It's been a long while

Tyler wanted me to post some pictures onto this blog. I told him I don't blog anymore. He asked , "Why not?" and I told him it was because it's easier to document our family through Instagram and/or Facebook. But some things I don't want to share on those platforms. And I can't write as much on those small posts. You cant get the whole picture, just small portion. Plus, I know grandparents and others don't follow social media as frequently as other family members and so they miss out.

So, it's my goal to post a little bit more.

Happenings in the last week or so.....going backwards.

Colin is my petite sous chef. He loves to help me when I am cooking or baking. Here he is wearing Tyler's old joy school apron. I love that my boys (and girls) have been able to wear this over the years. I think Lori made it and it's still in great shape!

General Conference.

One of my favorite weekends of the year. I get to be edified, nourished, inspired and moved to action. And our children get to feel and learn too. Levi came for the weekend. He had a mission reunion and so did his ride....his girlfriend Sarah. It was fun to have them visit for a bit. Fortunately, the kids weren't a huge distraction to them while watching. I warned Levi they might be but because I only make them watch one session per day the afternoon sessions were quiet. We fed them dinner on Sunday night and then they headed back up to Rexburg for school.

A new tradition started in April this year. Homemade conference cinnamon rolls. With it being Fall we've harvested the neighbors pears. I canned all that I wanted to and still have some leftover to eat fresh or bake with. My best friend Heather suggested (via Instragram) that I make gingered pear rolls. So I looked up the recipe on Pinterest and found a version with brown butter frosting from Our Best Bites. So delicious. I only made four of the rolls with the pears because I knew my picky eaters wouldn't like the added fruit.

I had been eyeing our neighbors three pear trees for weeks now. When family came out for Samuel's birthday Steve and Lori oo'd and ahh'd over the taste of the pears the Swenson's had already given us. But I could see they still had more on their trees. So I paid him a visit and asked if I could take more. They gladly let me take what I wanted because they were literally throwing pounds and pounds away (many full of worms). I gave the overripe ones to the chickens and took what had already dropped to the ground because the rest could not be reached with our ladders. They were a bit bruised and had worm holes but they still had great flavor. I hadn't planned to can them this year because I knew Tyler didn't like them and I didn't if the kids did. But both my father and Steve said they loved canned pears. So, I got over my fear of canning them (because they are more work than peaches and other things I've canned this year) and canned as many as I could. And I have discovered that my kids DO enjoy them.

 On Saturday morning I canned 18 quarts of pears while I listened and watched conference on the computer. I love that technology allows this tool for good. That anyone can watch it anywhere in the world. I found it hard to multi-task. It helped me to not fall asleep but I typically enjoy taking notes while I listen and I couldn't' do that with sticky, fruity fingers. However, it made canning those slimy fruits much more fun. 

September 30: Friday, mission reunion night, Tyler and I attended a mission reunion down in Orem at UVU. We all celebrated Korea having  missionaries for 60 years now.  Whoever organized it invited all those who had served there over the years. Tyler's mission president and wife, Br & Sr Bangerter were there. Along with several Elders and Sisters from his mission, including his MTC and field companion, Derek Nielson. Plus Elder Knight came from St George and a few others. It was fun to see them because many we hadn't seen in years. They all knew who I was because  they knew how close we were during the mission. And I knew many of them by name since Tyler wrote to me and sent photos of them during his mission. Then there was a cultural performance with a mask dance (which was kinda creepy and cool, especially because Tyler brought me home a mask and a mini mask display, per my request, and I had never seen them in use), singing and speaking. And we were surprised with having two of the Piano Guys (pictured below) perform. The one that plays the cello and another who plays guitar and other instruments both served in Korea and played some fun versions of the anthem along with Child of God sung in Korean. It was a fun night.