General Conference

I loved conference weekend. I always love conference weekend. Actually, as I write this, I feel a little bittersweet. I am completely rejuvenated and refreshed after hearing the wonderful messages of conference, but at the same time I'm a little saddened that the weekend is over. Now, I can't wait until the conference issue of the Ensign arrives in my mailbox so I can read and reread these wonderful messages that I've heard over the past few days.

This year for conference, I wanted to make an extra effort to get my kids ready for conference. This past Monday, we had a special family home evening about preparing for conference. Then, I made each of the kids a conference bag filled with things to keep them engaged during each conference session. I have to say that I am very pleased with how things went. The kids actually paid attention and had a good time watching! Aside from the beautiful messages from the General Authorities, here are some of the things I heard that just warmed my heart:

Jake-"Mom, this is fun."
Josh-"Thanks for making these conference bags, mom."
Kate-"Look, mom! It's Pres. Ironman." (When Pres. Eyring was conducting.)
Kate-"I should draw a picture of the prophet."

Here are the conference bags I made...

The contents of the bags...apostle cards, treat bags, crayons, pencils, journal, and a folder with a bunch of different conference activities (coloring pages, dot to dots, mazes, etc.)

These are the Apostle Cards. Each card has a picture on one side and some fun facts on the other. The boys had a great time learning about the apostles. When they saw one of them speaking, they read the back of the card.

Our conference treats. Each bag has a word on it. When the kids heard the word spoken, they could take a treat from the bag. This helped them really pay attention and listen.

It was really easy to make them and the benefits were just awesome! The kids enjoyed conference almost as much as I did. I think this will be a new tradition at our house!