Around Here: Week 43 2025

 {October 19-25th}

Mom as Diane Keaton. She nailed it. 

Logan's girlfriend made her first bouquet (ever) in floral for me! 
I cannot even with the sweetness. Love you, girl!

Celebrating... my sister's oldest daughter Romy with a big family birthday party at my mom's. It was a costume party and there was pumpkin carving as well as a costume contest. It was super fun to spend time with family and I loved the strawberry costume I was able to make with a little green felt and a red dress I've had forever from Amazon. Carly's costume didn't come in time, and I was so proud of her ability to pivot and create a costume from what we had around the house. She decided she was a "spa manager" (no idea where that came from), so she brought a tray of spa things and wore my bathrobe and a hair wrap towel on her head. So cute! 

Reading... Mrs. Dalloway on audio for book club and reading Wild Dark Shore. It is indeed dark, but so good. A true page turner. 

Watching... the Mariner's game together and cheering so hard for our team! Unfortunately they lost, which meant they lost the world series. Wahhh! Luckily Josh is an incredible example for our boys and has always said that he enjoys sports, but he tries not to let their wins or losses impact his real life. So while we were sad and disappointed, we were able to carry on, living our lives.

Noticing... that when my life is a disaster it effects me physically.  So I took some time one night this week to tidy my bedroom and bathroom (See pics below) Also? I highly recommend posting before and after pics on IG or FB. It's super motivating! 

Endlessly... inspired by my friend Tabitha who wrote an incredible poem in tribute to her husband on his birthday. The way it encapsulates marriage & motherhood is beautiful. Tab, you are amazing and I love your love story and family so much!

Participating... in Senior Sunday every Sunday, sharing a memory of the twins from their childhood along with a song that gets me in my feels about them growing up. Gulp. This year is gonna be a doozy.

Subbing... in third grade this week. I love kinder perhaps most of all... but the truth is? I love kids. Period. Whatever age my students are that day, I find joy in them and love getting to know them. To hear the funny things they say, to help them, to accept their help as I fumble through different teacher's lesson plans in different classrooms. Every time I sub in a new room, I am reminded why I chose teaching as my future profession and it makes me excited for one day when I have my own classroom.

Thinking... "Teens are dumb. You always get caught." over and over, on repeat. Sigh.

Frustrated... that the Doctor on Demand app was down so I didn't get to do counseling when I originally planned. It's not as much work as it was when the kids were younger, but I still have to make sure all their needs are met so I can go lock myself in my room for an hour. So it's annoying when I have to reschedule.

Thankful... that my therapist had an opening a few days later so we were able to talk. We talked about how I could have done everything "right" (whatever that means) as a parent, and my children still get the opportunity to practice their autonomy. My therapist is in the military, and she said something they say is "The enemy gets a vote, too" meaning as much as you try to plan for things and prepare for a win, the enemy also gets to plan and attempt to win. 
She also said that we do have a tendency to search for the WHY (Why are they making bad choices? Why are they choosing A, B or C?) but that knowing why doesn't help. If you know WHY someone punched you, it doesn't actually change the fact that you got punched and didn't like it. Haha. So that was helpful.  Maybe I can set down my search. 
She assured me that the behavior I've been seeing is not something my children learned from me. It's not something they think I approve of or condone. I tend to engage in a lot of self blame and copious amounts of guilt. So her assuring me that I've done all I can, and at some point, it's up to them to make the right choices, was really helpful. 
And finally she assured me that all will be well.  They may be choosing the bumpier road... but I can sit back and let life teach the lessons that I attempted to circumvent, but that they demand to learn on their own. She left me with the mantra, "I did my best. He's making his own choices now." 

Relishing... every minute of my early morning massage this week. Megan, my massage therapist, is incredible and I always leave her office 100x more relaxed than I entered it. You are an angel, Megan!!!

Compromising... with Carly for picture day choices. I let her choose her outfit and jewelry, but I made the decision about her hair (that thankfully, she loved). Kids growing up is the best and worst. Both. At the same time. Hah!

Taking... Wyatt to the dentist to get sealants placed on his back molars to help protect them from cavities. He was a champ and all went real well and quick.

Then I took Jack to his follow up CPAP appointment and I am super hopeful that as he adjusts to sleeping with the CPAP on and he starts getting restful sleep that he will feel better than he has as of late. 

Yelling... at Alexa and not understanding why she wouldn't answer me or turn on the darn living room lights! Finally I put together that Dr. on Demand was having an outage, and that Amazon was probably experiencing the same server outage. So she couldn't turn on the lights for me. Haha. Oh technology. 

Having... the twins' friends, who are also identical twins, over for a few hours one afternoon, and in that time the four of them managed to break Jack's bed and try to fight (not angrily, but for fun) at least ten times. The amount of energy teenage boy twins have must be multiplied by some exponent. It's something only a math scholar could figure out. It's wild. 

Enjoying... dinner out with said twins' mom. She has become a good friend and I am so grateful for her. To know someone else who is in the trenches of teenage parenting is priceless. We just might survive it together! It was nice to enjoy a meal that I didn't have to make, and to chat about mom life and everything else under the sun. Love you, Nicole!

Finding... that parenting is so, so humbling. Just when I think I have reached a new low, something else comes along to further humble me. I guess the good thing is that when I'm done raising these four hooligans, I will hold very little (if any) judgement against other mothers. We are out here doing God's work and suffering at the hands of the very offspring we've raised. Lord help us all. 

Sending... Carly to a Spooky Day Camp at her old gymnastics place. She and her neighbor friend went, all dressed up in their Halloween outfits, and had the most fun!  She then went from there to her friend Charlotte's Halloween party and had even more fun! This girl's social calendar is inspiring! Haha!

Starting... a pumpkin puzzle in hopes it would slow me down a little bit. (Spoiler alert: I never finished it.) 

Making... more pumpkin muffins since they were such a hit earlier. They are just so yummy. Especially if you warm them up in the microwave and add a little butter. Mmmm, so good. 

Laughing annoyedly... at Carly as she brought down every water bottle in the house from her bedroom. This girl. 

Happy... to drive Wyatt & his friends to a local elementary school that has a baseball diamond so they could play baseball together. He's so cute getting them to bring their gear and hang out and play with him. I felt awful when the weather turned and they called for a ride home. I picked them up, soaking wet, and laughing, though, so I don't think they were bothered in the least. 

Going... wedding dress shopping (!!!) with Josh's little brothers' fiance. She found her dress and the most incredible veil.  (The picture I shared is a dress she didn't choose- wouldn't want to ruin that wedding day reveal for her man!)

Loving... the whole "wedding dress try on" experience. We had so much fun looking through the dresses; watching the girl in the dressing room next door; and helping Makayla narrow down her choices. Afterward we went out to dinner and it was so lovely. A little girl time!
While we were gone, Josh was home with the four kiddos and made some delicious pizza & cookies and I was grateful he was having a good time with them. 

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I blinked, and they all grew up!

Baby Carly... my heart!

Look at how little all of them were! 

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Senior Sunday: