Mother-Son Pirate Party

Our ward's Primary put on an excellent mother/sons activity on May 1st.  The theme was pirates, and we had a good time dressing up a little bit for that!

The decorations and food were great (pirate ships! pizza!), and there were games set up throughout the building.  Swabbing the deck in the cultural hall, walking the plank, ring toss on hooks, "tattoos," and a giant ping pong ball fight--super fun!!!

I was happy to have that time with Wade, even though I spent most of it tagging along with him and his friends, haha! :)

The Primary scripture chain

In 2011 we kept up a scripture chain that the Primary kids added to each week. 

One chain equaled one kid's weekly scripture reading.  We counted every single Sunday in 2011.  A few times during the year we draped the chain in the church hallways--you can imagine how much the kids enjoyed that!

I loved the IDEA of the scripture chain and can attest that the kids thought it was awesome, but I'll admit that as soon as the picture was taken and the kids went back to Primary, I snuck the whole chain out to the trashcan in the parking lot! :)  I was honestly relieved that this year's theme, Choose the Right, didn't include some massive project like the chain--we need a little break. :)

We have the greatest group of Primary kids--they are fun, sweet, and funny!

I've been enlightened!

Practices for the Primary presentation are not my favorite activities. In our ward, we're basically asking the kids to sit still and be quiet for 3 hours straight, 2 Sundays in a row, in their church clothes, no less. On top of that, we asked our kids to come prepared to focus and do their very best the morning after...

our ward trunk-or-treat.  If I didn't know any better, and know what end results will come from practicing, I'd think I was specializing in the cruel and unusual torture of children!  15 minutes before the end of church I wanted to escape just as much as the kids did!

There was some good to come out of the torture today, though, and that's why I wanted to blog about it.  This will be my 3rd program in 2 years, and it's the first time the kids have really, really known the songs and sung their hearts out.  Oh, and without the usual visual aids and posters, too.  It was amazing--I had to give a major shout-out to our wonderful music people and the parents who've been working with their kids on the songs.  It showed, in a big way.

I also wanted to give a shout-out to Rhiannon.  It's her last program.  She's pretty much fed up with Primary but still tries hard to have a good attitude about it.  On the way home after church Rhiannon had several ideas for how to make the presentation run better and smoother--I felt like I was having a discussion with a Laurel class president and not an 11-year-old!  I am REALLY going to miss having her in Primary with me when she turns 12 in May.  (sniff, sniff!)

My favorite part of the practice was a special musical number with all the scraggly, wiggly boys in the Senior Primary group, Wade included.  It's a good size group of boys, considering how small our Senior Primary is.  All of the kids had been singing great and singing well, but then that small group got up and belted out "I Hope They Call Me On A Mission," and it was electric.  My counselor sitting closest to the boys started crying, and I could feel goosebumps up and down my arms. 

It was powerful and sweet and for that moment, the torture ended and the only place I wanted to be was with those kids.

In the details

16 months.  That's how long I've been serving as Primary president at church.  Sometimes it feels like forever, and then sometimes it...doesn't!  One blessing that I've had is inspiration for Primary callings.  It has happened over and over again, where I've felt good about a person, submitted that name, and the bishopric have been supportive but surprised to see how well those callings have worked out, and how increased church activity has blessed those people who accepted Primary service.  No, it's not a perfect world.  Some decline the opportunity, and some are ready for a calling OUT of Primary.  But the magic is finding out again and again that Heavenly Father cares about people and is "in the details" of their lives.

Here's one example.  A couple weeks ago I had submitted a name for a new counselor in our presidency, a spot that had been vacant for almost a month after the previous (wonderful!) counselor had moved.  Luckily for me, this friend accepted the calling, and I was able to sit down with her for some training yesterday.  She said she'd been feeling that "a change" was coming on.   I didn't know that her husband was going to be the new Seminary teacher.  He's been the Elders Quorum president for a long time and will hopefully be released soon from that.  When I'd prayed about this friend, I felt she was the right person, and hoped, hoped, hoped the bishopric would be okay with it, even though her husband already had a major, time-consuming calling.  I had no idea that the husband was getting a new calling!  And my friend knew this, too.  She will be awesome, awesome, awesome, and I'm very grateful for this!

Another example happened a few months ago.  I'd submitted a name for a Cub Scouts position.  I really, really, really wanted this person for the Bear den.  Well, I didn't get him.  BUT the bishopric thanked me for bringing this man to their attention--he is now the ward mission leader and is doing an exceptional job, while I got the "old" ward mission leader for Cub Scouts, and HE is doing a great job there, too. :)

One more example for the day.  Substitute jobs have been virtually non-existent for me this month.  (No, I wasn't complaining, just thought it was curious.)  I was starting to get a little antsy, and then was grateful all over again for the flexibility of this "job."  A sweet friend of mine was checked into the hospital today, and I was able to visit her and help with watching her kids some, too.  I'm glad I was home and had the time to offer her some encouragment and attention.

