Week 26 Around Here {2019}

{pc: Aunt Roxanne}

Having... my sister over along with her kids on Saturday.  It was a really fun day, and I was so glad to spend the day with her.  She even curled Carly's hair while she was here with my new wand from Ulta, and Carly looked so darn cute!
I enjoyed loving on my niece Romy & seeing all the kids snuggled up on the couch together watching a movie during movie night.  They're just so sweet together.

Trading... kids on Sunday with my sister.  She got Jack and I got Milo.  We met at the halfway point and swapped kids, then met again in the afternoon to trade back.  Logan & Wyatt had such a great time with Milo, and Jack loved being at Roxanne's sans his siblings.

Sending... Jack for a sleepover at Grandma's.  He was so excited to have some special time with her and Papa, and I think it was just what he needed.

Kayaking... with the kids and Josh while Jack was with grandma.  We had a great time on the water, but it was interesting to see how lost Logan was without Jack there to be his buddy on the water.  They drive each other nuts... but they also depend on each other for entertainment and companionship.

Celebrating... Wyatt's birthday with a pizza party.  We watched a Spiderman movie and enjoyed pizza, Koolaid, cake & ice cream.  Wyatt had a great time, and I think his friends enjoyed themselves, but the best story of the night is this: I had given Carly a little Koolaid before the party started.  Then about an hour later, the boys were all having pizza and I started pouring them cups of Koolaid.  Carly marched her little self right over to the table, jutted her cup toward me and said, "I need more alcohol, mom."
What?!? Somehow she mixed up the name "Koolaid" with the name "Alcohol", and wanted more.  Hahaha!  Then, later that week, we were at the grocery store and as we were cruising down the center aisle of the store, Carly pipes up, "Can we get more alcohol?"
She just can't seem to remember that it's called Koolaid.

Riding... with the kids to the school for a morning play time, and enjoying it so much.  Carly loved riding in the bike trailer, and I felt really good, too!

Spending... some time with my bestie on Thursday, and enjoying it so much.  We got lunch while we were together and had the chance to have so many uninterrupted conversations since we were kid-free (thanks to her mom and Josh).  It was lovely!

Playing... at home is going really well so far this summer, thanks to the boys' "Play List" (a list of all the things they can play when they have free time) and the consequence of weeding when they are naughty.  I had been so nervous for how it would go, but I am happy to report it is going just swimmingly.  They are having so much fun building forts and reading books and I am grateful for the permission my counselor gave me to give them more screen time if I need it to survive.  I always have that little card in my back pocket!

Reading... The Road Back to You (which is about the enneagram), Harry's Trees (which I talked about last week & am still working through) and Love You Hard.  When I finished Love You Hard I started The Prayer Box, which I am loving!  It's about a woman whose landlord passes away, and while cleaning out her house, she comes across a life's collection of prayer boxes.  Through these prayer boxes, she begins piecing together this woman's life story.  It's really good!

Taking... the twins on a bike ride, just the three of us, and having the best time together.  We raced and took turns leading the pack.  When we got home, we all felt great, and I was so glad I had said yes.

Storm watching... with the kids on Thursday night and loving how Carly got out her pretend camera to take pictures.  They loved the lightening and counting to see how far behind the thunder was.

Blogging... my heart out to get caught up on the few weeks I was behind.  I am so glad to be caught up!

Getting... away for a small group get together with the girls I started small group bible study with back in 7th grade.  For over 20 years these girls have been by my side through thick and thin, and it was so amazing to sneak in some time away with them.  We left our collective 13 children with our husbands and had some kid-free time in Seattle, going out to dinner, walking to see the sunset view and talking until 1:30 in the morning!  This time I got to meet Maggie's little girls, and her youngest is Carly's age and just a doll! I wanted to take her home! {swoon!}

{thanks to Tabitha's friends for sharing}

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Around Here: Week 45 {2018}

Spending... the weekend at the beach with my friends from small group (bible study).  We met every Monday from seventh grade through high school graduation and have stayed in contact all these years later.  Together we have 13 kids, but somehow we managed to get away together.  I love those girls so much!  We were bummed that Emily couldn't make it this time (love you, girl!) but the three of us made the most of it, talking, walking on the beach, enjoying dinner out, and savoring each other's company.  I even squeezed in a little reading and journaling while we were there.

Driving... home from the beach, which took forever!  There were two huge car accidents and traffic in general was just terrible.  It took me almost ten hours to get home! Blah!  The good thing about that much time in the car is that I got to finish Marilla of Green Gables on audio, and I got to start A Spark of Light. 

