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

***

INSPIRATION:

*** 

Week 3 Around Here {2019}

Taking... Wyatt and the twins to birthday parties Saturday afternoon.  It was nice for them to have a chance to get out of the house for a while, and Josh picked them up, which was great.  While they were gone, I went on a walk with Carly, which wasn't necessarily what I wanted to do, but it was definitely what I needed to do.
The weather was beautiful, and we even met a super friendly kitty on the way home, which absolutely made Carly's day.

Putting... hardwood flooring down in our house. (It's actually composite click-lock flooring that looks like hard wood but is waterproof/kid proof. It's amazing!)  Josh and his brother Samuel worked their tails off this weekend moving furniture and laying flooring, getting our room, the boys' room and Carly's room finished, as well as half of the hallway. 
While the flooring looks awesome and is a dream come true, living in the mess with four kids in 1400 square feet in the middle of winter made for a bit of a long weekend for all of us. Ha!  We were all very glad when the furniture could make its way back into each room and life resumed normalcy.

Experiencing... some physical anxiety in the early parts of this week.  I think some of it was due to the chaos in our house with all the renovating, but a lot of it was due to anticipating Wyatt's tonsil and adenoid removal Friday.  None of our kids have ever had surgery, and with Wyatt's asthma, I was really nervous about him being put under.  Because of that, I made sure I worked out every day this week, and it made a huge impact. 

Putting... stickers on the calendar in the kitchen every day that I exercised this week.  I remember from when I read Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin, that keeping track is often the best way to make a habit stick.  Plus I am like a kindergartner and love the positive feedback that little sticker gives me every time I get to put it on the calendar. Hah!

Giving... our boys the Love Language Test to see what their primary love languages are in an effort to improve my connections with them.  It was really interesting to see the results.  Logan prefers Quality Time & Receiving Gifts; Jack prefers Physical Touch & Quality Time; and Wyatt prefers Words of Affirmation & Quality Time. 
What struck me is that each of my kids desires TIME.  As a mom of four kids, time is not necessarily something I have a lot of! So I am going to have to get creative there.  The other ways they prefer to be shown love are really good to know as well.  I am hopeful that knowing these will improve our relationships moving forward.

Snuggling... Wyatt as much as possible leading up to his surgery. We spent a lot of time talking about his surgery, recovery and all the questions that he had.  He's such a little buddy, and I just soaked him up this week.

Reading... Troublemaker by Leah Remini.  I finished it, and gave it 5 stars.  I absolutely loved it.  (Go here to read more about my thoughts on her leaving the church)
I finished How To Walk Away during Wyatt's surgery, and I really enjoyed it. I would say it is a solid 4 star book, such a sweet read, with likable characters, and a compelling storyline (plane crash + following recovery).  The writing was beautiful and I liked the ending.
I have been reading one chapter each day of Girl, Wash Your Face, and I cannot stress enough how inspirational this book is. When I am all the way finished with it, I plan to sit down with my journal and write my thoughts about the things I have underlined in it.  So many gems in there.
When I finished listening to Troublemaker, I started listening to The Rainbow Comes & Goes, which is written by Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper (and is read by them as well) and is really interesting to listen to.  I love memoirs and have found that I only like listening to audio books if they are thrillers or memoirs. So I am sticking to those genres this year, and reading books off my shelf the rest of the time.

Geeking... out that Katherine Center, the author of How To Walk Away, commented on my Instagram post about how I didn't want to clean my house, I wanted to lay on the couch instead and read her book.  I love how social media can connect us with people we would normally NEVER have contact with.  I think she is the third author to comment on my Instagram account, and it never fails to give me heart palpitations. #booknerdforever

Kon Mari'ing... the office & the boys' toys as I continue through the house in order to stay sane leading up to Wyatt's surgery at the end of this week.  The office was challenging, but really rewarding.  It feels so good to walk in there now and know that all the craft items I kept are things I really love and will use, and to know where everything is.
The boys' toys were another thing that were hard to sort.  But I made them do it, and they made a big dent in their stuff, plus we sorted them into "like" items, which makes them more likely to play with them. 

