around here: week 12 2021

 {March 14-20th}

Feeling... so tired this week.  Just unable to keep my eyes open, especially in the morning as the boys and I did school together.  I required naps on the daily. 

Finding... a dog that the kids found running loose in the neighborhood and taking him to the vet to get his chip read. He was the sweetest little doggie, and I was really happy when we located his owners. 

Having... my IUD removed since I have had it for over five years now. I had the Mirena and loved it.  It got rid of my cycles almost completely and was a very effective birth control for us. But now that Josh has had his vasectomy (the lab results came back and we're all set) I don't have to use any other birth control if I don't want to. 

Cleaning... house, per usual, on Sunday. I am so grateful for our routine- for the boys' help and the chance to start the week fresh with a clean house.

Getting... Logan's cast off, which was a pleasant surprise. I thought we were just going to get it replaced (our doctor replaces the cast every two weeks so it doesn't smell), but when we got there he ordered an x-ray and said it was healed enough for the cast to come off! Logan was thrilled!

Shopping... out in the world for the first time in forever with Carly and Wyatt.  We hit Ross and Walmart and we found everything we were looking for.  Namely, new shirts for Wyatt, but also some luggage (ours is quite worse for wear) and house decor.

Reading... Discovering Dahlias by Erin Benzakein.  The book is a work of art, plus so informational about how to best grow dahlias.  I can't say enough good things about it!

Ordering... dahlias from Triple Wren Farms (I found them on Instagram) and getting so darn excited about the idea of flowers growing in our backyard this summer.  I got 9 different varieties of dahlias.  Cafe au Lait, Castle Drive, Linda's Baby, Rose Toscano, Bloomquist Tracy, Foxy Lady, Terra Cotta, Hercules Dinnerplate and LaLuna Dinnerplate.  Triple Wren will send me the tubers and I will plant them in the house first, then when the weather here is consistently warm enough, I will transplant them into the backyard where we will be able to enjoy their blooms as we sit at the table out back while the kids swim all summer.  I cannot wait!! 

Counting... down to our getaway next weekend. We are so grateful for our parents for coming together to watch the kids so Josh and I can spend some time away together, just the two of us. 

Hitting... the one year mark since quarantine began. I remember hearing that school was shutting down for two weeks and feeling panicked at the thought of all six of us home together for that long. 
Hahaha! Little did I know that those two weeks would extend over and over, and here we are, a year later and my boys still haven't gone back to the classroom.  

I loved this quote by Sarah Nicole Landry (thebirdspapaya on Instagram) about quarantine:

"If the only thing you accomplished 

during this pandemic is getting through it, 

you have accomplished so much."

Worrying... about my grandma as she takes care of my grandpa who accidentally cut off the top of his thumb with his table saw. It is gnarly and slowly healing, but my goodness how he is keeping her on her toes. 

Taking... Wyatt to the orthodontist and finding out that he is done there for a few years.  He needs all his baby teeth to fall out and his big teeth to grow in before we can move to Phase 2 of orthodontia for him. 

Sharing... my gratitude journal & adorable HP Sprocket printer on Instagram.  I am hoping to share a post about it on here soon too. (If you're interested, though, go to my Instagram page and click on the G. Journal highlight. It walks you through the printer, my notebook and where I got the idea. So fun!)

Finishing... the book puzzle I ordered and deciding to decopage it so I can frame it and use it in our bedroom. I can't wait to hang it!

Finding... stacked items everywhere throughout the house.  Wyatt is such a stacker, and Carly has picked up his habit, so now she is stacking things as well.  

Laughing... as Carly sings along to the songs at bedtime.  Her favorites right now are "Bang!", "My Truck" and "Savage Love".  She has a definite taste for music and loves anything that gets her hips moving. 

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Around Here: Week 48 2020

 {November 22-28th}

Reminiscing... about life in the past as I sort through all the pictures on my phone.  This last one (of Josh and the twins in 2011) took my breath away.  Josh was so young!!!

Letting... the kids go play in the snow one morning when we woke up to it. They had so much fun and I enjoyed sitting out there, reading on the porch, as they played.  I sure hope we get more snow this winter!

Needing... the days off that are coming for Thanksgiving this week.  School has been hard as of late, and I am ready for a break! (The kids, too!)

Decorating... for Christmas with some music (Amy Grant, of course) on my HeyDay speaker and lots of little hands sorting through our vast collection of ornaments. It's probably one of my favorite traditions, pulling the ornaments out and talking about each one's history.  The kids love playing with them (mostly only Carly now) and I allow it even though it makes the tree look uneven and we usually lose two or three each year from breaking... because I know that someday I will have a perfect tree and it will make me sad.  

Baking... pumpkin pies, fudge and prepping the seven layer salad on Wednesday with Jack.  I was really proud of us- we made the pies from scratch!!

Celebrating... Thanksgiving, just the six of us, and feeling so blessed.  Josh cooked the turkey and mashed potatoes & gravy.  We ate together, sharing sparkling cider in fancy glasses, and telling each other what we are most thankful for.  The twins were both thankful for me teaching them last quarter.  That meant a lot to me, because it was hard work the three of us did, and I'm glad they knew it was for their own good.  Carly was grateful my  mom and dad moved to Wenatchee.  I was grateful for our house and Josh was grateful for just about everything- his job, the kids, me... And Wyatt was grateful for us, me and Josh.  

Making... turkey cookies with the supplies Aunt Julie brought over for the kids.  They had so much fun, and the turkeys were really cute.  Thanks for being so thoughtful, Julie!

Starting... a new quarter with the twins, including math and having terrible flashbacks of seventh grade with Mr. Rye in the portables, struggling to remember PEMDAS ("Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally") and learning how to find the area of a triangle.  Sigh. 

Readjusting... our daily routine to have less screens and feeling better about it. The kids do screens from 12 or 12:30 to 3:00pm.  Then they go play outside or do chores or play games. Before this change, it was hours and hours of screens. Each day I think it got a little longer.  

#quarantinelife 

...but at some point I had to get back to monitoring it and encouraging them to do other things. 

Reading... Caste and spouting off statistics and random information at poor Josh.  It is just so good!

Loving... my life without Facebook.  It's amazing how much more time I have on my hands. I am also shocked at how much easier it is to keep up on chores when I am not sitting down every hour to check in on my social media accounts. (I canceled Instagram & Facebook a week ago) I am surprised to say that I don't miss it, and in fact I am so much happier without it. 

Meeting... with Wyatt's sleep study doctor to find out the results of his most recent sleep study.  It turns out that he no longer has obstructive or central sleep apnea.  I am so grateful that all is well! 

Raising... big boys who sometimes hurt the house that we live in.  Having three boys in three years, particularly a set of strong willed, growing twins, means that some of each day is spent breaking up fights.  One night this week, I simply didn't get there in time, and one brother pushed another into the wall, creating a huge hole above the catbox. It'll be a pain in the ass to fix, and Josh & I were not happy with them, but after feeling pretty upset, I've come to peace about it.  They don't know their strength and try as I may to teach them self control, sometimes things like this may happen.  The hardest part is to not see their failure in managing their emotions as a failure on my part as a parent. 

Cheering... Grandpa on as he gets closer to his last round of chemo.  He's been so brave about his treatment every week, and this week he even took the bear we sent him at the start.  He and grandma named him Luke (short for leukemia) and Carly loved seeing him comfort grandpa as he was brave for his needle.

Welcoming... Dashy our holiday elf, back from the North Pole after Thanksgiving.  Carly is thrilled with him and his shenanigans, and he has shown up every morning thus far! #winning

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