Around Here: Week 18 2023

 {April 30-May 6th}

Love this puzzle! It was so fun to do!

A guy in our town photographs nature regularly. I loved this one of our thunderstorm.

Great Uncle Lyle's resting place

Carly's School Rules
(Like, I love her so much I can't stand it)

Kelle Hampton encouraged us this week to record the little joys. 
Finding these cords shaped like a bow made me happy.

Taking... care of a sick Carly on Sunday while also working on a puzzle for fun. 

Thankful... that Grandma Carol said yes to Jack having the old Jetta she has out on the property. It was Papa Carl's friend Greg's (who passed away many years ago) and I am excited for Jack to have a project to work on with Josh. Just like Josh had one to work on (his VW Cabriolet) with his dad when he was that age. Tradition. 

Sleeping... a mere four hours total Sunday night. It was brutal.  Poor Carly has gotten so sick and dehydrated.

Driving... Carly in to the emergency room Monday morning.  The boys were so helpful all morning, packing my purse, getting Carly in the car, and being willing to stay home together since I had to take Carly to the ER and couldn't give them a ride to school. Logan ended up getting a ride with a friend to school and I was proud of him for going. While we were in the ER waiting room, a man came in who was 18 hours into detoxing off what I assume was meth and he was just wailing and moaning and drooling and so absolutely miserable. Carly was really scared so I tried to comfort her as best I could, telling her that he was being brave and trying to stop doing drugs but it's really hard.  I pointed out how his friend was such a good friend to be taking such amazing care of him. It was really, really hard, and honestly, kind of put Carly's dehydration from the flu in perspective.  This man was suffering so greatly. I hope and pray that he got the help he needed and was able to keep going. It looked like the most miserable experience I've ever seen to be trying to get sober.  In the end, Carly had a bladder infection (on top of the stomach flu) so we got her antibiotics and she started feeling better. 

Blessed... to have family who steps up when I can't be there for my kids. Josh ended up coming down with this sickness Carly has and so I didn't feel comfortable leaving him and Carly home while attending Wyatt's baseball game.  So I sent out a text to Josh's sister Julie and brother Samuel, and they all went to his game and even brought him home for us. I literally started crying when Julie's wife Erica sent me pics of them at the game. The way that family can show up for you when you need them is just so amazing. Thank you all again. 

Keeping... Logan home from practice that same day because he had such a bad sunburn. I didn't want him out in the heat making him feel even worse. And keeping Jack home from school because he did something to throw his back out. 

Grateful... for kindness from a fellow Instagrammer who I adore.  Sherry is a teacher and mama to five, and the words she said meant so much to me. I had been sharing on my IG stories that I was having a hard time with the fact that when my degree is finished, I will no longer be a SAHM.  But that I knew that even if change is hard or sad, that doesn't mean it's not the right thing.  She echoed that sentiment and said that I was exactly what schools need. Gah! So sweet! Thank you Sherry!

Taking... Logan to see the orthopedic surgeon to check on his scar.  He has this spot where his guts are kind of coming out (we call it his "squishies") and I wanted the doctor to see it.  He's been a doctor for like 20 years and he said he's never seen anything quite like it. But he wants to use the wait & see approach, so we will see him again soon to check it out. Meanwhile, Logan attended his game this week despite the fact that no one was there to watch him.  Josh was still suffering the stomach flu bug Carly had and I was home taking care of everyone. He had the best attitude about it. I am really so lucky. Our kids are so understanding and never ugly. 
I also took Carly and Wyatt to the dentist later this week and was grateful that Wyatt had no cavaties.  Carly has two or three that we'll have to fix. Darn. 

Reading... Exiles which was not what I thought it was, but I loved it as it's about the same detective as Jane Harper's other novels The Dry and Force of Nature, Aaron Falk. I love listening to these as they are read in a male voice that has an austrailian accent. So good!  I also listened to Mad Honey which was also not what I thought it was going to be, but SO good because, well, Jodi Picoult, and the subject matter is so timely.

Watching... Firefly Lane and enjoying it so much. It's a bit like a soap opera with lots of drama, but extra girl time and really relateable themes. 

Going... to work on Wednesday to do two different field experience hours (one for general ed and one for English Language Learners) while leaving Carly home with Josh half the day (he was still not feeling 100% but had to go in as this week is state testing) and with Jack the other half. I am so grateful for all the ways my teenagers have been showing up for us this week. Thanks guys!

Sending... Josh, who was feeling better, to go drive Logan to practive and Jack to his game on Wednesday, although Jack couldn't participate. He just watched and cheered on his teammates.  His back is still bugging him. I stayed home and worked on a huge paper I have due.  Thank god I worked on it when I did because by the time Josh went to bed, I had Jack downstairs sick on the couch and Logan upstairs vomiting in his bed and Carly still not at 100%.  I finally went to bed at 3:45am Wednesday (well, technically Thursday?) so that Josh could go to work. 

