and Kelly slept in Ellis’ room, the Stroem’s slept in Brooks’ room, and we all bunked up in the media room! It was perfect!

Now onto to the most exciting and important part of the weekend….

Sunday morning was the main reason everyone came in town. To give you a little back story, Ellis has been asking for quite a while now to be baptized. She actually started thinking about it and asking after watching her cousin, Brayden be baptized. We’ve had many long heart to heart convos with her to make sure she understood the decision she was making and what she was asking, and decided she was ready. The problem was, we were in the middle of searching for a new church. Ellis’ insistent asking to be baptized is actually what pushed us to find “our” church! Ellis’ constant talking about baptism as well as the talks he had with his counselor at church camp this summer, and the talks he has with Daddy at bedtime, is also what gave Brooks the nudge to want to be baptized too! We had many heart to heart convos with him as well to make sure he understood the importance of his decision, and decided he was ready too!

A few months after joining our church we finally talked to the children’s pastor to see what needed to be done for the kids to get baptized. They require anyone that wants to be baptized to take a three week new believers course, to make sure they fully understand why they’re wanting to be baptized. I love, love, love that they require this course and think it’s so important. After the course the kids had to meet one on one with the children’s pastor as well, and he asked them lots of hard questions. They answered all the questions correctly, but were a little nervous, so the pastor wanted us to lead them in the salvation prayer again at home, to make sure that prayer was clear as day to them in their minds. After all, that prayer is all that truly matters and the MOST important prayer of your life, so I LOVE that he asked us to do it again!

After that meeting Adam lead both of them privately and on separate days in the salvation prayer again. I love that he will always share this bond with them and always be such an important part of their story! They admitted they were sinners in need of a savior and prayed and asked Jesus to live in their hearts! This is literally the MOST important thing to us as parents, and all we could hope and ask for for our children– to know, love, and follow Jesus! We are beaming with pride that Brooks and Ellis have made this decision and cannot wait to see how God uses them in their lives!

The morning of their baptism Memaw and Papa Joe gifted them with beautiful James Avery cross necklaces for them to wear to their baptism!

We had to get to the service a little early, and while we were waiting the kids got to sign the baptism wall back stage!

Just so stinkin’ proud and excited for them! The coolest part is that they bot got baptized together AND on Aunt Jodie’s birthday, January 21, so they’ll NEVER forget the day!

Adam Cox is the children’s pastor that baptized them.

I got to watch them from back stage while everyone else was watching from the worship center. I just love Brooks’ very excited “YES” and Ellis’ sweet little “yes”. So much their personalities and the best yes they will ever say in their life!

Sweet boy with his sweet smile!

I LOVE that they did this together!

Such a sweet picture!

She looked so nervous, but that smile coming out of the water into new life is everything!

Here’s the video view of the baptism from the worship center!

So grateful for this beautiful family of mine!

And all the people that came to support our kiddos this weekend!

Grandma gave them the most awesome and beautiful Bibles, and Ellis has already said she can’t wait to hopefully pass hers along to her daughter one day 💕