Nature Walk

For Family Home Evening on July 5 we had a lesson about nature.  We talked about the creation and that Heavenly Father made everything around us.  The part we emphasized the most was that He had done it because He loves us.  God didn't have to create so much beauty in our world, but He did because of how special we are to Him.  He wants us to enjoy our surroundings.


SO, for our activity we took a nature walk around the neighborhood.

I gave each of the girls a paper bag and told them to collect things that helped them to feel Heavenly Father's love.  We found roses, dandelions, rocks, grass, maple leaves, plum leaves, oak leaves, cottonwood leaves, etc., etc., etc...

Daddy also demonstrated to the girls that you can use some of Heavenly Father's creations to be silly :)  In case you can't tell what he is doing, he has split open a little helicopter seed pod and is sticking it to his nose like a rhinoceros.

At the end of our nature walk we ended up at the home of our friends the Christensen's.  They had invited a few people over for dutch oven cobbler and fireworks.

They had a little car that the girls absolutely fell in love with!  The three of them kept taking turns and did a great job sharing.  We didn't have to break up a single fight-- it was AMAZING!!!

Afterward the SUPER yummy double chocolate cobbler with vanilla ice cream, we went out to the front yard for fireworks.  The kids had a great time, but since we didn't get any pictures of them you get to see some of our neighbors.  If you look closely you'll see Israel standing up in the green shirt, and his wife Michelle sitting next to him.  She is holding Jonathan.  He had a great time with them and was fascinated by the fireworks.   We sure miss having them right across the street... (and yes, I realize we just moved around the corner, but the girls LOVED watching them come and go all day...)