Family History Month

Our terrific ward primary just concluded it's month-long Family History Extravaganza with a Ward Family Reunion at the Helotes building (it's the church in the stake with a park and pavilion).  All month long, the kids have been researching their ancestors and hearing stories about them.  Eva decided to do her poster on Eva Petrea Giles, Grandpa Bus' paternal grandmother.  Eva was named for her.  She was an amazing, energetic, green-thumbed lady.  Eva loved her.  Clark decided after much deliberation, to do a poster about Henry Francisco, also known as Old Henry.  He lived pretty much forever.  134 years.  He was a child at Queen Anne's coronation in the early 1700s and died the year that the church was restored, 1820.  He lived in England and then migrated to America and was the oldest enlisted man in the Revolutionary war.  He was 91.
It was so fantastic to feel the Spirit of Elijah in our home when we were immersed in this project.  The kids loved hearing stories of ancestors at the dinner table.  There was a story of Isabella Hales, who knew the Prophet Joseph Smith and actually did some laundry for him one day while he was being chased by the mob.  He told her, "you are so sweet Sister Hales, if I could take you with me in my pocket, I would."  She was a tiny, petite woman.
Richard and Linda Eyre's book "The Entitlement Trap" gives a great idea for creating your own family traditions: get a nice, big, leatherbound book and make it your family code book.  Include your motto, your rules, your holiday traditions and your ancestoral stories.  Make belonging to your family official and special by codifying it.  That way, in the angsty teenage years, when kids are wondering where they belong, having a solid family identity will help them feel like their foundation is secure.
So we need to do that.

So the family reunion was really fun.  We had SO many games, like maybe 20.  Things like relay races and shooting ping pong balls with water guns and water balloon toss, swing the nylon-filled-with-a-tennis-ball-to-knock-over-the-water-bottles game, and all the other fun park games.  They took our family pictures and we had a potluck lunch.  Everyone got to announce their family mottos, ours is: "Our Future is as Bright as Our Faith" It's from President Monson.  It was a fun party, and such a great idea.