Count Your many Blessings

This week for Family Home Evening we had a Thankful Family Night. We sang Count Your Many Blessings and talked about what it means to be thankful/grateful. Then we talked about what we are thankful for.

Here is a picture of our Blessing Box. Each night after we read, we think of what we are thankful for, write it down on a piece of paper and put it in this box. The plan is to open the box on Thanksgiving and read what we are thankful for.

Beanbag Words

For Family Home Evening we read a story from the Friend called Beanbag Words. I was a story about a girl who learned how she can do her part in strengthening her family. In her sharing time they played a game with a bean bag. Every time you catch a bean bag, you give a compliment to someone. 

After we finished reading the story, we played the game too. Luke had some really great compliments for mom and dad. I think he really liked throwing the bean bag too.

FHE with cousins

Andrew and Tyson came over to play tonight and the boys had a blast playing together. Lucas LOVES playing with his cousins. They spent quite a bit of time playing outside and we even ate outside. I had picked up a package of hit dogs and some buns and of course I warmed up some veggies. Andrew told me he had eaten a hot dog for lunch but I didn't have anything else that would have been easy to make so he was nice enough to eat another one. Thanks Andrew!

Since they came on Monday night, we had Family Home Evening with them. We talked about our bodies and temples. Part of the lesson was drawing a picture of the temple and the boys took it very seriously, making sure they had the right colors and that it looked just right. They did a good job too. They were really good during FHE and participated with everything. It was a good time.

FHE S'mores

We had Family Home Evening with Grammy, Poppy, Jay and Joe. Our lesson was on The 2,000 Stripling Warriors and obedience. It might have been a little over Lucas' head but it was a good lesson for everyone else. Poppy and Uncle Jay jumped in and tried to help Lucas understand the lesson. The point I was trying to get across is that if we will do what we are supposed to and have faith, then the Lord will protect us. He loves us and has a plan for us. All he asks that we do a few simple things in return for everything he has provided us.

I was very impressed with Uncle Jay and the scriptures he quoted and his comments he added to the discussion. I can tell he truly studies and ponders the gospel. What a great example he is to all of us. I'm glad he is part of our family - he is a great brother.

After the lesson we went outside to have a fire and roast marshmallows. I think we might have made ourselves sick eating all those marshmallows and s'mores.

FHE - I Know that Heavenly Father Loves ME!

We had a great Family Home Evening tonight. As I thought about the most important thing that we could teach Lucas, I determined that I wanted him to know that he is loved. Because we sure do love him a lot. But most importantly we want him to know that Heavenly Father loves him too.

Of course our lesson turned towards families and Lucas drew his first ever family picture. He had to make sure that everyone had a head, a stomach, arms and legs. Lucas is a great artist!

FHE - I Can Grow My Own Testimony

This week we decided to have our Family Home Evening with Grammy, Poppy, and Uncle Joe so we had it right after our family Sunday dinner.




We had a lesson about testimony's and to make it more simple for Lucas, I planted some "flowers" in a pot of "dirt"(which was our treat). Each petal had something about what a testimony is and how we can gain one by helping it to grow.





We watched a clip from one of the Living Scripture movies, "Alma and the Zoramites", which Lucas loved. He wanted to watch it over again.





One of the main concepts I wanted to talk about is what a tesitmony is, which is a feeling you have inside or an inward conviction. A testimony is also a knowledge you have, a knowledge that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the one and only true church and that:

No one can give you a testimony. A testimony is something that you have to gain yourself. “All of us as children of our Father in Heaven must gain our own individual testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you will prayerfully read the scriptures with your family or on your own, you will better understand what a testimony is and how you can gain and strengthen your own testimony.” Friend, Jan. 1991.

I know this lesson was a little over his head but I wanted to try and introduce some concepts to him about the gospel and why we believe in the gospel. I know he won't remember everything that we talked about but maybe later he will remember some of these things in future lessons and it will help him to know how important our testimony's are.

FHE - Bowling with the White's

Lucas had so much fun bowling on New Year's that I thought he might like to go bowling again. So we invited Aunt Jessica, Uncle Nathan, Andrew and Tyson to go bowling with us for a Family Home Evening activity.

It started out a lot of fun but Lucas was quickly distracted by the video arcade and ended up getting into a lot of trouble because he ran away from the group. We get a little worried when we can't see him in public places - we tend to think he might be kidnapped.

We had a lot of fun otherwise and we really like spending time with our cousins.

FHE - Reverance/Scriptures

We have trying to be more reverent while in sacrament meeting and so I thought the perfect lesson for family home evening would be a lesson on reverence.

