Around Here: Week 19

Shuffling... through the week, a bit tired (Carly's teething four molars at once & she's been CRAAAANKY!) but thankful for another routine week after all the sickness.  The twins are testing, so we've been strict about bedtime and making sure they get loads of play time in the morning before school so they are happy.  I think the stress is getting to them, and I'll be glad for them to get a break this weekend.

Working... on a bird puzzle that is making me very happy.  It's a long rectangle, so my normal puzzle table is too small & squarish for it. Instead I have commandeered the kitchen table.  Sorry kids!

Luckily we're eating... on-the-go because every night this week we have had either practice or a game for the twins or Wyatt's baseball teams.  For the most part, dinner is the only stressful thing.  Getting everyone fed and out the door on time is challenging.  But yesterday Wyatt had a game in the wind and rain, and let me tell you, it was not fun!  Thank goodness Josh was there to keep Carly happy!

Loving... how helpful the twins are at this age.  Every weekend they help me grocery shop, bag the groceries, load them in the van, unload them when we get home, and finally unpack them at the house.  They also alternate cleaning bathrooms & vacuuming the house every Sunday, which lightens my load tremendously, plus gives them a boost of confidence and some ownership in keeping the house clean.
I am also loving how into rocks Wyatt is right now.  We checked out some earth books, and he checked out a rock book from his school library, so he is very interested in what kind of rocks we have around the house and how they were formed.  I always say if I hadn't been a mother, in another life I would have been a geologist, and his inquisitive mind makes it so much fun to read and learn and explore rocks again.

Laughing... at how our cat Ramona sleeps with her face down in the blankets. It cracks me up!

Trying... to catch the bunny in our yard.  The twins (as well as Wyatt) have come up with some pretty elaborate traps & plans to try and catch the sweet, wild bunny that lives under our shed in the backyard, and hangs out in the shrubs out front... but so far nothing has worked.  That little bunny is smart and quick, so I think catching him is just a pipe dream!

Preparing... for Mother's Day with some handmade cards & pictures for the moms and grandma's in our lives.  As for our family, we don't have any plans, which is fine with me.  Hopefully it'll be a sunny day spent outside working in the yard!
As we spent a day this week making cards for Grandma's, I thought of my friend Brittany's Etsy shop & the cute cards she has there.  If I had been on top of my game, I would have ordered some cards ahead of time to send all the moms we love!

Reading... The Inheritance after finishing The Memory of Water.  I also finished I Survived: The Eruption of Mt. St. Helens.  Up next is Into The Water by Paula Hawkins (who wrote The Girl on the Train).  The twins and I started The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl and they did not want me to stop at bedtime yesterday. I think it will be a quick read, then we are moving on to Tales of  a Fourth Grade Nothing.  I also have The Stars are Fire (thank you Linda!) on my shelf to read, but I think I'm going to wait for a little warmer weather so I can sit outside in the sunshine and read it.  I love having that to look forward to.
I am also reading through the giant stack of children's library books we got at the library last week.  Wyatt loves when I read to him and I'm trying to do it more than just every night at bedtime.  We read a couple books when he got special time with me last weekend while Josh was out of town.  We found two new Tacky The Penguin books we have never read before (Tacky Goes To Camp & Tacky and The Haunted Igloo) that have been a huge hit this week. We also read a book about a sloth trying to escape the zoo and he uses all kinds of simple machines to try and get out.  This prompted days of Wyatt carrying around a Jenga piece and a ruler so he could make a lever and launch whatever he wanted into the sky.  Heads up! if you're in the Cunningham household!

Listening... to Anne of Green Gables and And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman.  Up next is Anne of Avonlea, followed by The Here and Now.  I absolutely love listening to audiobooks on Overdrive.  I listen while I do dishes, fold laundry and walk to and from getting the boys at school.  It brings me such joy!

Watching... Gilmore Girls (starting with Season 1) on Netflix during the day as I go about my chores; and Rogue One (finally!) with the twins while Josh was out of town last weekend.  We all loved it and the boys enjoyed their special time with me while Wyatt & Carly slept.  We also saw Monster Trucks last weekend, which was super cute & unexpected.

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