pumpkin carvings

We pulled out the pumpkins last night to carve some spooky faces and designs.

Kacin was in charge of helping Layla with her pumpkin. They scooped seeds together and Layla told Kacin what kind of face she wanted.

Kyler was in charge of helping Perry.

But Perry wanted nothing to do with that icky mess.

He thought it was disgusting and that we were crazy to keep asking him to put his hands in it.

Perry was happier eating oatmeal. Kacin is quite excited to roast his bowl of pumpkin seeds tomorrow.

I love that Layla is in a flowery, spring easter looking dress for this fall tradition of pumpkin carving. She took off her sweater to stick her arms in the pumpkins. She cried to put it back on two minutes after we stepped out into the chilly air on the porch to light the pumpkins.

The finished pumpkins!

light

There are a lot of good people in this world.

I see that every day.

There are amazing people who choose to be ABA therapists and behavior coaches. They work day in and out with individuals who keep them on their toes and probably test their patience. These therapists are amazing. We just moved therapy offices to reduce our commute time, so we had to say goodbye to a sweet lady who has helped Perry for the past 6 months or so. But now we are working with two more people who I can already see shine in their jobs.

Then there are kind strangers who walk by my family and offer a compliment. Compliments, especially the one after being in the car together for four hours, remind me to step back and remember "yes, these are beautiful children. I am lucky. They may each have their quirks and challenges, but they also have so much good."

A wonderful lady from church called me awhile ago. She said she has been thinking about me and my family the last couple of months and finally decided what she could do. She said she knew we didn't have family around here and since her kids are grown, and most live far away from her, she wanted to be a "grandma" to us and have Perry over to her house to play each week. It is so very sweet of her. I cried. Seriously. It is hard stuff to be on the receiving end of kindness and thoughtfulness, but I am so grateful. I can't even describe how grateful I am. A little while ago I was embarrassed that I couldn't do it all, but I'm over that because I totally can't do it all. I'm grateful for the help. I promise that, especially, once we are through this stage I will pay it forward--I want to grow up and be like her.

I'm surrounded by good people. Good coaches and teachers for my kids, good family, good friends, good women and men at church, good neighbors, and then
a much more than good husband.

he even cooks with me :)

All these good people shine their lights for me and my family. 

Where there is light, darkness can't be. 

And when I feel like I sit alone in a room where the light is fading, I remember I have a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior, Jesus Christ. That is my greatest source of light. 

So I pray. That is how I find answers to help my kids. 

I pray. During my son's meltdown, when I glance down at the fading bruise from the bite and fresh scratch marks on my arms, that is how I find strength, patience, and love.

I pray. That is when I always feel hope and peace.

I come across this quote this week by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, ""God’s light is real. It is available to all! It gives life to all things. It has the power to soften the sting of the deepest wound. It can be a healing balm for the loneliness and sickness of our souls. In the furrows of despair, it can plant the seeds of a brighter hope. It can enlighten the deepest valleys of sorrow. It can illuminate the path before us and lead us through the darkest night into the promise of a new dawn."

I'm grateful for God's light and for the light of good people around me. 

a trip to tri-cities

E had a couple of vacation days to burn before holiday season begins and he has to live and breathe work for two months. So last minute he took two days off. We didn't make any plans until the day before we left. So unlike us not to plan and plan again!

We settled on a short trip to the tri-cities. E just wanted a place with sun! With that one and only requirement for a destination, I couldn't help but laugh when we drove into Kennewick only to see dust--dark skies from all the dust.

The next day was perfectly sunny though.

We ate at XXX Burger on the way there.

Pass around the rootbeer . . .

We stopped in Yakima and ended up at a museum with hundreds of antiques and a children's play area.

the Layla sized doll standing in the corner might have been a bit creepy to me.

The boys were fascinated by the rotary telephones they had seen at XXX burger and here at the museum. Such ancient technology! :) Yeah, we had a rotary phone growing up.

Before the longest night of our lives trying to sleep in the hotel (it was cold, then it was hot, littles could not fall asleep, and then about 2am Kacin started sleep walking etc), we went swimming and shopping at the mall.

The next day, after swimming again, we went to a park along the Columbia River.

We drove along the river and walked the trail. Because of our rough night, Perry slept through the beauty of the Coumbia River and the sunshine.

Many of the trees in the park had these brightly colored, super cool crocheted coverings. It was fun looking at them.

 We walked the grounds of the gorgeous Columbia River Temple. Kyler and Kacin took turns as photographers. Perry slept on.

It was a short, but really nice get away to the tri-cities.

the Farm

Family pumpkin patch and corn maze outing will always be my favorite day here in washington I think. We have a beautiful drive down into snohomish valley and then we can take our pick out of a number of farms to visit.

We ended up at the one we always go to. tradition, I guess.

We played, made our way through the cornmaze, and picked out our pumpkins.

a tough decision between two pumpkins

These rows of flowers were beautiful!

even though there were quite a few squabbles and a screaming tantrum, a long drive to one farm and then turning around to another, kids that did not want to take a family picture, and disappointment over pumpkin allowances, there was too much beauty and too many small happy moments not to call it a perfect, lovely day.