Week 34 Around Here {2019}

{These two are starting middle school... it feels impossible}

{Master bedroom: original paint}

{Master bathroom}

{Wyatt's bedroom}

{Wyatt's bedroom}

{Carly's bedroom}

{Upstairs main bathroom}

{Twins' bedroom}

{August 2019}

{August 2016}

{August 2016}

{It looks white here, but it's gray}

{Moving!!!}

 Trying... out a new lake with my sister-in-law and her family on Saturday and LOVING it!  It had a great swimming area and the most beautiful rocks to kayak by.  (I'm a HUGE rock nerd.  I always say in another life I would have been a geologist.)  We will definitely be going back there again.

Enrolling... the twins in middle school.  They start sixth grade next week, so we stopped by and got their PE clothes, their ASB cards and their Chromebook insurance (every student is issued a Chromebook in our school).  We also got their locker numbers and practiced opening them, which was a breeze for Jack, but harder for Logan who is left handed.  He got it, though! Phew!!
It was quite timely that I happened upon this Insta-post by Jen Hatmaker about middle schoolers that ends with the promise that "everyone is going to make it".  If you have a 5th through 8th grader, I highly recommend you go read it.  It's like a reassuring hug.  It's gonna be okay, mama's.  We can do this.

Cleaning... the new house while Josh and the twins cleaned the old house.  It felt SO good to spend some time in our new house, getting to know it, and get it ready for painting and moving in.

Running... what felt like a million errands on Monday while Josh worked and I had all four kids.  We took Logan to the orthodontist and got a bunch of other things crossed off my list as well. 

Ordering... new beds for the twins after my friend Shana suggested getting them loft beds for their new room.  This will double the square footage in their room, allowing them each to have their own desks and space under their beds, which is brilliant. I'm so glad I talked to her about it!  My parents jumped on the super helpful train as well, and bought Wyatt and the twins new dressers from Ikea that will better fit in their new rooms and allow Carly to have her own, and Josh to have his own.  (We all shared before.)  I am getting so excited for it to come together.

Dropping... my younger two off at my girl Megan's house (Lord bless her!) so I could paint Wyatt's bedroom with less "helper's" on hand.  It is the most beautiful blue now (before it was the original builders primer) and Wyatt loves it.  It's the first room I have ever painted, start to finish, all by myself, so I am quite proud of it!!!

Prepping... my room for painting while Josh took the kids home for dinner and bed Tuesday night.  I got to glimpse what sunset will look like out my bedroom window in the new house (dreamy!) and get the room ready for me to paint it Thursday.

Adventuring... with my friends Jolene & Shana (and our collective eleven children) to Sun Lakes for some swimming & sun.  The weather was a bit chilly (mostly thanks to the wind) but the kids had a blast regardless.  I love hanging with Jolene and Shana because they are so down to earth, but also because each of us has a set of identical twins.  We ended up in book club together a few years ago, and happen to all have twins.  It's such a fun, random fact.
My favorite part of the day was when we stopped for dinner at an Italian restaurant on the way home.  We ate outside on the patio and it was so lovely.  The kids were really well behaved, and the food was amazing!  I just love those girls & their kids.
While we were gone, Josh shampoo'd the carpets at the new house, and they look awesome!

Selling... furniture we don't need and having the kids sleep on air mattresses in the mean time.  They were such good sports about it!  Thank goodness for their flexibility.

Taking... the kids on one last walk in our neighborhood, for old times sakes. I can't believe how much they have all grown since we moved in, and how much I have come to love these sidewalks.  I will miss them (and our neighbors) very, very much. 

Starting... the school year for Josh with his first day of students on Thursday.  I probably say this every summer, but truly this summer felt like it passed in the blink of an eye.  I am so glad for all we accomplished and the memories made, but I will be happy for next summer when we are not trying to fix up a house to sell and not trying to pack all our worldly belongings up so we can move!

Deciding... that the twins weren't ready for cell phones after all.  Nothing terrible has happened with them and their phones.  In fact, for the most part, they have done pretty well with them.  But Logan lost his cell phone while we were at Sun Lakes.  He was on a "bridge" of sorts, standing over a sludgy pond, looking at a turtle, when it fell out of his back pocket and into the water.  This is the second phone he's had and Jack is on his third, having accidentally swam with the first one, and lost the second one.  Josh and I agree that while it can be convenient to get a hold of them, for the most part, they are always somewhere that we know the adult and can call them, and they just aren't quite ready for the responsibility that comes with having a phone of their own.  (Luckily we knew this was a trial and bought Pay As You Go phones from Walmart.  They will be deactivated and saved for a later date. No harm done.)

Painting... my master bedroom Behr Chic Gray with Jolene, who is a painting master (and a saint!) and offered to help me.  She made quick work of my room, and we got it done in less than 3 hours.  It was great.  Then she offered to take the twins home with her, so I was kid free (my mother in law had the littles) for a few hours- to pack and then go sign papers with Josh.  I am telling you, I would not have gotten through this move without the help of all my amazing friends & family.  They've been the best village a girl could ask for.

Finally... moving.  We started on Friday morning when Josh's brother showed up (on his day off) while Josh was at work to help me get a head start on the move.  We jumped in and didn't stop.  It was a whirlwind of a day, but we managed to get all the bedrooms & bathrooms moved so we could sleep there Friday night, which was my goal. 

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Hahaha!