Week 12 Around Here {2019}

Getting... outside! Finally! Hooray!  The temperatures have risen, the snow has (mostly) melted, and we have started walking to school again. It is the best!  Carly keeps telling everyone, "Me and Wyatt are just so glad the snow is melted!" Haha! You and everyone else, girl!!!
I myself was walking back into the garage one afternoon this week and took a deep breath of the fresh, warmer air and thought, "We made it through the long, dark winter," which sounds dramatic, to be sure, but which felt authentic in the moment.  There were times (like last Tuesday when they called yet another snow day) when I wondered, truly, if winter would ever be over.
Josh is equally thrilled with the change in weather and has been outside playing catch with the boys everyday after school.  My heart bursts with love for him when I see him being the dad I always imagined when we were dating, throwing the ball to our boys, shouting encouragement to them... I am sometimes in disbelief that we have three growing sons, all such spitting images of him.
{Swoon}

Dealing... with lots of mud along with that melted snow.  But honestly, I can't be too annoyed.  If muddy shoes and a dirty floor means the kids are playing outside, I will deal with it!

Reading... and finishing Down Came The Rain and The Lost Man, and starting Becoming (on audio) and No Exit, which I got from Book of the Month.  It sucked me in from page 1!

Looking... back at pictures of baby Wyatt, and finding one of him nebulizing as a toddler. Oh, he was just so delicious! What I wouldn't give to go back in time for just one day!!

Excited... for baseball season for the boys.  Josh will be coaching the twins, and I'll be in charge of getting Wyatt to and from his team practices & games.  They are all three very excited and eagerly practicing everyday.  I am so proud of them!

Watching... the movie Lincoln for date night with Josh (and his brother Samuel who came for the amazing pizza... seriously, Josh's pizza is the real deal!) and being blown away by how good it was.  I told you last week I listened to Sally Field's book In Pieces, and in it, she talks about getting the role of Lincoln's wife in the movie, which made me want to see it (it came out in 2012).  I checked, and sure enough, it was on Netflix, so I decided we should watch it for date night.  Josh and I were captivated.  I felt like the ending was a bit rushed, but the rest of the movie was really fascinating and on point.

Loving... Josh for taking the boys four wheeling on Sunday at his parents' land.  They had so much fun (as evidenced by the amount of mud on their snow pants & coats) and I very much enjoyed the break.  I got to shower in peace while Carly watched PJ Masks, and then I got to go shopping with my friend Shana at a resale event here in town. I found TONS of cute clothes for Carly for super cheap, including some cute swim suits so she can have a variety to choose from while we spend our entire summer at the pool.  (Have I mentioned I am over winter???)
I dropped Carly off at my in-law's land Thursday and whenever I am there, I just can't get over the wide open sky.  I took a picture Thursday morning, it was so gorgeous.

Hosting... some neighbor boys for a few hours Saturday and dying (!!!) when their little brother took off his boots to come in as well when his dad was dropping them off.  I told his dad that now he had to let him stay as well because I'm a giant softy, and we just couldn't tell him no. So he stayed as well, and he and Carly played SO well together. They melted my very heart!!

Finally... taking down the Valentine's decorations and putting up Easter ones.  I am normally never one to leave decorations up too long, but I just have not been motivated in the home decor category lately, as laundry alone seems to be filling my time, but February got away from me this time.

Walking... the kids to the park on Saturday after the neighbor boys left, and it was so nice to get out of the house for a while.  We walked, then played at the school playground, and walked home again.  It's a nice walk, nearly a mile each way, and it makes me so grateful for where we live.  After that we watched Zootopia for movie night and I made pizza & cookies for the kids.  It was a quiet evening, except for one brother's misbehavior and that was nice. (Parenting... it just doesn't take a vacation, does it?)

