3.15.2019

Week 10 Around Here {2019}




















And a few memes that made me laugh out loud (and cry inside) this week:



Facing... yet another snow day, even though it's MARCH! I don't know what the heck is going on, but I am so over it. We are all sick of being cooped up inside together, and I am ready to start walking the kids to school again.  (How is it that my kids can make a two minute car ride to the school so incredibly painful?!?)
At this rate, we are going to be in school an extra week in June!

Driving... Carly & Wyatt out to Grandma Carol's house to spend said snow day with Grandma & Papa.  They did Grandma School, arts & crafts, and played in the snow, even building an adorable little snowman.
It's a beautiful drive out to their land. One that I enjoy very much, and they, of course, enjoy every minute with grandma.  Recently I asked Carly what love meant, and she responded by looking very intently at her fingers and pushing on some of them. I figured she was distracted and not listening to me, so I moved on.  Then she said, "This means LOVE. I love you," and held her little baby fingers up in the sign language for "I love you", which Carol had taught her last time she was there.
Melt.my.heart. It was the sweetest!!!

Smiling... as Wyatt lost his second front tooth.  I was quite sad when he lost the first one, but he looks so darn cute with both of them missing, I couldn't really be sad about this one.  And he was so thrilled to get to leave it for the tooth fairy, his excitement was contagious.

Like mother, like daughter... Carly loves to take a bath with a bath bomb.  We found these Crayola bath bombs at Walmart that dye the water, without dyeing your kid or your tub, and she and Wyatt love them!  With the weather so nasty lately, it's been nice to throw her in the tub to kill an hour before dinner, and she happily complies if I let her bring some pups and a bath bomb.

Moving... rooms for the kids this week as we decided against the thought of moving to a bigger house.  We were never sure we would move, but it was something we had toyed around with, and then decided against.  With that decision came a lot of peace on my part because I love our house. I also love where we live, and our neighbors.
This decision reinvigorated in me my love for our house, and my desire to make it work for our family.  So we swapped things around and are left with the twins in what used to be Carly's room (in the twin beds, side by side- it looks so cute!) and Wyatt & Carly sharing what used to be all 3 boys' room.  Right now, Carly is still using her crib (just while she gets used to the new room) but eventually, she will sleep on the bottom bunk, while Wyatt sleeps on the top bunk.
The main catalyst of this entire change was for Wyatt to have a desk.  He is a different kind of kid than the twins and enjoys having his own quiet space.  I found that having the three boys together was a bit overwhelming for him and was not meeting his needs.  So having him with Carly will free up some space in that room for a desk, as well as give him some distance from his brothers who can sometimes be a bother. Ha! #littlebrotherlife

Taking... Wyatt to the dentist to get his molars sealed (which is supposed to help reduce the risk of cavities) and unbeknownst to me, they use gas during this procedure.  Wyatt was awake the whole time, but they put a mask over his nose to relax his gag reflex.  I had been in a rush to get out the door that morning, and forgot to grab his emergency bag (which has his oxygen meter, his peak flow meter & his Albuterol inhaler) so as they put that on him, I was freaking out because last time he was put under sedation, he had a really hard time coming out of it, so I am kind of paranoid now.  I ended up standing next to him during the entire procedure and asking every 7.3 seconds how his breathing felt, watching his chest rise and fall to make sure it seemed like his breaths per minute were good.  It was a reminder to me that wherever Wyatt goes, his emergency pack needs to go also.

Finishing... The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu and feeling bereft.  I thought the third season was out for some reason, so when Season Two ended, and there was no Season Three to move onto, I felt duped!  I cannot wait for Season Three to be released! I am also waiting for Season Six of When Calls The Heart (and am praying that all the drama with Lori Loughlin doesn't change the release of the episodes!).
In the meantime, I am getting caught up on Teen Mom 2 & This Is Us.

Cleaning... the sink & dishes this week after days of build up.  It was so bad, I took an "after" picture when I was done because I felt so accomplished.  Things were just a bit crazy this week, and dishes weren't top priority, so handwashing waited until I had a minute.  Turned out, that was a LONG wait. Hah!

Creating... a March TBR list, but also allowing myself to follow my mood when it comes to reading, because when I do, I tend to get more reading done.  Here's the tentative list for March:



Laughing... at the names Carly has for some things.  She has two "Fur Real Kitties" that purr and have leashes to take them on walks.  They are soft on their fur, but underneath, they are hard plastic, so she calls them both, "Hard Kitty".  "Mom? Have you seen Hard Kitty?" Haha!  She has another cat that has sort of angry looking eyes.  That cat she named "Naughty Kitty". So she will be crying, upset about something and say, "Wyatt, can you go get Naughty Kitty?" She also has the habit lately of adding -y to everything.  Like when she's being sweet to Wyatt, she'll calling him Wyatt-y.  And her wolf becomes Wolfy, her bear, Beary, etc.  It's really cute.

Attending... our sweet friend Lily's birthday party at the local gymnastics center.  The whole family was invited, and all four kids had a great time!  Lily is just our favorite little girl, so fun and silly, and their whole family is the best ever.  Hopefully we can spend more time together as summer approaches.

