Our Kettenring Family: One Busy Weekend

Larry and I try to be good parents. I remember when I first adopted Caleb I was going to be the most perfect parent ever. I had had 10 years of watching family members and friends raise their children and I thought I had all the right ideas and plans. (chuckle!!) Or course I found out that raising children is so much harder than what you think and nothing goes according to plan. And to make things even harder, every child is different and has different needs and responds to different techniques.

As parents we have been really good about holding Family Home Evening every week. That is a program that prophets in our church have been encouraging us to do for many years. We are really good at it. In fact when times come up that I am not prepared my kids don't even think that there is another alternative, they expect it every week and sometimes it is fun, sometimes not, sometimes we fight, and sometimes we love. It is a great time and our kids really look forward to it. We also read scriptures every morning as well as memorize scriptures or songs or sayings every month. We pray morning and night every day and it has become such a habit that my kids do it when Larry and I aren't home, they don't go to bed until family prayers are said. It is kinda neat that it is so ingrained in them.

During the summer I have the kids read every day, I give them a page or two of homework, and they work. I find work for them to do every day and every week I try to arrange some type of service project for our family. From weeding, to shoveling snow to making cookies for someone we try to do something as a family to serve someone else. I love these small traditions we have established but sometimes if it is all work the troops begin to rebel....so we also try to have a lot of FUN every Week!!!!

This summer we bought Lagoon season passes and have been up there every week. But last weekend I was surprised at how much we did. I was exhausted. Friday we spent the day at Lagoon. During the day we were at the water park and even at 40+ years old I love going down the water slides and laying out by the pool. So much fun! Then we met Larry for dinner and he joined us for the night riding the rides. Guess what? I love riding roller coasters too! We got home around 11:00 at night only to wake up the next day and do yard work at our home and a neighbor's home, then we ate lunch with Caleb and brought him a little visitor. Snoop (his teddy bear hamster) came to visit him and he was soooo excited! Then we came home and played in the FOAM at the Lehi Foam days, and then we headed up to Sundance to ride the lift and hike to Stewart Falls! Wow!! What a day. But we had so much fun :) I love keeping busy and I love doing things that build memories with my children. Whether we are working, serving or playing we are doing it together and I am so grateful for my family.