Praying... for my friend whose little brothers' funeral is coming up this weekend.  We grew up with Zach, from his toddlerhood, (he was the cutest baby!) and it's unbelievable that he is gone.  My heart is with you, Marquez family.  May God comfort you during this time.
Sidenote: if you're unsure what to do for someone who has lost somebody, Laura (who I follow on Instagram) always says "Just DO something", so following her advice, together with my friends, I ordered Emily a necklace that has Zach's name on it.  I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do, but it was something to let her know that I was thinking of her, and that I saw her pain.  This is where I got the necklace, and they were awesome to work with.

Thankful... that Carly has transitioned from her crib to her big girl bed (the bottom half of Wyatt's bunk bed) like a champ.  When I decided to transition, it was a quick, spur of the moment decision based on the fact that Josh's brother had a desk for us, and we needed to make room for it, which meant moving our desk into Wyatt & Carly's room (for Wyatt), which meant getting rid of the crib.
I felt confident about the decision, until I got home from an errand and saw the crib disassembled in the garage with her soft pink sheet still on the mattress.  Then I got all emotional about it.  I've had a baby in a crib in my house pretty consistently for nearly ten years.  Over a decade of having a child in a crib.  And POOF! Just like that, it's over. 
I am trying to embrace where our family is now, and not spend too much time looking back wistfully, but the ending of certain stages is always hard for me.

Inspired... by how much our Orthodontist loves his job.  The twins got braces this week, and they got to put on each other's brackets (!!!) with the help of Dr. Feller.  It was hilarious and amazing!  They did a great job, and I was so proud!!
They look so handsome and grown up with their braces on, I can hardly stand it.  This first phase will last a year and we will go from there.  For now, they are pretty sore and not eating near as much as usual, poor guys! But Josh and I have assured them that their teeth will adjust and soon having braces will feel normal.
In about two weeks (after the spacers have time to work) they will get wires on the top braces as well, and then they will be sore all over again... but I haven't told them that.  No need to further dampen their spirits!

Buying... new lamps for our new bedside tables and LOVING them! They are super cute but (stage whisper:) they're just from Walmart!
I also bought some spring flowers to plant along our white picket fence- daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths. I can't wait to add some color to our yard after months of white & grey!

Receiving... a care package from my grandma this week that felt like a warm hug.  She sent me two scarves, a bunch of notepads and a puzzle from some of her friends for the kids and I to do over spring break.  She also sent the cutest quilt with flowers & polka dots for Carly that she got from an auction. I love it!

This made me laugh:

#truth

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And I loved this reminder:

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Around Here: Week 20

Waking... a little earlier than usual most days this week, which helped me keep my temper and not feel so rushed as we prepared for school.  I also got lunches made ahead of time most days, which was lovely.

Deciding... to do all my jobs without complaining (even internally) this week and selflessly giving in ways that would benefit my family.  I wasn't perfect at it, but I felt so much more positive and fulfilled because of it.

Chasing... Carly all over the world.  Any time she is free, she's-a-going!

Sticking... Carly in her stroller for all.the.things because of her roaming ways.  She is in it when we go to the doctor, when we walk the boys to school, when we take Wyatt to practice or attend the twins' baseball game.  Chasing her just wears me out, and I want to be able to watch the games, so there she sits, stuck as stuck can be, and I wonder, wearily, when she'll stop wandering away from me!

Noticing... little ways that Wyatt is growing up.  This week at school he wouldn't let me wipe his mouth (he had toothpaste on his lip), blow his nose or hug him goodbye. (Cue all the tears!) I also noticed that during his bedtime prayers instead of "Thank you for mommy and daddy" (like he used to always say) he now says, "Thank you for mom and dad."  Pardon me while I sit on the couch crying, tending to my freshly broken heart.  ;)
I am so proud of how far he has come in his independence (getting dressed, doing chores, making his own lunch) and his knowledge (asking Josh last week "I don't know if you'll know the answer to this dad, but how did God make the first humans?" and asking me, "How do we know the center of the earth is that hot?") and his maturity ("I'll just have to wait," when I am taking care of Carly or "I can help!" when he sees me get frazzled in the mornings), but along with his growing there have been a few growing pains (standing to pee means some pee on the floor; saying "mom" instead of "mommy"; and not wanting any public displays of affection).  Thank goodness God knows to make all kids different so I still have three that will hug me anywhere, any time!

