Around Here: Week 31 {2018}

Reading... Goodbye, Vitamin and nearly finishing. It was such a good, quick, easy read.  I finished Educated on audio and have since started An American Marriage, which is interesting.  Educated was good, but didn't live up to the hype in my opinion, just meaning it was four stars, but not the five everyone else seemed to think it deserved.  I did really like it, though!  I have put down Ghosted, which sort of stalled out for me. I am curious what happens, so I think I'll finish it eventually, but this summer I don't want to push myself through a mediocre book. So I put it away for now, even though I'm halfway through.

Choosing... my August Book of the Month.  I love getting my monthly email telling me it's time to choose.  This month I chose Goodbye, Paris which is about a woman whose love life is shattered and how she pulls herself together in the aftermath.  I also added two extra books including A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold, which was written by the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the shooters at Columbine High School; and Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser, which is about a group of neighborhood moms who get together one night for drinks and then one mom goes missing with her twins the next morning.  The extra add-on books are only $9.99 each!

Mourning... the end of When Calls The Heart on Netflix.  I got through season 4 and am now seriously considering buying Season 5 on iTunes because I am missing the characters so much!

Having... a BBQ with Josh's cousin and his wife last weekend that was so fun.  They have two little boys and all the kids had so much fun playing together.  They have a bird nest in their backyard that was highly entertaining and there was loads of good food to eat.  I am hoping we will continue getting together at least once a month.

Forcing... child labor on our children.  We made the boys collect totes of rocks in our side yard Monday so Josh could put the rocks along the edge of the shed in the back yard.  The shed looks amazing and the hard work didn't kill the children, despite their insistence that it might.

Loving... our sweet little garden, especially the little watermelon that's growing more each week.  It's just so darn cute!  And our corn will be ready to harvest pretty soon as well!  Our pumpkins have a few more months and I can't wait until they start growing. They are, hands down, my favorite thing to watch grow in our garden.  They grow so fast once they start!

Taking... the twins' twin friends to the pool with us on Monday afternoon.  It was a super hot day.  I don't think we were out of the water the entire time.  They had so much fun, and slept so good that night. Hah! Best part of swimming is how ready they all are for bedtime!  I also loved in the car when Carly was talking a mile a minute and I answered her and Channing (one of the twins) stopped and looked at me, then at Carly and said, "So you speak her language?" Haha! I guess not everyone speaks "two year old" as well as those of us who live with one. :)

Laughing... when I rolled up to the school on my walk, pushing Carly in her stroller, to see Jack riding Wyatt's bike, with his roller blades on.  These kids of mine, they're crazy, I tell ya!

Facing... Josh going back to work Tuesday through Friday this week and being left with the kids by myself.  I am so lucky that Josh is home all summer and when he has to go back for training and to get his classroom ready, we all miss him desperately!  This week he actually ended up being home again the last two days because Logan got a stomach virus, couldn't keep his seizure meds down and had a seizure Thursday morning; then Wyatt & Jack both caught it, so Josh stayed home Friday as well to help me keep Carly away from them in hopes she wouldn't catch it.  We got lucky and the virus ended with just the boys. Phew!  Josh was so sweet that when he was out gathering supplies (Gatorade, 7 Up and Saltines) he brought home roses for me, too, for being such a good mama & wife.  I am so thankful for that guy.

Canceling... all our fun plans for Thursday & Friday (with my sister and a girlfriend) because of sick kids.  Who gets the stomach flu in August?!? It was a crummy way to end the week, but I am just grateful that Josh, Carly and I managed to get by without succumbing!

Looking... forward to all the last things on my summer bucket list like swimming at the Washougal, looking at the stars with the boys on the trampoline, celebrating my 15 year anniversary with Josh next week, eating a meal outside in the backyard, and taking a family bike ride.  We're gonna squeeze every ounce of goodness out of this summer!!!

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