around here: week 15 2020

{pc: Jack}

Starting... the week with a migraine and sleeping half the day Sunday.  I know it was much needed, but I hate wasting the day sleeping!!

Finishing... Wyatt's wolf dot-to-dot and putting it into the frame my mom bought for him to put it in. It looks amazing and was so fulfilling to complete.  I'm so proud of us!!

Receiving... crafts from Grandma & using them with the kids this weekend.  We made stress balls which was super fun and Carly & Wyatt painted some little ceramic critters as well.

Cleaning... house Monday while Josh and the boys laid rock in the front yard with "cowgirl" Carly's help.  The rock looks so amazing!! I am super grateful for Josh and the boys' hard work, as well as my in-law's for letting Josh pilfer the rock off their land ;) for our use.  The yard looks so good!!

Noticing... that Carly's eyes are turning green after being blue all her life.  The boys' eyes all did the same thing, but not until they were about six or seven.

Reading... so many books, it's kind of ridiculous. I went from not reading like anything at the end of March (thanks COVID stress) to reading all.the.books in April.  I'm reading The Stress Solution, It's Not Supposed To Be This Way, Untamed, The Untethered Soul, The Bookshop on the Corner, The Making of Us (on audio) and Saving Lucas Biggs (also on audio), which I finished with the boys this week. 
I have been waking up early every morning and getting the majority of my reading done during that time.  I read one chapter each of The Stress Solution & It's Not Supposed To Be This Way.  Then throughout the day I can pick up Untamed and The Bookshop on the Corner.  The Untethered Soul is al little more to digest, so I am taking it slow. 

Hearing... officially that our schools will not resume for the 2019-2020 school year.  I thought hearing word from the governor would feel like a relief, but instead it had me feeling really overwhelmed and sad.  I'm hoping with more time I will come to feel better about it all.

Consuming... massive amounts of coffee.  Having all four kids around 24/7 is no joke.

Laughing... when Carly wore her fanciest clothes on our bike ride one day this week.  She had on her pink Minnie mouse dress-up dress, her gold sweater with the diamond buttons, and sparkly gold shoes with her pastel pink cat helmet. Hah!

Loving... our daily bike rides so much.  Something about the feeling of the wind on my face brings back that free feeling of childhood and I love it so much. 
I'm also loving all the blooming cherry trees around our neighborhood.

Giving... Josh the day off Wednesday.  He went to his parents' land to work on some projects and I managed the kiddos.  We had a picnic in the front yard, much to Carly's delight; went on a bike ride where I got to pull Carly for the first time this year (oof!); and the boys decided to switch bedrooms!  Wyatt & Jack are now sharing what used to be the twins' room and Logan is having his own room in Wyatt's old room.  They did an amazing job of switching everything with very little help from me. 

Facetiming... with my mom.  I was telling Josh that I don't think he's ever talked so much to his brother, whereas I have never talked less to my mom, sister & best friend.  I am just so busy with all the kids home, and I am so emotionally drained that when I have a minute, the last thing I often want to do is pick up the phone.  Plus, having another adult here means that I often just vent to him instead of needing to reach out to my girls the way I used to.
So that's something I am working on.  Because I want those relationships to stay strong!!

Watching... Little Fires Everywhere at the urging of my mom and sister, and being completely sucked in.  Although I'll admit, I find myself identifying closely with Elena, which disturbs me.  Her organization, her desire to control everything, her sunshiny disposition even when everything is going to pot... Hah!!

Enjoying... my day off Thursday.  I literally locked myself in our bedroom upstairs and Josh took care of the kids from sunup to sundown. I took two naps, did tons of reading, watched a movie, painted my nails and started my new diamond dot art.  It was just the loveliest day.  Josh even brought me dinner!!

Cheering... when I saw the boys finished their donut puzzle during Josh's bedtime readaloud Thursday. 

Finally... decorating Carly's bedroom with Josh's help, as well as getting the laundry room shelf we ordered hung.  I've wanted a shelf in there since we moved in.  This quarantine time allowed that to finally happen, and I couldn't be happier.  It's way more convenient than storing the detergent and softener in the cupboard or on the ground, plus it looks cute!!
Carly's room feels like a dream come true.  She's never had her own room before living here, so decorating a pink room, all for her, with that new beautiful color on the walls, was lovely.  She has so many pieces of art from all her people- the "Do good, Avoid evil" by Mary Englebreit was mine when I was little; the big "C" is something she painted with Grandma Carol; the mirrored word "Dream" above her bed was made for her by Aunt Julie; my best friend Shana gifted us the curtains; Aunt Roxanne gifted her the bunny picture you see; my friend Kori took the newborn picture that I have framed in there; and my mom made the blanket that's draped over the rocking chair and folded on the end of the bed.  So much love for a little girl. It felt really magical to pull it all together.

Celebrating... our twenty year dating anniversary on Saturday. (I blogged about it here.)  We didn't do anything special. Just enjoyed our family with pizza & cookies that night and bought the new Sonic movie.  The kids were thrilled.  #parentlife

Grateful... for this week off.  We really needed a spring break to sort of regroup before we get back to school and our regular routine. I am so thankful we worked so hard last week so we could take this week for some downtime.

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Bedroom (+ the office) Makeovers

If you've followed the blog for any time, you know that we have had any number of bedroom configurations. Two years ago, I even had all four kids together for a period of time. It's not an exact science and my kids' needs are constantly changing, so our bedroom situation is also constantly changing. But I think we have found a solution that will last for quite some time. Hallelujah!

A week ago a friend of mine (after seeing this picture of the boys' beds all in a row) offered us her bunk bed for free.  Josh's parents agreed to bring it to us during their trip last weekend, and now (!!!) the boys have a fully functioning bedroom.  What an amazing community effort.  I am so grateful!

(Thank you Brittany!! Thank you Carl!!)

While we're in Vancouver next week I am going to hit up IKEA for some cute little bookshelves for the top bunk, which I think the boys will enjoy.  Currently Wyatt is on the top bunk, Jack on bottom, and Logan gets the loner bed.   I told the boys we will rotate every couple weeks.  That's what we did when they shared a room in Alaska and it worked well.

I also made the transition more workable/permanent by moving Wyatt's wardrobe into there as well.  That way he has access to his clothes all the time, no matter when Carly is napping. 

By far, Carly's room has been the most fun to redo. Both because all her stuff is so cute (!!!) and because the logistics of one kid in a room is just so much easier!  My mom made her the quilt you see draped over the rocking chair as a surprise for my baby shower, and the night I found out it was a girl, I ordered the blanket on the end of her bed.  They match, like they were made to coordinate, so when I was shopping in the fall for Wyatt's new comforter at Ross and found this coral one for $14.99 (!!!) I knew I had to buy it.  Now I'm so glad I did!

I am feeling much more settled with the bedrooms (and office) functioning again as we prepare for one last trip and then school starting. 

Here's some quick (poorly lighted) photos of the office as it's coming along:

I can't tell you how good it feels to be able to move around in there and have a majority of the work done. I got rid of the extra twin bed we didn't need any more and also the filing cabinet we didn't need.  I am hoping to pare down what we have in here and get everything to fit in a way that makes sense.

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