The first Sunday of December found us teaching Primary, making gingerbread houses, watching the Christmas Devotional and ELF, and celebrating Danny’s half birthday a little early. We are so grateful for this smart, fun, talented, strong boy. I personally am extra grateful that when I got upset that we missed our ice skating reservation because I was in a hurry and didn’t put it on the calendar, he asked me if there was anything he could do to help. That alone made it ok.
Speaking of our boy, he got a Christmas present early: a full size bed! Luckily my co-worker was selling hers so we only had to pay $40 for the frame, box springs, and mattress. Now only if the new bedding only cost that much. Ha! The new bed makes the room look totally different and now all he’s wanting is a monitor to hook his PS4 up to in there. He has moved Hubby’s monitor out of the playroom and into his room more than once after being told there was no way we were buying him his own monitor. Lol.
Michelle’s dress rehearsal (pictured here) went better than the performance in the Holiday show. She was pretty upset that her Santa hat came off toward the beginning of the routine but I was proud of her for handling it so well while on stage and I thought their choreography was great. I am glad getting her first Covid shot in between the rehearsal and the performance didn’t make her arm too sore! I am grateful our friends could help us get an appointment at a vaccine clinic after I spent hours online trying to find two appointments within a reasonable driving distance. Hubby says they did great!
On December 12th I gave my Primary children the challenge to create their own personal Articles of Faith and promised them candy if they turned in their "homework" on the 19th. After emailing their parents to explain and share some the examples I gave in class I decided I better complete the homework assignment too. This is what I came up with after baking these delicious peanut butter blossoms with Michelle while we watched cheesy Christmas movies:
My Personal 13 Articles of Faith
1. I believe in Heavenly Parents that are all powerful, all knowing, and all loving.
2. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and came to Earth to live and die for our sins, illnesses, pains, and heartache. I believe that because of Him the Earth was created, I will be resurrected, and have the chance to live eternally with my Earthly and Heavenly families.
3. I believe that through the power of the Holy Ghost I can be guided and know the truth of all things.
4. I believe that to grow closer to God and take advantage of Christ's offering, I need to practice faith, repentance, be baptized, and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, plus stay true to my baptismal and temple covenants.
5. I believe in prophets being called to lead the Church in days of old and today. I believe that President Nelson has the Priesthood Keys to receive special revelation for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that can bless both the Church and our own lives.
6. I believe that Jesus' Church was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith, giving us added knowledge, power, and blessings that bring us closer to the Savior.
7. I believe all God's children have divine gifts to be shared with their Heavenly brothers and sisters while we journey through life together on this Earth. I believe God wants to bless us and wants us to care for others and ourselves.
8. I believe the Bible was created and passed down to help us learn about the Plan of Salvation. I believe the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and will help us understand even more of God's plan for us.
9. I believe God has revealed many important truths, is now still revealing truths to us, and will reveal more truths in the future to both the Church as a whole and to us individually.
10. I believe we have been called to share the restored gospel here on Earth and also to help those who have already died obtain the ordinances of baptism and other temple blessings. I believe in a glorious Second Coming of our Savior at some unknown future date.
11. I believe everyone must decide for themselves what they believe and should be allowed to practice their religion (or choose not to have a religion) without government interference as long as they are not harming others.
12. I believe that as we choose to obey commandments and follow good advice, we can become more like our perfect example, Jesus Christ. I believe commandments are given to us for our benefit out of charity to help us love others and ourselves.
13. I believe that it's never too late to let the Atonement into our lives, that God always has a backup plan, and that everything will be made right in the end. I believe that it is my job to show up in the world the best way I can and let God take care of the rest. I also believe that we are all born worthy of God's love and that there is nothing we can do to keep God from loving us simply because we are human.
Bonus quote: "He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come." (The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles, last paragraph).
Although most of us had a pretty fun time at school that last week before break (Hubby sure didn't because he was sick but tested negative for covid twice and negative for strep, flu, and rsv) we were all happy to look forward to a full two weeks with no school! Having the PTO provide treats for all the staff, even GF/DF ones, was pretty amazing!
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