Family Traditions: Halloween

This year got busy but I was determined to keep our Halloween traditions alive! We got our pumpkins carved and our sugar cookies baked and decorated! Sunday night before Halloween I helped the kids do their pumpkins but didn't have time to do mine. So I did something simple while I baked the cookies. I had to bake the cookies ahead of time while Eleanor was at school. She couldn't help cut them out but Iris helped and we got them done in no time. We had soup in bread bowls at the grandparents house and decorated the cookies with our cousins. Pompa (that what we call our Grandpa) took the kids to his neighbors to trick-or-treat and then we went to our neighborhood. Finished up just in time for baths and bed. It was the perfect Halloween! What are some of your traditions?

FHE: The Armor of God.

While I was reading in 2 Nephi chapter 1 and came across verse 23. It reminded me of the armor of God talked about in the Bible in Ephesians 6:11-18. Lehi was chastising Lamen and Lemuel and he said "Awake my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and rise from the dust." I just love this scripture! 

We had a very cool experience with this FHE. I forgot to look up and choose a song before we got started and just chose one of my favorites "Scripture Power" since we were learning from the scriptures. Little did I know the second verse of this song is about the armor of God.  

"I’ll find the sword of truth in each scripture that I learn. 

I’ll take the shield of faith from these pages that I turn.

I’ll wear each vital part of the armor of the Lord,

And fight my daily battles, and win a great reward."

I shared this with my girls before we dove into the lesson. Eleanor told me that "It was the spirit of God telling me what to do." She then got really excited and hugged me. It was so sweet and such a beautiful example of how these teaching moments are so important.

Eleanor put on the "Armor of God" while Trevor read the scriptures and we talked about each piece. I took the girls dress up clothes and attached word strips to them. In true fashion Iris refused to dress up because she didn't like that her dress up clothes had words stuck to them. 

In the end she was girt about with Truth, the breastplate of Righteousness, feet with the gospel of Peace, shield of Faith, helmet of Salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Or as we do it at our house tutu, purse, heels, shield, tiara, and magic wand. Then of course the children had a "wand fight."