Showing posts with label taggies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taggies. Show all posts

4.13.2019

Week 14 Around Here: Spring Break! {2019}










{makeshift window shade}


{brother Dallas; puppy Basil; me, girlfriend Bri; & Carly}
{Carly & Basil love each other!}





{You know how they say, "Don't blink?" ... }

{Don't blink! This is somehow ten years later...}

{But it feels like only moments have passed since this time in my life.}



















Spending... part of Spring Break with my parents & grandparents.  We drove the four+ hours to Vancouver to stay with my parents for a few days, and from there we drove to the coast to spend Sunday with my dad's parents.  It is always so good to see them, and watch them interact with my kids.  Makes my heart so full.

Lucking out... with amazing weather on the Oregon coast.  The day we were there was sunny and clear, just gorgeous!  We spent hours on the beach playing in the sand after we had lunch with Grandma & Grandpa.  Then we had giant scoops of Tillamook ice cream (tradition) and played at the park near the beach while the twins climbed around on the log pile.

Hating... (as always) packing for our trip, knowing that whatever I leave behind will be my fault.  Ha! #momlife  I can remember 1,001 things, but the only thing they'll remember is the one thing I forget.  It's gotten better now that I am used to going on this trip, but I still stress about remembering everything. Especially medicine and Wyatt's nebulizer, meds & equipment.  Eek!

Driving... Josh's Suburban on our road trip and loving it!  It has so much more luggage space than the van and is fun to ride on the road since we're so high off the ground.  Plus, it's just plain cool.  (I also feel like driving the Suburban is full circle since when we were first dating in high school he drove his mom's Suburban when we did our internship for Sign Language class at the Deaf School together. Aww!)

Giving... Carly & Jack Dramamine for Kids (about an hour before travel) to keep them from getting carsick during all the driving.  Carly actually vomits if she gets carsick, so the Dramamine (and eliminating screens from her car time) has been a Godsend.  Jack just gets headachy and motion sick.  The Dramamine helps with both, though, and I am so glad we gave it a go.  We found it for super cheap at our local Walmart, and I just carry it in my purse at all times.  It's also available on Amazon, and hasn't been found to make my kids drowsy.  (We just do one pill each.)

Enjoying... pizza at my mom's, along with visiting with my brother Dallas & his girlfriend Bri, and playing with their pup Basil, as well as with my mom's 3 pups, Sadie, Dodger & Ruby.  I think the dogs are Carly & Wyatt's favorite part of visiting my mom, other than seeing my parents.  They are little dog whisperers and it's just the cutest.  Although when you ask Carly if she wants a dog, she says no. She wants a "baby kitten".  When my mom heard that she said, "Let's go get her one." Haha!  Grandma's, amiright?

Loving... Carly climbing into my dad's lap with a photo album she brought downstairs with her to look at all the pictures.  It's from 1994, the year I graduated 6th grade and happened to get a "baby kitten" for graduation, and Carly kept flipping back to the picture of me and my kitten Tabby.  She wanted my dad to tell her who everyone was and loved pouring over every photo, just like her mama.

Jumping... at Skyzone with my parents and the kids.  We all had a great time.  The twins played dodgeball; Wyatt did lots of wall jumping; and Carly never stopped moving the whole time.  Awesome way to wear the kids out!

Eating... out at Red Lobster with Josh on a date, just us, while the kids stayed with my mom and dad.  It was so nice to have a quiet, luxurious meal, without cutting anyone's food, without getting up to grab ketchup; eating while the food was actually warm.  It was really, really nice and unexpected.  Thanks for thinking of us, mom, and sending us on our way.  It was lovely.

Thankful... for the two new taggies my mom made for Carly while we were visiting to replace the one she lost last week.  She didn't have any more of the feather fabric we used for the original, so we let Carly pick what she wanted.  She chose minky (which is the really soft, "cozy" fabric that's Carly's favorite) for both sides, one in pink and one in red.  And for the ribbons, I chose for the pink one and she chose rainbows and yellow for the red one- it looks so cute!  Thank you, Nanny!

Ending... our road trip, feeling like it was our best ever.  On the last day, my parents took us out to lunch and to the go kart track.  The boys were elated, and even Carly got to ride around once with Josh.  They had a great time and we laughed so hard watching Wyatt drive his own for the first time.  He was very serious & SO slow.  It was absolutely hysterical.
The drive home was amazing- fast and hiccup-free- with Carly sleeping nearly three hours, which is unheard of.  And I came home feeling closer than ever to my parents, and so grateful for them as grandparents.  My kids and I are a pretty lucky bunch.

Walking... the last three days of spring break and feeling so good getting my work out on!  I am just so happy that spring is here and winter is gone!

