Sunday Scripture Chase

We tried something new tonight.  Everyone chose a scripture and in turn read it for the family then gave the reference and we all raced to find it. 

We marked them in our pages as the person explained why they chose that verse.

I was pretty impressed by the kids' insight and testimony.   We'll have to do this again!

This was the scripture I chose tonight.  When I marked a scripture given by someone else, I wrote their name next to it.  :)

Mistaken Identity

Chad is on the floor playing with Sarah, Joseph, and Rebekah. They have the Book of Mormon figures out and Chad has been saying to different kids, "Do you know who this is?"

When Chad held up Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith and asked that question, Sarah said, "Jesus Christ, Amen."

Ha Ha! That is the first time I've heard her say that on her own. Good job, Sarah! We won't count it as a wrong answer this time. ;)

Christmas 2010

Christmas finally came to our house and the kids were very relieved. We had our Christmas Eve dinner...compliments of Chad (who did all the cooking). But don't think I completely slacked. I set the table!

After dinner, Chad read the Christmas story from the bible while the kids acted it out.

Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus:


Shepherds abiding their flocks:


And lo, and angel:


We had a wild beast in our Christmas story. Sarah has taken to biting. Not good.


Eventually, the shepherds made it to the manger and admired the baby. The 'wild beast' actually ripped the baby Jesus from the manger. I guess she wanted to play with the doll.


Then we cleaned up, had prayer and sent them off to bed. They were threatened with their lives if they came out of bed. We'd already told them that IF (when...we're not so clueless) they got up, they were not allowed to do anything but look. And they couldn't wake us up before 6 AM.

It took us about 2 hours to get to bed. We spent an hour setting up a train system. Then we had to stuff stockings and put Santa's gifts out. We were in bed by midnight, after everything was prepared and we got ourselves ready for bed.

I don't really know when the kids got up to peek, but Daniel said it was right after Chad checked in on them before we went to sleep. I did hear them in the living room right before 6 AM. They watched the clock and as soon as it turned to the magical number, they raced to our room to wake us up.

I had to wake up Sarah. She didn't handle the transition well.
The train was a big hit. I'd found someone selling it and talked them down, included a little barter and cash and now have hours of entertainment that fills more than 3 storage bins. (All I was really looking for was a small train set for Joseph, but she made me a WAY better deal on the whole set than she was offering for just a little train.)



While the kids played, I made cinnamon rolls. (Here is what I look like when I'm rudely awoken before dawn!)


After breakfast, the trains were cleaned up and we dumped out our stockings. Sarah loved the phone she found in hers.


Then it was time for presents. Grandma made the boys bathrobes. Daniel really liked his.


The girls got dresses from Grandma. Sarah's came with a little pair of panties. She immediately put them on!


It didn't take this little elf very long to get the hang of opening presents. Eventually, she just opened whatever package she got a hold of. This one happens to really belong to her.


And after a while, the morning got to be too much for Sarah. We found her under the couch. Every girl needs her time out!


The girls got a little sewing machine from Santa. Actually, Santa had been given this thing a few years back and pulled it out for the girls this year. It has been decided that Santa was a little cheap because the machine really doesn't work.



It was a good day and the kids were grateful for what they received. They each gave a coupon for service to every member of the family (excluding Sarah) and some of those have already been redeemed!

I work on Christmas throughout the year and everything under the tree is paid for. If it's something we'd likely get the kids anyway, and it can wait until Christmas (i.e., new clothes) we wrap it up and put it under the tree. If it can be added to something they already have, it will likely be a Christmas present. The kids wrap up some of their things for each other and put them under the tree. Santa doesn't wrap his gifts. Stockings have snacks and toothbrushes and band-aids, etc. (This year, there was no candy...for obvious reasons.) I make a few things. And there are a few new toys.

Even after I've said "No" to the kids all season, there are still a lot of things under the tree. So I wonder, should I make less of a big deal during Christmas and just give these things to them during the year? I don't want my kids thinking they're going to get stuff all the time. Do I consolidate more and have them open fewer packages, but with more inside? I feel like Christmas morning is a little too greedy. But I don't feel like we've spent too much money, just given too much.

I read somewhere that one family has a standard for Christmas. Each child gets 4 gifts: want it, need it, wear it, read it. The kids know what to expect and there are no fights (or so they say!). I think that's a great idea. I don't know if I can stream line everything quite so neatly, but it's a good start.

And while I was contemplating the guilt that I always seem to feel when I'm buying Christmas presents for my kids, I came to a liberating decision. Some people may not agree with me. I'm OK with that. What I decided is this:

There are two kinds of Christmas, and they are both good.

The first Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ. To me, there is very little about modern Christmas that really supports this kind of Christmas. Hymns, scripture and testimony are all that are needed to celebrate and teach this Christmas. And really, it should be done all year.

The second Christmas is the merry kind. The glitter, the excitement, the gift giving, the carols, the treats, the stockings and Santa. This is a wonderful time of year to celebrate our loved ones, show them what they mean to us and indulge just a little. Peanut Brittle has nothing to do with Christ, but it's a very important part of merry Christmas!

And so, I will enjoy the merry kind of Christmas along with the birth of Christ. And I won't feel guilty when I'm rushing around delivering gifts that I'm not thinking of the birth of the Savior. But I will use the extra reminder to be grateful for the humble birth that leads to the life of Christ and what it should mean in my life...all year long.

