Around Here: Week 27

Celebrating... the fourth of July with extended family over the weekend.  We went to Grand Coulee Dam & saw the laser light show plus firework display.  It was an awesome way to spend the day.  We were so happy to have Uncle Samuel, Aunt Tiffanie, Nanny, Papa, Aunt Roxanne and Cousins Isaiah, Ferris, Milo & Annie with us.

Working... outside in the mornings doing our summer school work on the picnic table in the backyard. It makes me so happy to be out there with the birds everyday before it gets hot.

 Reaping... what we've sown in the garden and flowerbeds.  It feels so good to be getting some payout for the constant work that (mostly Josh) has been putting in to the yard. There are peas that everyone is eating right off the vine; there are roses (both red and, my favorite, pink) as well as lillies & marigolds.  And our grass is absolutely gorgeous & so lush!

Enjoying... the beautiful pink roses our front yard produced that Josh cut & brought in the house for me. He's been bringing in red roses, too, for my bedside table and it makes me so happy!!!

Finding... $200 cash on the ground at Safeway (a local grocery store) Thursday.  I picked it up and immediately turned it in, thinking of the poor person who was later going to discover they lost two $100 dollar bills.  Jack was with me (everyone else was at home) and he asked why I didn't just keep it. It made me grateful that I did the right thing, and I explained to him that it wasn't mine, and I would feel awful if I lost money and someone took it instead of turning it in.

Thankful... my migraines seem to have taken a hike!  That was a terrible, terrible way to spend the last two weeks of June.  I am being careful to get enough sleep and stay relaxed, though, just in case they try to reappear.

Roasting... in these central Washington temps!!! It's been over 100 every day this week.  Whew!  Thank goodness for our pool pass!  Josh and I were talking yesterday about how we feel like we've acclimated pretty well to the constant sunshine, lack of humidity & high temperatures, which is awesome. It just feels like the perfect summer.  (Except when I burn my legs on our leather car seats. Ha!)

Finishing... The Stars are Fire by Anita Shreve.  Oh, I just devoured this book.  I adore Shreve's writing, her characters, the settings and the real life events she draws inspiration from.  This book was no different.

Reading... The Island (again) by Elin Hilderbrand and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to the twins.

Starting... The Hate U Give on Audiobook from Overdrive (yay for free library books!) and The Blue Bistro (an oldie from Elin Hilderbrand that I've not read yet!) that my sister loaned me.

Planning... to reread a few other summer favorites-- Fortune's Rocks and Sea Glass by Anita Shreve, and Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand.  It makes me happy to imagine revisiting these fantastic books.

Watching... Me Before You and remembering that the book is much (much!) better than the movie.

Dealing with... more random fevers from Carly. I'm trying not to worry too much, but I don't know what they are from. Teething maybe? She has been a bit more drooly than usual.

Planning... for a successful week next week some meal planning, some goal setting & some to-do-list accomplishing. I hate it while I'm doing it, but I'm always so glad when it's done!

***

Thanks for using those Amazon links to help support our family & my blogging.

Around Here: Week 25

Throwing... a successful birthday bash for our three June boys last weekend.  They each invited five friends, plus three of their cousins, so we had a house full of happy kids!  We kept it simple with three stations- a drawing/art station; an outside (mostly trampoline jumping!) station; and a Lego building station.  They all enjoyed the party and I loved seeing them celebrate with their friends from school.  It also made me happy to be hosting their first birthday party at our first home.

Enjoying... long, slow mornings in our pajamas.  Hooray for summer!  We roll out of bed, eat some breakfast, I drink some coffee and the kids do their daily journals + school work.  It's just the best!

Working... on a little schoolwork (less than an hour per day) to keep the kids' skills up over summer.  The twins typically do a 4th grade prep page; a math page; a reading page and a daily journal entry (picture + sentences).  In the evenings while I'm laying Carly and Wyatt down, they go over multiplication and division with Josh; and throughout the day all three boys are expected to get in (at least) 20 minutes of silent reading and read aloud one book to a parent or sibling.  Wyatt does a reading & math page, plus reads me sight word flashcards.  All in all, their attitudes about this have been pretty good and I've been impressed with what I'm seeing! I joke that it's too bad their dad's a teacher, because he's seen the amount of academic progress that can be lost over summer, so they'll be doing "summer school" all their lives!

Hosting... "brother sleepovers" as we let the kids sleep in the laundry room and each other's beds this first week of summer.  Wyatt was thrilled to sleep in his brothers' room because it meant he got to finally sleep with the kitties.

Scaling back... my reading now that the kids are home for summer.  I am still slowly working through The Identicals by Elin Hildebrand (and loving it!), and I finished Everything, Everything.  I love reading so many books, but it's also kind of nice taking my time.  They're both currently on sale**!

(**links take you to my amazon site, and I receive a small kickback for any purchases made. thanks for supporting my blog in this way!) 

Getting... lots checked off our to do list this week so we can really settle into being present for the summer as it unfolds.  We grocery shopped, saw the orthodontist, picked up Rx's, and ran to the bank.  Next week there's nothing on the calendar until the weekend.  Wahoo!

Eating... burgers & french fries outside!  The boys and I get so excited to eat outside, and Carly enjoys the bumpy arrival from the dining room to the picnic table in her high chair.

Gardening... with a dragonfly.  It's hard to see in the picture I posted here, but there was a dragonfly working with me as I weeded our little raised garden this week.  I got the bed looking really good and I can't wait until it starts producing!  We have watermelon, pumpkin, peas, green beans, zucchini, corn, and tomatoes!

Spending... a lot of time at the water park this week.  We got season passes and I'm so grateful.  All four kids enjoy their time there, and I find parenting there is way easier than at home because they're so happy in the water!  (Plus they fall asleep at bedtime SO EASILY! Win-win!)

Loving... Carly's little tiny swimsuits.  I think she has five (!!!) and they're all so adorable!  (I bought one, my mom bought two, and I had two others given as hand-me-downs.)

Learning... to love my body in a swimsuit.  Something about having a daughter has me suddenly looking at my body in a totally different light.  Whereas before I was really harsh about the extra pounds, the lumps or bumps, now I find that I want to love my body.  It has given me four beautiful children.  It runs on little sleep and even less nutrition.  It keeps up with those crazy kids, and does anything I ask of it.  I am hoping this journey of self acceptance leads to treating my body better (eating more nutritionally & exercising), and that it will set the example I want for Carly as she grows into a woman.

***

"We must love the people

we have become.

Because no matter where

we look, or how hard we

try to see, 

we will never find the

people, that we once 

used to be."

-Ariana