Week 41 Around Here {2019}

{Can you spot Ramona?}

Escaping... parenting for a weekend, leaving the kids with Josh's parents so we could get away and celebrate our belated 16th wedding anniversary.  The weekend was absolutely lovely.  We spent nearly all of it in our hotel room, watching TV, reading, sleeping, eating and napping.  It was exactly what we needed after a crazy summer prepping the house for sale; moving; and then starting the school year. I am so grateful we were able to do that.

Reading... Fahrenheit 451 and We Are Okay while Josh and I were away for the weekend, holed up in a hotel with my husband.  It was so luxurious to be able to read entire books without interruption.  I loved Fahrenheit 451 and want to watch the movie next.  We Are Okay was just an okay read for me. It didn't feel like a well developed novel and I was left wanting.
 I also read about #6 Enneagrams in The Wisdom of the Enneagram over the weekend have been listening to The Quintland Sisters, a story about the Dionne quintuplets, five identical babies born to a couple in Canada in 1934.  (Can you even imagine? Five?!?)
Later this week I started The Farm, which was not what I thought it would be (I was imagining a book more like The Handmaid's Tale), but that I have enjoyed nonetheless.

Receiving... the second of Elin Hilderbrand's new winter series.  I got the first, Winter in Paradise, last year, but never read it, and the second, What Happens In Paradise, was just released.  So I am making my reading lists for November and December, excited for the chance to read them back to back.  Her previous winter series (Winter Street series) is one of my favorites of all time.  I highly recommend it.

Impressed... by Wyatt's running at school during Junior Joggers.  In the past he would barely eke out two laps, hating every minute.  But since joining wrestling and doing all the training they do, he's been running up to 6 laps during Junior Joggers, feeling pumped and so proud of himself.

Making... homemade tortillas this week and loving Carly's help.  She is such a little helper in all areas.  One day this week I made graham crackers with chocolate frosting for snack and before I got downstairs after her nap, she had gotten plates down for everyone and was passing out snacks for when brother's got home from school.  That little sweetheart. {swoon}

Taking... Wyatt to the dentist (no cavaties- yay!) and feeling proud of how far Carly has come as she took the hygenist's offer to sit in the big chair and help with Wyatt's treatment. I feel like the more exposure she has to the dentist and all their tools, the more comfortable she will continue to become.  Wyatt was also a great example of cool calm and I'm so grateful for that!

Laughing... when Jack emptied a glue stick so he could fill it with Starburst candies to make it look like he was eating glue.  I don't think I will ever fully understand middle schoolers.

Shaking... my head as Wyatt drug his backpack down the walkway, across the driveway and to the bus stop on Monday because he was grumpy.  I was stifling a smile because #monday. I feel you, kid.

Decorating... for Halloween and loving Carly's enthusiasm for every single detail.  She exclaimed over every spider, pumpkin and leaf; and when Josh got home she said, "Dad! You HAVE to see this!" and took his hand and lead him upstairs to show him the spooky things in her room.  Soo cute!

Hosting... our old neighbor kids for a playdate and dinner on Wednesday.  We were all so happy to spend some quality time with Cristian and Coral after months apart. Oh, how we miss having them across the street! Thankfully their mom and I have stayed in touch and have made plans to get the kids together a little more often. They are the sweetest kids and the best family.

Happy... that the twins have art club after school once a week.  Jack is in art this quarter and he loves it, but it doesn't come naturally to him. So that extra time in the classroom with the teacher is helpful.  And Logan loves it, so it's win/win!

Understanding... Carly's heart when she wants all the brothers to read bedtime stories with her each night.  That said, it's sure frustrating when they are showering/brushing/getting ready for bed and I just want to lay her down and she's all, "I want brothers! I want us all TOGETHER."
So there has been a lot of bedtime stories together as a family, especially now that all the Halloween books are out for the season.

Sharing... a goodbye dinner with my girlfriend Jolene who is moving to Alaska with her husband and four girls in a month's time.  I am going to miss her so much and am so grateful for the friendship she has provided me during the three years we have lived here together.  She has taught me how to be a better friend.

Surprised... by the early deep freeze we had and staring at the sprinklers I drove past on the way to drop Carly off at Grandma's.  The length of the icicles on them was insane!

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Around Here: Week 44 {2018}

 

Visiting... the pumpkin patch after school last Friday, which was an awesome choice.  There was hardly anyone there, and it was so fun to have the place to ourselves.  The kids loved climbing the hay pyramid, visiting the animals and riding in the train behind the 4-wheeler.  The twins loved riding the zip line they had there, and even convinced me give it a try. It was so much fun, I did it twice!!  Toward the end of the afternoon, we all got to pick pumpkins on the hay ride.  It was an awesome family memory to make, and I'm so glad we did it.

