A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To Church...

This is Emmy's first family portrait. 

I LOVE it.  It's now by far one of my most prized possessions.

The story that goes along with it is pretty good too...

Let me share that with you :)

On Saturday night, like clockwork...Jack threw up.  

He does this almost every Saturday night since the beginning of the year.

It's almost like he's trying to get out of going to church...

So, because I've been the one staying home with him on Sundays, Tim volunteered for this past week so that I could finally go and get some spiritual nourishment.  Relief Society, by the way, was just what I needed.

Anyway, Emmy and I got ready for church, kissed Daddy and Jack goodbye and hopped in the car for the 30 minute drive to our temporary strip mall location until our building is finally finished in just a couple weeks.  On the way to church, we usually listen to a church music CD in the car.  Emmy usually loves it, and sings along with the songs...but on Sunday, she was such a chatterbox that I turned the music off and we talked the whole way to church.  One of the conversations we had was about the rain in Kentucky.  It was raining Sunday morning, and my inquisitive three year old asked why it rains so much here and not very much in Utah.  I then began to explain that Utah is a desert, and deserts don't get as much rain.

Remember that part...I told my child that Utah, our beloved home where Grammy and Papa live, is a desert.

That part is important.

Sacrament meeting was wonderful.  Emmy colored, I was able to listen.  Jack was at home throwing up on Daddy for once, and not me.   

Life was good.

After Sacrament, I dropped Emmy off in Primary so she could be with the rest of the Sunbeams.

I headed to my classes.

After the remaining two hours of church had timed out, I left Relief Society and headed to the primary room to pick Emmy up.  As she and I headed into the hall together, she informed me with a horrified expression on her face that we could NOT go to Utah.  Because scorpions live in the desert.

What in the world?

She then began to tell me all about scorpions.  How they have pinchers on their hands, how they can sting you, how they're black, how they can't crawl up on rocks very well...and on and on.

And in between all the scorpion talk was her telling me, quite decidedly, that we could NOT go to Utah.

When we got in the car, I turned around and asked her to tell me what her lesson had been about in her Sunbeam class.

Scorpions. 

So, I asked what they did to learn about scorpions.

She then told me that there was a little boy who went to the desert with his Daddy.  He wore flip flops, and he didn't listen to his Daddy.  A scorpion crawled on his foot and stung him.  He and his Daddy had to hurry and get in the car away from the scorpions and go to the hospital.

She also included parts about scorpions not being able to climb on the rocks in the desert, and scorpions chasing after the car as the little boy and his Daddy drove away...although I'm not so sure that last part actually happened. My three year old has quite the active imagination :).

So, our conversation on the way home consisted of me trying to convince my child that Grammy and Papa don't have scorpions in their backyard.  

When we got home, she told Daddy all about her lesson.  He, just like myself, wondered "what the heck?"

She even prayed for the scorpions in her lunch prayer.

Emmy had also drawn a picture in her class.  

Here is her explanation of the picture...

(from left to right)

Jack, and Daddy.  Ruby is standing on a rock so the scorpions don't get her.  Emmy, and Mommy.  Mommy has her arm around Emmy.

Daddy is wearing flip flops (those are the squiggly lines on Daddy's legs)

The other squiggly lines are sand from the desert.

During naptime, I got a call.

It was Emmy's teacher.

She wanted to explain to me what their class had been about.

She and her husband had been asked, during Sunday School, to fill in for Emmy's Sunbeam teacher.  So...not having much time to prepare, they found video about listening to our earthly fathers, as well as our Heavenly Father, and how it can keep us safe.  

The little boy in the video did not listen to his Daddy.  He wore flip flops to the desert when his Daddy had asked him to wear better shoes.  Because he didn't listen, he got stung by a scorpion on his foot.  

After the video, they asked the kids to draw a picture of their Daddy, or a memory that they have of something they have done with their Daddy.

Instead, Emmy started to cry uncontrollably...sobbing about how she didn't want to go to the desert.

Her teacher had to inform her that they weren't going to the desert.

It took several minutes to calm her down.

After which, she drew her picture...while all the boys drew pictures of scorpions :)

My favorite part...she put her baby sister, who is still growing in my tummy, on a rock so the scorpions couldn't get her...while the rest of us were left to fend for ourselves on the scorpion covered ground.

Ha!

Although, Emmy did say that all of us are wearing shoes...except Daddy.  He's wearing flip flops. 

Try explaining that one.

Best. Picture. Ever.

Love my girl.