Scripture Charades

At Will's recommendation, we had tentatively planned to go bowling tonight for Family Home Evening, but since Joel stayed home from school with a bad cold today, we figured bowling was not the best activity. Instead, we played scripture charades. We began by singing Book of Mormon Stories and then everyone was given 5 minutes to come up with actions and props for two scripture stories. We then took turns acting out our stories. At the end of each charade, everyone wrote down their guess as to what the story was. When all ten acts were completed we totaled up the guesses to see who did the best at guessing.

Will acted out David and Goliath using a realistic sling from Bethany and then the Book of Mormon story of Ammon cutting off the arms (with a plastic sword--but he also considered using a light saber) of the sheep rustlers.

Joel acted out the story of Alma the Younger being struck down by an angel for three days and then waking up and going on a mission. His prop was a hand printed missionary name tag: Elder Joel Emmett, Zarahemla mission. His second story was also about Ammon fighting off the sheep thieves only with a different sword.

Our thespian Sarah acted out the story of Esther. She alternately played the roles of the king (with a crown) and Esther (with a shawl) and even wicked Haman who was put to death by throat slitting in the end. For some reason I thought she was acting out Salome dancing for king Herod followed by the beheading of John the Baptist. Her second story was King Benjamin climbing a pretend tower to deliver his famous sermon.

Marie acted out Samuel the Lamanite preaching from the city wall (the coffee table) and then the wicked folks of the city shooting arrows (she used a bow as a prop) and throwing stones (using foam balls that were gathered up at the end of the SLC winter Olympics closing ceremony) at him. Her second story was Daniel in the Lions den complete with a very sweet and not-hungry-at-all stuffed lion. Will happily figured out both of these stories.

I acted out the story of Jericho. I marched around the room seven times. On the seventh time around I pulled out my bugle and blew the walls down. The final story was that of Peter's vision of the unclean foods from Acts. I pretended to sleep and then in my dream a dish cloth filled with a stuffed Piglet and a stuffed red lobster (unclean foods to Jews) came down from heaven. I then pretended to be Peter preaching the word of God to gentile Cornelius in Caesarea. It was a fun evening. Everyone had a great time. Chocolate chip chewies (with nuts!) for the treat.

Boys will be boys

Saturday the Emmett Boys went to the final regular season BYU basketball game. Jimmer and the rest of the boys did not disappoint in their victory over Wyoming. Joel loves watching BYU play and even Will (attending his first BYU basketball game) got into the fun of watching all of the 3-pointers. The boys joined the Cosmo club (dad payed $40 each) for the season which gave them a t-shirt, tickets to two football games and tickets to five basketball games. We shared most of the basketball tickets with Joel's Webelo den two weeks ago when nine of the boys attended the Colorado game.
The student section was almost as fun to watch as the BYU team. They are well choreographed with chants, dances, waves and cheers.
For half time Joel got a $3.50 Sprite and Will a $3.50 ice cream (the worst part of BYU athletics are the expensive concessions!) Joel also got a #32 Jimmer t-shirt.
Celebrating BYU's conference victory
That night Will took a bubble bath in the big bath. Such a fun-loving, happy little boy--but not always so.
Last Monday we had a FHE evening lesson on the fifth article of faith. Marie's visual aids were still on the easel the next morning when Will got upset at his mom for not letting him do something (a week later and no one in the family can remember what the restriction was--but most likely something about wanting to play the Ninetendo DS or watch TV ) and so kindergartener Will, who is just learning to spell, expressed his frustration with his mom's rules with the above statement (translation: Will doesn't like Mom)
Last month we had this family photo taken at a stake family history extravaganza.

From a facebook post yesterday: "While reading about Jerusalem in the Book of Mormon for family scripture study tonight, Joel came up with an entertaining, random thought: "Wouldn't it be fun to play hide-and-go-seek in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher." T'would indeed."

Many, many BYU Jerusalem students "Liked" this status update.