The Cunningham Family: Around Here: Week 49 2024

{December 1-7th}

Carly was here.

I adore my Lore Pemberton calendar.

Headphones in her advent calendar!

Cutest chubby bird visitor

Mischievous elf turned our milk pink

Shoes in her advent calendar!

Sledding!!!

Family fun sledding. Wyatt's so creative!

I love all the details in Carly's turkey picture.
She drew this to hang on the door on Thanksgiving Day.

This tiny to-go coffee cup actually opens!
Another great one from her Life As advent calendar.

Laughing... at Carly who set up my tripod and stole my phone to record herself cleaning her bedroom. She recorded it on speed recording and then watched it back. It's so funny how much she pays attention to what I do, as I have often recorded myself cleaning her room.

Beating... Cadence's Blockblast (think tetris) score and cracking up about it. Jack wanted to beat her high score, so he enlisted Logan & Josh's help, and the three of them were adorable bent over Jack's phone in the dark at bedtime, trying to not die.

Taking... Carly to her orthodontic appointment and scheduling her next appointment where she will get her bottom braces put on. It's so exciting!

Changing... classes for Jack to get him out of the classes he was struggling in. I am so grateful for his school counselor who has been amazing to work with. He also attended counseling at the clinic this week.

Grimacing... when our car insurance went up to $671/month due to Logan's car accident in June. Man, I knew it would be expensive for the twins to drive, but not this expensive!

Opening... our box of Christmas cards which I ordered from Walmart this year. I have always ordered from Shutterfly, but it's usually $300 and we couldn't afford that this year. Walmart was at least half the price, if not cheaper, and the quality is great! It was at my sister's suggestion that I tried Walmart photo this year, and I'm so pleased. In addition to Christmas cards, I also ordered address labels, and they had tons of cute options.

Seeing... my counselor this week and talking about life's challenges and how life can often feel unfair. She reminded me that I can do hard things. She also talked about finding the pros and cons. Like how it's hard that Jack is depressed, but how we are so lucky he came to us. Transitioning from negativity to gratitude will help my outlook. There is always bad, but there is also always good.

Heading... to Les Schwab to get Josh's RS aligned. Because it needed an alignment, Jack and I spent the week sharing his truck so Josh could take my van to work.

Logan and Jack... applying for jobs around town. We're hoping they can get jobs to help pay for gas and insurance.

Grateful... for Wyatt's help with Elf on the Shelf. He has the cutest ideas and Carly is delighted every morning.

Opening... Carly's advent each morning and being blown away at what a good advent calendar it is. Normally if you get a good surprise one day, the next day is a little lame. But this one (from Walmart- it's "Life As", which is fake American Girl doll stuff) is so good! Everyday she gets something so cute!! For the twins we got Matchbox cars- one for each of them everyday in December- to hang on the wall in their room; and for Wyatt we got a Disney Funko pop one with characters from Monsters Inc., Toy Story, & Wall-E. I have a bookish one I got myself at the book store back in October (it is so cute!) and then my mom sent me a Gilmore Girls one, so I'm feeling properly spoiled everyday!

Introducing... Wyatt to Dr. Diamond, who is the psychologist who will be doing his ADHD diagnosis. This first appointment was a "get to know you" appointment, and we ended it with a plan to give Wyatt the WISC-V, which is an IQ test. Based on those results, we'll see what other tests we may need to perform and if we think he indeed has ADHD.

Enjoying... a visit from the cutest little chubby bird on the back patio. At first I thought it was hurt because he sat there for so long. But I think he was just resting. I like to think it's my Grandpa Jerry paying me a visit. That makes me happy.

Loving... the Gilmore Girls' Walmart commercial that's out this holiday season. It just makes me so happy.

Subbing... for Carly's teacher Friday. I enjoy being in her class so much. I have a relationship with all of the students and so I enjoy being in there because we just have a good time. The kids are willing to answer questions, risk being silly or wrong, and are just so fun to teach. That class is seriously magic. I'm so grateful that's the class Carly is in.

Driving... straight to Wenatchee after school Friday to go meet up with some friends from Vancouver who were in town. We met up at my parents house with pizza & salads and sat around their giant dining room table talking and sharing and laughing. It was so good for my soul. Being with them, sharing our current struggles and just being together, it truly filled my cup. (Love you Peggy, John, Bill & Theresa!)

Holding... concussion protocol for Logan who hurt his head skateboarding. His ears have been ringing and he has a headache... I feel awful. But even when he's hurting he wants to be going at 100mph at all times. So keeping him down, telling him no to skating or biking, is really hard!

Filling... out all kinds of paperwork for the boys' ADHD diagnoses. We are currently pursuing diagnoses for all three boys. It's not quick and it requires a lot, so I am honesty grateful I am not working during this time. When it's all said and done, I think we will have completed 7 appointments in total, along with different tests, questionnaires and paperwork. Sheesh!

Reading... All My Mothers (which is so good!) and finishing A Wild & Heavenly Place, which was fun to read because it was about early times Seattle. All My Mothers is about a girl who thinks her parents aren't really her parents and the journey she goes on to get answers.

Dying... at how my boys load the dishwasher. It legit hurts my feelings how disorganized and chaotic it is when they load it compared to Josh or myself.

Dealing... with a moody Carly after school everyday this week. It's hard for me to know if that's just her letting off steam after a long day at school, if she is over tired or if she is picking up on all the stress we are experiencing at home... but it's not my favorite. She gets in and this week she was mad at me about what was in her lunch; if she wore the wrong shoes for PE; or my not remembering to tell her what the theme of spirit week was that day. I'm just being really patient and as soon as we get home I get her a snack and some downtime watching a show.

Grateful... Josh was willing to go pick Wyatt up after I left him for a cousin sleepover in Wenatchee on Friday when I was there. It was super icy that morning and I was scared how the roads would be. Josh said it was fine, he would go. I can always count on him to take one for the team on my behalf and it's not something I take for granted.

Looking... up guitar chord lessons on Youtube for Carly who has taken a sudden interest in the guitar since she found mine in my closet. She learned the G and C chords and has been dressing up like a country star, wearing my sparkle boots, and making up songs. It's too much! I just love her.

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