Family Night!- restaurant review

A few months ago we took the family to what used to be known as Incredible Pizza. Now it goes by some other name. We had a gift certificate about to expire along with a number of game cards to use up. We also wanted to see if the place had changed since it was going by a new name.

We had a blast. We had the place to ourselves and what seemed endless "money" to spend.
We played and played until the gamecards were used up then went to cash in the tickets.

We had fun with the kids picking out there prizes.

It was a great night. Especially for almost free. As we left we were commenting on the pizza buffet and if we thought we would ever go back.

My take? They had the best celery I have ever tasted and my favorite soda.

Winner-Guess where we are?!

Lori!
You guessed it.
We have not left the state.
For our Family Night a few weeks ago we went to the lake.
Lake Hefner.
Our drinking water lake.

It looks like we went somewhere.
Funny thing?
It felt like we went somewhere.

We don't have big vacation plans this summer, but we try and keep things moving. When that stir crazy feeling sets in, we take a drive somewhere close. The bookstore, a park, the lake. It gets us out of the house and we feel better.

When I saw our photos from the night, they reminded me of being on the coast. The feeling was the same. We were together. Away from our normal routine.

Family Night!

Tonight's lesson came from the book Way to Be.
I was reading chapter 6- Be Positive.

I read this sentence,
"...under the barrage of constant criticism ..."

Oh the looks, and the laughter! I just didn't understand.
Until they explained that what they heard me say was,
"...under the "bra" of constant criticism ..."

We all laughed and laughed. Laughed until we cried.

These are days

Today was one of those days.

It felt like my family must have had a pow-wow together and decided that one would get me in the morning, the other during the day, another after school, and then the last one while making dinner.

I wanted to scream, and cry. One of Jay's favorite lines: "I would rather drink bleach," came to my mind when I thought of my evening ahead.

Then "they" must have had another pow-wow. This time I think it was to humble Mom with their sincerity and their peace and their wisdom and their maturity.

I started the evening with feeling that I wanted to be anyplace but here. I ended with feeling that if this was it, if this was all our family had left, tonight, it would be enough.

I am so glad it was one of those days.

Family Night!

Family Home Evening- a time set aside

Song: Mom- Once there was a Snowman

Prayer: Jack
Scripture: Tucker- James 1:5
Business: upcoming things this week-talked about our word of the month "be SMART"
Lesson: Luke- we watched this about prayer
Activity: Dad-SNOWMAN
Treat: Savanna-caramel corn

Our two faced snowman
Decorating the front and back so we can see it from the house, and people can see it from the street!

(I should have used a tripod- but I posted them anyway- what if the snowman is gone in the morning- I would have felt bad had we missed it!)

Blessing a Day 2009- 23 from yesterday

I am thankful for family nights-
I am thankful that we have a time set aside to spend time together. I used to think that every night was family night. You know when the kids were really little. But now as our family has changed with more children and different schedules, and other things we have going on, I can appreciate the counsel to set aside time to spend together as a family. I enjoy that it is not my responsibility to plan the evening. I am glad we have a little book to refer to of who is in charge of what. I am glad that I am not always the one in charge of lesson. I am thankful that everyone gets a chance to do everything. I am thankful for the time to be together.

Family Night - 8-17-09

Family Night- a time set aside

Song: Dad- I am a Child of God

Prayer: Mom

Family Business: Dad gave a father's blessings to everyone for back to school.

Scripture: Tucker
&
Lesson: Luke -combined together with help from Dad reading the The Family: A Proclamation to the World and talking about the importance of our Family! It takes work to be a family. We need to spend time together to build love.

Activity: Jack- Monopoly Jr. (sidenote from mom- if playing a board game with these kids doesn't give us practice on working together and trying to be nice to one another then I don't know what does!)

Treat: Savanna- mini sundaes with crumbled cookies and sprinkles

Family night - 8-09-09

Back to blogging!




Family Night- a time set aside

Song: Mom- I will follow God's plan for me


Prayer: Tucker (no surprise that Tucker chose himself for the opening and the closing!)


Scripture: Luke Jesus Walks on Water (Matthew 14)


Lesson: Jack- relating to yesterdays events at church, Jack discussed our ward getting a new Bishop and how it will be different. And how we will miss our former Bishop. He talked about how we can show our support to the new Bishop and how we can sustain him even if we wish it were someone else. (pretty big discussion for a 9 year old!) He talked about how a new Bishop is called- The Stake Presidency prays for inspiration.


Activity: Savanna- We played a new game that we learned from our mom/daughter weekend. 7-11, its played with Skip-bo cards.



Treat: Dad

Family night - 5-25-09 memorial day

Family Night- a time set aside

Song- We sung patriotic songs all the way from our house to the cemetery. It took 3 songs with only a few versus each to get there. America the Beautiful, The Star Spangled Banner, My Country tis of Thee.

Prayer-Dad

Lesson- Mom & Dad We talked about why we celebrate Memorial Day.

Who we honor and why.

Jay talked about the blessing of having the gospel of Jesus Christ, and knowing that we will be with our family members again.
We remembered things about our Grandparents, living and passed on. Jay remembered our kids swinging with their great-grandparents at their house on the front porch swing. He remembered Grandaddy making the kids bowls of ice cream. Luke said he remembered getting popsicles and ice cream from Grandaddy. Jack remembered going downtown for ice cream with Grandaddy.
I told the kids how every time we go with Grandpa Spear to the cemetery, he brings cleaning supplies to wipe down and clean up the headstones. Everyone got to work cleaning up. It became a little bit of a competition/contention. (nothing like arguing at the cemetery!)


Activity- planting flowers in a little pot to leave at the cemetery.




Then driving over to visit Nan. My brother had brought over the swing from my Grandparents house that we had been remembering earlier. The kids jumped right on.


Treat- Popsicles

Family night - 4-27-09 recap

Family Night- a time set aside


We had the missionaries over for dinner- and invited them to stay for our family night-


Song-Mom- a wonderful FAST paced rendition of How Firm a Foundation (all seven!)

Prayer-Savanna

Scripture Dad- 2 Nephi 32:1-5

Lesson- Jack- Having a good attitude


Activity-Tucker- Do as I'm doing-


Treat- Luke- Lemon cookies


We ended the night by walking the missionaries out,


and dancing in the driveway.


The End.

Family Night - 4-13-09 recap

Family Night- a time set aside

We had 2 little friends visiting with us for the evening. Their Mom dropped them off with a hot dog dinner. The kids requested that they eat it outside- it was perfect food to add to whatever imaginative game they were playing outside- Out of 6 kids not one of them wanted their hot dog the same. Who would have thought there were so many ways to top a dog?!

Song-since Dad was gone Luke chose Nephi's Courage (again, same song as last week)

Scripture-Tucker- Matthew 28:6

Prayer-Jack

Lesson-Luke- "we have to obey Heavenly Father." He told a very good retelling of Nephi getting the brass plates-(1 nephi chapters 3, 4, & 5 Book of Mormon)

Activity-Mom- dying eggs- since this

was in mom's Easter basket and we just could not get to it on Sunday, we did it tonight-
we will just keep on celebratin'
I used this fancy contraption (that my mom brought to me from cleaning out Nana's house) to pierce the top and bottom of the egg-


I blew threw the egg to make them hollow, then we died them.

Treat-Savanna- hot chocolate and a oatmeal chocolate chip cookie

Prayer-Savanna