The Cunningham Family: Around Here: Week 23 2022

{June 5-11th}

Jack is literally a barrel of laughs. Hah!

Celebrating... the twin's fourteenth birthday. Those guys. They are all energy and sarcasm, love and sass, sweetness and attitude. I adore them. I love spending time with them and miss them when they are gone. (To which they would reply, "cap!", meaning I'm lying. But I swear I'm not. They are some of my most favorite people.) They are determined (like Logan with his skating) and kind (like Jack with any baby) and they love each other, but not in a showy, affectionate way. They are so different- they have different tastes and interests (food and clothes are two ways they really differ)- but also so similar (how funny they are and how they love sports & their dad). They talk late into the night at bedtime, and just hearing them talk and laugh together warms my heart. They have only a handful of years left to share a home, a room, and it makes me prematurely nostalgic for these days to pass and be only a memory once they're adults. They are incredibly trustworthy, and have earned our trust so deeply over the past year. Their maturity level has grown exponentially since starting middle school. It's mind blowing. Another thing I am loving about this age and this level of growing up is that when they've made a mistake or been jerks, they do not hesitate to apologize. It's so endearing.

Hosting... their birthday party. It ended up being their friends Easton & Channing (who are also identical twins) and Jack's bestie Ainsley. They had a great time, and I was so pleased they had a fun party.

Subbing... only a half day this week, but in my favorite class. Those little first graders are just the sweetest and I so enjoy them!!

Organizing... Carly's hair pretties, as her collection continues growing. I love the organizer I got on Amazon, and I also enjoy using jars for some of her other ones- like the bobbles and the banana clips.

Struggling... with Carly still crying at school drop off. There are literally days left of school and she's still tearing up and having a hard time getting out of the car. Part of it, I think, is that she knows when she starts first grade next year, Wyatt won't be there with her. He's off to middle school in the fall, and it's breaking her little heart. But also, she doesn't love being away from me. So we're just taking it day by day, doing what we can to make drop off easier.

Speaking of middle school... Wyatt got to go visit the middle school and learn a little bit about this next step in his education. He is not nervous. He's so cool, calm and collected. He's an inspiration, I tell you.

Talking... to my counselor about setting verbal boundaries with someone. I struggle with boundaries because they can make me feel mean, which isn't in my nature. But by talking it through with my counselor, I was able to find some words that set a boundary without being unkind. Such important work.

Attending... kindergarten graduation for Carly and crying off and on throughout it. I am so proud of our girl. She didn't attend preschool, and because of COVID she didn't really have a lot of social interactions during her fourth and fifth years of life. But she has done amazing regardless. The hardest part for her is getting out of the car each morning. Once she's there, she loves it and does so well. She is adored by her teacher, which has meant the world to me. And we adore her teacher right back.

Surprised... by Wyatt who asked his teacher if he could attend, and since she said yes, he came down and sat with me at Carly's ceremony. He's the best big brother.

Dealing... with a naughty dog who chewed through the extension cord we have plugged in for the pool filter. Grrr!!! She's lucky it wasn't plugged in and she didn't get shocked!

Loving... the "Friends" themed yearbook the twins brought home. It's so funny! "The one where we won state" or "The one where they learned how to cook" are the labels on the pages, and I love it.

Enduring... that last push of homework and missing assignments with the twins as we've threatened taking their gaming away if they have anything below a C. I gotta tell you, I am scared for them. They are skirting that line.

At this point, only time will tell if they're grades are up to our standards.

Giving... Carly a haircut to match mine. I was shocked when she agreed to it, but I am so glad she did. It will make swimming and doing her hair in the summer so much easier. And I promised her she can grow it out again next year.

Spilling... the Tide as I filled my cute little detergent holder up. It just slid right off the washer and wound up all over the floor. Thankfully it swept up easy, but I had to throw it away, which felt like a waste. It had dirt and dog and cat hair all in it, and I just didn't feel good about using that to clean my clothes. You know?

Swimming... in the sunshine that finally showed up, and feeling so grateful. I feel like we spent our entire spring in the cold and the rain, and so for it to be nice, warm, sunny weather just feels like the biggest gift.

Arranging... our beach getaway for the end of the month and feeling so excited for a trip with my family. Jon Snow was wrong. Summer is coming!!!!

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