Relishing... being reunited with my kids after a weekend away.  All four kids ran out to the driveway when I pulled in, hugging me and welcoming me home. It was so sweet!  I was so happy to be home, and they were so happy to see me.  It was really tender. 

Creating... our family Christmas cards with the pictures my sister and I took of my kids a few weekends ago.  Josh and I opted out of our family pictures because my hair was falling out and Josh had Bell's Palsy at the time... so this year's Christmas card will star the children. ;)  The cards turned out *adorable* and I cannot wait to get my hands on them. I always use Shutterfly and have never been disappointed.  I will probably get started on addressing them after Thanksgiving.

Taking... Halloween decorations down, finally.  The last two weeks have kind of flown by, and with my being out of town, November sort of snuck up on me.  It felt good to tuck Halloween away.

Putting... Thanksgiving decorations up.  The kids' favorite part of each new holiday decor is, hands down, the books that come out.  So they were thrilled to wake up to all the Thanksgiving books on their shelf.  I love their enthusiasm so much!!

Suffering... some random anxiety symptoms on Tuesday & Wednesday this week.  I'm not sure why I was feeling so shaky and scared, but I felt miserable.  Thankfully, Josh was home Wednesday, so he was able to take Wyatt to Spokane for his Pulmonology appointment for me, so I could stay home, take a nap and engage in some self care.  Self care this week looked like a lot of sleep, and a lot of time on the couch watching TV.  Josh was really understanding, and between the sleep and the rest, I was able to start feeling better by Thursday, and by Friday I was back to my old self. Phew!
Josh thinks that maybe I was having anxious feelings about taking Wyatt to see the Pulmonologist, and he may be on to something.  His Pulmonologist is at the hospital where he was in the PICU back in December, where he almost died, so going there with him is always a bit emotional for me. I didn't put two and two together, but after he got back from taking Wyatt for me, he told me he figured that was why I was having a hard day.  Such an insightful guy.

Reading... and finishing Not That I Could Tell.  It was a good read, but I felt like the ending was weak.  That was a bummer.  I have since started The Patron St. of Liars by Ann Patchett.  It's good so far.

Taking... the kids to school in the car on Friday after the weather suddenly got very cold!  I am so grateful we got to walk/ride bikes to school for so long this year!  Making it this far into November has got to be some kind of record!  Now I will start waking up before the kids and working out with Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home videos.  In addition to that, I will be meditating in the morning.  I'm praying those two things will keep my mental health in place the way that walking the kids to school used to do!

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Around Here: Week 26 {2018}

I-5 Bridge over the Columbia River

Road tripping... to Vancouver to see my parents & Josh's parents.  The drive down was fantastic.  We got there in a little over four hours, and Carly was amazing! The boys are always good on road trips, so she is our only wildcard.

Watching... Josh's brother race at Portland International Raceway (PIR) on Friday night with Josh's nephews and sister.  It felt like a luxury to squeeze in some adult time away from the kids, and I felt bad arriving & dumping the kids off at my mom's, but she assured me she did not mind one bit, and the kids, of course, were overjoyed to spend some special time with Nanny & Papa without mom and dad around to say no to anything. ;)  (Thanks mom & dad!)
After watching Samuel race, we went out for dessert where, as usual, we had so many laughs.  I just love Josh's brother & sister and am so glad they are part of my life.

Eating... donuts at Voodoo Donuts in Portland Saturday morning with my dad and the boys.  The donuts were delicious.  We tried the Butterfinger one, the maple/bacon one and the cocoa puff one.  Yum!!!  The only sad part was how much homelessness we witnessed while downtown.  Wyatt said it was making him really sad.  It made me really sad, too.  I mean, people were camping in tents and even sleeping on the sidewalks.  At certain corners we literally had to step over them.  It was heart wrenching.

Visiting... Powell's bookstore for the first time with my dad & the boys after we had donuts.  The boys enjoyed picking their books, but while waiting for mom to look, they were bored.  I was in heaven! I could seriously move in!  I think it will be a destination every time I visit from now on!  (But without the kids!)  The location we visited is the size of a city block!!! Can you imagine all the books!?! They sell new & used, so the prices are awesome, and I just love bookstores, so I felt like I had arrived!  (I'll be doing a post all about what I bought coming up!)

Loving... the time with my mom and dad, and the kids loved the time with their Nanny & Papa and their Grandma and cousins.  I got to see Book Club with my mom at the theater, and we also got to visit the fabric store to choose material for a new, bigger crib blanket for Carly.  She's outgrowing her baby blanket.  It can't cover her shoulders and her feet, and when it isn't reaching both, she says, "It's not working!" So cute!  We loved having some time together, just the two of us, my mom and I, while the kids spent time with their cousins at Grandma Carol's house.
My boys got to go on walks with my dad, one of which included finding a small snake in the woods by their house and picking it up, a definite "boyhood rite of passage" they were thrilled to experience!

