Week 24 Around Here {2019}

{The Columbia River Gorge}

Seeing... my sister-in-law and Josh's cousin over the weekend, which was so lovely.  Julie & Januari are the sweetest, funniest girls ever, and I love being around them.  They love my kids, accept me as I am and make me laugh like nobody's business.

Attending... the combine derby in nearby Lind, Washington with Julie & her sons, as well as Josh's parents and brother.  If you haven't been to a combine derby, let me tell you about it.  They take a bunch of old combines and basically run them into each other until there is only one left standing.
They also do truck races, which are super fun to watch, but very, very dirty!  They fling dust and dirt and rocks every which way, and Carly hated that part. Otherwise, it was a super fun, entertaining way to spend the afternoon with our family. Ha!

Receiving... good news from the sleep clinic about Wyatt's central sleep apnea.  Six months ago he had 17 central sleep apneas (where his brain forgot to have him breathe) and this time, he only had 5 central sleep apneas.  That is a huge improvement. 
We will do a repeat sleep study in ten weeks, and I am hoping for ZERO central sleep apneas.  Wouldn't that be amazing?!?

Visiting... our old neighbors new house along with their cows, goats & sheep.  It was so good to see them and their new digs.  Their house is gorgeous and I am so happy for them, but still sad for us because we miss them.  :(
When we got home, I had Carly wash her hands because she had tried to pick up a piece of a cow pie to throw like a rock into the canal behind their house.  When I reminded her we had to wash her hands because she had touched cow poop, she asked, "Yeah," with her head cocked to one side, "Why aren't Yuliana's cows potty trained yet?"
I about died laughing, wondering how she imagined cows to potty train- is it on a giant toilet? Or maybe in some kind of litter box like our cats? I don't know, but this girl is too much!!

Finishing... The Favorite Daughter and really enjoying the story so much. I heard about it from Modern Mrs. Darcy and I'm so glad I picked it up.

Listening... to Before Green Gables.  It's a long book (14 hours on audio) but I am loving it so very much.  I am listening every chance I get.  It's about Anne's life before she shows up to Green Gables- how she is orphaned, the families she lives with and how she learns to read and view life the way she does.  It's a new favorite for sure.

Putting down... Bel Canto after trying to get into it, but about 30 pages in, I gave up. I think I am going to just watch the movie on Netflix instead.

Enjoying... the last day of school with Josh home.  His school got out a day before the boys, so we got to go out kayaking with just Carly that morning.  It was so lovely.  The day was peaceful and warm and the water was like glass. 
Josh joked that those were our three hours of summer vacation. 
...He's not wrong.  ;)

Laughing... at how Carly drinks her smoothies with a medicine syringe.  She uses her Tylenol shooter to squirt the Danimals smoothie into her mouth and it's so cute.

Road tripping... to Vancouver with my sister & nephew (as well as Wyatt) to see my parents and attend my cousins bridal shower.  On the ride the boys watched a movie (and talked REALLY LOUD to each other since they were wearing headphones. Ha!) and listened to music (Old Town Road anyone?) on repeat.  We did do a little quiet reading time, which allowed my sister and I to visit without interruption.  Honestly, though, it was a breeze to talk over two kids compared to the seven we usually have to talk over, so the drive was quite lovely!

Staying... at my parents house with all my siblings under one roof for the first time since 2001? I think.  We were trying to figure it out.  I know we haven't stayed together since my wedding which was in 2003, and I think before that, only three of us lived at home. So I think the last time was around my high school graduation. 
Wyatt loves being at my parents house because they have three dogs, and my little brother has one dog, so he is in puppy heaven there.  We call him the dog whisperer, because they love him so much. 

Eating... at Burgerville, our favorite Northwest restaurant, which we don't have anywhere near us where we live, three times.  And getting free t-shirts the last time because we asked persistently and went through the drive through twice that day. #persistencewins

Shopping... at the mall, which is so fun since we don't have a mall where I live.  We shopped at Bricks & Minifigs (a Lego resale shop) for the boys, and my sister made a miniature Carly, complete with glasses and a boat (which we are pretending is a kayak), a lipstick and a chocolate easter bunny.  We also shopped at Macy's where my mom bought me a new purse that goes across my body, which is SO much better for my elbows (I tend to overpack all my purses, and then wear my arms out carrying them) and at Bath and Body Works where my sister and I got the giggles when I went to have her smell a candle, not knowing she was coming in hot, and I basically punched her in the face with it.  We could NOT get it together after that.  OMG.
We also hit up Ulta so I could get a new hair wand and try out some new hair styles. I feel like my hair style is 1990's soccer mom, and that's not exactly the look I'm going for, so I went out on a limb and bought a new wand.  (fingers crossed I can make it work!)

Hitting up... Goodwill for some books, and breaking my book buying ban.  (Although, technically, my mom bought them for me.  Thanks mom!) I just love shopping for books so much, it makes me so happy, and the thrill of the hunt at Goodwill is my favorite.

My haul:

I am most excited for 

The Distant Hours 

and

The Sea of Tranquility

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INSPIRATION:

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Week 14 Around Here: Spring Break! {2019}

{makeshift window shade}

{brother Dallas; puppy Basil; me, girlfriend Bri; & Carly}

{Carly & Basil love each other!}

{You know how they say, "Don't blink?" ... }

{Don't blink! This is somehow ten years later...}

{But it feels like only moments have passed since this time in my life.}

Spending... part of Spring Break with my parents & grandparents.  We drove the four+ hours to Vancouver to stay with my parents for a few days, and from there we drove to the coast to spend Sunday with my dad's parents.  It is always so good to see them, and watch them interact with my kids.  Makes my heart so full.

Lucking out... with amazing weather on the Oregon coast.  The day we were there was sunny and clear, just gorgeous!  We spent hours on the beach playing in the sand after we had lunch with Grandma & Grandpa.  Then we had giant scoops of Tillamook ice cream (tradition) and played at the park near the beach while the twins climbed around on the log pile.

Hating... (as always) packing for our trip, knowing that whatever I leave behind will be my fault.  Ha! #momlife  I can remember 1,001 things, but the only thing they'll remember is the one thing I forget.  It's gotten better now that I am used to going on this trip, but I still stress about remembering everything. Especially medicine and Wyatt's nebulizer, meds & equipment.  Eek!

Driving... Josh's Suburban on our road trip and loving it!  It has so much more luggage space than the van and is fun to ride on the road since we're so high off the ground.  Plus, it's just plain cool.  (I also feel like driving the Suburban is full circle since when we were first dating in high school he drove his mom's Suburban when we did our internship for Sign Language class at the Deaf School together. Aww!)

Giving... Carly & Jack Dramamine for Kids (about an hour before travel) to keep them from getting carsick during all the driving.  Carly actually vomits if she gets carsick, so the Dramamine (and eliminating screens from her car time) has been a Godsend.  Jack just gets headachy and motion sick.  The Dramamine helps with both, though, and I am so glad we gave it a go.  We found it for super cheap at our local Walmart, and I just carry it in my purse at all times.  It's also available on Amazon, and hasn't been found to make my kids drowsy.  (We just do one pill each.)

Enjoying... pizza at my mom's, along with visiting with my brother Dallas & his girlfriend Bri, and playing with their pup Basil, as well as with my mom's 3 pups, Sadie, Dodger & Ruby.  I think the dogs are Carly & Wyatt's favorite part of visiting my mom, other than seeing my parents.  They are little dog whisperers and it's just the cutest.  Although when you ask Carly if she wants a dog, she says no. She wants a "baby kitten".  When my mom heard that she said, "Let's go get her one." Haha!  Grandma's, amiright?

Loving... Carly climbing into my dad's lap with a photo album she brought downstairs with her to look at all the pictures.  It's from 1994, the year I graduated 6th grade and happened to get a "baby kitten" for graduation, and Carly kept flipping back to the picture of me and my kitten Tabby.  She wanted my dad to tell her who everyone was and loved pouring over every photo, just like her mama.

Jumping... at Skyzone with my parents and the kids.  We all had a great time.  The twins played dodgeball; Wyatt did lots of wall jumping; and Carly never stopped moving the whole time.  Awesome way to wear the kids out!

Eating... out at Red Lobster with Josh on a date, just us, while the kids stayed with my mom and dad.  It was so nice to have a quiet, luxurious meal, without cutting anyone's food, without getting up to grab ketchup; eating while the food was actually warm.  It was really, really nice and unexpected.  Thanks for thinking of us, mom, and sending us on our way.  It was lovely.

Thankful... for the two new taggies my mom made for Carly while we were visiting to replace the one she lost last week.  She didn't have any more of the feather fabric we used for the original, so we let Carly pick what she wanted.  She chose minky (which is the really soft, "cozy" fabric that's Carly's favorite) for both sides, one in pink and one in red.  And for the ribbons, I chose for the pink one and she chose rainbows and yellow for the red one- it looks so cute!  Thank you, Nanny!

Ending... our road trip, feeling like it was our best ever.  On the last day, my parents took us out to lunch and to the go kart track.  The boys were elated, and even Carly got to ride around once with Josh.  They had a great time and we laughed so hard watching Wyatt drive his own for the first time.  He was very serious & SO slow.  It was absolutely hysterical.
The drive home was amazing- fast and hiccup-free- with Carly sleeping nearly three hours, which is unheard of.  And I came home feeling closer than ever to my parents, and so grateful for them as grandparents.  My kids and I are a pretty lucky bunch.

Walking... the last three days of spring break and feeling so good getting my work out on!  I am just so happy that spring is here and winter is gone!

Taking... Wyatt to see his primary care doctor over spring break for the headaches he has been having the last 6 weeks.  Ever since a few weeks post op for his tonsil & adenoid removal, Wyatt has been continuing to struggle with sleep and has started having headaches that wake him at night and haunt him throughout the day.
The headaches could be from his low, soft palate (roof of his mouth), so we have an appointment set up with the orthodontist for next week to see if a spacer would help with that.  They could also be from the two types of sleep apnea* he was found to have had back in October- obstructive & central.  Hopefully the surgery fixed his obstructive sleep apnea, but we will only know once we complete a second, follow up, sleep study, which I've got in the works.  And if it turns out he does still have central sleep apnea, we are going to dig deeper this time, looking into why he has it, since it is so rare for children to have.
(*Types of Sleep Apnea: Obstructive Sleep Apnea is where you stop breathing in your sleep because of a blockage in your throat like large tonsils.  Central Sleep Apnea is where your brain forgets to tell you to breathe while you are sleeping.)
Wyatt's doctor ended up ordering an MRI for us (hallelujah!) because with an MRI we can narrow down the possibilities.  It will tell us if his central sleep apnea is from an Arnold Chiari Malformation (which Logan has); if his headaches are from a severe sinus infection (he already had one round of antibiotics and didn't show any improvement); or if they are from steroid use (he takes 4 puffs of Flovent everyday to keep his lungs healthy during the school year).  Once we have some of these answers, we will know how to proceed to get this kid sleeping & headache free.

Planting... the perennials I bought last week and feeling so excited about having some pops of color in our yard.  I bought some daffodils, tulips, hyacinth and grape hyacinth.  I am excited about having them there this year, but I am even more excited to see what they do next year when they pop up.  Many of them will generate even more flowers the second year they bloom.  I can't wait!

Sending... the boys off with Josh to his parent's land to ride their four wheelers for the day on Friday.  It was a great way to wrap up the week and they had the most fun they ever had, they said.  They rode some small dirt jumps and caught serious air- the pictures and videos Josh got are amazing!  Our boys are so adventurous and fun!  (And lucky to have a dad who makes sure they get time out at Grandma & Papa's to be adventurous and fun!)

Reading... Snow Child on Ashley's recommendation, and it was so, so good!  If you liked Anne of Green Gables or Little House on the Prairie (or more recently Caroline, which I also highly recommend!) then you would love Snow Child.

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