Happy... to be back on social media after a month long break.  I did some serious culling on Instagram, so I don't waste as much time on there, but otherwise, I am just watching how much time I spend on my phone.  The extended break showed me that my FOMO (fear of missing out) was unjustified and that I won't miss anything if I don't check my phone every two minutes!

Helping... Carly heal with plenty of snuggles, popsicles & story time. Thankfully by mid-week she was feeling much, much better after that terrible cough & cold she had.

Organizing... the boys' school memoribilia.  For the last two years, all of it (every.last.piece) has been in a humongous green laundry basket (all the boys' stuff-- all mixed together) and I finally got around to sorting it this week.  Now I just have to decide how, exactly, I want to separate and store it from here on out.  It feels amazing to have come this far!

Walking... finally, and for the first time, in a month!  I am SO happy!  My broken toe is all healed, and it felt great to be pushing Carly in her stroller, out for a long walk.

Choosing... my book of the month!  The options were so good this month that I actually chose 2 (instead of 1), plus I threw in an additional book! If you have thought about joining Book of the Month, I highly recommend joining this month and picking up these amazing books for only $14.99 for the first & $9.99 for each additional!!
The books I picked this month were:

• Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (she's a fav author of mine, LOVED What Alice Forgot)
• Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver (she wrote Flight Behavior, which was so good!)
• As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner, which is about the Spanish Flu in 1918.

Carving... pumpkins with all the kids.  Logan & Wyatt did well with theirs, but Jack really struggled emptying his.  He hates the smell and feel of the guts inside the pumpkin, so I had to help him out quite a bit.
All their pumpkins were super adorable, and I was surprised how quickly they got it done.

Celebrating... Halloween and loving Carly's enthusiasm for life.  She was SO excited to go to and get candy.  We started at the Trunk or Treat in the church parking lot near our house, then we marched around the neighborhood, the kids' pumpkins getting heavier by the house.  When we got home, the boys dumped their candy out all over the kitchen table, taking stock of all they had, and they spent the entire next morning trading candy with each other.  It was so cute to hear them negotiating.

Leaving... Carly with my mom all day Friday after a Thursday night dinner with her and the kids while Josh had parent/teacher conferences for his students.  She was going to be in town visiting my sister over the weekend, so we scheduled a visit for us as well.  Once the kids took off for school, I hugged both my mom and Carly and took off.

Road tripping... 7 hours, alone, listening to good books & great music after leaving Carly with my mom.

Getting... away for the weekend!!!  I finally made it and met up Friday night with the girls from my small group bible study at Katie's in-law's beach house along the Washington coast.  We had an amazing weekend, but I'll be blogging more about that next week.

Adding... a new medication to Logan's repertoire after he had 3 seizures this week.  He had two in class and 1 at the pool during 5th grade swim lessons.  Luckily he always feels them coming on, and told a friend each time, so he was safe during all of them.  The emotional toll that his seizures take on me, however, is high, and by Friday, I lost it.  I cried and cried (I was alone in the car, remember?) and let it all out.
I just wish that I knew why he had them. And I wish I knew how to stop them.  He is so brave.  And thinking of him, so vulnerable and disoriented, hurts my mama heart.  By the end of the week, though, I was fighting to keep him at school.  If he's going to have three seizures each week, he certainly can't afford to come home after each one. So his teacher and I worked together to get him to stay in class, hallelujah.
Now we're all just putting our hope in this next new medicine.  He will take it in addition to the medication he's already on. (So he'll be on two.)  And I think when he has his follow up neurology appointment in December, I will be requesting more workups.  This mama needs some answers.

Reading.... and finishing Lord of the Flies, Marilla of Green Gables, Not That I could Tell. I had read Lord of the Flies in 10th grade, and revisiting it was super disturbing.  What a messed up book!  Marilla of Green Gables was fun to listen to, but I enjoyed Caroline much more.  Caroline's writing was far more poetic.  I am still working on Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott.  I started A Spark of Light (on audio), and The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer, that my mom sent me for my birthday (which is on the 18th) which I couldn't wait to open & read!  I listened to it earlier this year, and having the actual book in my hands is a dream come true. I am underlining something on nearly every page!  It's a life transforming book.  If you want to know what it's about before ordering it, I highly recommend listening to this Supersoul Conversation he has with Oprah.

Contemplating... the last year of my life as I rapidly approach 36.  My oh my, it's been a doozy!  But with the struggles & challenges, has come so much growth.  I've learned that I can't wait until life slows down or is perfect to find joy.  And I've learned to enjoy the bits of peace as they arrive, no matter how long they do (or don't) last.  And that I'm strong enough to face whatever comes my way.

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