Lunching... with my mom and cousin Alix another day when Grandma Carol had the kids.  It was great to catch up with Alix, whose cute baby is nearly a year (I can't believe how time flies!) and have more time with my mom.  We even snuck in a trip to Target before lunch and mom treated me to some new throw pillows that are breathing some life into my living room!  They make me so happy!

Walking... in the rain along the Columbia River waterfront after threatening my children's lives convincing the boys it would be super fun and then getting poured on halfway through in an unexpected change of weather. Ha! Luckily we all just laughed and were super grateful the van has leather seats as we literally looked like we had just gotten out of the shower with our clothes on by the time we made it back to the parking lot!  The boys decided the weather in our hometown (dry desert) is far superior to that of Vancouver (liquid sunshine).

Jumping... at SkyZone with my mom's cousin's sons who are near my boys' ages.  They all had so much fun together, and I loved catching up with Amy, who lives in Hawaii.  It was awesome how much family I was able to see during our short trip this time!

Celebrating... my Uncle Jon's 60th birthday and getting to see both my mom's sisters, as well as my cousins and some other family friends.  I got to meet my cousin Savanna's boyfriend Derek, who the twins adore (!); and we got to see Dawne, who Wyatt loved visiting with; and Norma, who I worked with in high school; and Alix's baby Elliot who is so smiley, he wins you over instantly!  It was a lovely night, and all my kids were super well-behaved, which was awesome!

Catching up... with my bible study girls from junior high.  We started our weekly bible study together back when I was in seventh grade... which was like, an eternity (or twenty-two years) ago.  We have continued to meet up at least once a year and now we have a total of four husbands and thirteen kids between us, and our time together never feels like enough.  I love those girls who hold my past and all my youthful prayer requests, so much.  Those girls who loved me back when I loved scrunchies, Doc Martens & overall shorts.  I am so grateful they are still part of my life.

Wiggling... teeth in our house in tandem.  Logan & Jack have matching loose teeth, just like in their infancy when they grew matching teeth.  Wednesday Jack was complaining about how his loose tooth hurt and I jokingly said, "Then pull it out!" And then he did!!! So the tooth fairy paid him a visit and he got a $2 bill that night!

Tolerating... constant Nerf gun wars.  The twins spent all their birthday money on combat gear for their wars and they've been loving every minute of it.  They are pretty tough, luckily, and don't come crying to me when they get shot in the eye or face.  The only annoying thing is how I find Nerf bullets all day, err day! Seriously, they're everywhere!

Enjoying... lots more fudgefickles and Carly saying, "No problem" to me lately when I ask her to do things.  I also love how she sings all the time.  Wednesday she found an old sprinkler head in the garden and has been pretending it's a microphone ever since. It's so cute!  After dinner the other night I made an exasperated noise because it was a disgusting mess under the table and after I made the sound Carly immediately asked, "What'd brothers do, mom?" Hah! Like only her brothers could possibly cause me to be that irritated!

Driving... Logan to Spokane after spending hours in the car the day before getting home from Vancouver.  Unfortunately his neurology appointments are all there, in Spokane, about an hour and a half away.  Luckily our drive there and back was uneventful.
At his appointment (which I will be writing a post about soon) we decided that our next step will be to slowly wean him off his original epilepsy medication (Trileptal) which is only effective in preventing grand mal seizures, not the petite (absent) ones he's been having as of late.  We're hopeful that getting him off Trileptal will help stop the absent seizures as it can sometimes trigger them.

Reading... and finishing Tell Me More.  Still working on The Stranger in the Woods and Four Seasons in Rome.  I got to choose the next book next for our local book club.  I chose This Is How It Always Is, which had amazing reviews from Modern Mrs. Darcy.  I will also be leading The Inspired Readers Book Club with a new book for July. (We'd love to have you join us on Facebook-click the link!)  I have chosen The Book of Essie and I can't wait to dig in!

Playing... the days away in our backyard.  It hasn't been quite warm enough to head to the pool this week so we've been sticking close to home, putting the sprinkler under the trampoline and having water balloon fights instead.  I even made a homemade "water table" for Carly with some dishwashing buckets and she had a field day with it!  I found myself thinking multiple times that I'm so glad the boys have each other as playmates.

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Haverlee shared this last week & I love it so much.