Fruit of My Labor

I picked 50 pounds of peaches off of our tree this morning and got to work right away peeling and canning. So far I'm only about half done and I think I'm going to take a break. After being on my feet all morning I'm ready to put my feet up and enjoy the "fruit of my labor" (bad pun--I know.)

#CanningPeaches #FruitOfMyLabor

Missionary Monday

Mondays are now my Missionary son day! It is the day we get to hear updates from him from his mission in Columbus, Ohio. He can only write home on Monday--so it is fun to hear from him. We miss him, but are thankful that he is learning more about teaching and loving and serving others. He is still our happy and friendly young man and keeps us laughing! One of my favorite quotes from his letter today was, "I've strived to become a Man that can be

spiritual yet funny (because humor is Celestial)."

#MissionaryMonday

A Little Hole Punching Goes a Long Way

Yesterday while we were waiting for Nathan's teachers at church he found the hole punch---and oh did that make him so happy! He punched and punched and punched. Then he would take the little holes and dump them in the garbage and pick them up and play with those. Talk about finding joy in simple things! He is so cute and reminds me every day that I can be happy doing mundane every-day tasks. Love this boy!

#AutismRocks

Music and the Spoken Word

I had a wonderful morning taking Jacob and Noelle to see Music and the Spoken Word. It was awesome to hear music in person from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square. The guest soloist was Jenny Oaks Baker and she plays the violin like an angel. It was a wonderful morning! I am thankful that we have access to such amazing music so close to our home!

Another Year

And they're off to another year of school. One year older and wiser too;). They are growing up so quickly! It was weird to not have Jordan going off to school, but as he reminded us in his weekly update this week, he is doing a different kind of learning right now as a missionary.
#AnotherYear

Last Ride of the Summer

As I rode behind Nathan this morning on our last bike ride before school starts I felt a little sad. I will miss our morning rides together. He doesn't talk to me or tell me about his plans or communicate much during our bike rides or walks because of his autism, but I've enjoyed being with him. I guess I am sad for the summer to end and for school to begin again. I didn't used to feel this way when my kids were younger. I couldn't wait for them to go back to school--but now that they are older, I almost wish they didn't have to go. Sigh! Another year--here we go!

#EndOfSummerBlues

Growing Up

Jacob turned 14 years old this week. My how time flies! He was such a sweet boy that tried my patience as a child more than any of my other kids. His autism when he was younger made him completely fearless of any danger. I remember thinking how glad I was he was still alive at age 5. Now, he has matured so much and I am so proud of him and the good choices he is making.

So, those of you with little ones that are driving you crazy--take heart, they do mature as they grow up (even if they are on the autism spectrum).

#GrowingUp

Monday Missionary Musings

I now love Mondays because I get to hear from my missionary. We got this cute photo from him today--totally Jordan! He has always kept me laughing. I am thankful that he is having so many opportunities to serve--at the food bank and helping tackle a jungle of weeds in someone's yard and also teaching people about Jesus Christ. He is happy and doing well.

#MissionaryService

Canning Now...Cleaning Later

My house is a disaster, but my kids are happy and I have this fun little canning hobby I'm getting into again. I'll clean and tidy once the kids go back to school.

I made strawberry jam from strawberries that I GREW MYSELF for the first time last week. Wow! That was pretty cool. It is also very delicious! I also made some Cucumber relish--why? Because I have a TON of cucumbers I'm harvesting from our garden right now and because the picture on the recipe online looked good. Silly reason, I know, but it does taste pretty good.

#Harvesting #Canning #IllCleanLater

Holding Hands

Part of my schedule for Nathan during the summer months include exercise (I let him pick either walking or biking.) The other day, he picked walking, so we went on our walk through our neighborhood. There are two things on our walks that scare him--sprinklers and bugs. When he sees bugs he yells, "ouch" and veers away from them. When he sees sprinklers he usually grabs my hand and pulls me away from them (he doesn't like getting wet). The other day he grabbed my hand and held it for several minutes. It was sweet. It is nice to know that I am good for something--like comforting my 6 foot 2" son with autism who doesn't like bugs or sprinklers.

#MamaComfort #Autism #HoldingHands

20 Years

20 years ago I married my best friend! He has kept me laughing (as he promised when he proposed) and we have had many adventures together! We have experienced great joys and grief so intense that I thought my heart would break! Life hasn't turned out quite how we expected, but through it all we have felt God blessing and guiding our lives. Feeling thankful and blessed!

Adventures with Autism

Traveling with kids on the autism spectrum isn't easy! I have this adventurous spirit though--and one of my favorite things is to visit national parks and national monuments. (By the way they do have a disability pass you can get and visit all these national parks for free). So, I do end up dragging Nathan around--sometimes happily, and sometimes quite unhappily. The iPad is a great help:). Here are some photos from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Waputki National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument and Sunset Crater National Monument that we visited last week with my sister and her family.

#AdventuresWithAutism #NationalParks

Tenzi

Tenzi is one of our new favorite games. We introduced it to my extended family this past week. Some of my favorite cards are "Piratezi" and "Blindfoldzi." It is a hilarious and fun game to play--and easy to learn.

#Tenzi #FunGames