Week 41 Around Here {2019}

{Can you spot Ramona?}

Escaping... parenting for a weekend, leaving the kids with Josh's parents so we could get away and celebrate our belated 16th wedding anniversary.  The weekend was absolutely lovely.  We spent nearly all of it in our hotel room, watching TV, reading, sleeping, eating and napping.  It was exactly what we needed after a crazy summer prepping the house for sale; moving; and then starting the school year. I am so grateful we were able to do that.

Reading... Fahrenheit 451 and We Are Okay while Josh and I were away for the weekend, holed up in a hotel with my husband.  It was so luxurious to be able to read entire books without interruption.  I loved Fahrenheit 451 and want to watch the movie next.  We Are Okay was just an okay read for me. It didn't feel like a well developed novel and I was left wanting.
 I also read about #6 Enneagrams in The Wisdom of the Enneagram over the weekend have been listening to The Quintland Sisters, a story about the Dionne quintuplets, five identical babies born to a couple in Canada in 1934.  (Can you even imagine? Five?!?)
Later this week I started The Farm, which was not what I thought it would be (I was imagining a book more like The Handmaid's Tale), but that I have enjoyed nonetheless.

Receiving... the second of Elin Hilderbrand's new winter series.  I got the first, Winter in Paradise, last year, but never read it, and the second, What Happens In Paradise, was just released.  So I am making my reading lists for November and December, excited for the chance to read them back to back.  Her previous winter series (Winter Street series) is one of my favorites of all time.  I highly recommend it.

Impressed... by Wyatt's running at school during Junior Joggers.  In the past he would barely eke out two laps, hating every minute.  But since joining wrestling and doing all the training they do, he's been running up to 6 laps during Junior Joggers, feeling pumped and so proud of himself.

Making... homemade tortillas this week and loving Carly's help.  She is such a little helper in all areas.  One day this week I made graham crackers with chocolate frosting for snack and before I got downstairs after her nap, she had gotten plates down for everyone and was passing out snacks for when brother's got home from school.  That little sweetheart. {swoon}

Taking... Wyatt to the dentist (no cavaties- yay!) and feeling proud of how far Carly has come as she took the hygenist's offer to sit in the big chair and help with Wyatt's treatment. I feel like the more exposure she has to the dentist and all their tools, the more comfortable she will continue to become.  Wyatt was also a great example of cool calm and I'm so grateful for that!

Laughing... when Jack emptied a glue stick so he could fill it with Starburst candies to make it look like he was eating glue.  I don't think I will ever fully understand middle schoolers.

Shaking... my head as Wyatt drug his backpack down the walkway, across the driveway and to the bus stop on Monday because he was grumpy.  I was stifling a smile because #monday. I feel you, kid.

Decorating... for Halloween and loving Carly's enthusiasm for every single detail.  She exclaimed over every spider, pumpkin and leaf; and when Josh got home she said, "Dad! You HAVE to see this!" and took his hand and lead him upstairs to show him the spooky things in her room.  Soo cute!

Hosting... our old neighbor kids for a playdate and dinner on Wednesday.  We were all so happy to spend some quality time with Cristian and Coral after months apart. Oh, how we miss having them across the street! Thankfully their mom and I have stayed in touch and have made plans to get the kids together a little more often. They are the sweetest kids and the best family.

Happy... that the twins have art club after school once a week.  Jack is in art this quarter and he loves it, but it doesn't come naturally to him. So that extra time in the classroom with the teacher is helpful.  And Logan loves it, so it's win/win!

Understanding... Carly's heart when she wants all the brothers to read bedtime stories with her each night.  That said, it's sure frustrating when they are showering/brushing/getting ready for bed and I just want to lay her down and she's all, "I want brothers! I want us all TOGETHER."
So there has been a lot of bedtime stories together as a family, especially now that all the Halloween books are out for the season.

Sharing... a goodbye dinner with my girlfriend Jolene who is moving to Alaska with her husband and four girls in a month's time.  I am going to miss her so much and am so grateful for the friendship she has provided me during the three years we have lived here together.  She has taught me how to be a better friend.

Surprised... by the early deep freeze we had and staring at the sprinklers I drove past on the way to drop Carly off at Grandma's.  The length of the icicles on them was insane!

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Week 5 Around Here {2019}

{photo credit: Wyatt Cunningham}

Sleeping in... on Sunday after waking up nine times in six hours on Saturday night. It was a terrible night of sleep (if you can call it that), taking Carly potty twice, comforting her with bad dreams, getting Wyatt to take his medicine three times and getting Jack some medicine for his cough and cold.  Josh took care of the kids while I got some much needed rest and I slept until 11:00! (Thanks, babe!)

Seeing... Green Book at the theater with a friend Saturday night while Josh did movie night with the kids.  The movie was good and the snacks were awesome.  Ha!  It was so lovely to get out of the house after a week at home taking care of Wyatt.

Waving... goodbye to Josh and Wyatt early Sunday morning as they took off for Vancouver with Josh's dad. 

Cleaning... house like a madwoman with the twins and Carly Sunday morning.  It was in desperate need and looked SO good afterward!

Hosting... a special movie night Sunday for the twins after all their help cleaning house.  It ended up being the perfect way to start the week, nice and mellow.  And boy did we earn that break- the house had been in shambles, and we whipped it into shape!!!

Watching... Wyatt improve slowly, and feeling SO grateful after ten nights of him not being himself.  I am not kidding when I say that it was like he was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde during that first week and a half.  At night he would suddenly become argumentative and would wail when I would make him take his meds.  It was unbelievable.

Getting... groceries on Tuesday with three kids in tow but having fun regardless.  I love that we can have fun no matter what we're doing.

Nursing... sick kids who had coughs & runny noses on and off all week.  We are going through Kleenex like it's going out of style!

Cutting... my hair again.  I am trying to keep up with every-six-weeks hair cuts so that as it grows out, I am keeping the hair I do have shorter, so that it can all catch up sooner and be the same length.  My hope is that by summer I might have a decent head of hair! After using my Monat hair mask, I really noticed a difference in how my hair felt, so I am going to make sure that I do it every week.

Sharing... the books I didn't love in 2018 on my social media accounts.  I had planned to LOVE all six of these books, and was really disappointed in at least three of them. 
I'll Be Your Blue Sky, Four Seasons In Rome & Every Note Played were three that really let me down after all the hype, and the other three (Ghosted, A Spark of Light and Marilla of Green Gables) just weren't as good as I think they could have been.  I truly am curious, what book (or books) have you read that let you down recently?

Hanging... with my girl Shana and talking about all things children & character and contemplating the ways I am building character in my kids.  I used to think it was my job to protect them from the world.  Now I think it's my job to hold their hand as the world beats them up a bit and consider it character-building for them.  A bit brutal... but also true, and very vital.  Man this motherhood job is no joke.

Sending... Carly off to Grandma's on Thursday and spending the day with just Wyatt.  It was a much needed break from our exhausting, nonstop threenager (the truth of that... sigh!) and was nice for Wyatt and I to have the day to ourselves before he headed back to school post surgery.

Catching... the blog up on Weeks 4 & 5, which feels great, and gathering all kinds of inspiration for new types of blog posts from my girls Tabitha & Ashley.  I think I want to have a day each week where I focus on what's making me happy/gratitude and maybe a monthly post on what I'm reading, which I failed halfway through last year.  I am definitely spinning some ideas around in my head and am trying to figure out what would work, because I want to spend more time in this little space.

Witnessing... Logan pulling another baby tooth out this week.  This one was wicked bloody and seemed so painful! I think he just wanted the money for the "business" he and his friend are running (buying & selling snacks before & after school) so he was determined to get that sucker out of there. 
The tooth fairy, bless her soul, remembered to stop by (#miracle) despite her busy schedule and total exhaustion this week, and I was really proud of her. Logan got his $2 and she got a very bloody baby tooth. Win/win.  ;)

Celebrating... all three boys going back to school on Friday after having Wyatt home two entire weeks following his surgery, and Jack home sick as well.  Carly and I celebrated by running a thousand errands this morning (hah! #momlife) and then emptying the office so Josh can pull the carpet out this weekend. (Hooray! New hard wood floors!)

Loving... texts from my grandma.  She doesn't have internet (and therefore no email or Facebook) but being able to send her pictures via her cell phone and getting text replies (and even sometimes photo replies) is my favorite.  Just another way we can stay connected despite the distance.

Reading... All The Ugly And Wonderful Things, which was Book of the Month's Book of the Year in 2016.  It has not disappointed, and I haven't been able to put it down!  I am also working through Orange is the New Black on audio, and today I also started All You Can Ever Know on audio. I love all the reading I got in during January and am hoping to keep up the pace in February.

Saying... goodbye to our old neighbors, which was so, so sad!  The twins were best friends with their oldest boy, and our families just really clicked.  We knew when our kids were at each other's houses they were in good hands and I loved the mom so much!  But a sad goodbye also meant a new hello to fresh neighbors.  So today Carly and I took a plate of cookies over along with a warm welcome to the neighborhood. 

Laughing... at how Carly says, "Sure" instead of "Yes" now.  Any question you ask she says, "Sure" instead of "yes." It's kind of unnerving because generally "sure" means "I guess", so when I ask, "Did you go potty?" and she says, "Sure," it leaves me wondering if she really did. 
I am also laughing at her new, shortened version of Wyatt's name.  We have always loved how she says Wyatt, in her little Minnie Mouse voice, but for some reason this week, she has started calling him "Wy" and it's just too cute!

Surviving... Month One of my "Book Buying Ban".  I placed myself on a book buying ban for 2019 because my "To Read" shelf was growing out of control.  At last count I had 100 unread books and I really want to read them, so I am taking this year off from book buying with one exception- Book of the Month.  They allow me to buy up to 3 books a month, but it's a limited selection, and I don't always buy three.  I hope to read through at least half of my unread books this year!

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