Finishing... the bird puzzle I'd been working on. It was a hand-me-down puzzle and I was sad to find it was missing two pieces, although I still enjoyed it.  Also the twins and I finished The Magic Finger, a very short story by Roald Dahl.  They liked it a lot.  I personally finished Anne of Avonlea and The Inheritance this week.

Does anyone else feel like listening to an audio book is cheating? Josh has started listening on the drive to work (he has a 30 minute commute each way) and he recently "read" (listened to) The Great Gatsby and I said I was jealous he read such a great classic and he said it hardly counts since he didn't actually have to read it, just listen. It made me realize I feel the same way. I feel like listening to someone else read to me as I go about my chores is cheating somehow.  So funny.

Although I will say that listening to audiobooks has upped my "books read" list remarkably, and I will hit my Year-Long "24 Book" goal by the end of May. Amazing!  (I use the Overdrive app to check out books from my local library. You add your library using your library ID # and password-- for most libraries it's the last four digits of your phone number-- and then you can check out books to read on Kindle, or audio books to listen to on the Overdrive app itself.  I love it so much!)

Reading... three new books.  Yesterday I started The Magic of Motherhood, which was a gift from my friend Angie with the idea that when I finish, I'll send it along to another mama, who'll send it to another mama, and on and on, creating a village of mama's, all tied together by a book.  I love the idea so much.

I also started Into the Water by Paula Hawkins, who wrote The Girl on The Train, and The Here and Now by Ann Brashares, who wrote The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.  I also made my SUMMER READING LIST (!!!) which I will be sharing sometime next week, along with my recap post about Screen Free Week and a few other I've had sitting my queue.

Enjoying... Mother's Day gifts from my children, and fresh flowers from our neighbor.  Oh, how I adore the smell of lilacs in a vase in my house, and sweet words from those boys I love so much.

Praising... my husband for his amazing home improvement skills.  He was able to take our sprinkler system, which hasn't worked in a few years according to our neighbors, and give it a second life.  He's been digging and plumbing and troubleshooting, and finally, on Sunday, he got the entire system working-- front, side and backyard.  I am beyond impressed!

Thankful... Josh took Wyatt to practice for me Wednesday so I could keep Carly and the twins home for an early bedtime.  The twins have been doing state testing this week at school, so early bedtime has been a must.  I'm also thankful for some new friends who had the twins over all day last Saturday.  It was so luxurious to only have two kids to chase after!

Eating... our first meal in the backyard on our picnic table! Thursday night Josh grilled up some burgers real quick before we had to divide & conquer (he took the twins to their game; and I took Wyatt and Carly to Wyatt's).  Dinner was delicious, and we were all so happy to be eating in the sunshine.  I look forward to many  more meals like that in our future.

Watching... Anne with an E, which had perfect timing seeing as I just finished reading Anne of Green Gables again.

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What do you do...

Every night when I tuck the boys in, Wyatt asks me to rock him. I would say I do it 50% of the time.  Last year I had him completely weaned from being rocked, but when we got back this year and he asked (cause the sudden appearance of a rocking chair in his bedroom-- we didn't have one in Washington-- meant that someone must be rocked!) I acquiesced.  

Now, I am not sure this was a good idea.  I feel awful when I say no, but sometimes I am just done. I want to kiss his baby-fat-filled forehead and walk out the door.

Other times, I nearly tear up when he asks and say yes before he finishes the question.  Then I scoop him up, taggie & all, and proceed to rock & sing, sing & rock, until he's nearly asleep, then transition him to his giant bed.

How do I balance letting him grow up (wanting him to grow up!) 

with letting him still be baby (wanting him to still be my baby!)???  

It feels impossible lately.  

Especially when I see him swimming in those sheets at night.

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