around here: week 14 2021

 {March 28-April 3rd}

Arriving... home from vacation and feeling like it passed in a blink. Hah! But what a beautiful time we had, and being away from home always makes it feel special to be back again.

Laughing... at my dad's alien drawing on our chalk board.  He's always loved doodling, and it makes me smile. 

Struggling... to get back in the groove of school after a few days off.  Boy I cannot WAIT for next year when all the kids are supposed to go to school in their classrooms everyday with their teachers.  God bless teachers everywhere!

Proud... of Carly for cutting her own strawberries, and proud of the twins for cooking lunch for themselves.  One of the hardest and most rewarding things about having children is teaching them independence.  Teaching them to do things for themselves. 

Listening... to a new favorite song.  JJ Heller's Edelweiss which is on her I Dream of You Volume 2 album.  The whole album is magic, but that song especially reminds me so much of my grandma and her singing.  I use it to sing Carly to sleep at night, and while at first she was resistant to something new, now she asks for it. 

Gearing up... to go to the grocery store, and making the twins come with me (as punishment for bad behavior) only to arrive and find the shelves completely empty of what I needed.  The store's cold vegetable storage wasn't working, so there was no spinach, no peppers, no mushrooms, no lettuce... and the whole reason I went to the store was to get ingredients for Josh's daily salads. Sigh. 

Overthinking... just about everything. I feel like lately I can't make any decisions.  I would love any advice you have on not overthinking things.  How do you make decisions easily?

Sharing... my bookshelves and journals on Instagram.  I love seeing other people's bookshelves, so I felt inspired to share mine as well.  Then I went on to share my bookshelf full of journals.  I've been keeping a journal since I was 8 and have over a hundred. If you don't follow me on IG, you should.  I have  a regular account (shelly_cunningham26) as well as a reading account (shellyreadsbooks).  I'd love to have you!

Opening... a fun surprise package from Aunt Roxanne for Carly.  It had three of the CUTEST outfits for Carly, including what will be my new favorite shirt for her that has books on it. Swoon.  Thanks, Roxanne!

Starting... baseball practice for Wyatt's team this week and getting excited that some things are getting back to normal in our lives. 

Letting... the twins attend their first sleepover ever when their best friends (who are also identical twins) had a birthday party.  I am still not sure they will have more sleepovers in their future, but they were thrilled to get to go and we love that family so it was a win-win.

Taking... the twins to the orthodontist and finding out that they both need their wisdom teeth removed (especially Logan, whose tooth is growing back towards his throat!) before we can move into the next phase of braces for them.  After they have their wisdom teeth out, we should be able to start Phase 2 in the fall.  Their teeth already look amazing after Phase 1 of braces, but Phase 2 will adjust their bite/jaw and really perfect their handsome, dimpled smiles.

Attending... the boys' last basketball game of the season.  It was limited seating and we had to wear masks, but I was SO happy to sit in the bleachers and cheer for our boys as they faced off.  (It was an intermural game, so the boys played each other) It was also really good to see my friends in the stands, cheering for their kids.  I have so missed being out in the community this last year. 

Starting... on CPAP for my sleep apnea and trying to figure out which mask works best for me.  Getting used to the blowing air up my nose is hard, but luckily there is a ramp option which slowly builds to the full level over time.  I am still a bit embarrassed that I even have to have the CPAP machine, but I'm working to push through that.  I'm trying to keep in mind that it has the potential to change my life by giving me energy and making me healthier.

Chalking... with Carly and remembering a quote I heard recently about doing things just because you enjoy them.  There are no awards for chalking, but it makes me happy, so I am going to try and do it more often.  Same with many of the creative things I do so rarely.

Sending... the kids with Josh to his parents' land to participate in an Easter egg hunt with their cousins who are in town for spring break.  Josh's mom filled the eggs and planned the whole thing. It was so special.  The kids had a blast!

Getting... the best phone call telling me that after spring break Wyatt will go back to school full time, and the twins will be able to attend twice a week.  We are all so excited!!!

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Around Here: Week 39 2020

I stayed in that castle-like building for my night away!

Jack stepped on this goat head in the garage. Ouch!

When I told Josh it took me 32 minutes to do the dishes,

he sent me confetti on text. He always knows how to make me smile.

Oh little Wyatt!

Enjoying... lunch out with my girlfriend Sunday afternoon.  We spent hours talking, uninterrupted, and I swear I had forgotten what it was to finish a sentence, let alone a conversation! Such a blessing to have a friend I love, and a husband who says, "yes, go!" whenever I ask. 