Sleeping in... on Sunday thanks to my awesome husband. It was seriously delicious to sleep and sleep, uninterrupted and wake feeling so relaxed.  Thanks babe!

Getting... some dental work done myself this week in preparation for a crown.  It was a long appointment, but pain free, and the temporary crown seems to fit well enough, so I am a happy camper.  This all dates back to that time last year when I was eating a mandarin orange and bit into a seed, cracking my tooth into bits.  The dentist fixed it, but recommended that I get a crown to better protect the tooth from further damage.  So here we are.  All in all it was a smooth appointment and they should call within the next two weeks with the permanent crown to install.

Ordering... my March books from Book of The Month.  I was SO ridiculously excited this month when I logged in because two of you must have signed up for books using my link, which gave me two book credits (THANK YOU!!!) that I got to use!

For March I chose Queenie. (Click the link, and then scroll down and read the preview. I was instantly hooked! Can't wait to start it!)
And for my add ons I chose:



Book of the Month is great because it's only $14.99/month for a hardback book (what a steal!), plus you can get two additional books (also hardback!) for only $9.99 each.  And if you don't see anything you like, you can skip a month, no questions asked. I put myself on a Book Buying Ban for 2019, but Book of the Month doesn't count- I allow myself this one luxury of my subscription every month because it's so affordable, and it brings me such joy.

Trekking... to Spokane for Logan & Wyatt's specialist appointments.  Logan saw his neurologist, who said with him having gone so long without a seizure, she doesn't need to see him in her office again for a YEAR (I am so, so grateful the Depakote is working); and Wyatt saw his pulmonologist, who is very  happy with how well he has tolerated the twice daily preventative Flovent and how it has brought down the number of times he's been so sick he has needed oral steroids.  (None since October!)
I will be doing some follow up work with the sleep doctor to see where we are at with Wyatt's central sleep apneas (periods during the night where his brain forgets to tell him to breathe), but to have his asthma under control feels like a HUGE win, and we left Spokane celebrating!
In between appointments, we went to the mall there and saw How To Train Your Dragon 3, munching on popcorn and candy, killing time until we had to be back at the hospital. 
This time last year compared to now feels like night & day, and that does not escape my notice.  I am so, so grateful for the change.  For the break.  For the chance to just enjoy my kids and let them be kids instead of constantly worrying about auras and seizures and peak flow numbers.



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My friend Sharon shared this, and I loved it so much:

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Week 9 Around Here {2019}


























{Josh saw this & thought of me.
Accurate!}
Facing... day after day of snow, including some snow days.  We are all sick of being stuck inside, although I can't complain about all the reading we are doing.

Reading... ten books in total in the month of February.

6 Novels:



& 4 on Audio:



Working out... every weekday in February.  I am really proud of myself for that!

Taking... Carly for her well child check up.  She's in the 75th %ile for height, my tall little one!

Smiling... when Jack saw the sun hitting Carly's hair one morning at breakfast, and grabbed my camera to capture it.

Buying... Wyatt a fossil kit that he really enjoyed digging into.

Feeling... so proud of Jack for taking his patrol duty at school so serious.  This week the weather was so cold and miserable, and he still stayed and worked so hard after school, helping the other students cross the busy roads safely.

Laughing... as Carly tried sitting in a box the same as the cats in the dining room.  Then, as she settled in, the entire box collapsed.  Haha!

Sending... the boys off to Donuts with Dad with Josh, who was off that day and able to go.  It made me so happy that he could attend, and the boys were overjoyed as well.  I love this stage where they look up to Josh and want to spend time with him.  (I know enough to enjoy Carly's stage of "Mommy, mommy, mommy" as well- it will end soon enough- but something about those boys all wanting to be like their dad, emulating him just melts me.)

Watching... the boys four wheeling videos.  Josh took them all out to the land after work Thursday to ride their four wheelers from Santa in the snow (fun!!!) and I am amazed at how skilled they are.  Wyatt is only seven years old, and he handles that thing like a pro!  They love it so much, and it confirms for me that Josh and I made the right choice in gifts this year. ;)

Loving... my new Sorel snow boots.  They hit me mid-calf and are so cozy! Plus, they were 50% off!  (We won't discuss that they were 50% off because the snow should be mostly GONE by now and spring should be on its way. Hah! We'll just be quietly grateful that I got a good deal.)

Cracking up... with the twins at Walmart as they put on cowboy hats and pretended to ride toy horses.  We were there getting a few things on my list after dropping Carly & Wyatt of for a play day at Grandma's, and they were in a great mood (#snowday) so we had a great time, which, if I'm being honest, is rare while shopping with them these days.  #momtruth

Adoring... my bookshelf in the living room, full of unread books.  I am so happy I moved the shelf so that I can see it every time I sit on the couch.

Enjoying... book club SO MUCH this month.  We sat, as we always do, around a table at a local restaurant, eating and dishing on life... but this month, we all came to the table with so much to share, it was just, some really incredible bonding time.  None of us wanted to leave.  I love those ladies so much, and am so grateful for them in my life.  I came here two and a half years ago, knowing only Josh's few extended family members, and now I have such a fantastic village.  It honestly brings tears to my eyes every time I leave book club.