Around Here: Week 15 2022

 {April 10-16th}

Thanks for the roses, Jubilee

Cleaning... house with a good, deep clean (all hands on deck) the Sunday after spring break so we could head into the new week (and the last push until summer) with a clean house.  I redid the boys' chore lists and am happy with how they turned out. I will rewrite them and laminate them after this week and then they will rotate chores weekly.  That keeps any of them from getting burnt out on one set of chores, and helps them all learn the different skills.

Shocked... as we had a snow day (a real, legitimate snow day) this week.  Who has heard of a snow day after spring break!?!  We were all so surprised to wake up to snow, and I think it's fair to say we were all quite annoyed as well.  A) we don't want to add more school days to the calendar in June, and B) we are all over the winter weather. Bring on that sunshine!!
Because of the snow, games were canceled the rest of the week because they didn't want the kids playing on fields that were muddy.

Subbing... some half days this week (if you missed it, I am substitute teaching at Wyatt & Carly's school a few times a week to bring in some money and dip my toes back in the work force) and loving a half day.  I get to be social and feel useful while subbing, but I am also able to get some things (dishes, laundry, etc.) accomplished at home.  It's the best of both worlds. 

Hitting... the 22 year mark on our dating anniversary (April 11, 2000 we became boyfriend/girlfriend) and admitting here that marriage is hard.  We had a pretty easy go of it the first two decades.  Really.  We were almost always happy, madly in love, and on the same page.  But as our kids get older, and I begin losing my place as primary caretaker of small children (they just keep growing!!) and we try to navigate later bedtimes, more privileges and a busier schedule, it's gotten harder.  It takes work and choice to keep putting each other first, to work through the hard things, and to remember we're on the same team when we are more like ships passing in the night than ever before. 

Yelling... "bad dog!" more than once this week as Piper moved from chewing only on the ottoman to chewing on the actual couch, and Grady ate half a stick of butter.  You can't make this stuff up! Oh what frustrating, adorable, naughty, loving creatures they are!

Sending... Josh to the twins' practice with Wyatt's baseball blanket that I made last week.  It is so cute, and SO cozy! Tie blankets are the first thing I have ever "made" and I am so proud of them! (My mom bought the material for us after we froze our butts off during Jack's football games back in the fall.  Thanks mom!)

Noticing... that I am aging.  Suddenly it seems.  I hit 35 a few years ago, and since then I am just constantly noticing things (wrinkles, age spots, weight gain, grey hairs). I am trying to focus on the positive- that I am alive- but it's hard when age feels like a frying pan to the face! Hah!

Struggling... to let the boys experiment with their own styles when it comes to haircuts.  I have been giving them haircuts since before Wyatt was born (he has never had a professional cut) and I am limited in my ability.  But when they have asked for different things recently, I am trying to branch out, and stay open minded.  Hair is one area I am willing to let them have their own way.  Even though it's not easy!

Attending... Wyatt's first baseball game with the whole family.  I was so proud of Wyatt!! He got a hit, and he got an out while he was playing first. He has come so far since he started and it makes me happy how much he loves the game. 

Staying... at a birthday party I had planned to drop Carly off at when she became tearful at the thought of me leaving. It made for a busy Saturday with errands to run, food to bake (for easter!), kids to pick up and game night to attend. But we got it all done! And she had so much fun at her friends' birthday. 

Baking... carrot cake from scratch for Easter and planning on frosting them Sunday morning.  They smelled sooo good!

Laughing... so hard at our first game night with family at my sister-in-law's house.  We left the kids home for movie night (they did great!) and Josh and I enjoyed some good old fashioned fun playing games with his sister, brother, nephews and their significant others. The laughter was good for my soul, and I was really proud of Logan for getting Carly to bed with no tears.  There are definitely perks to these kids growing up.

Cherishing... the way Carly says "willn't" instead of "won't".  I have no idea where she got it, but if I say, "You can't put those in the water," for instance, she will reply, "Don't worry mom. I willn't."

Not cherishing how picky she is about strawberries.  She took one single bite from every strawberry in the container and told me they were all "too sour". This girl. {smh}

Loving... how Logan picked some cherry blossoms on the way home from school.  I like to think that I have influenced his ability to notice the beauty around him. 