Hosting... the Seahawk's game for Josh's sisters family.  It was so cute to watch our boys cheer and hold their breath during certain plays.  Carly and their daughter Liesel call each other BFF's (and sometimes BCF- Best Cousins Forever) and their friendship is just the sweetest.  While they were here, Tay and Andrea helped Josh build the trampoline he bought for the kids, and they all enjoyed spending time on it.  I have discovered I am definitely the aunt who says yes to everything. I love those kids and want them to be happy, so if they ask, it's pretty much going to be, "Sure!" Haha!

Starting... week two of school and praying it's better than week one. ...but facing the reality that it is hard and not yet getting easier.

Loving... Josh for choosing to leave for work later so that he can see Carly and say goodbye before he takes off.  For the first few weeks of school, he was leaving before she woke up, and it made her sad to miss him in the mornings, so, without discussing it with me or her, he just started staying longer in the mornings so she could snuggle him and kiss him goodbye. He's the best dad, and I am so grateful he's ours. 

Doing... dishes (for daysss) after getting behind on all my household chores.  Doing school full time with the kids is taking a toll on everything I normally accomplish in a day. (It took me 32 minutes to do the dishes Wednesday. Yes, I timed it!) I am sure it will all settle and get better, but for now, it feels a bit like I'm drowning and someone handed me a Chromebook.

Sending... three of my four kiddos off to the land to play with cousins on Wednesday.  (Josh's sister and her husband are in town with their kids, so I let the boys take one day to play with cousins this week!)  Jack stayed home- he was having a stomach ache.  We thoroughly enjoyed a quiet day together, though, and were glad as he felt better throughout the day. 

Working... hard on Thursday & Friday to catch up on the school the kids missed Wednesday visiting their cousins. The twins and I got our butts handed to us as we attempted the first test of the year.  I don't think the way they were working this week is going to be successful, so we'll be doing things differently starting next week. Instead of the boys working independently on their online science & english units, we will be working together, with me acting as teacher, making sure they understand the concepts before we move on to the next. Fingers crossed that will produce better results. 

Prepping... for family photos Saturday, trying on outfits and shoes and making sure the boys' new clothes all fit. I hate the work that goes into photos, but I love having them... so it must be done!

Grateful... for date night with Josh Friday, where he made us pizza and we watched Ocean's 13 and I tried to forget the feelings of failure I had from my long second week of at-home distance learning. "You can do hard things" is on constant repeat in the back of my mind. 

Capturing... our growing family with the help of my sister (thank you, Roxanne!) and getting excited about ordering this year's Christmas card. We got so many great shots (I shared some above, but kept some for a surprise on the cards come December) and everyone was in really good moods.  Jack asked why we had to do family pictures, and I said that we do it for me.  He laughed, but I was serious. It's one day a year where I choose their clothes, fuss over their hair styles and expect them to do as I say so I can get some good pictures. I was so grateful it all went as I hoped. 

Packing... up and hitting the road after family pictures to join my bestie for a little weekend getaway.  I listened to The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead on the drive and was instantly captivated.  (It's a heartbreaking story about a juvenile detention center in the 1960's.  I was riveted.) Once I arrived, we visited with my friends' sister-in-law and enjoyed dinner together. We also talked about the enneagram and Shana inspired me to listen to The Road Back To You. I've since started it, and am loving it so much. I can't wait to hear what he has to say about sixes. 

Practicing... mindfulness as a way of bringing my stress level down throughout the day in hopes I can decrease the number of panic attacks I am having.  I try to breathe in and out whenever I think of it, and am working on just "being". Typically, I am always trying to accomplish something. At. All. Times. So I am trying to just sit. Or just stand. Or just drink my coffee.  Without multi-tasking, and without having any demands placed on my time. It's hard, but I can see a difference in my patience.

I am also working on self love (hence the bathroom selfie above) as I am at the highest number I've ever seen on the scale, and am having trouble separating my value as a human (wife, sister, friend, mother) from my weight. I don't associate other people's weight with their value, so I wish I could understand why it's so closely related in my mind for myself. Like as soon as I pass 165lbs (which I am far, far past at this point) I feel like a useless loser and I feel awful for anyone who has to look at me. It's not good. 
(Advice for self love and mindfulness techniques welcome!)

Reading... What I Carry and loving it. Seriously, I wanted to cancel all other plans and just read that book straight through to the end. I love when a book is like that. You should check out my book review on Instagram to see what it's all about. I feel like this, along with Know My Name, should be require reading for humans. 
And Josh is reading the second Harry Potter book to the boys.  They are LOVING it, and I am wishing I could both put Carly to bed and be listening with them, since I've never read Harry Potter. I am thinking maybe next year I will attempt to read the books myself. We'll see!

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I loved this simple reminder.

And some laughs:

#butseriously

hahahah!

(this is life with Wyatt)

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