Family Nights: November and December

Week 1

I restarted planning family nights in November. We studied thankfulness all month, and used the opportunity to teach Jessica how to pray. She could repeat one word at a time after us. We used these handy rings I cut out, which she loved, and we pointed to each one as we practiced thanking God. 

After we made chocolate turkeys.

We also sang "Thanks to Our Father, and "Count Your Many Blessings". After Jessica went to bed, Dave and I worked on cleaning out the office, again.

Week 2
The next week we invited the Zobell family to join us. Carla is bilingual, Brian is from Wyoming, and their  daughter Brianna is Jessica's age, so we have several things in common. We sang "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" and Dave read D&C 59:15-21 for the adults' benefit, while the little girls stuffed a cornucopia with plastic play food.

15 And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, not with much laughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance—

 16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

 17 Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

 18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;

 19 Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

 20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.

 21 And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.

Next we made "Thankful Trees" by writing things we were thankful for on leaves, and gluing them on a paper. 

Jessica earned the nickname "Bluebeard" from scribbling on her chin.

We closed with edible cornucopias made of sugar cones, dried fruit, nuts, and fruit candy.

Week 3
After Halloween, I had told Jessica trick-or-treating was over: no more Halloween. She looked crestfallen. So I quickly helped her look forward to Thanksgiving. We read books about falling leaves, Pilgrims and Indians; watched Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown Mayflower Voyagers, and clips of Pocahontas; and I showed her pictures of her cousins who were coming to visit.

So on the third Monday of November we learned about the first Thanksgiving. Dave and I sang "For Health and Strength" in a round. Then we made construction paper hats of a pilgrim (Dave), an Indian (me) and a turkey (Jessica, who else?) .

Jessica shows she learned what a turkey says in this video

(in which, I now realize, her first answer to "What are you?" was "I'n daween (I'm drawing)" not "I'm Dory". My bad.):

Week 4
We found a wonderful tall cheap fir tree at our local grocery store. It fit in the back of my PT.

(Jessica got our old 3-foot, condo-sized fake tree with sparkly plastic ornaments, for her room. We had already decorated when her cousins were at our house for Thanksgiving.)

A 99-cent pine air freshener made our big tree smell delicious. It was our tallest tree yet, 9 feet, after we cut about 2 feet off. It's best feature was when it dried up, the needles almost all stayed on. Merry Christmas!

In December we only had 2 Monday nights available for family time, which we probably just played with Jessica's plastic Nativity set. And the rest of the month Jessica and I during the day watched The Nativity Story movie, The Animated Nativity, Joy to the World, and read lots of Nativity books. Her favorite characters of Christmas were "reindeer!" and "donkey. fas! (fast)". The 3rd Monday we were packing for Utah, and the last Monday we flew home to Virginia.

Next year, the plan is January: Nephi; February: , March: prophets (prep for conference); April: Easter/Resurrection.