Come Follow Me and Bows

I am grateful for Come Follow Me.  I really do feel like it is inspired and exactly what our family needs.  The New Testament was great last year but I have had a harder time implementing it this year.  I think we just need something new.  I was asked to talk about how I teach my kids the scriptures in Sunday School on Sunday and it allowed me to reflect on how we do this.  Quite frankly, I often feel like I am not doing a great job but reflecting made me realize that we are doing an ok job.  Definitely room for improvement, like always, but I do feel like we are striving to teach our kids.

I feel like I am not doing a good job when I think about us sitting reverently around a room reading our scriptures or learning something.  My kids don't sit.  At least Parker.  It usually ends with me wishing it went better.  But I reflected and realized we usually read the lesson and incorporate the thoughts and lessons throughout the week and I think that is what Come Follow Me is all about.  Being at the beach and telling the kids to imagine what it was like for Nephi and his family to build a boat and somehow have the faith to leave their country and the miracle of making it to the promised land.  The ideas our in our thoughts from the reading, the implementing and really making it come to life happens in small moments that the spirit teaches a real life lesson.  That is far more impactful than sitting and reading about Nephi and I think that is the whole essence of the program.

Cindy did an informal bow making project at the park.  That is way more impactful than sitting and reading about Nephi making a bow. 

Danny has read his journal to the kids for years each night.  They ask for him to read it.  It is really cool that Scott asked for a workbook to keep a journal.  He reads his scriptures and writes in his journal each night.  I am not sure what he writes about but this it is such a great form of therapy and self reflection.  That is why I still blog.  This is the only record I have of our family.  There is so much I forget about.  I hope someday my kids will be able to see the good, the bad, the mistakes and the resilience of life.  Parenting isn't easy. Life isn't easy.  It is full of things we wish we could have been better but that is the amazing miracle of life! 

This is Creekside Park.  I am going to really miss all the amazing parks in Brentwood.  We are so blessed!  I love the last one of the kids just being kids.  They disappear into the dried up river bed expect for when it rains.  Then we come home with muddy kids but always an adventure.