The Lamoreaux Family

Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Light Princess

As part of her Advanced Acting class, Aliysa was recently in the production "The Light Princess". It is a fairy tale by George MacDonald, adapted for the stage by Heather Fahnestock.

The acting was excellent, the costumes were amazing, and the whole experience was wonderful!

Heather Fahnestock (middle) was the director, and Carrie Francia and Shelby Smith were the assistant directors. Each of these wonderful ladies has an amazing ability to bring out the best in these young actors. Jace is working with them in his Shakespeare class now, we're looking forward to his performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"!

A New Semester

A new semester of iFamily has begun. I'm teaching two Nature study classes, and one Earth Science class. We have explored frozen puddles,

chosen a "class tree" to observe and see if it changes at all (being Idaho, it could possibly look the same when we end in April as it did in January, but let's hope it doesn't)

We made pinecone bird feeders,

Here's the second class, they chose the same "class tree".

In Earth Science, we made "edible aquifers". We used ice and sprite for the aquifer, ice cream for the confining layer (clay soil), crushed graham crackers for the dirt, green sprinkles for the vegetation, a straw for a water pipe, and the students used their mouths as water pumps. This experiment was a hit, except maybe for one of my adorable students who doesn't eat sugar (she's my hero!) I'm going to come up with some healthier experiments that she'll be able to enjoy, too.

Ellie S's diagrams of our experiment, and the layers of the earth. We cut open hard boiled eggs to simulate the earth's layers.

Abby having fun in her "Music and Movement" class

Spencer (you can see his arm reaching up in the back) in his improv class. They were mirroring each other.

Jace in his ballroom dance class. They are learning the Lindy.

Aliysa is taking Art Journaling, Foundations of Liberty, and Worldviews. She is serving on the student government council, and is leader on the youth committee planning a Youth Conference.

Jace is taking Shakespeare, Foundations of Liberty, and Ballroom.

Courtney is staying home to study, enjoy some quiet time, babysit Taycie, and practice her music instruments (piano and violin). She takes piano and violin lessons on other days of the week.

Spencer is taking Heroes of the Revolution, Zing, Earth Science, and Improv.

Mallory is taking Beginning Knitting, Nature Study, Love of Music, and Making Masterpieces

Zach is taking Book Bugs, Nature Study, Earth Science, and Making Masterpieces

Andrew gets to work with Bob on Wednesdays. He spends some time doing school at home with Courtney, and then he and Bob work on remodeling the four-plex. He has his own tools, and he loves it.

Abby is taking Nature Study, Music to the Core, Music and Movement, and Creative Corner

We are having lots of fun!

Family times

Oh, I love the type of big brother Jace is.

Zach and Andrew told us the story of "The Five Chinese" brothers, using pictures that Zach got in his "Book Bugs" class. He cut them out, told Andrew the story, and they "acted" it out together. I'm so happy they are such great buddies.

Um, yeah. Those fingerprints on the window don't look that bad unless it's dark outside and a flash illuminates them. Wow. Where's the Windex?

Taycie is a little light bulb. I love her! Nice headband, Bob. (I LOVE him, too.)

Andrew with his foam sword he got for Christmas. He's trying to look tough, but I just want to squeeze him.

Snow, snow, come out in the snow!

We've had a few days of snow this year...

And when we do, Buddy pushes the back door open with his snout, sneaks inside, and lays on the rug in deep depression. He hates any weather that contains moisture.

I love my daughters

Each one of them is so very different, yet I love each one with all my heart.

Christmas

I absolutely loved having Christmas on Sunday this year! It was so nice to start the day off by going to church and focusing on the birth of Christ. Then we came home, lined up, and headed in the family room to share presents.

Taycie noticed the candy canes on the tree right away

This is a funny picture of Aliysa, but she sadly pointed out that this is the only picture I took of her on Christmas morning. Whoops. Sorry Liss.

Zach made homemade cards for everyone. This was his for me.

Mallory showing her Christmas coloring book, reading book (The Middle Moffatt), and her knitting supplies.

Oh, how I love Christmas day with our family. No interruptions, fun times, reading books and lots of smiles and laughter.

Bob cooked the Christmas turkey - it was delicious. We enjoyed a yummy feast together. I love the Christmas season so much.

Fill the spiritual needs

“some parents become so expert at filling every physical desire for their children that they begin to suppose that all is well in this life and that their eternal stewardship is progressing right on schedule. … I believe that we must pause and take a careful inventory to determine how well our families are doing spiritually. We could ask how well are we feeding, nurturing, training, and exercising the spirits of our children; or how well have we taught, trained, loved, and inspired our children to build their spiritual muscles and strength? … Remember, eternity is now, not a vague, distant future. We prepare each day, right now, for eternal life. If we are not preparing for eternal life, we are preparing for something else, perhaps something far less.”

