The Living Christ

Several months before Christmas I was inspired by this talk given in a woman's conference.  During the talk, Sister Marriott expressed her desire to memorize The Living Christ by Christmas.  I have had a 12 week program to memorize The Living Christ on my computer desktop for several years, waiting for the right time to try to memorize it with my children.  It's always seemed like such an insurmountable goal to do with my children.  However, this time, this year, the timing was right, and I took a leap of faith as I started with Day 1, "As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ....".  Day 1 lead to Day 2 and so forth, until after many days and lots of prayers, my two oldest and I memorized the document.  Through the process, all of our testimonies were strengthened as we  reflected on Jesus Christ, "the firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world."  This was our gift to our Savior this Christmas, because ultimately, He is The Gift.

History Fair

About a month ago Peter and Elsie participated in a history fair.  Elsie is currently in an American Girls club and they were just finishing up Kaya, a Nez Perce Indian in the 1760s.  I was amazed at how much Elsie learned about the Nez Perce.  Since I read the books out-loud, my other children learned lots as well.  In the club, she made a parflech, an abalone necklace, corn-husk dolls, an herbal medicinal spray. and a weaving project. 
I mentioned to the kids I thought it would be fun to create dioramas of something they were learning about.  Elsie immediately thought of the Nez Perce Indians.  She built a teepee, a horse out of clay along with a travois, a fire, salmon, baskets, and every detail she could think of.  She even had me hard-at-work making these little toothpick worry dolls I remembered making when I was a young girl.  It's a group effort keeping-up with this girl sometimes!

 Peter did his history project on Hideyoshi, the Japanese leader previous to all the shew-guns.  He was really intrigued by the ships the Japanese had and the ships the Koreans had when Japan attacked Korea.  He built models of those.  Originally, he had big plans to build little stick people hanging out of the boats and drowning in the water, but the logistics were much easier said than done, and he simplified his design.  He learned a lot not only about Japan's history, but also about good engineering.

 This was everyone's first history fair.  I think we all learned a lot.  I have a better idea of what a presentation could look like, and know better how to help my children as well.  The kids learned about planning, presenting, researching, and creating.

Kimball's Birthday

Kimball turned 5 at the end of October.  I thought I would include some photos here and write a little update on the new five-year-old in the house.  Kimball wanted a Lego Birthday Party this year.  He was ready to say "good-bye" to his once precious Duplos and be on even ground with his older siblings with Legos:  building, creating, trading, and playing.  He invited a few friends over and they were master builders as they hammered away on old crayons to make their own Lego crayons.  They played some Lego games, including "pin-the-head on the Lego guy", and ate cake and ice cream.  I just love all the grins in the picture below.

 Kimball's smile melts my heart - his whole face lights up.  I love this picture because his eyes tell you how big his smile is without even seeing his lips. 

 The picture below is a finished product from a combined group effort.

I have a funny story about Kimball's birthday.  I always forget to order things early when I shop online.  Hence, Kimball's presents were days late in coming.  We had one present for him (which his dad bought) to open on his birthday, and Grandma and Grandpa came through (Thank you!!) and brought over a present on his birthday as well.  He was very happy and excited about his presents.  The next day was his party, but the packages still hadn't arrived at the post office.  They also included all the birthday party favors and such.  I had no plan B.  Lucky for me, but very unlucky for Kimball, he was throwing up the day of his party.  I called all the moms and rescheduled the party for several days later.  It turned out to be perfect.  Everyone was happy and healthy and everyone (including mom and dad) was able to give him a present at his party. 
I thought I would make a list of some of my favorite things I love about Kimball:
~ His smile
~ His hugs
~ His laugh
~ The love he has for his siblings
~ His energy (when it's not overwhelming me. :))
~ He is quick to forgive
~ He can find happiness in less than ideal circumstances
I am so lucky to be a mom to this spirited boy.  He has taught me and continues to teach me so much.  Here is to a great year Kimball!