Around Here: Week 28 2023

 {July 9-15th}

Find someone who looks at you like Grady looks at Wyatt. 

Loving... my husband. Oh my gosh. Being back home with him, I am just so grateful for him and I adore him. I can't get enough of him after being away for two weeks. 

Never... ever wanting to leave Moses Lake again in my life. haha! I am so happy to be home; to have toilets that are easily accessible and free; to be able to flush toilet paper (something that's a big no-no in Greece); to have easy access to medicine, food and comfort. I am so happy here. Truly. 

Enjoying... the art Carly made for me while I was gone.  I especially love the word find she made. She is so adorable!

Suffering... with some post-vacation letdown and massive jet lag. Oh my gosh. You always hear about jet lag, but you guys. The struggle is real. It is so hard!!!! I am working hard this week to go to bed on time and to spend some morning time in the sunshine to help. Jack is having a hard time too.  He wakes up at like 1 or 2 in the morning and can't get back to sleep. So then I keep finding him asleep around the house, taking little cat naps throughout the day. 

Making... finding happiness and joy a goal this week as I try to get over my jetlag and post-vacation letdown.  I am showering everyday with happy music playing, drinking plenty of water and feeding myself well, being of service to others at one point everyday and setting daily goals to accomplish.  I am spending time everyday in mindfulness and planning at least one happy activity to look forward to and enjoy everyday.  I am also reaching out and connecting to someone (even just a simple text) everyday. It's definitely helping me feel better. 

Counseling... this week and talking about what to do when teenagers aren't listening and telling her about my trip and Wyatt's quad wreck a few weeks back.

Enjoying... the yard and all our flowers. It makes me so happy.

Laughing... as Jack and Ainsley brought their mini-bikes to our house to work on them. Oh those boys. But while it was here, Jack got his sanded and spray painted (matte black) and it looks really good!  When one of our neighbors got mad at Ainsley for riding past his house, Josh was such a good example of staying calm and talking through the altercation. Both parties ended the conversation happy and satisfied and it made me grateful that Josh is who he is. 
I was also laughing when Jack came inside so filthy from working on his bike. I made him let me snap a picture because he reminded me so much of Josh. Even the smell (metal, oil and hard work) took me back to when I was dating Josh (who was only a year older than Jack is now when we started dating). 

Breaking... up fights as Carly continually wants to watch Wyatt game and Wyatt doesn't want her to. I'm always grateful when he just lets her watch!

Doing... all the homework. Oh my goodness.  Being gone two weeks was brutal and playing catch up has not been easy. 

Spending... the afternoons (after homework) swimming with Carly. Oh she is so fun. She just makes me laugh. Her bedtime fashun (she tied her pajama shirt up to make it more fashionable) cracks me up. And when we were at the store the other day she was telling me what kind of Root Beer to get and she said I should get "Awww Root Beer"- she meant A&W Root Beer, but she didn't know what the ampersand sign was, so she pronounced it "aww". 

Celebrating... Josh's 40th birthday with cake & ice cream at home with the kids.  And his brother and sister surprised him with an electric lawnmower that is amazing and he loves! I am so grateful they were able to spoil him. He so deserves it! 

Having... my sister and her baby Sweet P over on Josh's birthday so we could catch up. It was so good to just hang out and talk without a million kids. (We usually have to work our conversations around the chaos. Haha!) Carly really loved helping with Baby P.  She fed her and held her and when she was looking at her she said, "She is just so cute! Ugh. Well, I guess I'm going to have to have a baby now." (She has always said she doesn't want any babies. But apparently the baby is so cute she just has to have one now. Haha!) 

Taking... Carly to the eye doctor to get a check up and new glasses, and taking Wyatt to the doctor to fix his toe nail that is so severly ingrown. The doctor numbed it and cut it down on both sides. It was amazing, Wyatt did so well, and it instantly reduces the pain he's experiencing. 

Writing... a note to the toothfairy with Carly. She lost her tooth before I went to Europe, and then we lost it. I lost it at "Warmest regards, Carly". Where does she get this stuff? I love her!

Hosting... a cousin sleepover (Ferris & Milo) for Wyatt.  We went to Dollar Tree to get candy and watched a movie and just had so much fun!  The highlight for me, though was, well, let me set the scene:

Logan came home and in the ten minutes he'd been home he had sworn, like, so many times! So I got frustrated with him and yelled at him to stop. Then we went to leave for the store (Dollar Tree) and as Carly climbed in, she stood on the side piece/running board of the van and it broke and fell off. I took a deep breath, told her daddy would fix it, and went back inside to grab Josh's keys so we could take his car instead of the (now broken) van. 
When we all got in the car Ferris said, "Wow Aunt Shelly. You really stayed calm. I'm impressed." It meant so much to me that he noticed. It was sweet. 

Sending... the boys to spend time at the land riding dirt bikes with cousins since Andrea's family is in town. They always have so much fun together.

Proud... of my boys for joining Josh to help tear down their Aunt Julie's fence and build a new one. I am so grateful that Josh has taught them to be such hard workers with his example, and that they know family has your back when you need help and you're there for them when they do. 

***

***