Around Here: Week 47

{thanks for your help, Aunt Roxanne!}

{babies + olives= Happy Thanksgiving)

BABY LEGS!!!

Go Hawks!!!

Finished... reading The Handmaid's Tale and The One.  I did not like the ending of the Handmaid's Tale, as I like my books tied up neat. I want to know if she found her husband and daughter; I want to know if she was pregnant; I want to know all.the.things.  I liked The One, but again, wish it had wrapped things up for me.  I started Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand, which is my holiday tradition.  I will re-read Winter Street, Winter Stroll and Winter Storms, and then I will read Winter Solstice, which is her new release this holiday season, which I ordered from Target.  Ordering from Target meant I got the book with a bonus chapter at the end!!!

Celebrating... my thirty-fifth birthday last Saturday.  It started with baking a cake with Wyatt, my best little helper.  Then I took the twins to see Wonder.  Oh it was so, so good.  We had read the book this summer, and the movie was everything we had hoped for.  The boys loved it, and so did I.  Then the boys had their last basketball game, and after that we got pizza and had family movie night.  It was a really lovely day, where I was spoiled with presents and kind words (the boys made me cards that made my little mama heart swell- Jack's said, "You are the one who makes our life happy.") and fell asleep feeling very, very blessed.

Taking... family pictures with my sister, and feeling so grateful that Josh was willing (family pictures aren't his favorite); that the kids were cooperative (we got so many good pictures!); and that the weather cooperated (even though it was SO cold!).  It was totally worth the effort.

Working... a little more each day with VIPkid.  I was up at 3:30am every day this week except Thursday, and I will not be doing that to myself again.  Ha! I plan on changing my schedule so I only work Monday, Wednesday & Friday, with a little respite in between.  I absolutely love the children (students), and the time when I am working flies by.  The main stresses are: getting enough sleep each night, and worrying when I hear Carly starting to stir and I'm still teaching. Josh is here, but I'm not sure he is who she'd want if she woke up.

Bringing back... date night for Josh and myself. We needed it! We got Baby Driver and Josh made us pizza and we really just laid low on the couches in the living room, enjoying the break and the time together. 

Planning... to use Xtra Math to help Jack cement his addition & subtraction facts.  Logan has the program free through his classroom teacher, and it has helped him already in the last week, making his math skills stronger.  Their multiplication & division facts are strong, but we never got the addition & subtraction memorized. I will also have Wyatt jump on there, so he can learn his efficiently this year. 

Decorating... for Christmas the weekend before Thanksgiving, which normally feels too early, but which felt perfect for some reason this year.  All the twinkle lights and magic is getting me so excited for this lovely season.  I also mapped out plans for Dashy, our Elf on the Shelf, and ordered our Christmas cards.  I am feeling like I'm on my A game, and it feels pretty awesome!

Grateful... for a husband who doesn't mind climbing on the roof and standing precariously on a ladder in the name of a festive holiday and a happy wife. Thanks babe! I love the lights!!!

Enjoying... Peppermint Mocha creamer in my coffee.  I've never had it before but decided to give it a try. I love it!!!

Adoring... Carly in my Aunt Barbara's jacket from 60+ years ago.  I never met my mom (and Aunt Barb's) mom.  She passed before I was born. So I love putting Carly into clothes that my Grandma Beverly bought for her three daughters.  I feel like a get a glimpse of who she was. (Sidenote- I was named for her.  My middle name is Beverly after her.)  Carly has worn little leather booties that Grandma Beverly bought; the one-year dress that all my mom and aunts wore; and this sweet little jacket.

Wrapping up... basketball for the twins.  During the last game, Jack made his first (ever) basket, and the WHOLE team cheered so loud! It was a very precious moment.  Logan's teacher (God bless her) was there, and pointed out to me that Logan honestly seemed more excited about the shot than Jack.  Jack was sort of humbled in his success, which was nice to see.  That game, with Logan's teacher there, was, hands down, his best.  He was so full of energy and focus.  He got the ball many times and tried many shots, but never made it. Thankfully the boys ended the season (their first with basketball) with their heads held high, despite the fact that they lost every single game.  They personally gained so much knowledge about the game, and so many skills they lacked previously.  It was a great experience.

Celebrating... Thanksgiving with my sister and her family, as well as my parents.  Now that my sister is only a little over an hour away, I am really enjoying and feeling blessed to be able to spend so much time with her and her littles.  Mostly her littlest little, who is only one sweet month old! Our Thanksgiving together was really lovely.  Very relaxed with lots of yummy food and happy kids.  It was perfect.