Crying... as we left the orthodontist office this week, as our orthodontist is the most amazing guy, and he is determined to help fix my kids' teeth, whatever the cost.  Putting the twins in braces will be expensive (as you can imagine) and they have some pretty severe issues, so when we were discussing the finances, he said that whatever needs to happen, he can help us out, he wants to help us out. He said that after all we have been through with Logan and his seizures in the last year, we could really use a win.
The rest of the day, I could not stop randomly bursting into tears. I mean, who does that? Who helps out like that? Who sees a need they can fill and just fills it? There are such amazing, good, kind, generous people in this world, and I am so blessed to be surrounded by them. It is humbling and beautiful.

Thankful... for friends who brighten my week.  Hanging with my girl Shana on Wednesdays is a definite bright spot in my week, and my friend Jen watched Carly for me Thursday so I could go to the dentist, and getting to visit with her at drop off and pick up put a huge smile on my face as well.  I love how every week God shows me why he moved me here, and that I belong here, in this village. 
I am also thankful for Uncle Samuel who showed up at our house Tuesday while the boys and I were in the throes of Kon Mari'ing their toys as Josh worked late, and made dinner as we sorted & organized.  It was no big deal, he said, but to me, it was a very big deal.

Celebrating... Carly being completely potty trained.  It took less than a week, and you guys, I seriously did nothing other than buy m&m's.  (I mean, the girl is seriously motivated by chocolate, but the truth is, she was just ready.)  She's so dang cute in her little underwear, and you can just tell, she is really proud of herself.

Grateful... my mom was able to come and stay for the long weekend to help with the other kids for Wyatt's surgery.  She has been helping around the house, taking Carly & the twins to run errands and go do fun things... it's been such a blessing.

Praying... as Wyatt went in for surgery to remove his tonsils & adenoids Friday morning.  He was so brave, he never shed a tear at the hospital, and thanks to all your prayers for peace, neither did I.  He did great during surgery, and the doctor was able to get both his tonsils & adenoids out easily.
But after his surgery, when he was coming off the anesthesia, whenever he would fall asleep, he would stop breathing.  His oxygen, which was 99 or 100 when he was awake, would drop rapidly- 97, 94, 87, 83, 79, 77, 72, 68, 65, 60... bottoming out at one point at 33%. 
Now to give you some perspective, when Wyatt was hospitalized with Status Asthmaticus in the PICU, in December 2017, his oxygen was 73 and that had the doctors in the ER freaking out. So 33 is unheard of. 
When this was happening, his entire body was completely still, heavy and unmoving, like he was dead, with no breath coming in and out of his lungs. It was absolutely terrifying.
As soon as we woke him up, he would begin to breathe again, and be fine.  But the second he fell asleep, his body would forget to breathe, and he would desaturate again.  I was freaking out.
His doctor came in and told us that this was his Central Sleep Apnea manifesting and being made worse by the anesthesia.  So it was just a waiting game.
Thankfully, as the anesthesia wore off, he was able to fall asleep and his oxygen would drop off only into the 80's.  By the time we were home and he was getting ready for bed, 9 hours later, he fell asleep and his oxygen didn't drop at all.  I cannot tell you what a relief that was to me. (And how grateful I was to have the oxygen meter I ordered last fall to better monitor his asthma!)
The recovery time should take about two weeks, with lots of ups & downs, I am told, so your continued prayers would be such a blessing to us.  Currently, I am just glad to have the surgery (and those scary not-breathing episodes) behind us and to be on the road to recovery.

On parenting... I read the following quote this week, after the terrible parenting week I had last week (where I was left feeling like a total failure on all accounts) and I like the idea that our mistakes are just ways to learn how to do better next time.  Maybe if I can remember this gentle advice from Brene, I will be less hard on myself.
I seem to think that parenting requires perfection.  And the more I think this, the more I screw up, because the pressure is so high. 

Maybe just loving my kids and doing my best is all I can do. 

And that is enough.

***

And for a little laugh:

I will fold my socks for you, Marie Kondo.

But I will not get rid of my books.

That's where I draw the line.

*