Recieving... my flight information for Jack and me for our EF tour to Europe in June! It is starting to feel really real!!!

Canceling... a morning meeting with my mentor teacher so I could get a little sleep Thursday.  Then somehow, Jack built up the strength to attend baseball practice on Thursday afternoon.  He knew he had to attend and participate if he wanted to play in the game on Saturday so he summoned every ounce of energy he could. How these boys do it, I don't know. 

Loving... the pic of Josh and his teaching team in their "May the fourth be with you" shirts for fourth grade. They are so great, just such amazing humans, and he has loved working with them so much for the past seven years. He counts himself lucky to have been with the team that long. It's so amazing. 

Sending... Josh off to the land to take his dad a cake for his birthday (which is May 4th) and feeling so proud that he's such a good son. Unfortunately when he arrived, he had quite a shock. His dad was in a hospital bed in the living room in pretty rough shape. I guess things took a turn for the worst after he was sick earlier in the week, and that day he hadn't been able to get out of bed.  We have known his health wasn't the best since his stroke two years ago, but it was still hard to see and accept this new reality. 

Taking... care of Wyatt as he finally succumed to the stomach flu as well on Thursday night. What a week it has been with this sickness working its way, one by one, through the family.  Last time Josh didn't get sick, and this time (fingers crossed) I haven't gotten sick. That is our one saving grace. Nonetheless I am massively overwhelmed by the sick kids, the lack of sleep and how behind I am on homework. 

Finding... a bookmark in the parking lot when I was picking up Crumbl cookies and feeling like it was the universe smiling at me. 

Wondering... if a girl in my class is using ChatGPT. I swear I don't know anyone who talks the way this girl wrote and I would bet my bottom dollar that she was using Chat GPT to write her responses in the online classroom.

Learning... that my Great Uncle Lyle passed away this week and feeling happy for him and a beautiful reunion with the love of his life, his wife Alida, who passed years ago.  I guess his son was going through his wallet after he passed, and he found his mom's wedding band tucked in the wallet. He slid it out of the wallet and into his dad's jacket pocket, which is just as Uncle Lyle would have wanted it. 

Cleaning... Carly's room.  About once a month we have to do a deep clean of her room because we can no longer walk in there.  At first I felt really bad about that, because I couldn't remember having to do that with the boys, but then I remembered that when the twins were Carly's age, we lived in Alaska and had an entire room devoted to toys. The playroom was awesome because we could just shut the door when they were done playing and their bedroom didn't have anything but stuffed animals in it. Anyway, I have lightened up on myself since then. 

Smiling... in surprise as Josh walked into our bedroom Saturday morning with coffee for me from Starbuck's.  He knew it had been a long, long week and that things had been extra heavy and overwhelming and that's how he showed up for me. It was so unexpected and sweet. After that he ended up driving to Yakima to pick up Jack who got sick in the middle of his away baseball game. What a good dad Josh is, you guys. We are just the luckiest to have him.

Doing... all.the.homework while holding down the fort as Josh has juggled time between state testing at work and spending time at his parents' house with his dad declining rather rapidly. I was able to take the twins and Carly to say goodbye to Carl on Friday. Unfortuntely Wyatt was still not feeling well so he wasn't able to come with us. But Carl, who had been quiet for the most part, spoke up while Josh was telling Logan he needed a haircut and said, "Yeah! It looks like hell!" Oh, we all laughed so hard. That was SO Carl. To come in hot with a sassy comment. It was just perfect. And when it was time for us to leave, he said goodbye and I love you to each of us. I was so grateful for those moments. 

Sending... Logan to spend the weekend with my parents.  He really needed to get out of the house, to have a distraction, and to work through his own feelings.  My dad took him fishing and they had a great time. I was so grateful. It was exactly what he needed. 

Walking... my kids through this loss, step by step, as Carl first had his stroke, and then more recently has been really sick, has been humbling and beautiful. I don't have all the answers, and I am not firm in my faith (I'm honestly not even sure what I believe anymore) but somehow we are getting through it. Leaning on each other and loving each other as we grapple with what life will be like when Carl passes. One thing I did as soon as I knew how serious it was, is print a picture for each person in our family with my little HP Sprocket printer. The twins put theirs on the wall in their room, Josh put his on his nighstand.  It's not much, but it's something I could do. I also packed Josh an overnight bag Saturday night that my sister-in-law Erica picked up and drove out there.  I was glad he was there, with his family. 

***

My dad.

My friend Theresa shared this. I love it so much.