I promise the next post will have gobs and gobs of pictures.  I've just had a lot on my mind lately! :)

It's gr8 to be 8!

Tonight Jason and I went to a Baptism Preview activity with Wade.   We have 9 kids in our ward turning 8 this year, and 8 of them were there tonight with their parents.  I'd asked my 2nd counselor in the Primary presidency to plan the activity, and we'd gotten approval from our bishopric to do it,  since the activity isn't listed anywhere in the old or new Church handbooks. 

It was a wonderful night!  The program was short and sweet--our bishop talked about "the interview," the Wolf den leader talked about Cub Scouts, our Activity Day leader talked about special activities for the girls, and I gave an overview of the Faith in God program.  The last part of the program was very special, and there was such a great spirit in the room.  Each child got to hear from their parents about a few of their favorite qualities and stories.  We kept hearing the same words over and over describing this group of children--kind, loving, compassionate, happy, obedient, patient, intelligent, respectful, tender-hearted, hard-working.   I commented on Wade's obedience, too, how he was great about doing what we asked him to do, and how that would help him in the future when he was a missionary and later found a special lady to marry and take to the temple (I probably won't live that one down, but Wade didn't care--he loved being spotlighted!).  I also mentioned his crazy awesome movie/music memory!   There were many tears and smiles as the parents spoke, and the kids were soaking it up!!!

Afterwards we had cupcakes and some Russian teacake cookies, with milk to drink!

Primary rocks!  WADE rocks!  My counselor rocks!  It's great to be 8! :)

Windshield analogy

Last night I had a little inspiration for today's lesson in Primary Sharing Time.  It may not make much sense to you and seem a little silly, dear reader, but it worked really well in Primary!  I felt that the kids really understood what I was trying to say! :)  The theme this year is "I Know the Scriptures Are True," and I used our hazardous drive this past Thursday from Utah to Ridgecrest as an analogy for how the scriptures can help us.  Here it is, or what I can remember:

"On Thursday our family drove back to Ridgecrest after spending Christmas in Utah.  Some of the drive was very scary where the roads were icy, snowy, and rough.  (the kids laughed when I told them about getting all tensed up, making noises when I saw accidents on the road, and how Jason finally said, 'You are NOT helping me by doing that!')  The worst part was that the dirt and grime on the road would kick up onto our windshield, and because our windshield wipers weren't great and the windshield wiper fluid was frozen solid most of the drive, they'd just smear stuff around instead of clearing off the glass, making it really hard to see out the window sometimes."

(Our red van was GRAY after the drive.  I didn't take a picture, but here's a good approximation of what our windshield looked like at times, found off of Google Images:)

(Then I talked about the scriptures).  "The scriptures are like really good windshield wipers, that clear away the dirt and grime so that I can see where I'm going.  When I read the scriptures, I feel my testimony grow, and I feel safe!"

Then I challenged the kids to read their scriptures every day.  We handed out these cool mini-calendars so that the kids can (hopefully) check off the days that they read.  I could not have asked for a happier Sunday and a better start to the new year and theme!

Catching the spirit of Christmas

I'll admit it, I've been a little too crazy busy lately to really feel that sparkly Christmas feeling.  I am SUPER EXCITED, TOTALLY STOKED, and R-E-A-D-Y to get out of town and spend Christmas with extended family this year.  But the downside of that is being rushed to get everything done before the trip.  I had these grand plans of baking up a storm and delivering fresh-from-the-oven goodie plates to neighbors and friends around town.  That isn't going to happen.  A few neighbors on our street who we know well will get a bag of M&M's with a poem attached:


M & M Christmas Poem




As you hold these candies in your hand
And turn them, you will see
The 'M' becomes a 'W',
An 'E', and then a '3'.

They tell the Christmas Story--
I'm sure it's one you know.
It took place in a stable
A long, long time ago.

The 'E' is for the East,
Where the star shone so bright.
The 'M' is for the Manger,
where the Baby Jesus slept at night.

The '3' is for the Wisemen,
Bearing gifts, with which they came.
'W' is for Worship,
Hallelujah! Praise His Name!

So as you eat these candies
Or share them with a friend,
Remember the meaning of Christmas:
It's a love that never ends.

And hopefully the rest of our friends we know and love will know that we're thinking of them!  Truly! 

This afternoon I was driving all over town delivering not goodies, but new 2011 class binders to our fabulous Primary teachers.  I finally caught some of that Christmas cheer as I visited with each person who answered the door.  I gave hugs, said lots of "MERRY CHRISTMAS," and let people know that I appreciated them for their service and kindness.  It was a good reminder that Christmas is NOT all about the shopping and baking and preparing--it's more about letting people know that you care!

