Growing Kids, Growing Hair and Growing Old

Time is going by so fast.  I kiss the kids goodbye every morning and appreciate their growing independence.  They are both great kids.  They don't have things easy, and they are really growing into amazing people despite life's challenges.  I'm really honored to be their mom.  John dreams big and wants to save money for family goals.  He even talks about ways to get a college scholarship. 

This is Ella mopping in her ruby slippers from Nana.

While dropping Ella off at school this morning I gave her a kiss and said goodbye.  She stopped and stared right into my eyes for a moment.  "Momma, I love you" she said, then hugged me one more time and hurried off to school.  The boys at school are already starting to say how pretty she is.  Of course she is.  She's OUR TREASURE.

I'm growing my hair out too.  I don't want to pay for a hair cut right now.  I'll keep curling it, overdosing on hairspray, and pulling it into a pony until I can figure something out.  I think I'm starting to go bald (maybe from all that hairstyling?).  My fine hair is getting finer by the month.  I tease Adam about having a bald wife someday.  Who cares!!  I'm almost 30 and loving it.  I really AM loving getting older.  Mostly, because I get to enjoy watching the kids grow up and see this whole amazing plan take place before my eyes. 

Life is so much more than money, ruby slippers and hairdos.

Labor Day Grand Canyon and the Railway

We drove the bus up to Williams and the Grand Canyon for Labor Day weekend.  It was so much fun.  The stars were amazing and the weather was gorgeous.  On Sunday we went to the Williams Ward for church... the people were so kind.  We had s'mores and breakfast burritos.  What good times!

Adam offended by this sight.

Good old Grand Canyon Railway/Polar Express

John and Ella before finding out we were going on a train

.

We bought tickets and they were SO EXCITED!

Ella waving bye.

It was their first train ride!

They were so relaxed and loving every second.

I can't even explain how FASCINATED John was.

The weather was PERFECT.

John had such a cute goofy smile.  I LOVE IT!

This is what I look like when I live out of a van....eh, BUS.

Wildflowers were abundant.

And here is the first picture we took at the Grand Canyon! 

A huge gust of wind blew sand right into John and Ella's eyes. 

The canyon was such an amazing sight.

Life is good with a finger in your nose.

We also went for a hike - of course!

Ella with an apple and her cute walking stick.  MEMORIES!

On the ride home the bus lost a cap on the oil tank in Prescott.  Some angel Samaritan man drove Adam around town to buy a new part.  We have crazy stories to tell whenever we get into that green machine.

ZooWalk

Every year our family participates in the ASU ZooWalk for Autism Research at the Phoenix Zoo. It is Saturday, September 25!  We have over 20 people coming so far!

The reason why we do this is because of the extensive research ASU has established in autism gut bacteria disorders. This is something we have been focused on for the past couple of years with John. The ZooWalk is a very special day and we hope you can make it. It is very moving.

We welcome you and anyone else who would like to join our team. It is an easy 1.1 mile walk to and around the Phoenix Zoo. You can bring strollers and stay all day at the zoo if you would like.  Donations are welcome on day of the walk ($20 suggested donation) bring a check if you would like to donate. No pressure! Mostly, we just want you there!!!

Our team is registered as "Team Barry". We will be getting matching shirts for everyone who joins our team. Let us know if you'd like to join THIS WEEK so we can get you a t-shirt! Here's the ZooWalk website.
http://www.ariautism.com/zoowalk/phoenix/html/walk_detail.html

We will have a sign that says "TEAM BARRY" and will meet at the stadium at 7am.

Reaching out...

Parenting: Touching the Hearts of Our Youth

Family Photos

Our friend Lori took our family photos.

She is so nice and had so many good ideas. 

You can visit Lori's website at http://www.calhounink.com/ and she also has a BLOG! 

I wish blogger had higher resolution because the photos came out so clear.
Thanks Lori!!

John's great-grandfather's hat.

Letting Go

Earlier this week I was decluttering the house, throwing old stuff away and cleaning.  I sat down for lunch and thought about my mental clutter.  I had a lot on my mind.  There was lots to do and even more...there was garbage thoughts cluttering my brain.

I decided to write a few things down that were bothering me.  My short list turned into a pile of things that have been crowding my brain like a disease.  Here's what it looked like:

It's a very ugly sight.  Sadly, there's still more mental decluttering to do.

I put them all out on the counter face-down.  Slowly, I picked up each one.

I let myself feel sad, hurt, or angry about each one ONE LAST TIME.

Then I burned it and let it go to Christ.

It was quite amazing.

It's time to move on with a lot of things.

It's also time to start filling my head with goodness.

Please watch the following post video.

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light