Lucas had other ideas. As I was trying to encourage Dustin to use actual scriptures instead of his phone to read the scripture, Lucas noticed the scriptures I was handing Dustin. We then tried to talk to Lucas about what they are and why we read the scriptures.

He then told us that Tommy has brown scriptures that he takes to primary every week and Lucas wanted his own scriptures.

Dustin told him that if he would sit and listen for 2 more minutes, we would find him his own scriptures. It was the longest 2 minutes of Lucas' life. I quickly talked about what reverence is and where we should be reverent but then we had to go find some scriptures for Lucas. I don't think the lesson on reverence was really heard. Maybe we'll have to try again next week.

Needless to say, he loved the Book of Mormon we found him - luckily I found one on the bookshelf. He opened the book and found a couple pictures in the front; one of Jesus, Joseph Smith, and Moroni. We talked about who they are and what they did. Oh and did I mention he fell asleep holding onto his new Book of Mormon?

It's amazing to me how many times I wished I would have listened more in seminary. Lucas is constantly asking questions about stories in the Book of Mormon and the Bible. I know some stories but I find myself turning to Dustin, the returned missionary, a lot just to be sure. I hope that Lucas continues to love his Book of Mormon and that he will find comfort in it the way that I have. I know that if he remembers the stories and the lessons taught in the scriptures, he will be continually blessed and comforted because of it.

Dustin says: The scriptures are an important way for us to learn about our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They are like a journal of many people who lived a long time ago and wanted to share their experiences and things they had learned. By reading the scriptures, we can learn from them and become better people as well as learn how to become more like Jesus so that we can return to live with him someday. If you read your scriptures, you can feel Heavenly Father's love and become a better person.

FHE - Emergency Preparedness

Imagine:

It's 10:00 a.m. on a weekday during a winter month. There has been a 6.3 earthquake in the Salt Lake Valley. (Note: The Northridge, California earthquake on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1994 was a 6.7 - bridges were broken, buildings destroyed, etc.) Gas lines, sewer lines, and water lines are broken. The whole area is affected by this disaster. You have been notified that you must evacuate your home within 10 minutes. Shelter is available at a local school gymnasium. You have been told you need to walk wherever you go until the situation is under control. You might not be able to return home for 48 hours or longer.

What will you gather in 10 minutes? Will you go to the school gym or somewhere else? Where is your family, pets, etc.?

I went to an Relief Society activity night and these were some questions that were asked. Of course I started to worry about what our family would do in an emergency and Dustin suggested that for FHE we go through our 72 hour packs. Lucas tried to carry his pack but it is almost as big as he is and could barely drag it behind him.

We went through Lucas' pack first and I almost started crying. The clothes for him were 18 month old clothes and there wasn't any food. I thought we were very unprepared. Luckily, Dustin's and my pack are better stocked so we might have been okay. Of course the food dated back to 2008 so we might have starved as well. But the important part is that we have a list and a plan to make them even better.

So...bring on the earthquakes! (Just Kidding!)

FHE - What we are Thankful For

Lucas Loves to say the prayers and we love to have him say them. He knows some key points that he says all on his own but it would be great if he could completely say the prayer on his own. He's done it before but he is very stubborn on having Dustin (it always has to be Dustin for everything!) help him.

Last night for Family Home Evening, Lucas said the prayer and it started me thinking on how we can help him become a better prayer. We've been trying by example but I think he needs a little more. So why do we pray? I decided to focus on things we are thankful or grateful for in our prayers and we had a good discussions about what we are thankful for.

Lucas is thankful for many things but when we ask him specifically what he is thankful for, he gives his customary answer of, "I don't know." So we asked him what he really likes. He really likes his dad and his trucks. I'm sure he thankful for me too (I hope).

Anyway, I am very thankful for my family. I really can't imagine a life without Dustin and Lucas and I hope I never have to. When I pray, I always thank the Lord for our warm house, the nice things we have, and our good food. Sometimes I feel like my prayers are really redundant because I always thank the Lord for the same thing. But I am really thankful for those things. I keep remembering when our family went to the Family Shelter in Midvale and how awful it was. It was cold and who knows where your next meal is coming from. I am really thankful to have food and shelter.

Dustin says: I am thankful for my family. They make me laugh and help me out a lot. Lucas always has something funny to say. He is a very smart kid. He brightens up my day. Laura helps me see the bright side of things and gives me support in everything I do. I am grateful for their great personalities and the strength they give me.

I am also grateful for my other family members. Parents, grandparents, cousins. They all are fun to be around and are supportive. I am grateful for the church and the spirit it brings into our home. The ward we belong to has many people that help us and are fun to be around. I am grateful to live in a country where we are free to live the way we want to. Free to practice our religion, free to express our thoughts and free to be want we want.

Oh, and I'm grateful for cheese.