Update

I haven't really sat down to blog for a bit.  I haven't been able to send more than a few pictures by my phone.  We've had busy but fun things going on.  A couple weeks ago Jer was off at scout camp and us girls were invited to go to have dinner with Rachel and their girls for Rachel's birthday.  My brother Seth was amazing and watch Sam and baby for me while we went.  Ada now says that her favorite place to eat is Pei Wei.  Since then, Ada spoke in Primary about Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon.  I make my kids write their own talks.  This one was a little daunting for Ada because she didn't know anything more than the fact that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon... so I gave her a couple books to read and showed her some videos about it.  I was impressed at what she picked up.  I wish I knew where her talk was, but I do remember her mentioning that it was dangerous and hard. Also that she bore her testimony about how she feels when she reads the Book of Mormon.  I love hearing as she grows and matures. The next Sunday Sam was assigned the scripture and Evelyn the talk.  It was on Joseph Smith re-establishing the church.  Sam practiced the Article of Faith several times and when we got there they switched and gave him a different one... so Sam just read it.  Several of the teachers were impressed by how well he reads... Heck, I am too. But my amazing reader is still a little boy and yelled, "Bok, bok!" into the microphone when he was done. I didn't know whether to laugh or glare, so I smiled and talked to him about it later. (Turns out that Jer took him aside and talked to him too.) Our sweet Primary President made a big deal about how Sunbeams are brave and very nervous when they give talks... Evelyn wasn't nervous at all... she almost bounced out of her seat because she wanted to be like Ada and give a talk. (She even insisted that she was supposed to give her talk during sacrament meeting.)  It was harder to help Evelyn write her talk.  She knew the story about Joseph praying in the trees, but she didn't know anything else... so I showed her how Jesus set up the church and how the apostles and prophets died and how the Priesthood power wasn't on Earth anymore. I used cups with pictures on them that I'd made long ago.  Evelyn got how it fell and how God called a new prophet and set up a new church, but she didn't get that it didn't keep falling over and over again because "they died".  Eventually she got it. So I asked her questions and she answered them... and I wrote down her answers.

"Jesus loves me and I'm part of the church. Jesus came to Joseph Smith and told him that the church had been destroyed. Jesus told Joseph to make the church again so it won't be destroyed again. Joseph called new apostles and gave us the Book of Mormon. I'm glad that Jesus died for me. I love Jesus all day long."

Now Sam has been assigned a talk on the First Vision, which he told us all about but he's insisting on writing down every detail and having me spell out every single word for him.  We're only about a sentence into the talk.... And Evelyn's been assigned the scripture. I swear that our Primary is more than 4 kids. I think that Junior Primary is about 30.

Lately I've also been tearing out 3 of our flower beds, tying back the roses and planting our tiny garden.  I'm not the best gardener but I guess I won't learn if I don't try right?  Sam's Kindergarten class was doing a unit on Africa so they asked if I'd bring some stuff in.  The kids got a kick out of the drums, money and broom.  Sam was very helpful and carried things around to show all the kids.  Super cute. They liked the story about Janelle and I eating lunch in the park one day and the monkey stealing our sandwiches.  My mom and Janelle came over to visit too... it's been fun.