Vacation

We arrived back in Sierra Vista late last night after a 10 day vacation. It was so nice, even with all the cold and snow we still enjoyed ourselves. We drove up to Phoenix and spent Friday with my family, then Saturday morning we flew to Chicago and spend the day downtown, mostly at the Field Museum. We still had a gift card to the Cheesecake Factory from our wedding back in May. We thought it would be nice to go Saturday evening. We hadn’t thought it through, apparently the Cheesecake Factory is a hot Valentine’s day location. We ended up waiting an hour and half to get seated. Sunday we attended church at a random ward in Woodbridge, IL before driving to Peoria where my husband’s best friend (and was also the best man at our wedding) lives. Monday and Tuesday were spent in Nauvoo. It is really cold there this time of year. I’ve been there twice in the winter and once in the summer. My husband had never been to Nauvoo. There are downsides to going in the middle of winter, but there are some advantages too: personalized attention from all the Senior missionaries, no crowds, temple is open. Disadvantages: it’s cold, no restaurants are open, it’s cold, you get less sites done because the Senior missionaries are so happy to talk, and it’s cold. Wednesday we drove to Mason City, IA were some of my husband’s extended family live. After spending time with family we drove back to Chicago to catch our Saturday plane back to Phoenix. That evening was my youngest brother’s Eagle Court of Honor. It was a great vacation and was so nice to spend time with my family too. Especially since we won’t be going up to Phoenix during the month of March.

Singing Time Concentration

I wanted my concentration game to be a little more complicated than just matching two pictures, or a picture to a word. I wanted the children to have to try to figure out what the picture was saying. Some of the songs I chose were really easy to think of a fun picture, but others were really hard for me (either that or I couldn't find the right pictures to try to use).
I am having a sub this week so I wanted something easy for her to do.
Can you guess what song each picture is?
For JR: I am planing on having the song names and pictures exposed from the beginning, and having the children match them up. Its not that I don't think the children could do the concentration game, but I don't want it to take a lot of extra time and sing less of the songs. But again it is the sub who will be leading the game and she'll make the final choices.
For SR: I am planing on them playing the game like a normal concentration game.

Snow in Southern Arizona

Last Monday night (the 9th of Feb) the weather forecast was predicting snow for the area. This wasn't the first time since I've moved to Sierra Vista, but I was optimistic. When my husband first awoke to start getting ready for work there was no snow on the ground, but by 7:00 it had started to snow and my husband had been informed that he had a delayed morning (post was not open to all personal until 9:30). This meant he could get back in bed and snuggle. By 10:00 the snow had all melted, but it was fun to have a little for a bit. I was also grateful it did not snow so much it required shoveling. That is one part of the snow I don't think I will ever miss. The one part I do miss about living where it snows are the snow capped mountains, and our mountains are now snow capped.

Valentines themed Singing Time: Garden of Love

I wanted a Valentines themed singing time. I came up with a number of ideas but I never found one I was excited to do. I finally came up with the idea of a heart garden. Each song should be based around Love.

What you need:

• Construction paper
• Bucket or box
• Substance to put into the bucket or box to hold up the sticks (planters Styrofoam, Styrofoam, rocks, dirt)
• Sticks for hearts (stick, popsicle sticks)

Two idea’s for how to do the songs:

1. Have the songs on the hearts already
2. Have the Children think of songs that have to do with love

Some Questions to ask and talk about:

1. Why is love important?
2. Is Loving a commandment?
3. Why do we need to Love?
4. What does this song have to do with Love?
5. Does Love Grow?
6. What do gardens and Love have in common?
7. Who Loves you?
8. Where do we find/feel Love?
9. How do we show Love?
   
   

Suggested Songs:

• Love One Another
• Love is Spoken Here
• Reverence is Love
• Where Love Is
• Mother, I Love You
• I Feel My Saviors Love
• My Heavenly Father Loves Me
• Home
• I Am a Child of God
• Happy Family
• I Lived in Heaven*
• I Love to See the Temple
• Jesus said Love Everyone
• How Firm a Foundation*

*I would still add these if for no other reason but to practice them

I am planning on having the hearts be on the table, then as we sing we’ll place them in the garden. So by the end of Singing time they have a full garden of Heart/Flowers. I’ve considered having the sticks in the bucket already and then once we sing the song placing the hearts on the sticks.

I made my hearts to look like Valentine hearts. They are made of construction paper and some left over scrapbook paper my mother-in-law gave me. The bucket I am using was an old sharing time activity that was in the primary closet.

Focused Activity: How Firm a Foundation

Focused Activity: How Firm a Foundation
On Sunday I used a form of the “Keyword” activity that I found on this blog. I had to put it together quickly so I didn’t actually make keys. I took two colors of construction paper. I used one color for the 1st verse and another for the 3rd verse. Then I wrote words from the verse on the paper. I’d have one child come up and pick a word- not seeing it. The child would then stand with their back to the primary, plug their ears, and hum to themselves, during this time I told the rest of the primary what the word was. Then we’d sing the verse and cover our mouths and hum when we came to the keyword. When we were done with the verse the child would say what the word we didn’t sing was.
It went really well. I only did it with my Senior primary. In Junior we were still working on learning the second verse. The SR primary, for the most part, got the concept well. But the younger children in the SR primary had the hardest time with the concept. So I don’t know if I would do it at some point with the JR primary. Maybe on a song that the JR primary already knows well. I would defiantly try it again with the SR primary.

Me and The Cat

Yesterday Cory went outside through the back sliding door to check something out on the side of the house. As soon as he was outside, the cat started pacing at the sliding door. “He’s not coming back, you’re stuck with me forever.” The cat looked at me, then turned back to the door and started madly pawing at the sliding door.

Rex Is Back!

I went up to Phoenix for to see Rex come home from his mission to the New York Utica Mission. Rex came home and got right back into life. He started right away into re-familiarizing himself with the computer and all the new programs. Along with catching up on all the You-Tube videos he hadn’t seen. He has already started a Facebook account. When he was leaving we had over 200 people at his open house. It was crazy. So for his homecoming open house we had around 100 people at our house. It was still crazy. Cory still hasn’t met Rex. He wasn’t able to come up do to work and school, so he won’t meet Rex until next weekend. I’ve been married almost a year, it is weird to think that my brother has never met my husband. Out of all my siblings, Cory and Rex have the most in common. We’re happy to have Rex back.