I have to say...I've been a mother playing a waiting game. Waiting for my daughter to show interest and desire to start her "Faith in God" projects. I thought for sure she'd be picking it up and asking me to help her OR I'd find her starting it on her own. My wake up call came when the activity day leader mentioned their was going to be a recognition in June. I realized my daughter had nothing passed-off, expect for what was done in class.
It's so nice to say, the waiting game is over. I knew better and needed to show her, teach her the importance of these projects. We sat down together and learned how valuable the book and requirements can be. We set a goal to accomplish one task in each category.
1.
Learning and Living the Gospel: Prepare a pedigree chart with your name and your parents' and grandparents' names. Prepare a family group record for your family and share a family story. Discuss how performing temple work blesses families.
2.
Serving Others: Plan, prepare and serve a nutritious meal.
3.
Develop Talents: Make an item from wood, metal, fabric, or other material, or draw, paint, or sculpt a piece of art. Display your finished work for others to see.
The first project was such a joy to do with Ally. I didn't realized how valuable writing and recognizing family names would be for her. She recognized the fact that she and her sister were named after great grandmothers. Both her parents were named after grandparents. She also recognized that her maternal grandpa was named after his mom's maiden name. And her maternal great-grandpa is a "Jr."
When it came to telling a family story...I'm grateful for the one I chose to tell. Her dad's family name wasn't always spelled the way it is today. Her great-great grandfather, who came from Germany, chose to change the spelling to accomodate the American ways, I gave her the old spelling. It was a very simple story....one I felt she could remember the details. I didn't realize it had an impact until the two days later. I was cleaning papers off the counter and found a zip-lock bag with Ally's name, last name (current spelling) and then the original spelling with a smiley face...all in Ally's writing. This was such a tender mercy for me...the time spent with my child was valuable, she's learning who she is, where she comes from and how important it is to learn how living the gospel can re-unite families.
The following Monday, our family night revolved around Ally's completion of the first task and passing off the second task. Ally planned, prepared and served a nutritious meal. She chose Chinese Chicken Salad with Strawberry/Rhubarb Pie for dessert. Ally did a wonderful job following directions and sticking to task. It seemed to take forever, but she did a magnificent job putting it all together!
She was certainly proud of her pie....she LOVES Rhubarb and was so excited when she saw it in the stores the previous week. Ally loved the fact that she got to eat most of it....since Kaitlyn and Dad dispise Rhubarb. We felt she could use the extra calories anyway :-)
For our family night activity: We chose to teach our kids more about the temple and answer any questions they had. This helped Ally to learn how to discuss the ways temple work blesses families.
What we've learned as parents, so far in this journey: The home is certainly the best place to teach your family the principles of the gospel. It brings so much joy to see our family grasping the gospel and appreciating the effects it can have when we put forth the effort. We're thankful our girls are learning that it is possible for our family (including extended family members) to live together forever AND that when we develop our talents and serve others, we find joy.
Thanks for your hard work Ally. We enjoyed every moment of it....including the reward of eating it!
We'll be excited for you to share goal #3 (your wood project) at the recognition night in June.
One of the nights was at our house with our two little families. We LOVED the company! When eight o'clock rolled around it did get a little tricky....they didn't seem to care for the bathtub water...or our girls getting them ready for bed. We still had fun AND were able to get them to stay longer....thank goodness the babies are still in their carseats, aren't those the cutest pictures of them sleeping??!!! Look at Savannah's little arm propping her head ;-) 
This was our Memorial Day fun...our last night with the munchkins :(
More than likily, we won't see the twins until Fall of 2012. I can't imagine what they'll be like on the next visit. Have fun in Florida you guys...We'll miss you!!!!
