Last two fishing trips of the year were both a success!
We realized our kids had never been to Kripsy Kream to see the magic of making doughnuts.
Raking leaves to raise money for the food pantry. These cute kids raised $60!
Conrad being Conrad...
Grandpa came to visit for a few days! We always love when Grandpa comes.
Eliza showing us she isn't just a chicken whisperer, she's a poultry whisperer.
Hiking of course! After helping our friend Judy at her cabin this summer, she made each of us the most beautiful, wood-burned walking stick from the tree we helped clear. She's amazing!
COVID number in Utah started soaring and stricter lockdowns started up again (though not as strict as in March). So to be able to visit Grandpa on his birthday we had to find something outside and wear masks. We're grateful we could celebrate with him in any way!
These crazy kids decided to play in the creek on our walk one afternoon. The weather was nice, but not that nice!
One last yard project before winter...
Bishopric meetings Carona style. Business from the waist up with sweatpants and cowboy boots. This year never gets any less weird.
Of course there were some chicken shenanigans.
And of course Thanksgiving! Sadly, Michael, Eliza, and I came down sick a few days before Thanksgiving. We had to cancel all our plans and go get COVID tests, but we still enjoyed a nice meal with just our family. Thankfully we did not have caronavirus and were feeling better within a few days. Sadly, these are literally the only two picture of our day.
The week before Thanksgiving, President Russell M. Nelson hosted a special broadcast sharing a message on the healing power of gratitude (watch it here). It was such a wonderful message! It brought me so much peace knowing that despite the challenges of this world, we have a living prophet to guide us. In his message, President Nelson challenged each person to flood social media with posts of gratitude for the seven days. It made for the best week-before-Thanksgiving I've ever experienced. Here are the seven posts I shared that week.
Day 1: In a world full of turmoil, I'm thankful we can find peace. Peace in nature. Peace in Christ. Peace in prayer. Peace in the words of inspired leaders. Peace in finding unity. Peace in recognizing our blessings far outweigh our trails when we take the time to recognize them.
Day 2: Today I'm so thankful for the many people in our lives who love my children and our family. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, and once strangers that are now like family. They have served and sacrificed for our family in countless ways. They've helped in cross-country moves (multiple times). They've taken us in when we were far from family, loved us like their own, and eased our loneliness. They've made long trips to visit. THey've taken time to mentor, encourage, support, and be there for our kids. They've given thoughtful gifts, helped with projects, encouraged us, and no doubt prayed for us. They've helped my kids feel loved and special. They've shared their love for our Savior with my children, sometimes with words, but mostly by their actions. Bringing five children in to this world and raising them right is hard! But these incredible people make it possible. Pictured are just a few of them. We love you each so much!
Day 3: I'm incredibly grateful for this beautiful world. When life becomes overwhelming, I turn to nature. The stunning sights and delicious smells of nature never fail to bring me joy, perspective, and peace. I'm also thankful for my kids love exploring the woods as much as I do and are becoming a great hiking crew.
Day 4: I'm thankful for communication in all its forms. For the ability to talk and listen. For beautifully written books that transport us to new places. For ASL, which allows easy communication within our home and with many friends. For alternative forms of communication - gestures, PECs, AAC devices, Braille, etc used by many of the wonderful children with autism I've been bless to work with over the years. The ability to express ourselves is truly such a blessing.
Day 5: Today I'm grateful for diversity. Can you imagine a world with only one type of flower? Only one variety of tree? What if we were all scientists and there were no artists? I'm so thankful the world is full of diversity! I'm thankful we have different strengths and weaknesses. I'm thankful for different races, cultures, and languages that provide beauty and variety to life. "Our differences are our strengths as a species and as a world community." - Nelson Mandela
Photo credit @_thecoloramber
Day 6: I'm grateful for backyard chickens and a garden. They give us wonderful memories, responsibility, and delicious food. I'm also so thankful to my father-in-law who designed and built the most incredible chicken coop/shed and my brother-in-law who helped. If I ever live somewhere that allows a bigger flock, don't be surprised when I become a crazy chicken lady.
Day 7: I'm thankful for these beautiful people and the life we're building together.
My cute kids have been planning their Halloween costumes since January when Lenora was given this Dorothy dress up and Toto from Grandma and Grandpa for her birthday. In their words, "We HAVE to be the Wizard of Oz crew!" So despite the pandemic and the fact that most Halloween parties and activities were cancelled, we made it happen!
I've made my share of costumes in the past, but sewing was something that entirely fell out of my life when I was the RS president and started homeschooling in Kentucky. So it was fun for me to dust off my sewing machine again.
Eliza was Glinda the Good Witch. Her costume was the one I made from scratch. I've never made a full dress with a zipper, so it was a fun learning experience for me. Thankfully amazing people make online tutorials because it wouldn't have happened without it! The best part was we found an old prom dress at a garage sale that we repurposed in to most of the dress. Thrifty and beautiful!
Orson was the Tin Man. Could he be any cuter? He took his role very seriously, and in the weeks leading up to Halloween he spent a lot of time practicing being stiff and still.
Conrad was our little lion. His costume was one my parents had so that one was easy. When anyone would ask him what he was planning to be for Halloween, he would respond "a wi-on". A cute little, shoe-less lion, because that's how he rolls.
Hazel was the Wicked Witch! Her costume was a mash-up of garage sale finds, a cape I made from an old sheet, and the cleaver broom she created minutes before we left from a dowel and dried up lily plants from the garden. She was terrifyingly perfect.
To complete the crew, I had to dress up as the Scarecrow. Not my most flattering costume ever, but it rounded out our group perfectly.
Our local homeschool group still had a Halloween Parade, so we were able to march around the park (while pretending to stroll down the yellow brick road of course). The kids were SO happy to do something slightly normal on Halloween.
Also, look how creepy Orson ended up by bedtime that night with his half washed off makeup!
Halloween landed on a Saturday, so we had Gram and Grandpa over to carve pumpkins and have a cake walk before heading out to Trick-or-Treat. The kids wore masks Trick-Or-Treating, and some homes had rigged up creative ways to get candy down to the kids while maintaining a distance. At one house, a couple slid the candy down a kiddy slide, another man had created a chute on his porch railing, and sweet, old lady watched and waved through her glass storm door while the kids pick a soda from the porch. I was touched by their kindness so the kids could enjoy a fun night, and I just wanted to give that sweet woman a hug. It's been a strange, hard year, but we're slowing muddling through it.