Loving... the glow of the Christmas lights in the early mornings when I'm done teaching and the boys have yet to wake up.  I write in my Five Minute Journal and just soak in the quiet. It's as awesome as it sounds.

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Around Here: Week 44

(This orb was in lots of pictures I took that day,
which was the third anniversary of my first miscarriage)

For fun, here's Logan doing the same thing, wearing the same boots!

(Also for fun, here are the twins meeting my sister's first son, Ferris)

(And here is Logan in the shirt Carly's been wearing-- so fun to look back!)

Pumpkin patching... at an adorable farm near our hometown.  We had originally planned to go while some family was in town, but that fell through, and we were down to the final weekend before Halloween.  Sort of last minute I decided it was important enough to me to take all four kids by myself.  It was totally worth it, (the money & the 30 minute drive each way).  It had zip lines, a hay stack for climbing, apple slinging, a bunch of animals to pet, a giant tube slide & a 4 wheeler train ride. Oh my gosh, so much fun!  Plus we got pumpkins!

Carving... the pumpkins we found at the patch and being impressed by each of our boys' independence in carving.  Josh and I barely had to help, which was awesome.  We waited until Carly was asleep to carve and it made for some nice special time with our three bigs.  They loved how they looked all lit up on the front porch.

Meeting... my new niece for the first time and helping take her newborn pictures with my sister. The baby is absolutely precious and perfect, and I am so happy for my sister's family. (Also, seeing my babies with actual babies, like, makes me explode. Too much.)

Creating... a Christmas playlist on my phone! And perusing Shutterfly for cute holiday card ideas. I am so excited for the holidays!

Passing... my final interview for VIPkids.  All that's left is paperwork and scheduling. I am anxious for my first actual teaching experience, but also excited. I think this is going to be the perfect job for me, as it will allow me to work while the kids sleep and I'll still have 100% stay-at-home mom availability during their waking hours.

Participating... in #30daysofgratitude in honor of Thanksgiving this month. (Check out my Instagram account.) I love November so much. I love that we're all getting into the holiday spirit; I love that it's my birthday (Can't believe I'm turning 35!); and I love that so many people are gently reminded that that we all have so much to be grateful for. It's a beautiful thing.

Taking... Wyatt to the doctor for both a concussion and what turned out to be a broken foot, from two separate incidences.  He fell off the trampoline (he was sitting on the trampoline, about to get off, when he fell backwards, flat on his back, hitting his head) causing whiplash and concussive symptoms- massive headache and brain vibrations- that lead us to urgent care, and on top of that, over the weekend we had noticed his foot pain complaints had escalated to actual limping, so we had them look at that too.  Basically the doctor thinks he has stress fractures on his cuboid & navicular bones from one of his brothers landing on the foot on the trampoline a few weeks ago.  So he's in a walking cast (we call it his "boot") for the next six weeks and then we will recheck.  He's been a real trooper about the whole thing, but he did get very sad when the doctor said no trampoline jumping during those six weeks.

Fixing... Logan's lazy eye with daily patching and checking in with the doctor. This last three months didn't provide any further improvement, which is a bummer, but we're going to commit to a final three months of daily patching and then he will be done.  The trouble was that his glasses weren't able to fix his vision to 100%, so by fixing his lazy eye, his glasses will be better able to correct his vision for the rest of his life.  He hates it, but I know it will be totally worth it.

Not reading... anything. I just haven't been myself the last two weeks.  Between the end of October (with Halloween craziness and the anniversary of my miscarriage) and the kids all being sick (coughs, colds, broken bones, etc.) I've been lucky to have two minutes to breathe, let alone rest (I have an ear infection & sinus infection I am still working to get rid of) or read. Maybe next week?!?

Thankful... that Logan's medication increase is done, and he seems totally stable and feeling fine other than a head cold he has. I am so grateful we haven't noticed any increase in moodiness or lethargy, as those were the two side effects I was most worried about. Thank you so much for your prayers and well wishes.

Looking forward... to a visit from my mom on Saturday & Sunday.  The kids can't wait!!!

Deciding... that 35 is going to be amazing.  (My birthday is on the 18th.)  This is going to be my year. I am going to be working and getting a handle on our finances; I am going to love myself (and my body); and I am going to choose to be happy!!!

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#30daysofgratitude

(instagram)

Day 1: Josh

Day 2: Logan

Day 3: Jack

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