Category Archives: Family Home Evening

2008 year in review – 2009 look ahead

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For our Family Home Evening this past week we reviewed the year and talked about what we were looking forward to this year.
Here, in no particular order, is our list of things that were noteworthy in 2008:

  • Andrew ate lots of Nanna’s hospital food
  • Andrew got 2 trophies from bowling in the summer
  • Lisa got a new calling (released as Primary Music Leader and called as Enrichment Leader)
  • We got a new van
  • Andrew got his own room
  • Matthew got his own room (because Andrew got his own room)
  • Matthew got out of Nursery and started Sunbeams
  • We got some of the bathroom redone
  • Christine kept getting cuter
  • Graham kept his calling
  • Matthew learned how to write his name
  • Andrew learned to tie his shoe laces
  • Christine learned to walk (it was a Christmas miracle)
  • Andrew passed a swimming course
  • Matthew passed a swimming course (Sea Turtle)
  • We put in new tiles in the kitchen
  • Andrew really got into LEGO
  • Christine says “Hi” to everyone
  • We spent a lot of time at the hospital visiting Nanny, Mom, and other people
  • Andrew spent the March Break at Grandma and Grandpa’s house
  • Graham started a monthly father/son night
  • Andrew started grade 1
  • Matthew started JK
  • Christine turned 1
  • Matthew turned 4
  • Andrew turned 6
  • Andrew was the student of the month in SK
  • Lisa went in her first craft sale
  • We went to Buckhorn

Here are some things were are looking forward to in 2009, or things we would like to change (quasi-resolutions):

  • Andrew will start grade 2 and turn 7
  • Matthew will start SK and turn 5
  • Christine will turn 2
  • We will go to Florida in February
  • Julia will get married in March
  • Both boys want to pass another swimming course
  • Matthew would like to whine less (honestly, he said this himself)
  • Andrew will listen better
  • Lisa will be more fun (when she said this, the boys yelled out, “Yay!”)
  • Lisa will exercise more regularly
  • Graham will be less of a “junker” (this is the boys nickname for Graham because he always gives them junk food)
  • Graham will keep working on the house
  • As a family, we’d like to do monthly service for someone
  • Lisa and Graham want to get to the temple every month.

In case you were wondering, Graham and Andrew stayed up till midnight on New Year’s Eve. Matthew was allowed to, but was too tired to stay up so he went to bed. Lisa was obviously allowed to stay up, but slept on the couch for a couple of hours. Lisa, Graham, and Matthew were up for the actual date change at midnight.

Halloween 2007

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Another year, another Halloween. I guess since they are getting a little older, Andrew and Matthew were particularly excited about Halloween this year. Lisa bought a few decorations and put them up. For one of our Family Home Evening activities we made a haunted gingerbread house. Andrew got to wear his costume to school on Halloween. He was Frankenstein. Matthew was a fireman (with a dog in its pocket, as he had to tell everyone when he went trick or treating). Christine was a zebra (courtesy of Mom). Lisa stayed home to give out candy while I took the boys out and pushed Christine in the stroller. The boys both got a lot of candy, and then we headed to Hilda Street where they got some more. I’ve taken pictures from most of these things and you can see them in the Halloween 2007 gallery.

One of the things Andrew was most excited about happened a few days after Halloween. He got a new book called 13 Ghosts of Halloween. It had a “song” that was to the tune of 12 Days of Christmas. Here are the words:

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On the twelfth stroke of midnight
Oh, nothing frightens me!
Not twelve vampires rising
Eleven goblins giggling
Ten werewolves howling
Nine witches cackling
Eight mummies moaning
Seven spiders grinning
Five bogeymen
Four darting bats
Three black cats
Two shrunken heads
Or a vulture in a dead tree

Making Donuts

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Last night while Andrea, Andrew and Matthew carved a couple of pumpkins (pictures of that later), Julia and I made donut balls. I had a recipe around for a while that I wanted to try. Our first couple burned the second we put them in the oil. I guess it was too hot 🙂

We figured out the right temperature and went to work.