Scripture Power

Two years ago today we started nightly family scripture reading (Book of Mormon). I can't really call it study...because we don't. Occasionally, we talk about something we read, but that's pretty rare. We each read a verse and split the really long ones in half for the girls.

We take our scriptures with us when we travel and only miss (skip) if we have a really late bedtime. If only one parent is home at bedtime, the other one leads the riot. I think that in the two years we've been doing this, we've missed a month's worth or less of reading. When we started, Nathan and Leah had their verses read for them to repeat. Rebekah wasn't talking yet. Now Nathan reads his own and Leah and Rebekah repeat theirs. (Joseph pretty much wanders the room and tries to get everyone in trouble...sometimes he's fairly successful).

So we are very good about doing it, and very bad about making it meaningful. Admittedly, we have some work to do.

You may be wondering how far you can get by only reading 4 - 6 verses a night. You can't get out of Alma. We finished Alma Chapter 35 tonight. Two years! Sheesh. I'm glad we didn't start with the Old Testament.

Up Hill Both Ways

We had QUITE the evening tonight.

FHE: We had to re-read the story because no one listened the first time (after repeated warnings that they would need to know what the story was about).

Scripture Study: At one point I noticed that 3 kids had feet that were higher than their heads. They likely weren't listening.

Family Prayer: Daniel was rocking back and forth in a half-full laundry basket, Leah was writhing around under the coffee table, and Rebekah was in orbit around me. Nathan was on the couch, but he was kneeling and had his eyes closed (most of the time).

As the kids slowly trickled (unwillingly) off to bed, I sat there in a momentary stupor and reflected on the evening. But at least we're trying! (I keep reminding myself that.)

Allegory of the Olive Tree - An Opera in one act

We read the scriptures (we've started with the Book of Mormon) every night as a family. Chad or I read the verses in phrases for Rebekah, Leah and Nathan and they repeat us (it's usually while they are playing somehow, but we have to pick our battles). Daniel is a 2nd grader and gets to read his own verse. We only read one verse, each, a night. If the verses are long, we divide some up for the kids to share. We started in 1 Nephi on July 1st last year - 10 months ago. We are currently in Jacob 5 - The Allegory of the Olive Tree. You can see that it's a labor of love as we are not at all cruising through the book.

We are pretty consistent with our scripture reading. I think we've missed 15-20 days since we started...if that much. But it doesn't come without a price. OFTEN, Daniel is in a "mood" and we struggle to get him to read his verse. We've often seen his "stinker end" and heard a mumbled reading. Sometimes he shouts it when we tell him we can't hear or understand him. There are nights he's in an especially pleasant mood and he not only reads his verse, but part or all of the next one.

And then there is the silly mood; that's when he sings. He turns on the warble and dramatically presents his scripture verse. It's an interesting version of the scriptures. I'm not sure many people have seen it in this fashion, outside of a church pageant. So, while it's a little bit annoying, I figure there are a few benefits: 1) he's reading the scriptures, 2) he's developing a singing talent, and 3) we aren't hearing him complain.

Only 25 days of summer to go!

I will be so glad when Daniel goes back to school! It is going to be so quiet around here. It's going to be weird in the morning while Nathan is gone, too. The girls will really become better playmates (or stronger enemies).

While I love my oldest son, most fights involve him and it will be nice to have a break. I can't figure out why he can't leave anyone alone. It's apparently in his blood to be obnoxious. Ninety percent of the time, I can end a fight by yelling his name.

And then the next thing I know, he's helping out in a big way and seeming very mature.

He felt like a big kid during his swimming lessons these past two weeks. He was in Level 3 (no more life jackets for anything). I thought I was getting him caught up to his peers, but there were 4th and 5th graders in his class as well as a 1st grader. I guess I won't worry about Nathan still being in Level 1 next summer as a 6 year old.

Daniel was the shortest kid in his class and the only one the instructors had to "catch and release" since he couldn't touch the bottom on his own. He passed, though. I teased him that he must be the shortest person to ever pass Level 3. He even dove off the diving board for the first time. Here is the clip.

Here are some other shots of Daniel in the pool (or about to be in the pool).

About three weeks ago, we started reading scriptures before bed each night. The kids have been really excited about it (thankfully). We're not doing anything fantastic. We read one verse each, with Nathan and Leah repeating their verses after Chad or I read them aloud for them. Daniel has really likes being able to read by himself. Truthfully, we probably wouldn't have started scriptures at all if he couldn't read.

We also have family prayer before bed (and in the mornings when we remember). Leah usually prays that we won't fight or hit or kick or scream. (A little insight into our emotional states.) Nathan still includes B when he lists family members by name. Rebekah has started to say her prayers by her bed. If she does, it's when someone kneels down by her and tells her what to say. Then she says, "uh" for each part. Funny.

I get to teach in Relief Society again tomorrow. I haven't lost nearly as much sleep this month as I did last month. Am I a veteran already or have I just stopped caring? All the same, it will be nice when it's over.

It has been over 90 degrees most of the month. We've been well above our average. I realize that most of my faithful readers will not feel sorry for me as they have been above 100 several times. But many of you have AC and are not pregnant. I am fondly anticipating September!

We still have one ornery cat to give away. Anyone interested?