Family Home Evening

Tonight we had an exceptional family home evening.  Normally, FHE goes something like this:
6:45 Gather in the living room with boys on one side (the low key side of the piano), girls on the other.
6:46 Sing an opening song with Brandt and Blythe "accompanying."
6:47 Review of the weeks' activities while the children jump on the couch or us.
6:48 Attempt at having a lesson which rapidly degenerates into chaos.
6:49 Children demand we have a treat.
Sometimes the children jump on us while demanding a treat before we get to the lesson, and sometimes (often) I get fed up with the chaos during the review of the calendar and go away to be by myself.  It isn't often the familial gathering where testimony is nurtured and bonds strengthened.

But today was different.  Today was fantastic!
We gathered today with girls on one side and boys on the other as usual.  Brandt was going to give the lesson about Adam, so we sang the first verse of Follow the Prophet.  The children listened to the calendaring and are looking forward to several upcoming activities.

Brandt then gave his short lesson.  Yesterday in Sunbeams they talked about Adam naming the animals.  Brandt had a coloring sheet with an animal inset.  He pointed to Adam and then to his girlfriend.  We clarified Eve's relationship to Adam, and then let him continue.  He identified all the animals and then said, "That's all."  In keeping with the animal theme, we then played "Guess, Guess the Animal," a game I played with my family in my youth during family home evenings.  Each family member acts like an animal and the others have to guess what he or she is pretending to be.  Kent, Blythe, and I all acted like animals--Brandt would only guess.  He was a very good guesser.  Blythe was a very good actor: she was a growling hippopotamus and bushy tail shaking squirrel.

We sang Sing a Song as our closing song.  This is a very short song, the lyrics of which are these: "Sing, sing, sing, I like to sing.  I like to sing a song.  Sing, sing, sing."  When I was the Primary chorister we would sing this song and each time we sang "sing" we would do a funny action.  Tonight, again in keeping with the animal theme, we made an animal noise each time we sang "sing."  So it went like this: "Growl, growl, growl, I like to growl.  I like to growl a song.  Growl, growl, growl."  And "quack," and "woof."

While Kent gave the children a bath, I made popcorn.  As we ate our treat around the kitchen table, I read scriptures.  On Saturday morning I read about Nephi cutting off Laban's head.  This made an impression on our boy who wanted a recap yesterday and today.  Tonight's chapter in the Book of Mormon was short and when I was done, Brandt said, "Read more."  How many times does a parent hear that?

Instead, I read a chapter of Winnie the Pooh.  On Friday, on the way home for the Salt Flats, I began reading Pooh out loud.  Brandt didn't want me to until I began.  Tonight we read the chapter in which Piglet tries to catch a heffalump and instead catches Pooh.  I love reading to the children and I am delighted that Brandt is now able to listen to a story without pictures.  It was just a wonderful family home evening, giving me hope that our Monday evenings are going to improve.