leave it to cooper

Last May in their Easter fancies. 

With an eight year old, a four year old, and a 2 year old, family scripture study and prayer time is an exciting time in our house.  It's never dull.  It's never the same, and it's never reverent.

Tonight after a chapter of 2nd Nephi (of which I could only hear the verses that I read aloud), we finally settled the kids down and prepared them for family prayer by singing a song about temples.

After that, I made a big announcement:

"Kids, tomorrow during Sacrament Meeting there will be:
NO snacks,
NO toys,
NO coloring,
NOTHING to eat.
OK?"

"Buy why?"  was of course their response.

"Because we are going to follow the great example of your cousins and learn to be reverent in church."

"OK Mommy!"  They replied.

Our kids are like Pavlov's dogs when they get to church.
They sit down and Lincoln immediately begins yelling,
"SNACK!!!"
and
"HUNGRY!!!"  

But recently our wonderful Bishop asked us to refrain from eating in the church (other than in specified eating areas like the kitchen and cultural hall).

At the time I thought:

"yeah right!!!
Are you kidding me?
We're barely making it through an hour of
Sacrament meeting as it is with these two boys.
How do you expect us to keep them
(even relatively) quiet and occupied???!!!"

Last week I was very humbled when we attended a Sacrament meeting in Utah with Brent's family.  His brother and wife have FIVE children who sat reverently through the meeting without one toy or snack.  They might disagree when I say that their kids are by nature more tame and well-mannered than ours.  

The truth is that while they might be a bit more tame by nature, their good manners are a result of GREAT parenting.  So we're determined to follow their great example.  

I'm expecting the transition to take a few months, at least.
Our kids have been trained to EXPECT food at church.  

So when the kids seemed to take the news so casually I pressed:
"do you understand that there will not be ANY food during church?
You will eat before we go to church and will not eat again until we get home."

To which Cooper (just like his daddy) replied,
"Yes (in a yeah-huh know it all voice) we'll have a snack!"

I said, "No Coop, we won't."

He said, "we always have two prayers and then a snack."

"Two prayers?"

"Yes.  We have two prayers and then we have bread!"

Parenting can be tough at times, but I've never done anything that's brought me more joy.

I hope that our kids will always make us laugh.