Cake pop crew

One reason why I love having a church calling is that I get instant friends to work and play with.  This morning our Primary presidency got together at my house and made mass amounts of cake pops (over 200!) to give to the Primary kids after the program this upcoming Sunday.  We had a total blast!  I'd described my failed cake pops experience at a previous meeting, but they suggested we try some different variations instead of the vanilla-vanilla-vanilla-vanilla one that I did. :)  I have to admit they were pretty darn tasty:

Strawberry cake with vanilla pudding (pie directions), dipped in semi-sweet chocolate

Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, dipped in semi-sweet chocolate (our favorite)

Party cake with rainbow chip frosting, dipped in semi-sweet chocolate

Chocolate cake with french vanilla pudding (pie directions), dipped in ??? (we ran out of chocolate chips...)

My friends Michelle (with her son), Kim, and Heather--wonderful ladies!
 I didn't mean to get Michelle with her eyes closed, but it looks like she's saying "Mmm,mmm, good" after eating a cake pop.

Messy but yummy!  I have 5 gallon-sized bags of cake pops in the refrigerator right now! :)

Human after all

After a wonderful day in the temple yesterday, a very inspiring sacrament meeting, and 3 batches of cookies to hand out for bringing scriptures each week, I got to Primary and seemed to switch gears. 

I got cranky with some 12-year-old girls for sitting in the back of the chapel instead of with their class, and I refused to let them sit back there.
 
I got cranky with some older kids for running in the hallway and JUST ABOUT LOST it in front of them; thankfully I was able to get a grip and just raise my voice a little and make them go back and try it again, with a curt "Thank.You." when they did.  I seriously thought I was going to start crying in front of them.

I scared a talkative Sunbeam and said she'd have to come sit with me if she didn't stop talking.  She started to whimper.
 
I was annoyed that two teachers didn't show, with no calls or subs (thank goodness this is a rare thing!!!!!!!). 

I scared some CTR 6 girls and said they were going to be split up if they didn't stop talking.

I took a breath.  I pulled a lesson together in 5 minutes and taught the class who still needed a teacher.  I taught the lesson.  And I was humbled and appreciative to the 5 kids in my class who were ABSOLUTE DARLINGS.  A rough day ended up being great.  Thank heavens for good Primary kids! :)

Floater

I really enjoyed church today.  There was a steady stream of testimonies and General Conference thoughts shared in sacrament meeting.  Primary was fantastic, too.  In the year that I've been Primary president, most Sundays have been GREAT, and that's a big blessing!  Occasionally there is a stressful Sunday, but never so horrible that I can't move on and still look forward to coming.

Today I got to be the floater while the other ladies in our presidency did everything else.  I got to float around, check in on classes, and observe.  It was fun!  My favorite part was sitting in on a CTR 5 class.  We recently split this group of kids because it was so big, and it was nice to see the effect of a smaller class size!  I loved how patient, kind, and well-prepared the teacher was, and how she handled distractions well (a LOT better than I would have! :))  When one boy tried stuffing his whole tie in his mouth, or another kid pretended to be a birthday cake on the floor, she smiled and calmly redirected them.  It.was.awesome!!!!  And, no, she didn't have to deal with that the entire lesson, just a few times. :)

I loved peeking in on my 1st counselor's Sharing Time lesson--it was the first one she'd done in our ward (her family is new), and it was fantastic.  I am excited to work with her--she has MANY years of experience serving in Primary.

Another fun thing was helping out a couple of our substitute Nursery helpers who were having a friendly "disagreement" over the wording in the Popcorn Popping song.  Turns out I've been singing it wrong forever--instead of saying "it wasn't really so, but it seemed to ME," I should be saying, "it wasn't really so, but it seemed to BE."   Primary is great--I learn something every single week! :)

Indian summer

This post is a little random, so brace yourself. We were watching a football game on TV this weekend, and I was surprised (but not jealous) that people looked cold at the game! :) Unlike this time last year, I am basking in the high-desert heat and loving every minute of it. Has my body adjusted to Ridgecrest weather? Yes, yes it has! We've got another month or so to enjoy this ridiculous heat/warmth, even though the pool will be shut down Columbus weekend.

We had the de-feet party, and it turned out great. R invited 3 girls, and 2 couldn't make it, so we were glad to get Bailey over. Bailey was so sweet--about every other sentence was "This is SO awesome!" The girls soaked their feet in the pool, got foot massages, played Twister, guessed some famous "successful failures," had fun painting and adding stickers to their nails (er, I mean nail art), and ate cupcakes. They really liked the goody bags stuffed with microwave popcorn, granola bars, crazy socks, and a $1 manicure kit from WalMart. :) Wade had a friend over, too, and they played Wii most of the time. :)

Cupcakes make life sweeter!

Bailey brought a TON of cute nail polish! She was a lot of fun to be with.

More randomness--this is our Sunbeam class from church, all 11 of them. Right now they are taught by one teacher, who is so extraordinarily awesome with these kids that she's been given the nickname "The Sunbeam Whisperer." Thank goodness for wonderful people in our ward who help bring out the goodness in these kids!