Around Here: Week 42 2022

 {October 16-22nd}

The sign said not to pet the horses. But this one came over and stuck his head through the fence to Carly.  Carly is a rule follower (100%) so see her little closed fist? Josh and I convinced her that it would probably be okay.  So she finally did pet him.  Oh I love that girl. 

These are the water towers in the town where Josh works.  We were meeting him at work, which is a half hour drive away, and suddenly Carly goes, "I know we're close!" I said, "How do you know?" (It's pretty much all farmland, and it's not easy to differentiate where we are.)  She said, "When I see the things that look like popcorn holders, I know we're close." Haha! She meant the striped water towers.  

Carly's Minecraft obsession has even leaked into her artwork.
The square people and things make me laugh.

Taking... just Carly to the pumpkin patch as the boys weren't interested this year. Josh had warned me ahead of time by saying that if the boys didn't want to go, he didn't think we should make them.  So I had a feeling they might not want to go, and I was okay with that. 
We had a great time with Carly.  Her enthusiasm for life never gets old, and the pumpkin patch was no exception.  She loved the ride, the animals, picking pumpkins and gords to take home, and the gift shop, where she got an orange kitty.  
It wasn't until I was on the drive home and the song "Next Thing You Know" came on, that I got sad.  I can't believe the days of trekking to the pumpkin patch with all four of my kids are over.  I called my mom and sobbed to her saying, "I just hate that when it's the last, you don't know it's the last!" Not just for the pumpkin patch either... but like, when was the last time I read a picture book to the boys? Or gave them a bath? Or held them on my lap? Motherhood is so magical, and so hard. 

Looking... back on our trip to Anchorage eleven years ago.  I still can't believe we did that. We moved our family to a village in the middle of nowhere and it was some of the happiest times of our lives. (Also, please take my back to baby Wyatt! His squishy adorableness- I can't even!)

Packing... up from our little getaway staycation and heading home to our kiddos.  It was so lovely to connect with Josh, to have so many hours of uninterrupted conversation, and honestly, to nap without being woken up. Haha! That parenting life. 

Doing... my makeup with my mom when I got home and chatting about how the weekend went.  It's hard not living closer to the ones I love, but it means that when we do get together, we have often slept over (her at my house or me at her house) and I love having a cup of coffee together, sitting on the couch in our pj's together or getting ready together, sharing hair and makeup stuff.  There's something kind of special about that. Maybe I'm just looking for the silver lining, but I'm okay with that. 

Driving... the kids on over to Wenatchee for my little niece Romy's birthday.  She turned five (I can still remember the day my sister got the call! How has it been five years?!?) and was so excited for everything. My sister throws the best parties, with adorable decorations, yummy food and thoughtful gift bags (even for the grown ups!).  

Contemplating... my severe loyalty and how it's changed over the years after I was questioning loyalty as a main character trait of Enneagram 6's.  My sister presented me with a lightbulb moment reminding me of all the times I was loyal- Staying true to church people, baby-sitting familes, my ex-best friend, and said it might not seem like I am super loyal now because I'm learning to choose myself over others who have wronged me.  Once she said that, I looked back on so many examples of my insanse loyalty.  I stayed friends with girls who read my diary during one of my birthday parties, and after they ditched me at lunch. I stayed friends with people who didn't make me feel good about myself, and made me feel like I never measured up.  It feels good to be growing and choosing myself, though, after so many years of being a doormat. 

Enjoying... Fall treats (per Carly's request: chocolate eye balls, candy corns and candy corn pumpkins) and that it's cold enough to have a "fire" (aka: turn on our electric fireplace downstairs). 

Cutting... dahlias, still, in mid-October.  It's been a dream! 

Keeping... Carly home sick Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

Making... pumpking muffins with her.  Her brothers are big into cooking and baking, and are all pretty good at it. So after she helped me make muffins she told them that she can basically cook by herself, too. Hehe. Oh little sister, always trying to match those big bros.

Reading... The Book of Magic and loving this quote:

"Unable are the loved to die

for love is immortality."

Taking... a beautiful fall walk when my sister accidentally ordered something from Facebook Marketplace thinking it was in her town, when actually it was in mine- and in my actual neighborhood! Haha! It was the perfect excuse to get outside and take Carly (and Grady) for a walk after being stuck in the house with a sick girl for so many days.  The only downside to our walk was that she sneezed and I didn't have any kleenex.  Rookie mistake. haha! So I grabbed a leaf to wipe her nose and she thought that was hilarious. 

Getting... Jack's cell phone fixed for $20 instead of replacing it for $200.  Josh figured it was worth a try (his phone screen kept acting up- he couldn't answer calls or open it unless he turned it off first) and it worked! Saved us so much money! And now Jack has a functioning phone, which is good peace of mind for his worried mother. 

Laughing... at the ridiculousness of Carly, who currently has two tablets.  When Wyatt got a phone for his birthday, his tablet got passed on to Carly, so now she has a show going on one tablet, and a game (typically Minecraft or Roblox) going on the other.  I am generally against screens.  I hate them.  I hate the battle.  But my kids use them, and for my sanity, I'm glad we have them.  But I have noticed some things about Carly's screen time that have me feeling less guilty about the time she spends on there.  One is that she is able to Facetime her cousin (and best friend) Liesel, and that social time is so fun for her.  But the other is that on Roblox she is doing so.much.reading.  When they kids role play in there, they type in the chat box and Carly is sounding out words, writing back, and just using her little brain so much! (Her use of emoji's might be my favorite.) Also, in Minecraft, the girl is so creative, she blows me away.  The other day she made an ice cream stand, from nothing! She gathered everything she needed and made the stinkin' cutest little ice cream stand you ever saw! So it's not all bad. 

Seeing... my counselor on Saturday and being so grateful for her. She really helps me see what I need to address in my life, and what isn't mine. Her mantra for me is: "Stay in your lane." 

Sending... Wyatt and Jack to Trunk or treat in Wenatchee and Logan to Scarywood.  All these fun Halloween activities are so great! 

Watching... Alaska the Last Frontier and loving it so much.  Their family is just so fun and I love everything about Alaska.  I also watched the Shania Twain special on Netflix and enjoyed it very much. I forgot how much I love her music. 

Feeling... really proud of one of my boys who was talking to me about going out to dinner with another family, and one of the adults was really rude to the waitress. He was so disgusted by their behavior, and it made me think, "We're doing alright." If he knows that how you treat the wait staff is important, we're doing just fine. 

***
I loved this poem I came across:

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep
"Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die."
-Mary Elizabeth Frye

***