Two SunBeams!

Lovey & I thought about this day for nearly a year, and it happened in a blink of an eye: our 3-year old babies advanced from Nursery into Junior Primary. They're Sunbeams! Of course Rebecca & Mary-Gail were always our little "sunbeams," but now they're really in a Primary class called Sunbeams (for 3 year olds).

Needless to say, this past Sunday I was so excited for Rebecca & Mary-Gail. They behaved beautifully during Sacrament Meeting, and were reverent: they sang
"I am a Child of God," during the passing of the Sacrament, and Lovey & I passed a sweet glance at each other; they walked in the hallway (rather than racing down the hall) when I took them out to go potty. Amazing! I was really looking forward to seeing them sit in their little, miniature seats, folding their arms, and listening to the Primary Presidency teach the lesson. I had this image built-up in my mind, and was hopeful it would come to fruition.

I joined Rebecca & Mary-Gail in Junior Primary (a definite no-no). Rebecca was perfect, sitting besides a little boy, both of them folding their arms. Mary-Gail was perfectly coy, being flirty & shy, and flashing her cute little smile & sparkling eyes as she kept walking away from her seat and heading to the back of the room. What a little stinker! And since I was giving Mary-Gail "attention" (snagging her arm as she got up from her seat, peering at her with my wide-eyed, "No-No, Don't do that" look), Rebecca wanted some attention to. Only Rebecca isn't' so subtle. No, Rebecca is L O U D. And when I wouldn't give in, she became more disruptive insisting, "I want my Dadda. I WANT MY DADDY!"

Argh. My sweet little Sunbeams struggled to be still and reverent. They wanted to "play with their friends" as Rebecca kept shouting at me. See, in Nursery they could actively play with their little friends, and play with the toys, and move and make noise. Junior Primary is a tad bit different, and I think there will be a period of a few months for Rebecca & Mary-Gail to get the hang of it. I know there are a couple things I can do to help them:

1. I can't let Rebecca & Mary-Gail run up to the stand to see their Uncle Jack (who's the the Bishop) like I used to do. When the closing prayer was through, and Rebecca & MG heard the word, "Amen," they'd run up to the stand to see their Uncle Jack. However, within the last month or so, R & MG have discovered that the stand is also a place to play "chase." Plus, Uncle Jack is busy with greeting church members & can't give R & MG the attention he used to (when he was a Counselor in the Bishopric, instead of being the Bishop).
2. I need to walk R & MG to Primary and then say Good-Bye. I wish there were "peep-holes" in the Primary doors like there are in the Nursery doors. Then I could peep-in on them and feel like I'm a part of their Sunbeam experience.
3. I need to make sure R & MG's teachers & Primary Presidency know that they can come get me anytime, anytime when R & MG are out-of-sorts and need some "direction."

I'm hopeful that next Sunday will be another great Sunday, and that R & MG will be a little more reverent in Primary. I'd like to think that the meeting time change from 1 pm to our new meeting time of 11 am was the culprit, but I know better. R & MG get so excited and roused up when they're with their little friends (plus I know R&MG's adjusted age comes into play too - they're "technically" not 3 until end of Feb). Lovey & I will just have to focus more on being revernt & still during Family Home Evenings.

All-in-all, I was very proud, pleased, grateful for my precious daughters. My precious daughters of God.