MM: I Love You Game

We started a new little family tradition that I hope we will keep up.  I saw a similiar idea on Supernanny, and it's pretty cheesy, but I already love it.  So every night after the kids are in jammies and the toys are picked up, we sit down and read 1 page (2 columns) in the Book of Mormon.  Mom reads half, Dad reads half, and Cameron reads 1 verse.  It's the perfect amount for us...long enough that we can actually get something out of our reading, but short enough that the kids don't go too stir-crazy sitting still.  We started this back in June after my Oregon trip and are already up to page 200!  I'm proud of my little family for keeping that up.  My kids don't know anything different now, and I'm grateful for that.  Anyway, so after scriptures, we pray and sing a song and brush teeth and go to bed.  But I decided to try a new idea. 

So I made a prayer chart, so we rotate through our family who gets to pray each night.  Before we pray, we now play the "I love you game".  Whoever's turn it is to pray that night is "it".  The rest of us take turns saying why we love that person.  It only takes a few extra seconds to do, but it's just been the sweetest thing!  Cameron comes up with the cutest answers, like, "I love Allie because she's my cute sister." and "I love Mommy because she's pretty."  I mean, seriously...who doesn't want to hear things like that said about them at the end of the day!  We obviously have to help Roo when it's her turn to say why she loves someone, but I know she'll catch on quick.  I've thought about getting each person a notebook to record why everyone loves them...something they can read when they have a bad day, plus, as the kids get older, it'll be fun to look back on what they said when they were this little.

Anyway, I'm also in the middle of making Cameron a chore chart.  I'll try to finish it this week and post about it next Monday.  He has started doing chores like emptying the silverware from the dishwasher, and putting his own clean clothes piles away.  He's good at vacuuming too.  It's a HUGE help to me when he does this simple things...because it means Mom doesn't have to!  We had a Relief Society lesson last week about the value and importance of teaching our children to work.  I grew up doing chores...our house in Salem has 7 bathrooms, and guess who got to clean them every single week for 2 years?  ME!!  That's 28 bathrooms per month, people!!  I worked hard for my allowance, lol!  We definitely plan on teaching our children to pull their weight in our home.  I had a friend in high school, and she told me that every day while she was at school, her mom would make her bed and clean her room for her.  Of course I was totally jealous at the time....but obviously now I see that a mom like that is NOT doing her child any favors!  I want my children to leave our home knowing how to work and take care of themselves...and in turn teach their children how to do the same.

Anyway, picture time from this past week:

Allie saw Cam's old George jammies in the pile of 'too-small' stuff, and she claimed them immediately!!

Tried out a new hair-do on the Roo....it's cute!  Nate's new favorite!

Playing basketball with Cameron while we watched the BYU game!

Cammer shoots and scores!  (Cammer...Jimmer...get it?)

Roo passes to Cam...

Cam takes a break to watch the game.  BYU is ranked #3 in the nation right now....so exciting!  GO COUGS!

Let's see...anything else kid-related?  I don't think so...just that Roo seriously seems to learn about 10 new words a day...and Cameron can still sink shots in the hoop even though he hasn't practiced in a few months.  He told us he wants to play on the Cougar's team when he grows up.  Awesome.