Jackson participated in his very first primary program on Sunday. We had been practicing his part (and practicing saying it in a normal voice- not like when he wanted to bear his testimony last month and shouted into the microphone “Thank you Jesus and blessings and the church…”) When he got up to say his part, he was the first Sunbeam and he smiled coyly at the congregation until his teacher reminded him his part (which he totally knew but I think he just enjoyed the spotlight J). He said, “Thank you for the birdies in the sky…and for Jesus’ blessings and…” then his teacher pulled out the hook to get him off the stage. On some of the songs, Jack sang with the kids, some he didn’t know, but on the last song “Families can be Together Forever” he sung so loudly –yet in tune- that we could hear him above the 80 children in the primary AND the congregation. That’s our little boy! What a cute ham!

He’s had a lot of firsts at church this year:
*His first prayer (which I had to stand behind him and tap him on the shoulder to get him to wrap it up because he could go on forever)
*First testimony
*First talk in primary. It was supposed to be on Family Home Evenings so he described some of the things we like to do for family home evening. He said we like to go swimming (he held up some goggles), talk about Jesus (he held up a photo of Jesus), make cookies (he held up a bag of cookies), read the scriptures (he held up the hym book), and “we throw balls at each other” (he held up the ball we use when we play games on the trampoline). Hopefully the primary teachers don’t think we really sit around throwing things at each other…
*First time assisting me with leading the music. At first he held my hand and stood reverently but after the first verse he got restless and started pulling away. I was leading with one hand and reaching for him with the other trying to keep my face normal so noone would know what was going on below my music stand. He escaped and went and layed on the choir chairs and walked over by the organist and then he saw a neat switch on the ground and pushed it and the organ went silent. At first I didn’t realize what had happened, the congregation kept singing and I leaned down with one hand and switched it back. The music came back on by the last couple measures of the song. Neadless to say that was the first and last time Jack was invited to help me lead the music.
*Except for his…First time running away from church. One Sunday, Adam had to stay home with Charlie so under oath to behave and stay on his chair, Jack accompanied me on the stand while I led the music. In the middle of a hymn, Jack just bolted out the door. I wasn’t sure if I should just keep leading and hope he came back or follow him and let everybody keep singing by themselves or what. Thankfully the Bishop pointed to somebody to go grab him so one of the sisters in the ward went after him and when she asked him why he had run off he just said, “I was all done with church.” Three-year olds are so blunt sometimes.