Smiley service

The other day the second counselor came in to give the Sharing Time lesson in primary. He gave a lesson on service and at the end challenged the kids to do random acts of service for their family members during the week. He told them to go home and draw a smiley face on five pieces of paper and then leave a smiley face behind after they had completed the service. Hunter and Avery both told us all about it on the way home from church. As soon as she hit the door Avery headed to find a pen and paper and make her smiley faces. Deke and I were so excited to see how enthusiastic they were about meeting the challenge. This challenge kept our whole family smiling all week long. The first day when Hunter was at school Avery hurried in and made his bed after she made her own and left a smiley face drawing on his pillow. I was proud of her for choosing and doing this all by herself. She is so independent. The next morning I heard noises in the kitchen and hurried out to find Hunter finishing the process of "making breakfast" for all of us. I smiled as I looked at the table with four bowls with spoons in them filled completely to the brim with milk. The ratio being 3/4 milk to 1/4 cereal, the gallon jug bought just yesterday three quarters of the way empty. Multiple drip trails of milk leading from the counter, across the kitchen, to the table. A water bottle at each seat. "Surprise," he yelled as I came around the corner. There is another part of the surprise too, he added. On the counter sat this... "I made my lunch for you". He said beaming from ear to ear and unzipped it to reveal a prepackaged Lunchable and a water bottle. "Wow, I am so surprised, thank you buddy" I told him. By the way I love the handwritten message at the bottom. With the kids inspiration I even tried some smiley faces of my own and ironed every single dress shirt and pants in Deke's closet. This is a big act of service for me since it really helps Deke and I really hate to iron. The next morning Hunter was taking a particularly long time getting out of the bathroom after his bath. I kept knocking on the door trying to hurry him along so he didn't miss the bus. "Mom, come look at this," he told me. When I walked into the bathroom he stood there completely ready for school and had been busy on a project. He had drawn a full tub of water with bubbles and toys in it. He had a towel folded on the toilet lid with Avery's favorite princess lotion and a small stack of Q-tips next to it. Sitting on top of the towel was a smiley face paper for Avery. I called her in into the bathroom and I wish I had had a camera at that moment to capture her surprise. She looked around and then smiled and sort of giggled as Hunter explained what he had done for her. Then she went over and gave him a big hug. It was so sweet. Over the week they were busy surprising each other and us with their acts of service. Avery who is an amazing big sister about always including Emma decided to help organize Emma's toy basket for her and fold her blankies. It was such a fun experience for our family. We are so proud of the way Hunter and Avery listened to the lesson and then took the challenge. I can't wait to go to church on Sunday and hear them report back on what they did during the week.