Week 35 Around Here {2019}

Our new digs

Cunningham Family :: First Home :: 2016

Cunningham Family :: First Home :: 2019

{So sad to leave our first watermelon!}

{One last tomato harvest!}

Goodbye kitchen...

Goodbye dining room

Wyatt's New Room

Jack & Logan :: 2011 :: Preschool

Starting... Week 35 in our NEW house!  We woke up Saturday morning (8/24) in our new house in our new neighborhood, ready to finish moving the rest of our stuff from the old house.  I am pleased to say that we all slept really good in the new digs, and it has instantly felt like home to us.

Finishing... moving the last of our things and returning the moving truck on Saturday afternoon.  Our kids were the most incredible helpers, making trip after trip from the truck to the house and back.  It felt surreal to walk around our empty house, knowing we would never be back.  It felt good to take a minute to say goodbye, though, and thank the house for all the memories it held for our family.

Cleaning... our old house for the new owner.  I worked really hard along side my friend Shana and we had it shining for her.

Driving... our cats from one house to the other, and hearing their most ridiculous sadness from the backseat.  They cried and cried on the quick drive, and were quite happy to be set free in the new house. They took a few days to fully adjust, but were happy to find the kids' beds at bedtime and seem to have settled, thankfully.

Enjoying... my first shower in days.  I've been working so hard at moving, I honestly couldn't remember the last time I had bathed. (gasp!)  So on Sunday I took the most luxuriously long shower in ages and felt like a totally different person when I emerged.

Grateful... for all the help we had moving.  Josh's parents helped- his mom watched the kids and his dad used his truck to help us move stuff; our nephew helped; his brother helped; so many of my friends helped; and my parents came to help.  While they were here, my dad put together the Ikea dressers they bought for Wyatt and the twins' rooms, and my mom helped me unpack and organize the entire kitchen so we would be ready for school to start (Wednesday)!!  We seriously could not have done all we did without so many helping hands.

Caring... for a very sick Carly Monday night as she woke me up crying.  I went into her room and she held her hands up to me in the dark, saying her teeth were all falling out.  As I turned on the lamp, I realized that what she thought was her teeth falling out, was actually vomit.  Lots and lots of vomit.  So I spent the night in her room with her, helping her throw up in the bowl every few hours.
The following morning she told me that her ears felt funny because a few days ago she had put beads in them.  Sigh. It's always something, right?  We managed to get her in for a same-day appointment and the doctor had a look.  One ear was obviously clear (thank goodness) but we had to flush the other one to make sure.  In the end, there were no longer beads in either ear, but a long afternoon spent at the doctors office telling her (over and over and over again) that we do not put anything in our ears. (Shout out to my friends Crystal and Kara for having the boys while I took Carly to the doctor so I didn't have to take them all with me.  You two are the BEST!)
Carly continued to be sick off and on for three days, but by the end of the week she was finally well.  Hallelujah!

Missing... out on any last minute summer fun because of Carly's sickness.  We had plans to go to the water park one last time, but because of Carly not feeling well, we had to stick close to home instead.  I felt super bad for the boys, but they were really good sports about it for the most part.
Not being able to go play did have one silver lining, and that is that I was able to do all the (million) things required for the boys to start school- figuring out bus routes, new school schedules (both the twins and Wyatt will be at new schools this year), purchasing school supplies, giving fresh haircuts and turning in medical as well as other important forms to the office.  It felt like a LOT.

Attending... Wyatt's Open House to meet his teacher and see his new school.  I think attending that reduced his first day anxiety and I am so glad we had the opportunity to do that before school started.  His teacher is great, loves art and projects (which is right up Wyatt's alley) and also has a husband who is a teacher. :)

Sending... the twins off to their first day of middle school.  I still cannot believe they are 11 and done with elementary school.  It's mind blowing.
Sending... Wyatt off on the bus for the first time.  He asked that I not go with him all the way to the bus stop (that was full of kids) so Carly and I stayed on our corner and just waved at his bus when it drove by.  A tiny part of me may have been sad... but honestly, mostly I am just crazy proud of how far this kid has come.  In kindergarten the counselor had to PEEL him off me, screaming and crying, as I walked briskly away, knowing that was the best thing I could do for him.  It was HARD.  So having him be so independent and confident now is the biggest blessing for my mama heart.
I ended up having to pick Logan up early from school because he wasn't feeling well (he caught what Carly had) but otherwise, everyone's first day went really well.

Relishing... the quiet of one child on Wednesday morning when only Carly was home and all her brothers were (finally) at school.  I blogged and then unpacked, as we are still (slowly, but surely) settling into the house.  I have missed having quiet moments to myself, and am very much looking forward to a slower pace around here now that the boys are all in school again.

Doing... too much on Thursday (with Logan home sick) and ending the day very grouchy.  I was overworked and overtired and the kids seemed extra needy, and it was just a very, very bad combo.  I was snappy and crabby and desperately needed some sleep.  Once I got the kids down, I took a bath, which helped a lot, and then I went to bed early.

