Slip N Slide

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In an effort to clear out my queue of Draft posts, I've been going through them and posting as time allows.  Hopefully I'll be all caught up soon!

Around Here: Week 35

Open House at School!

Peek-a-boo!

Cousins Carly & Annie

5 little boys... boundless energy!

Baby legs, unswaddled, and with a lovey

First Day of Third Grade

Snickerdoodles!

After School Snack

Mommy & Wyatt Time

Baby Wyatt

Walking to school

The office/laundry room

The menu

After school trampoline jumping

Relishing... time with my sister's family.  They came late last Friday and left Sunday afternoon, but boy we squeezed a lot of love and laughter into those two days.  She has two boys (4 & 6) and a baby girl (4 mo.), so our kids were made for each other!  The boys have boundless energy, and I think we could all sit and watch the baby girls interact with each other for days. They're so sweet & curious about each other!

Executing... this week's meal plan like a boss! I am so proud of myself (and so excited!) to be putting our sweet little kitchen to work everyday.  We are baking, cooking and eating meals together and it brings me so much happiness.

Feeling... all the feels about the twins heading to school (for the first time ever) and being separated (for the first time ever).  I am happy and sad and excited and terrified.  It's exhausting to be on such a wildly swinging pendulum.  In addition to the twins starting third grade, Wyatt starts kindergarten next week, and there's been a constant lump in my throat about that. Reading Ashley's take on sending her kids to public school after homeschooling made me feel less alone in my feelings and hopeful that with time I'll grow accustomed to spending my days apart from the boys.

Laughing... at the size of the apple one of Josh's students gave him.  It is bigger than his fist.

Grateful... that all three of Carly's big brothers adore her.  They look after her, tend to her, and hate to see her cry.  Their help is so... well, helpful!

Attending... Open House at the boys' elementary school.  We got the chance to check out their classrooms, meet their teachers, and see some of their classmates.

Crying... at Facebook's 'on this date' picture of baby faced Wyatt in the bathtub in Alaska.  How is he starting kindergarten already?!?

Lonely... for friends in my new town.  Luckily I found a MOPS group and they meet next Thursday. I can't wait!!!

Unswaddling... Carly and feeling so relieved that she's fine with it.  I've also introduced (or reintroduced, rather) her little bunny lovey, and she's so sweet with it. I am hoping that this will make napping on the go easier, and leaving her with Josh easier.

Walking... all day, errday it feels like!  We take the twins to school, we walk back home from school.  We walk to school to pick them up, and we walk back home again. We live almost a mile from the school (just inside the walking boundary) so I've been getting 10,000+ steps everyday since school started.  It makes me so happy. (Okay... and sore!)

Wishing... that the office/laundry room was unpacked like the rest of the house.  I am hoping this three day weekend means I will have some time to tackle it.

Enjoying... our new afternoon routine of snack at the table together, talking about our days, followed by jumping on the trampoline.

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Lucky Number Thirteen

The morning of our anniversary I passed Josh hurriedly to get to the kitchen and he said casually, "Happy Anniversary!" I stopped dead in my tracks and admitted, "I had no idea. I totally forgot!" Josh laughed and said, "Better you than me!"

That night he brought me flowers and a note that said doing life with me is the best. I sure love that guy.

It's been a long year.  Last year we were prepping for a school year spent apart. Josh packing and planning and checking flights to rural Alaska.  Me praying and worrying and crying at the thought of being apart.  Now all those days are behind us, and we're settling in to our new life in Moses Lake.  The house is coming along, nearly all the boxes in the house are unpacked, and the kids have definitely settled into a routine.  We're enjoying being all together for this last bit of time before Josh heads off to work and the kids head off to school.  

In thirteen years of marriage we've sure had some adventures, but I think the one we've just embarked on, where we sit down for dinner with our four kids every night at the beloved table in our dining room, is my favorite.

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First River Trip of 2016

The first trip to the river every summer is always exciting. This year was no different! Carly got to wear a swimsuit for the first time, and the twins got scuba gear from my parents for their birthday.  It was a great day and we were all reluctant to leave, even as the sun set behind the trees, causing the icy water to fall into the shadows.