Around Here: Week 24 {2018}

{The "amazing" (weed covered) side yard}

{hide & seek fingers}

Enjoying... an entire week to myself without the boys.  Josh took them with him to Vancouver to spend time with cousins and grandma's while he helps his parents prep their house to be put on the market.  They bought land here a year ago and hope to be moving here in the next month or two (eee! I'm so excited to have grandparents in town!) so Josh is helping them cross some things off their to-do list.  It's been the most amazing break, with insane amounts of down time to read and blog and rest, and my soul feels so peaceful right now, I can hardly believe it.

Seeing... all of life through Carly's eyes.  I didn't realize how much having four kids makes me rush ev.er.y.thing.  This week I have slowed down so much, and it's been so fun.  We've been "watering canning" together each night (watering the flower beds the sprinklers don't reach) and Carly loves it so much.  She delights in every bug she sees, every flower, every rock.  She just emanates joy, and it's completely contagious.  I hope to carry this slowed contentment forward, even after the boys return with Josh because it's so delicious.  Monday as I headed into the daunting side yard where there was a TON of weeding to do I was thinking a lot of swear words in my head as I heard Carly's adorable voice pronounce boisterously, "This is AMAZING!" She just sees the world so differently than me sometimes, and I'm so thankful for her tiny, rosy colored perspective.

Reading... and finishing Seizures and Epilepsy in Childhood: A Guide For Parents as well as Siblings Without Rivalry.  After finishing Seizures, I felt like I deserved a trophy.  It was a tough read, just emotionally because it had some things that were really hard to read and sometimes hard to understand.  But I walked away better understanding epilepsy and with some really good questions for Logan's follow up appointment at the end of the month.
Siblings Without Rivalry was the easiest read- I read a chapter each day this week, and loved it.  I feel completely confident that I will be able to make some headway with the boys' fighting when they get back and am actually hopeful that they may not kill each other before high school. Hah!  Highly recommend the book if your kids fighting is driving you batty!  (I have two that are like oil & water and they were making me dread summer like the plague!)
I am about halfway through Four Seasons in Rome which a friend of mine loaned me (before she even read it- best friend ever!) and am just starting I'll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa de los Santos.  I was ecstatic this week when I found Molokai at Goodwill.  It's been on my Pinterest "To Read" list for years and then like magic, there it was, for $.99, on the shelf.  I can't wait to read it!  It's about a leprosy colony in Hawaii and sounds fascinating!  It makes me so happy that I am reading again.

Spending... time every afternoon sitting in the sun reading.  This time is priceless to me, and Carly is starting to get into the rhythm of our afternoon outside time.  She gets a snack and brings out a ton of toys, and I read while she plays this and that.  She usually also brings books and hearing her read them out loud to herself just slays me- is there anything cuter than a two year old reciting Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to herself? I think not!

Amazed... at what an awesome dad Josh is. I mean, I always knew it, but this week he is really proving it as Logan has had three seizures while in Vancouver.  The seizures he's having are the smaller ones, but he's having them at bedtime and he keeps getting out of bed while he's having them, then crashing into the wall and feeling crummy afterward, and Josh is just dealing with it so well, and making sure to report all the details to me (because I am keeping detailed notes for the doctor so we can keep her well informed of his status).  He stays so calm and keeps Logan feeling safe and calm as well, which does wonders for my mama heart.

Thankful... that Josh is also dealing well with Wyatt's asthma which is cropping up after he caught the cold the twins each had.  Thankfully we knew it was coming and started him on his preventative puffer (Flovent) 2x twice a day before his numbers got bad and so far he has been doing alright.  It just gives me such peace of mind to know that Josh is such a capable parent and that he's got this.  It lifts some of the weight on my shoulders to know that I don't carry the burden of our two sick children alone.

Meanwhile, I'm dealing... with a leaky washer & toddler tantrums.  I'm honestly not sure which is worse!  The washing machine guy can't come until Monday to look at it and the boys (and Josh) get back Saturday.  I'm just praying the towels load doesn't start to stink between now and then and that whatever is wrong is a quick fix!!!  As for Carly, teething her two year molars seems to be stealing all her kindness and it's killing me softly!  Any time I tell her no, she looks at me like, "Are you serious right now?" Then slowly lays down on the floor and begins yelling and kicking her feet.  VERY melodramatic.  Sigh. Oh sister! You're working it real good.

Walking... everyday and loving how alive it makes me feel.  I am super excited to keep up this new habit through the summer.  My friend Ashley had asked on her blog "What makes me feel alive?" and it made me ask myself the same question.  This was a few weeks ago, and I couldn't think of a single answer.  It bothered me I couldn't think of anything.  I have since thought of three things.  One is going for walks.  Another is being in nature.  And the last one is laughing with my friends & family.  I'm happy to be doing two of those things everyday.

Saying... goodbye to a friend who introduced me to my other friends (and my local book club!) and feeling so sad that she's moving away.  I know that it's what she wants and is going to be so good for her family, but I'm selfishly sad!

Treating... Carly to her first ever fudgsicle, which she adorably calls a "fudgefickle" & a spoonful of whip cream, which she ravaged.  She has since asked for a "fudgefickle" just about every hour, on the hour, and is extremely disappointed when the answer is no. (See "tantrums" above.)

Looking forward... to hugging my guys when they get home and celebrating Wyatt's seventh birthday. 

I can't believe this sweet, snuggly baby turns seven today!!!

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