teaching them to pray...

Prayer has always been important to me but more so over the last year. I really believe that I have prayed more over the last year than I have in my whole life. I saw months back, even before we got Annie Rice, the idea of a prayer pail. Basically a pail, glass container, etc that holds pop sickle sicks with the different names of family and friends on them. The idea was that each day you would pick a stick out and pray for that person/family. 

After we got Annie Rice, we started showing her how to fold her hands for prayer mainly for meals. The day that I said, “Annie, fold you hands for prayer” and she actually did it herself made me cry! Now, she does it anytime I say those words. She’s getting to the age where she may not understand what prayer is all about, but she knows what we do when we pray. We talk, sometimes close our eyes, and fold our hands. So I thought the prayer pail would be perfect to start doing as a family, at night for bed time prayers. I have to just tell you that it is the sweetest thing I have ever seen! She LOVES picking a stick out and the first night we did this as a family we prayed for about 5 minutes and that sweet little thing kept her hands folded the entire time! We have always clapped our hands after we said “Amen” because she very much loves to be praised. So after our little prayers at night she always claps her hands and says, “yay!” It really is the sweetest thing! 

It wasn’t hard to make at all. I took a pail, pop sickle sticks, scrapbook paper, ribbon, and a little glue! It was very simple and very bright:) I’m seeing more daily how great the responsibility is to mold her little mind to be like Jesus. I’m so excited for Annie Rice to learn to pray BUT also to pray for other people and the prayer pail is a great tool for our family. 

 This was after we put her down for bed. She blows us a kiss everynight:)

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).