Around Here: Week 17

Grateful... my kids are good pukers and even though Wyatt & Jack both came down with the flu this weekend, neither of them threw up on beds or couches.  In this same vein, I am grateful to be a stay-at-home mom.  I love that staying home with my sick kids isn't even a thought. I just stay home.  No boss to call, no decisions to make. It's such a blessing.

Wondering... if Logan will be the last one to get the flu.  It took about two days to travel from his other brothers to each other and then to him.  I thought we were over it, then on Wednesday he complained of a stomach ache, and it was all down hill from there. (I wrote this last night- Thursday- in preparation for today and awoke this morning at 6am to Carly crying in her crib, surrounded by little piles of vomit. She got it. We are on Day 8 of this stomach virus and I am so over it. Just praying that at least Josh and I will be spared!)

Sad... to have missed all three of the twins' baseball games.  First Jack was sick, then Wyatt, then Logan, so I have yet to see them play.  But according to Josh, they are doing amazing!  Jack hit a home run at his first game, and he and Logan both are hitting the ball, far, each time they are up to bat. Plus they're catching the ball and making outs when they're in the field.  I am such a proud, mama.

Doing... haircuts for five of the six members of this household.  The twins are still growing out the tops, but I love how fresh it looks when the sides are trimmed.  Josh's haircut is the same it's ever been, but Wyatt's is shorter than I usually go. I love how it looks and think it'll be nice for spring heading into summer. For Carly I trimmed all along the back again and I'm so excited that her new hair that's growing in is nearly as long as her longest hair in the back, so from here I should be able to let it grow out. I absolutely hate doing haircuts, to be honest, but it saves us so much money (probably $100) that I can't really excuse stopping.

Giving up... cloth diapering.  Over spring break I bought myself a box of diapers and it's been so lovely to continue using them up. So last week I priced diapers and at Walmart I got a box of 124 diapers for less than $18.  Fourteen cents a diaper is what it works out to, and I decided that $18 a month is totally worth not having to scrape poop out of a cloth diaper into the toilet, and also that I probably spend nearly that amount on laundry loads (water + electricity) since I do a diaper load every other day (a rinse cycle, followed by an extra hot wash, followed by the dryer for the inserts).

Doing... lots of homework because of sick kids.  Especially Jack had quite the load. Happy to start next week all caught up!

Feeling... crazy proud of my sister and her husband who have journeyed a very long road to Blake becoming a Fish & Wild Life Officer.  He was in training near us, so he stopped by on his way home Wednesday night. It was so good to see him, and my boys thought his uniform & truck were the coolest!

Reading... Freakanomics and The Lies We Believe.  This week I finished The Forgetting Time & The Gift of an Ordinary Day.  Both were so, so, so good.  I just started I Survived the Eruption of Mt. St. Helens with the twins and The Memory of Water for myself.  They're both proving to be quite good as well!

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Around Here: Week 5

Cloth Diapering... the baby.  We've been cloth diapering since we moved here in August, so for about six months, and it's still going really well.  I had the diapers left over from when Wyatt was a baby, so we've really gotten our moneys worth now! I do a load of diapers every other day, so it seems like I always have a laundry basket full of little snaps & inserts to be put together.

Enjoying... Carly's snuggles.  She snuggles her daddy. She snuggles her mama. She snuggles her baby doll... It's just so darn precious.

Loving... Carly's little spout (pony tail) on the top of her her head. She's so precious.

Grateful... for our new vision clinic that helped me swap Jack's lenses for Logan's when Logan broke his fourth pair of glasses since summer. #angryeyes

Setting... Logan's EEG and neurology appointment.  I am grateful to have it on the calendar. This time we won't just have the test, we will also meet with a neurologist and be able to have our questions answered. I can't wait. I am so exhausted with the constant worry over how physical he should be, how much screen time he should have, how safe is he at home, at school, in the yard, in the tub... I am so over worrying!

Meditating... on the print my sister gave me for my birthday. (Pictured above) I love our small home, even if sometimes it's a bit crowded. I know it's exactly where we are supposed to be, and I love that on cleaning day I can get the whole thing spotless in one fell swoop!

Burning... candles everyday.  My mom gifted me a bunch of candles for Christmas, and I am so thankful.  These cold, snowy, grey days make burning candles feel extra cozy and I love that I'm being good to myself and taking the time to replace them and light them each day when I get home from drop off.

Changing... everyone's bedding. I don't know why but I love a freshly made bed with clean sheets. Nothing feels better than climbing into new sheets at bedtime. I love that my passion for clean sheets has rubbed off on the boys. You should hear them "ooh" and "ahh" when they climb in at bedtime. Priceless.

Listening... to that new song Lost Boy by Ruth B. I downloaded it this weekend while Josh was out of town as a treat to myself, and the boys and I must have listened to it 100 times. I think it's so beautiful, and the boys love it too. Wyatt is perplexed though because he says, "It's a girl singing... but she is telling the story of a lost boy..." He cracks me up.

Reading... 1000 Gifts again, as well as Chasing Light. Still working through Believing God (it's a lot to digest, so I'm taking my time there) and reading The Other Side of the Mountain with the twins at bedtime.  I just started What Was Mine and I'm already half way through. I can't put it down!

Writing... down all the little blessings & ways I see God in my days as I wrap up my 1000 Gifts list.  I am currently on #899. So close!!!  Also writing in my 100th journal!

Living out... the groundhog's prediction with more & more snow!

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Around Here: Week 34

Meditating... on this gem from Eckhart Tolle:
"Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have."

Visiting... the doctor.  Wyatt had an appointment this week, the twins have an appointment next week.  I think it's smart to have an established relationship with their new doctor before I send them off to the germ pool school. ;)

Organizing... all my new bookshelves. Oh the joy that a stack of books can bring!!! (For me, and for the kids!)

Experimenting... with cloth diapering again as a means to save money. So far, so good!  (I had 24 bumGenius diapers left from my cloth diapering days with Wyatt.)

Reading... Home Field by Hannah Gersen. It took me a while to get into it, but I'm enjoying it now.  Only one more book club book left (What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross) and I will have worked my way through the whole summer list!

Exploring... our new neighborhood.  The boys hop on bikes or scooters and Carly rides in either her stroller or my Ergo, and we meander, taking in all the sights.  I'm loving it.

Road tripping... to Wenatchee (to the nearest Target) to pick up shelving for linens and other necessary items that we couldn't find at the Walmart in town. Wenatchee's only about an hour away and a lovely drive.

Looking forward... to fall, thanks to a sweet gift from my friend Ashley that arrived in the mail this week.  A beautiful dish cloth & set of autumn chapstick. Yum!

Enjoying... the dirt pit.  It entertains the boys for hours on end and feels like such a wholesome activity for three little boys!

Watching... the boys collect these strange seed/flower bombs from the neighbors tree.  They took off with a step stool, a grabber, and a plastic bag to collect the ones that dangle over the fence.  Now we have piles of them in our garage.  They look like slightly pokey tennis balls.

Feeling... Carly's new (razor sharp) tooth that finally poked through.  Thankfully she's only bit me a handful of times so far.  Yipes.

Working... on our front yard. Josh mowed the grass and we redid the front flower bed.  It's a small start, but it's a start!  Next up, trimming the roses that are blocking our front window!

Excited... for tonight when my sister & her fam arrive! We have a JAM-PACKED day planned tomorrow full of fun for our collective five boys & two baby girls.  I can't wait!

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