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Funnies:

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Around Here: Week 14 2022

 {April 3-9th}

So many grey hairs, and they are WILD!

My mom holding Roxanne; my Grandma Pansy holding Dallas; and me, coloring, just like Carly is always doing. 

Throwback: our wee little one five years ago

Jumping... into spring break with Josh's sisters + family in town and hosting a big anniversary celebration for Josh's parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary.  The party went off without a hitch, and Josh's parents had a great time celebrating.  It was a beautiful day and so much fun!

Finding... more and more grey hairs on my head as time passes.  I jokingly blame Logan (he's always been our daredevil) but really all the kids worry me in their own ways.  Although just this week Logan came home from playing Hide & Seek at the land with a contusion as big as the palm of his hand, and lump underneath it the size of a baseball.  I gasped and did a little medical googling before I let him go to bed. Being a mom is no joke! 

Loving... how much time the boys spend outside when their cousins are here.  The guys all love playing football (the more the merrier) and it brings a smile to my face whenever they're out in the sunshine tossing the ball around. 

Enjoying... lots of time to myself this week as well, as Josh is always the one to bring the kids to his parent's land for cousin time. I watched the Hillsong special on Hulu (about the church falling apart), and while I enjoyed it and identified with a lot of what people were talking about, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast was way more in depth and just better executed. I loved it. In addition to TV, making fleece blankets for use during cold baseball practice, and some reading, I took a lot of naps. It was so luxurious. 

Stretching... my patience as I tried building legos with Carly.  I would tell her what to do, and she would execute it.  I made it a lot farther than I thought I would, then I told her I'd call her over when it was done. hah! Some things I have a lot of patience for (art, making messes, reading and writing) but other things I struggle with (letting them in the kitchen, folding towels and cleaning up in general). 

Enduring... more cold baseball practices, where I wanted nothing more than to stay at home.  But Wyatt loves being on a team (baseball is 100% his jam) and Carly's enthusiasm for everything helps.  She is excited to watch Wyatt practice, excited to be outside, excited to play at the playground, excited for any snacks I brought... That girl is just a ray of sunshine and she makes us all a little brighter. 

Grateful... my parents decided to come spend a day this week hanging with us.  My dad took Logan fishing; my mom took the kids to the store (spoiling her grandkids is one of her favorite past times); and then watching the kids so Josh and I could go to dinner just the two of us. 

Sharing... a delicious meal with Josh at the fanciest restaurant in our small town.  It was fun to get dressed up and go out.  It was lovely to spend some time just the two of us, and after our yummy dinner, we headed to the lake to catch the sunset, and then we did a little shopping.  We needed some new life jackets (in hopes that we will get out on our kayaks later this spring or summer) and we weren't ready to head home just yet. 

Laughing... as Carly responded to something her brother said with, "That feels like sarcasm."  Hahahah! Sarcasm is spoken fluently in this home (it's a Cunningham thing) and she is for sure starting to pick up on it.  She used to be so sweet and tender, that she assumed everything anyone said was sincere.  But as she's gotten older, she's starting to recognize when maybe her brother doesn't mean what he says.  Smarty pants!

Hosting... a pizza competition between him and his sister with all the fam here to celebrate (and partake).  The two of them worked at Papa Murhpey's in their youth (Josh was working there when I met him in high school) and they both definitely still have the skills they got from that job. I'm not sure who won, but I am pretty sure it's all of us in attendance because there was a ton of pizza, and we didn't have to do any of the work. Ha!  It was all so yummy!

Showing... the kids how I can cross my eyes and laughing as they tried to do it too. I know (now that I have teenagers) that I only have a few years left of the kids thinking that things I do are cool or impressive. So I am milking it for all it's worth. 

Feeling... emotional as I see Wyatt becoming such a cheerleader of Carly's reading.  He will listen to her read any time I ask (and even sometimes when Carly asks) and is so encouraging and supportive. He makes me so proud. 

Catching... Carly doing school work even though we are on break.  She wrote her letters on the white board, spent lots of time reading and drawing, and using all those amazing skills she's been picking up in kindergarten. She makes me so very proud. 

Relishing... an empty sink.  It's a rare sight here, but a beautiful one. 

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Haha! 100% accurate.
I get really tired of the negative teacher talk. This one made me smile.

Mind.blown.

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