Around Here: Week 2 2024

 {January 7-13th}

The kittens wait and watch like this while the dogs are outside. 

Sweet P

Lu & her "little" sister ;)

My sister sent this to me in honor of my word of the year.
I love it!!!

I think Carly is having as much fun with the new cat condo as the kittens.

Ordered this for Josh since it's his quote for the year. 

I'll never get over Carly's work

I love how I am on my knees to hug her.
And that hugging me makes me happy.

Older brother (bro) teasing her. Classic. On Point. 
Them laughing and her angry eyebrows? I'm dead.

She's drawing on her easel and the dog (see the teeth?) bites her.
The "chomp"!

The worry lines slay me. 
Dark. Halloween. Skeleton. 
Those would make me worried indeed.

A surprise party for her cousin.
The cat!!!

Disgusted by throw up and poo. Same, girl.
How she's tucked in bed with a sad face. Aww!

Grandma in the red fleece

Texts with my sister that literally buoy my soul.

It was so cold on the way to Wenatchee,
the river was steaming. 

How it started...
(Carly & Molly)

How it's going...
(Molly & Carly)

Josh sent me this meme he made of Grady.
Grady has probably missed a meal 5x since coming to live with us in 2019.
But everyday he is convinced that he is in fact starving and might not make it. 

Sending... Josh back to work finally as he had the whole previous week off.  It was nice to have him home to help get the kids off in the mornings and to do parent pick up in the afternoons.  He also got to go spend Friday with his brother, which made me happy for him. 

Loving... that as Carly gets older she can clean her own room.  She definitely has a LOT of toys and it can get overwhelming. So her ability to clean her own space is awesome. She was so proud this week that she took pictures. 

Dying... at the pictures my sister sent of her two youngest.  That baby is so delicious!! And Lu has the happiest smiling eyes I ever did see. 

Grateful... that I have family pitching in to help with Early Release days since I'll be student teaching (thanks Julie, Carol, Mom & Dad!) and that my mentor teacher said it's no problem to just bring Carly with me on Wednesdays.  She can hang in the classroom playing or watching a show on my phone.  A few of my friends at the school said that's what their kids do, and I am relieved to only have to find care for her for Late Start Mondays.  For the time being, she'll be hanging with a friend from first grade whose mom is home.  Bonus is that she lives in our neighborhood only one block away! So grateful for that!

Spaying... the kittens finally, and feeling grateful that all went well.  When I was little my big brother's cat Spike went in to get fixed and he died. So I've always been nervous when I send my pets in to get spayed or neutered. 

Chatting... with my counselor about my upcoming life change and she was really positive about how I can do hard things.  She also gave me a perspective change on responsibility shifting from me to my kids.  I tend to feel bad that I won't be there to pick them up from school, to make them snack, to switch their laundry, etc. She said that this is teaching them skills and responsibility that will carry them into adulthood beautifully. Love that perspective so much.

Subbing... Wednesday and Friday this week and experiencing lots of feelings about what it's going to be like to essentially work full time while I'm student teaching. Thankfully when I'm at school, I LOVE it! And I am happy when I'm home. It's just balancing what I would normally do at home all day with being gone instead. Mainly laundry is my concern, but also phone calls, bills and other tidying. But with the support of my counselor I know that I can (in a healthy way) lean on my kids and husband and they can step up and help in any way I need. 

Cherishing... Carly taking her new (from Christmas) Barbie RV outside to play on the sidewalk. Since she's my fourth, I know how fast the years go from 7 to 12 and how soon she won't play like she does now. 

Adjusting... our family schedule to accommodate Logan's traffic safety class which runs 5-7:30 every night. So Josh goes to grab him most nights and when he gets home and warms up dinner, I read to the boys (We're reading The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) while Josh lays Carly down. It's meant bedtimes are a little later than I like, but we're making it work. And thankfully it's a fast course- it's all over in less than a month!

Melting... as the twins each shared "a tiny human u love" on Instagram this week. Logan shared LittleBrother, who was my sister's foster son for a couple periods of time, and Jack shared the baby (Sweet P) who they call "Mary" (I have no idea why- they said it just fits her).  I love so much that my sister's constant influx of babies thanks to fostercare has turned my boys into amazing caretakers who adore babies and aren't afraid to hold them, play with them or feed them. 

Journaling... a lot this week, processing all the feels as my time as a stay-at-home mom comes to an end. It's been a beautiful 13 years, and I don't regret a minute, but at the same time, I am ready for the next phase of life. 

Shocked... at how much my boys love hot sauce. Lately they have taken to dipping tortilla chips straight into the Valentina's. And they made Josh buy the big one.  I should have seen this coming when they started downing Takis and Hot Cheetoh's in third grade. 

Getting... some snow along with a cold snap and while it's beautiful, it makes getting ready for work much harder. I normally like to wear dresses (they're most comfortable and I don't have to make an outfit) but snow in the parking lot means I should probably be wearing my boots or Uggs not dress shoes. 
Jack got out one afternoon and shoveled the neighbors' driveway.  Our sweet neighbor Emily is in a wheelchair and snow/ice is not her favorite, so I love that he does that for her. Such a great kid. 

Being... treated to the sweetest gift card from my friend Julie (who also happens to be Josh's big sister) in anticipation of starting student teaching next week. She sent over some $$$ for Starbucks with the sweetest message.  Thanks Julie. I love you so much. Thanks for being my biggest cheerleader. 

Friending... the woman who runs the coffee shop my Grandma Pansy frequents every morning with her widow friends. I love seeing pics of who they're celebrating and what they're doing. I am so grateful my Grandma has such an amazing community, especially since we're so far away. 

Noticing... that when Carly is up too long, her eyes get SUPER bloodshot just like Josh's do when he's tired. Poor girl. They hurt, too and closing them is painful. Gotta get that girl to stay in bed until a reasonable hour!

Wrapping... up my final class before student teaching. This week was finals week, so I had a HUGE project, plus my normal Discussion Questions and life. It.was.a.lot.

Adding... "Student Teacher" to my bio on Facebook and Instagram. It's really getting real, folks! In four short months I will officially be a TEACHER!!! It feels surreal. I cannot believe how fast it went. 

Enjoying... watching the kids (Carly & Wyatt) play Legos together with the adorable Lego apartment building Aunt Julie built and brought over for them. She loves building Legos and then when she's done she sometimes brings them by for the kids. So thoughtful & fun!

Celebrating... Daphne's third birthday party with a tea party at Nanny's house. Carly and I went and enjoyed tiny sandwiches, good conversation & yummy cupcakes. Lu wasn't feeling great, so she was a bit subdued, but we had fun regardless. I hit 111,111 on the van on the drive home which I thought was cool and the vans' foot heater is broken which I found less cool.  My feet were so stinking cold driving home from Wenatchee. Brrrr!

***

Love this for my new era.

Only two and a half years left.
It's passed in a blink.

Always trying.
Always growing.