–M. Russell Ballard

Pray with your little ones

"Behold your little ones. Pray with them. Pray for them and bless them. The world into which they are moving is a complex and difficult world. They will run into heavy seas of adversity. They will need all the strength and all the faith you can give them while they are yet near you. And they also will need a greater strength which comes of a higher power. They must do more than go along with what they find.

They must lift the world, and the only levers they will have are the example of their own lives and the powers of persuasion that will come of their testimonies and their knowledge of the things of God. They will need the help of the Lord. While they are young, pray with them that they may come to know that source of strength which shall then always be available in every hour of need."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

Be Wise In Our Diet

“…let us consider our relationship with ourselves. We must each take proper care to see that the little things regarding our personal life are in order. We must learn to care for our health and our mental well-being. Do we maintain proper exercise to give us the energy and alertness of mind necessary to keep our spirit strong & our attitude positive? Are we wise in our diet? Do we avoid the unnourishing snack that might keep our stomach full but our health quite empty?

–Joseph B. Wirthlin, Finding Peace in Our Lives, p. 59

Turn it off, walk out...

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

“Tragically, the same computer and Internet service that allows me to do my family history and prepare those names for temple work could, without filters and controls, allow my children or grandchildren access to a global cesspool of perceptions that could blast a crater in their brains forever. . .

“Along with filters on computers and a lock on affections, remember that the only real control in life is self-control. Exercise more control over even the marginal moments that confront you. If a TV show is indecent, turn it off. If a movie is crude, walk out. If an improper relationship is developing, sever it. Many of these influences, at least initially, may not technically be evil, but they can blunt our judgment, dull our spirituality, and lead to something that could be evil. An old proverb says that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so watch your step.” (Place No More For the Enemy of My Soul, April 2010)

Only a teacher

"If any parent needs added inspiration to commence his God-given teaching task, let him remember that the most powerful combination of emotions in the world is not called out by any grand cosmic events nor found in novels or history books—but merely by a parent gazing down upon a sleeping child. That glorious biblical passage, 'created in the image of God,' will acquire new and vibrant meaning as a parent repeats this experience. Home will become a haven called heaven, and loving parents will teach their children 'to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.' (D&C 68:28.)"
--Thomas S. Monson

Quote

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. …”
--C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Raise up patriots

The importance of teaching & training

"In 1904, President Joseph F. Smith said to parents: “Do not let your children out to specialists … , but teach them by your own precept and example, by your own fireside. Be a specialist yourself in the truth.

… Not one child in a hundred would go astray, if the home environment, example and training, were in harmony with the truth in the gospel of Christ, as revealed and taught to the Latter-day Saints.”

The ideal way to transform your home into a house of learning is to hold family home evening faithfully. The Church has reserved Monday evening for that purpose. In 1915, the First Presidency instructed local leaders and parents to inaugurate a home evening, a time when parents should teach their families the principles of the gospel.

The Presidency wrote: “If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influence and temptations which beset them.”

President David O. McKay gave the same promise in 1965 and added that the youth will gain power “to choose righteousness and peace, and be assured an eternal place in the family circle of our Father.”

In 1976, the Presidency reaffirmed that “regular participation in family home evening will develop increased personal worth, family unity, love for our fellowmen, and trust in our Father in heaven.

Considering these glorious promises, we would expect every faithful member to be exceedingly diligent in following this prophetic counsel. But, of course, we are all human, and our best plans don’t always materialize. Why not? Let it not be for lack of commitment."

--Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Spiritually Strong Homes and Families

Our Health Duty

“I am grateful to understand that my physical body is an eternal component of my eternal soul, and that I have a duty to honor and respect and care for it, and to refrain from knowingly imposing upon it any treatment or substances deleterious to it. While I could not choose nor govern the condition of the body into which I came, I have the responsibility to give it the best care I can, and if I do not I am acting in derogation of a great gift of God.”
--Marion D. Hanks, “For Man is Spirit”

Come to the Temple

"The season of the world before us will be like no other in the history of mankind. Just as this is the dispensation of the fullness of times, so it is also the dispensation of the fullness of evil. There is no safety in the world: wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot assure it, membership in this church alone cannot bring it. We must come to the temple for light and safety. There are hosts of unseen sentinels watching over and guarding our temples. There will come a period of time when even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. They will long to bring their children here for safety's sake. The covenants and ordinances will fill us with faith as a living fire. In a day of desolating sickness, scorched earth, barren wastes, sickening plagues, disease, destruction, and death: we as a people will rest in the shade of trees, we will drink from the cooling fountain. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm, we will mount up as on eagle's wings."
--Vaughn J. Featherstone