Wasting time instead of working on Kaitlyn's baptism dress

I know I'm procrastinating when I'm updating my blog rather than working on K's dress. Not that I don't like blogging, but that I tend to procrastinate doing it.

So here are a few pictures of my progress:



This is a closeup of the pattern. If you look carefully you can see little pearl bead thingies on it.

This picture gives a better idea of what it will end up looking like:



I am crocheting an overskirt and sewing the dress part. I was going to crochet the whole thing but decided it would be prettier if it had a shiny skirt thing under it (not to mention that I became much too lazy to finish the entire dress). I'm weaving ribbon down through the holes and tying them into bows at the bottom.

It is, however, a crapshoot as to whether or not Kaitlyn will even get baptized. We understand that she probably doesn't need to be baptized. She is a smart, inquisitive girl and definitely understands the difference between right and wrong. She is capable of making a wrong choice, but so is a 4 year old, and 4 year olds aren't accountable for their wrong choices. I'm still trying to work this all out in my head, but there is a difference between making a wrong choice and actually sinning. The question is whether or not Kaitlyn is capable of sin.

Even if she is never capable of sinning, there are other reasons for being baptized (none of them necessary, of course). The first is to follow the example of Jesus. He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness, even though he had never committed a sin. The second is to covenant to be obedient to Heavenly Father. Even if you can't commit sin, you can still promise to live the best life you can, and a little extra "oomph" to your promise can't be a bad thing.

So for all these reasons I would like Kaitlyn to be baptized. The question, however, is if SHE wants to be baptized.

We've talked to her about it over and over, but lately she's been saying she doesn't want to be baptized because she doesn't have any sins on her and never will. Hmmm. Quite possibly true, but what about all the other reasons? She says she already promises to follow Heavenly Father, so she stil doesn't need to be baptized. As for her being baptized to follow the example of Jesus, she doesn't have a good argument for that. But the fact is, if she doesn't want to be baptized, we can't and shouldn't force her.

So for now I'm making the dress in hopes she'll use it at her baptism, but if she doesn't, it'll just be a white Easter dress. An expensive, frustrating, pain-in-the-rear-end Easter dress.