Around Here: Week 2 2023

 {January 8-14th}

That morning light. Swoon.

Josh wrote "We can do hard things"
to encourage me after a little breakdown.
One of the boys changed it to "We can't do hard things"
Made me laugh. Oh those naughty boys. 

I love Cjane so much.
This post spoke me. 
"I want my kids to be raised by an adult,
so that's what I'm trying to become."
Yes.

Carly got a sewing kit from my mom for her birthday. 
It was the most thoughtful gift.

Starting... the week off strong with homework all day Sunday.  Josh typically mans the kids (chasing them around the house as they get their chores done) and I lock myself in our room work, work, working on assignments. 

Wanting... to remember that at this stage of life (first grade) Carly loves American Girl dolls, LOL dolls and Barbies.  She mixes and matches all the stuff to make it really fun, and boy oh boy can the girl make a mess! Haha! Thankfully she's my fourth so I am quite a bit more laid back than I was with the boys when they were at this age. 

Worrying... about Wyatt being home all week from school.  This kid and his asthma/cough is so stressful to me. We thought we hit the mark with allergy meds, but that effect didn't last long.  I've talked to the school administrator about making his classes pass/fail since he's missed so much since Halloween, and I think most teachers are on board.  When Wyatt's in class he's an amazing student, super smart and hard working.  But he hasn't been in class. And when he's home coughing all day, he's not doing any homework. At this point we're just holding out for the schedule change at the semester.  We'll start fresh then. 

Talking... to my counselor, letting her know that Grandpa died and talking her through my visit with him over Christmas break.  I shared my overwhelm with her about Wyatt coughing, college, and other life things I can't control.  I am so grateful for her.

Organizing... and sorting Carly's entire room after watching it get so bad post-Christmas. I should know better than to get my hopes up that she'll keep it clean, but I do hope she can better manage the chaos.  

Selling... our pool table when we decided that it was no longer fitting our lifestyle.  We really need two rooms with couches and TV's so we can all lounge and snuggle with our giant (horse-sized) dogs. It would have been harder to decide to sell it, but both our kids' grandparents have pool tables, so they can still play when they visit them. 

Moving... all the furniture in our house to accommodate the pool table being gone. We had to sweep and vacuum and reorganize a lot.  But it was so worth it. I'm so excited about it all. Now we just need to get a small couch or loveseat for the living room. 

Reading... the best book! Running Wild by K.A. Tucker is so good! It's the fourth (technically third as one is a mini-novel) book in The Simple Wild series.  It takes place in Alaska (which I love) and the characters are so real and relateable.  So good!

Listening... to Friends, Lovers and The Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry.  It is riveting.  So hard to listen to.  Sad and heart wrenching at times.  But also kind of inspiring and real. 

Crying... into dinner as I stood at the stove one night, feeling so scared (so, so scared!) about doubling up on classes next term. (GCU does six week terms and one class counts as full time... so taking two classes at once is scaring my pants off!) Josh let me cry, but assured me that if anyone can do it, I can. And that the challenge will be worth it when I am starting my student teaching a year sooner than planned. 

Eating... my feelings with pretzels and chocolate chips. It's my favorite salty & sweet snack right now. So yum!

Wondering... why bedtime is always such a challenge.  I mean, some nights are fine... but other nights. It's like a game of whack-a-mole.  How they suddenly have questions and hangnails and deep conversations that need to be addressed.  And it's like, Yall, I'm tired! Will you go to bed so I can go downstairs and stare at the wall? I need some peace. 

Subbing... for Carly's class three days this week and just loving those little people.  It's hard (first grade and kinder) but also just so rewarding. Their innocence and joy are contagious and I love being around them.  They make me laugh and smile and wonder at life right alongside them. 

Feeling... starry-eyed at Wyatt's Christmas gift from my mom.  It's the coolest little astronaut that casts stars and a nebula onto the ceiling. It's so cool.

Making... cookies and feeling like my old self.  Such a stereotypical thing for a stay-at-home mom to do, right? Making cookies after school for snack. Aww.  

Enjoying... how Carly puts away the dishes in rainbow order. She is my spirit animal. Also enjoying that Wyatt made the foam letters in the shower say "Swag like Ohio". Haha!

Loving... the morning light when I drive our boys to school.  The clouds and sun mixing to make beautiful colors... just always takes my breath away. 

Adoring... how Carly is ALWAYS singing. She sings when she's getting dressed.  She sings when she's unloading the dishwasher. She sings when we're at the store... I hope she does it forever. 

Letting... the kids stay up late Friday night. They made a solid argument that it's their weekend too and they should be able to stay up Friday & Saturday, not just Saturday.  This proves challenging as Josh and I used to have our date night at home after the kids went to bed on Friday nights.  So I'm not sure what we're going to do now that they're growing up.  Maybe we'll start actually going out.

Driving... to Wenatchee with Carly and Wyatt to celebrate my niece Lulu's second birthday.  My sister knows her girl, and decided to have a cookie decorating party for Lu with just the girls so she wouldn't be overwhelmed.  My mom, sister, daughter and two neices were there, making the cutest winter cookies and enjoying each other. It was the loveliest day. Meanwhile, Wyatt went to the movies with his cousins and enjoyed some bro time. I bought books for Lu (she loves books just like her Aunt Shally) and she let me read to her.  Best moment of the party, honestly. 

Getting... an amazing grade on my first big paper. I am so proud of myself! It's no small feat to be attending college for the first time in 18 years as a mom of four.  It's been an adjustment to say the least. So doing this well on an assignment feels super good. 

Teaching... you some of the kids talk.  This will be a weekly thing on the blog, letting you know what new things I'm hearing from the teens.  One thing they've been saying for a while now is "cap" (meaning lie) or "no cap" (meaning truth).  For instance, when they ask who my favorite child is and I say, "I love all of you!" they respond, "You be cappin'!" It makes me laugh. 
Another thing they're big into lately is asking "what?" and when you start to answer they say, "Ever!" (like, What-ever!) Or "Who?" and when you start to answer they say, "Asked?" or "Cares" (Like "Who asked" or "Who cares"- so rude!) I have stopped answering basically any time they ask who or what, just to be safe. haha!

***

How much does Wyatt look like my dad's 
cousin Danny? Genetics are wild!

***