BEST. FHE. EVER!

Daddy was gone on a business trip.  All were sad and lonesome at the prospect of three days without him. Dawna wanted to cheer us all up and went to work... she wanted to create...

The Best Family Home Evening EVER!!!

She schemed. She planed. She collected costumes. She designed props. And then the moment arrived... 7pm on Monday night was go time! 

We started like a normal FHE: Singing "When the Family Gets Together," and each kid taking a turn choosing a primary song, Larry led us in an Article of Faith, and then Dawna took the floor with her lesson. 

First, she assigned out the parts: Larry was to play Joseph Smith, Xochitl was to play the Angel Moroni, I got to be Oliver Cowdery, Dawna was the publisher, and Jade was... just Jade.

 Act I, Scene 1: Joseph Smith goes to the Hill Cumorrah to see the plates for the first time.  He unburies them and is shown that something else is hidden with the plates: the Urim and Thummin!

 Act I, Scene 2: After returning several times to see the plates and be instructed by Moroni, Joseph finally gets to take them home and begin translating!

Act II, Scene 1: Oliver Cowdery writes down what Joseph Translated from the Golden Plates (this moment was not pictured, but just imagine the Model Magic Golden Plates stamped with our Egyptian hieroglyphs set; Larry and Xochitl using the "translator" wheel to find the corresponding English letter, and then mom writing that letter down). In the end, we translated "He sent His Son to die for us" from the Golden Plates!

Act II, Scene 2: Dawna took the notes from our "translation" and put them into a book, complete with copyright seal on the inside and staples on the spine!

Act III, Scene 1: Mom, Jade, and Dawna see and touch the Golden Plates and the Angel Moroni and become the Three Witnesses! (Xochitl is displaying the "Urim and Thummin)

Act III, Scene 2: Joseph Smith returns the plates to Moroni and buries them along with the Urim and Thummin once more...

Truly is was the Best Family Home Evening Ever!!! I just got to sit back and enjoy the wonderful lesson and all the kids were happy participants!

Even better than props and costumes, though, was seeing Dawna bear her testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith.  In spite of having such an imperfect mom, that girl has grown a strong testimony of the gospel! She is AMAZING in every way!