Sunday Thoughts . . .

As is common on a Sunday evening the kids are all in bed, the dishes have been done and Buzz and I are sitting down at our different computers tinkering away.

Today at church it was the Primary children's turn to do their Sacrament Presentation. The kids were very excited about their parts and the girls wanted to look their very best. They chose what outfits they would wear and then we spent some time straightening or curling their hair. 

When we arrived at church they went off to the primary room with the other children to get ready. Right before the meeting started they all walked in and took their seats. As Amie and Caitlyn walked past Haylie saw them and wanted to go and sit with them. When she realised that she wasn't allowed she started to get very upset. We told her that she could go and sit with Poppy, who was also sitting on the stand, but she didn't want to and she soon decided to sit down with Buzz.

 As the sacrament was being passed I noticed how quiet it was. Our ward has about 40-50 primary aged children so this was quiet a feat. All of the children did really well. They sang beautifully and remembered most of the words. That was really nice to see because up until a couple of months ago I was in there teaching them all the songs. Nicola did a great job with them and they sang wonderfully.

 Caitlyn, Amie and Lachlan all did really well with their parts. They spoke clearly so everyone could understand what they were saying. The only problem was that they were sitting on the other side of the pulpit so I couldn't really see them. It was a special presentation and you could definitely feel the spirit there.

Next year Haylie will be in Sunbeams so she will get to sit up on the stand as well. It's actually a little bit scary to think that next year all of my children will be in primary and be in the primary presentation.

I'm so proud of all of my children and I love them so much.

I love this girl!

I love this crazy girl. She is so full of life and loves to make others laugh. Buzz calls her 'Beans' because she is often jumping and dancing around like she is full of beans!

Amie loves to create things and can often be found at the dinning room table making something. Painting, gluing, sticking, beading, folding and cutting she loves it all. But probably her favourite thing to do is draw. She is really good at it and I love seeing what she has been working on. I can do lots of other crafts but drawing is not one of my strong points.

Yesterday her Primary teacher came up to me after class to show me what Amie had done during the lesson. They had been talking about Enos and she had asked them to draw a picture. This is what Amie drew.

It's not a great photo of her drawing but you get the picture. I think it is fantastic. I love the palm trees and I love the details in his face with the beard and headband. He even has his bow on his back.

She definitely has a talent for drawing and I hope she continues to grow and develop it.

Gratitude

Over the last month or so I have been thinking a lot about Gratitude and being Thankful. We all have trials in our life and wish that things were different. It helps to remember all of the things that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with. Just like the song says, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

This year I hope you be able to keep a record of all the things that I am grateful for. It's kind of like a New Year's Resolution but it's more just something that I want to do for myself so that when life gets hard and can easily be reminded of the many things I have been blessed with.

To start with I am so grateful for my calling in Primary as the Primary music leader. I've been in the calling for about a year now and though it can be tiring and frustrating it can also be really fun and uplifting. This year the theme is 'I know the scriptures are true.' All the children have been challenged to read their scriptures everyday so far our family is not doing very good at this but I am hoping to get better and to be able to encourage my children to join the challenge.

The songs for the year are beautiful and I'm looking forward to teaching them to the children. I have learnt so much through this calling. I am much more confident in many things like singing, teaching and working with others. It really is a fun calling. I get to have lots of fun with the kids but I also get to teach them beautiful, spiritual songs that they will remember all their lives. It is one of the things that you remember from all your years in Primary.

I hope that this year I can teach with the spirit and help the children to start growing their testimonies and their joy of singing!