FHE - My turn

Each month my family gets together, alternating Sundays and Saturdays. We each take a turn hosting it. The Saturday "FHE" usually consists of something fun to do as a group. On the Sunday ones there will be a lesson, with some dessert and visiting afterwards. This month was my turn to host the Sunday FHE. Seeing as how much I LOVE St. Patrick's Day, it was perfect! We had everyone meet at my place at 5pm and we quickly got to the lesson. Preparing a lesson for 6 kids that don't have much of an attention span and a few adults that have even shorter ones, was a bit tricky, but I think it went well enough.

Afterwards, we let the kids loose. I have a second bedroom in my apartment that gets used as a guest room and I keep my books and such there. I recently rearranged it to make it a bit more kid friendly so that when I do get visitors, there isn't that awkwardness where the kids are bored or the parents are super worried that something will get broken.

So the kids were in there reading through a few Calvin & Hobbes books that I have. Poor Anna started looking bored so, I turned to this tub that I have collected random "dress-up" items and showed her some of the things inside. This instantly caught the attention of the older ones and then everything was crazy and the kids were having a blast. They focused alot on the St. Patrick's Day stuff.

Anna looking like a Irish Movie star with the Shamrock glasses. Such a cutie!

Jackson, Amy, & Carson (had to take it fast, before Carson took the hat off!)

Anna, Seth, Alison, Zach, and Sarah (what a face Sarah!)

Zach, sporting something other than the Irish stuff.

A video clip that I took of the most extreme the dressing up got. Zach looks awesome. Jackson, well I call his outfit, "A little bit Country, a little bit Rock n' Roll".

While the bigger kids were playing dress up, Carson was seen getting into anything he possibly could. But when asked to bring the dishes into the kitchen, he was a HUGE help, for being a 22 month old! But my most favorite moment was when he was looking at the fish in the tank and started making fish faces. Definitely a keeper!

Dessert consisted of the ever popular Trifle and a Jello dessert that I've never made before but was quite pleased with how it turned out. See it for yourself, doesn't it look awesome?

I sure enjoyed having everyone there! In fact once everyone left, it really felt empty in my apartment! My poor fish were probably so happy not to have the kids pounding on the glass anymore. (by the way, I haven't updated the fish situation in awhile....I have about 90 fish now! 3 tetras and 87+ guppies. In December, one of the guppies had a batch of about 60 babies. Anyone want a fish? SERIOUSLY! I have a great warranty policy: if it dies you can have another one, two, or ten! :) Please!)

Give Up Yer Aul Sins

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I've posted the above clip. The voices are Irish children that their teacher recorded telling bible stories. It was done in the 60's, but someone decided to add the cartoon to it. I think it is pretty darn cute.

In case you wonder what this little girl is saying, I have posted the transcripts of the story. Enjoy!

He grew up and they called him John the Baptist, cause he used to go down and tell everybody, baptizing all the big people, and kids an' all., and telling people to do penance and give up their old sins. And so, didn't he come to this terrible wicked woman, and he said to her, Do penance and give up yer old sins. And so she knew penance was hard , and so she said, no, I won't give up me-- I won't do penance and I won't give up me old sins. And so he said, well then you'll end up in hell in the big fire. And then she got raging and she said to herself, I'll get me own back.

And so he got thrown into jail, and this day didn't the man coming to visit him, and St. John the Baptist said to him, "will you do me a favor?" And the man said, "yeah". And so he said Will you go to Jesus and ask him, is he really God or is he a shockin' holy saint? And so the man went to Jesus and he said, "poor John the Baptist, he's in prison and he wants to know Are you really God, or are you a shockin' holy saint? And so he said tell him what you have to see, and the lepers are cured, the people that are blind can see and the people that are on crutches can walk. And lepers means that we're all full with sores all over them. And so he came back and the man told John the Baptist all about it, and so John the Baptist said oh they're all miracles, that's God.

And so, then this same wicked woman knew this - wicked king, and so the wicked king had a party, and so he asked the woman to it and the wicked young one, and so he said to her, do you want to come to the party, and she said yeah, and he asked the wicked young one, and she said yeah. And so they went to the party and so, he said to her, Would you do a dance for me, and so she was only learning, and she said, yeah, and so she went up and she did a dance, and he went over to see (her tea) and she was real cunnin', and so it was finished and the king said, Oh that was gorgeous, I'll give you anything you want, and instead of taking earrings or um a necklace or a watch or a bracelet or something... or a ring or a gold brooch, 'cause, uh, kings are always rich and they have loads of gold, and so instead of doing that, she went over to him and said, what'll I take, and she said, John the Baptist's head on a plate. And so wasn't he in jail when he sent out all his soldiers. And so they came and they cut off his head.

Best Christmas Present Ever!!!!

The Christmas that I was 11, my mom asked me if there was anything that I wanted for Christmas. My father was having employment issues and it was going to be simple Christmas. So they wanted to know if there was one thing that I really wanted. That was all they could promise us, one cool thing that we really wanted. I didn't know (I've never been good at making christmas lists), so I said I didn't care, thinking that I would still get something cool.

Christmas morning comes, and we really did have a good christmas that year. When it came time to open the "the" gift from mom and dad, I was quite surprised. My siblings had received something fun that they got to play with that day. There wasn't much playing to be done with mine. You see, they had gotten me a calculator. It was a nice one, a Texas Instruments one that I used through the many years ahead of school, but it was still just a calculator. I couldn't really complain then, but I sure love to tease them now and say that because of that gift, I was destined to become an accountant. :)

Some friends of mine found this clip and thought of my story....I found it hilarious, hope you enjoy it.