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For our first try, they weren’t too bad. They are sour cream-based, so they are a little heavy, and I probably should have cooked them slightly longer at a slightly lower temperature. But otherwise they were pretty good. We put icing sugar on them and it was just like being a a carnival!

FHE – Service

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Last Sunday we had a welfare specialist for the Church speak in Sacrament meeting, and provided some training for the Ward leaders. Along those lines, our Family Home Evening lesson was on service. We talked about how important it is to help other people, and then we did something similar to the “service auction” that the Relief Society sometimes does. We each wrote down several things we could do, and then we agreed on who would do what for whom.

Graham is going to:

  • Help Julia with her computer
  • BBQ Lick’s burgers for Lisa
  • Toast marshmellows and hot dogs to perfection for Andrea

Julia is going to:

  • Wash Andrea’s car
  • Babysit while Lisa goes to the temple
  • Take Graham to the Bulk Barn for some snacks

Lisa is going to:

  • Take Julia for a walk and have ice cream
  • Watch a movie with Andrea and make her popcorn
  • Make Graham a yummy breakfast

Andrea is going to:

  • Wash Julia’s car
  • Take kids to Happy Rolph’s so L&G can have “love” time (her words, not mine!)
  • Babysit for Graham while he goes to the temple

Andrea’s tattoo

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For Family Home Evening on Monday, my lesson was kind of a game. We pulled letters out of a box, and we had to think of church-related words that started with that letter. The person who thought of the best word or the most words got to keep that letter, and then the person who had the most letters won. The prize was a temporary tattoo from a box of Freezies. Andrea won:

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Wing Family Gallery update

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Another Saturday, another boring day, more galleries posted…

  • 20060508 Visit to Happy Rolph’s
    We went to Happy Rolph’s after Family Home Evening a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful evening. We fed the ducks and of course threw rocks. There are some good pictures of Andrew and Matthew by the lake.
  • 20060514 Mother’s Day
    We had our Mother’s Day dinner at our house. We had amazing pork and chicken kabobs. I think the Moms were happy with the day.

FHE – The Creation

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On Monday for Family Home Evening I taught a lesson on the creation. Each of us drew one of the “days” of the creation and then I summarized the story of the creation from Genesis. We tried to explain to Andrew that it was like following a recipe… there were different steps involved. Then we made a list of different features of animals (antlers, hooves, tails, scales, tusks, etc) and we each made our own animal. As you can see, we may be creative, but we can’t draw!

NOTE: You can click on each picture to view a larger version.

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This is Lisa’s drawing of a Crocduckphant. It is part elephant (the head), part crocodile (the body and tail) and part duck (the webbed feet).

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This was my drawing of a Lirootle. It has the head of a lion, the lower body of a kangaroo and the shell of a turtle.

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This is Julia’s drawing of a Schmalopolus. She explains in the drawing what it is made of.

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This is Andrea’s drawing of an Underwater Slithermoose. It has the body of a snake, antlers and hooves of a moose, and a fin and tail like a fish.

Andrew’s “Bob the Tomato”

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Monday night brought Family Home Evening. Julia bought pizza for dinner, Andrea and Mandy bought refreshments, Lisa taught a lesson on the vision of the tree of life. We need to hold to the rod… or to the jute (that’s what she had tied across the entrance way). I was in charge of an activity, and we played Junior Pictionary. Andrew drew a nice picture of Bob the Tomato from VeggieTales.

Birthday Banner

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As much as I love the banner that Jason created for Dad’s birthday, I feel that the writing would be better suited in the middle or left side so as not to block my face. I haven’t been that cute for quite awhile and would hate to see my early years forgotten.

Sorry it’s taken so long to post my first comment but I have been very busy with stake business. At least phone business has returned to normal.

We just saw “Legacy” for FHE (my first time) and enjoyed it. Kids are sleeping like angels and Evy and I are finishing up for the night. Will comment again in the (hopefully) not too distant future.