Taking... Wyatt to see his primary care doctor over spring break for the headaches he has been having the last 6 weeks.  Ever since a few weeks post op for his tonsil & adenoid removal, Wyatt has been continuing to struggle with sleep and has started having headaches that wake him at night and haunt him throughout the day.
The headaches could be from his low, soft palate (roof of his mouth), so we have an appointment set up with the orthodontist for next week to see if a spacer would help with that.  They could also be from the two types of sleep apnea* he was found to have had back in October- obstructive & central.  Hopefully the surgery fixed his obstructive sleep apnea, but we will only know once we complete a second, follow up, sleep study, which I've got in the works.  And if it turns out he does still have central sleep apnea, we are going to dig deeper this time, looking into why he has it, since it is so rare for children to have.
(*Types of Sleep Apnea: Obstructive Sleep Apnea is where you stop breathing in your sleep because of a blockage in your throat like large tonsils.  Central Sleep Apnea is where your brain forgets to tell you to breathe while you are sleeping.)
Wyatt's doctor ended up ordering an MRI for us (hallelujah!) because with an MRI we can narrow down the possibilities.  It will tell us if his central sleep apnea is from an Arnold Chiari Malformation (which Logan has); if his headaches are from a severe sinus infection (he already had one round of antibiotics and didn't show any improvement); or if they are from steroid use (he takes 4 puffs of Flovent everyday to keep his lungs healthy during the school year).  Once we have some of these answers, we will know how to proceed to get this kid sleeping & headache free.

Planting... the perennials I bought last week and feeling so excited about having some pops of color in our yard.  I bought some daffodils, tulips, hyacinth and grape hyacinth.  I am excited about having them there this year, but I am even more excited to see what they do next year when they pop up.  Many of them will generate even more flowers the second year they bloom.  I can't wait!

Sending... the boys off with Josh to his parent's land to ride their four wheelers for the day on Friday.  It was a great way to wrap up the week and they had the most fun they ever had, they said.  They rode some small dirt jumps and caught serious air- the pictures and videos Josh got are amazing!  Our boys are so adventurous and fun!  (And lucky to have a dad who makes sure they get time out at Grandma & Papa's to be adventurous and fun!)

Reading... Snow Child on Ashley's recommendation, and it was so, so good!  If you liked Anne of Green Gables or Little House on the Prairie (or more recently Caroline, which I also highly recommend!) then you would love Snow Child.


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2.24.2017

Around Here: Week 8










Enjoying... a super fun weekend last weekend. Josh's parents came to visit, taking the boys for walks and out to eat, and just spending some nice down time with all of us.

Feeling... a bit blah this week after having two kids home sick on alternating days, a sick baby and a not-totally-healthy husband.  We are all sleep deprived and I'm super bummed I missed MOPS due to sick kiddos.  Hoping we can heal up 100% this weekend and be back to full health next week.

Reading... all.the.books. Seriously.  I am working through Believing God, The Children Act, The Lies We Believe, 100 Essential Modern Poems, Auschwitz, Silver Bay and Wonder. Whew!  Hoping to finish one or two this weekend.  I feel a bit scattered reading so many at once.

Discussing... so many beautiful and hard things as a result of reading Wonder with the twins at night.  We are talking about judging people based on who they are, not what they look like.  We are talking about friendship and bullying and honesty. I can't say enough good things about this book and all the conversations it is sparking.

Loving... Carly getting attached to her taggies.  Just this week she has started picking them up on her own before we sit down to nurse in the rocking chair.  And when she spots them throughout the day (in her room or wherever she's left them about the house) she sort of squeals with delight.

Working hard... to make working out a regular part of our evenings.  We are working out more often than not, and we motivate each other to do it, even when we don't want to. Changing old habits is sure hard, and at the end of a long day, I'll be honest, the couch calls to me.  But I keep telling myself, "Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out." A great reminder from Robert Collier that all my work will add up.

Watching... Discovery Go (fabulous app that I use to watch all my favorite shows whenever I want! It's so convenient!)  A few of my favorites are Alaska: The Last Frontier, Homestead Rescue, and Everest Rescue.  I'm also waiting for the next episode of The Wheel.  And for date night I am anxious to watch Snowden with Josh.

Struggling... with a dip in my emotions toward the end of this week.  I can feel the negative thoughts starting up, the anxiety pulsing in my veins.  I keep telling myself they are just thoughts and I'm trying not to get wrapped up in them, but it's hard. I always wonder why.  Why does it suddenly crop up? What causes it? And how can I get rid of it? So I am pulling out my anxiety toolbox and making lists of things I know I can do to either improve the anxiety or strengthen my resolve to withstand it.

1) Sleep. Without sleep, I have no awareness that the thoughts are just thoughts and I'm much more likely to give in to full panic.
2) Exercise.  Serotonin helps combat anxiety and the exercise is also helpful with getting a good nights' rest, so it's win-win.
3) Limit caffeine. I've eliminated soda, and I just drink one cup of coffee each day.  This keeps me from getting jittery, which mimics how the anxiety manifests.
4) Make healthy food choices. This is perhaps my biggest struggle.  When I feel this way, I want comfort food, but my body needs food to fuel the fight, so I force myself to eat well.  (I am also taking probiotics and vitamins)
5) Sunshine. (See "jumping" below)
6) Friends.  Reaching out to people, whether on Facebook, or the telephone, helps remind me I'm not alone and keeps my focus off myself entirely.
7) Laughter.  A silly show, my funny husband, or the hilarious antics of my kids can all help me feel lighter.
8) Accomplish Goals.  Getting things done makes me feel like the anxiety isn't winning. So I try each week to have a handful of goals I'm working toward.
9) Prayer. Feeling like it's all in God's hands helps me let go & carry on.

Jumping... on the trampoline with Wyatt & keeping my blinds open to take in as much vitamin D as possible.  The last three days I've been doing anything I can to lift my spirits to keep the anxiety from settling in.

Remembering... 
"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." 
-Eleanor Roosevelt

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Upcoming Posts:
February Goal Wrap up
March Goals Introduction
Carly's 13 month Update