Celebrating... Friday when all three boys were at school all day long and Carly and I had the day to ourselves.  We started the morning with fresh haircuts (we both cut our hair to our chin) at the "salon" Carly will tell you.  I absolutely LOVE Carly's haircut and am really happy with mine as well.  It was time for something fresh and I feel great.

Picking... up a trumpet for Jack for band after school Friday.  I am in a little bit of denial about the fact that he's in band and we are all going to have to listen to him practice playing the trumpet all year long... but I think that's okay.  I can just take things one day at a time right now.  Perhaps that is for the best.  ;)

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2017-2018 School Year

These three guys' last day of school was Friday.  They are out for summer!!! This school year feels like it flew right by!  I think part of that is how sick everyone was and how busy I was taking care of them.  Wyatt's asthma has a way of making the weeks fly by in a blur of no sleep and lots of worry.  Thankfully he's healthy now and we have an appointment next week to get his allergy testing done, so hopefully that will give us some answers about if anything is exacerbating his asthma.

The twins wrapped up fourth grade with good grades and happy memories.  They have grown so much during their two years in public school and I think they are ready to start fifth grade.  We have opted, again, to have them in separate classrooms because we feel that is what's best for their distinct personalities and it decreases the chances that they will be compared to each other, which is something we are trying to minimize.  (They still do it, but we want to make sure that we, as adults, aren't doing it!  Harder than it sounds!)

Wyatt finished first grade with some amazing testing results and we're super proud of the awesome student, reader & speller he is.  He really excels in school and it's nice to see him blossom there.  I think he's looking forward to some downtime, though, as he loves to play and be outside, really misses Carly when he's at school, and loves to spend time in the garden.

I am nervous for summer with all of them home, I won't lie.  The spring was hard for me as I struggled with anxiety and I worry how I will make sure I get some "me time" in with the four kids home, but since Josh is a teacher, he will be home, too, and he assures me that it will all be okay.  (I thank God for that guy everyday. Seriously.)

I've made some bucket lists for myself and the kids, as well as some realistic things that the kids and I need to accomplish each day.  I think it will create a nice balance of work and fun for all of us, and it makes me less anxious for what's to come.  I've committed to walking everyday because it's so good for my mental health, and Josh agrees that it's something that's really good for me, so we're on the same page there.  Early bedtime is also a must because I will continue teaching with VIPkid throughout the summer, so that will help keep the kids and I on a good schedule.  I'm also hoping to do some adventuring in our area.  Even though we've been here two years, there are a lot of places we've yet to explore.

I'll close this little end of the year post with some first & last day of school photos so you can see how the kids have grown (maybe especially Carly!?!) and changed this year.  It's so fun to see!

August 2017

May 2018

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First Day of School

Last Day of School

On Sending Your Little Ones To School

Last year was the first time I had sent my kids to school (barring the five months the twins attended preschool in 2011, which doesn't really count).  As I mentally prepare for the upcoming school year (Josh went back today for some teacher training, thus back-to-school is on my mind even though we don't start until August 30th) I find I am reassuring myself with the same few thoughts:

"Give it two weeks, I swear it will start to feel normal."
My sister told me this before the school year began, and I cannot tell you how I clung to it those first few days, as I would come home, lay Carly down for her morning nap, and sit, paralyzed and sad, on the couch as she slept.  The house was too quiet without our boys, and I felt so aimless.
By the end of their first month I looked forward to the quiet in our house on Monday mornings.  I enjoyed knowing that my boys were having experiences I knew nothing about and growing in so many ways.

Take it one day at a time.
It was really easy for me to take a problem my child presented-- a math struggle; loneliness at recess-- and dive into the issue headfirst.  Suddenly I would foresee their failure on future SAT's and proms spent sitting alone at a table, watching everyone else dance... when in reality, these problems were almost always solved within a day or two, and never with any drastic amount of effort on my part.  What seemed a BIG DEAL one day would often not even be on my child's radar the next day.  Basically, my point is to "Don't let anything make you too worried or freaked out!" Some of my kids fought at recess, dealt with bullies and made bad choices.  Some of them struggled with academics and being sad or missing me.  In the end, we all came out alright, and no one is worse for the wear. I promise whatever struggles pop up, you'll get through them, too!

Make a Silly Goodbye Ritual
My twins didn't need a goodbye ritual.  They were 100% ready for friendship and freedom and school with a teacher who wasn't their mom. But my Wyatt, who was starting kindergarten, had a hard time saying goodbye.  So every morning after playing with him at pre-school-recess, we'd walk back to class singing "Pop See Ko", which always made him laugh and left him with a smile on his face. I'd end our goodbye routine with a hug saying, "I'll see you after school right here," to assure him that when school is over I will be right there to pick him up.

I wish you luck this school year.
I'm going to try NOT to:
a) Cry my eyes out that the twins are going into FOURTH GRADE
(How is this possible!?!)
or
b) Jump up and down screaming with intense joy when I wake up on August 30th. ;)

Wish me luck!