The Weekend Recap

We had a really great weekend. The Rocket Scientist had his wisdom teeth out on Thursday so we weren't trying to fit in lots of to-do things or yard work. This meant we had lots of time to just be together. It was nice to have a slow-paced weekend. That doesn't happen very often around here.

The Rocket Scientist with ice tied around his head.

For General Conference we kept some old traditions and tried some new ones. For the kids we recounted the story of King Benjamin and pitched our semi-annual conference tent. We had library books, paper, stickers, and crayons nearby. Cute Girl had a paper from Primary with every apostle's picture below a tie. She was supposed to watch for them and draw the tie they were wearing. She really had a good time with this. And we discovered that red ties were very popular on Saturday. Handsome Face napped during the afternoon sessions so Cute Girl got to play her "conference game." She chooses pictures of gospel topics and listens for them during the session. Every time she hears an appropriate word she gets a candy from the bowl. Last conference we used M&Ms but I ate half the bowl so this time we switched to Skittles. At one point she was counting on one hand while shoving candy in with the other. Then she started complaining about how she couldn't chew because her mouth was too full. By midway through Sunday afternoon she told me that she thought we shouldn't have any more sugar.

New to this year was our between-sessions craft time. The kids really liked this but I think their dad had the most fun. Saturday we made trick-or-treaters out of craft foam. I had a kit from last year's clearance sales. The Rocket Scientist added parrots to their pirates and Cute Girl loved that. On Sunday we painted some Halloween decorations. We got started late and so ended up painting during the whole session. We really enjoyed that session although I probably would have learned more if I was taking notes. But seeing as Sunday afternoon is the best time for falling asleep, it's probably good that we were painting!

As for food, we had soup twice because of the whole wisdom teeth thing. I had to put my roast and mashed potatos on hold. But we did make cinnamon rolls Sunday morning and had some friends over for breakfast. Then Sunday night we had more friends over to eat more of the cinnamon rolls because I really need to get them out of my house! Plus, the kids loved playing with their friends. It was nice for them to be able to run off some of their pent up energy. And it's nice to have friends that you can call at a moment's notice.

All in all, it was a great weekend. My favorite parts were Pres Uchtdorf and Elder Ballard's talks, flying kites in the park, going to a mom's night out (for the neighborhood - not conference related), buying a new couch, and snuggling with all my kiddos.

Conference Prep

Preparations for General Conference are in full-swing in our house. I hope it is a lovely weekend. I always have such high hopes for the weekend and I always feel a bit let down at the end. The spiritual nourishment is always excellent but I feel like a fall through on my end of the deal.

So today we're trying to clean the whole house, top to bottom. For me I must have an immaculate physical environment in order to be most open to the Spirit. I don't want to be in the middle of a session thinking about the dishes in the sink.

And I've been thinking about our conference traditions and what I want to adjust. So here's my question: what does Conference weekend bring to your home? Any preparations that HAVE to be done? Special meals to share? Fun games for the kids? I'll share mine if you'll share yours!

We listened to the Prophet's Voice

I love General Conference, don't you? I believe Elder Holland's talk was my favorite. I can't wait for the Ensign to come out.
We spent the weekend quietly. I didn't feel as well prepared as I would have liked, but we pulled it off.
We ate waffles:And "pitched our tents towards the temple":And picnicked in the park:

And gave Cute Girl her first lesson in cooking chickens:

(Like my dirty kitchen?)

We had a great time Saturday afternoon. Handsome Face slept through the entire session and Cute Girl sat through it. We played a great game with her that really kept her focus on the little tidbits she could grasp. Pictures of gospel topics like prayer, sacrament, temples, Jesus Christ, etc. surrounded the TV and every time she heard one of these words she got to take a Peanut M&M. She got LOTS of M&Ms. Especially during the prayer talk. It seemed like every other word was prayer! Next time we're using Mini M&Ms.

We also got to spend some great time with friends. The kids and I went to a potluck dinner with lots of other mommys and kids during the Priesthood Session and some neighbors came to our house for dinner Sunday night (hence the chicken lessons). It was a great time. And tonight we're going to FHE at their house. Yay for having friends live close finally!

And finally a cute Cute Girl tidbit. Saturday we grilled for lunch and our burgers were done right as the afternoon session opened. We paused to bow our heads for the opening prayer. When it was over, Cute Girl started to laugh and said, "He blessed our food! Silly prophet!"