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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4.12.2019

Week 13 Around Here {2019}
































Giving... Carly the bubble maker I bought for her birthday back in January.  It has been a huge hit for all the kids and I am so happy with it! I think it's going to get a LOT of use throughout spring and into the summer.  Just watching all the bubbles float happily into the sky brings me so much joy. It's kind of ridiculous. #kidatheart

Attending... my friends' twin girls' birthday party at the local arcade.  All four kids had so much fun.  It was a great way to kill a Saturday morning & make some great memories.  They loved the prizes they got with their tickets and Carly had fun trying to play the games like her big brothers.

Having... Jack's best friend who moved away over for the afternoon Saturday.  He was able to stay for movie night and Jack was so happy to see him again.  We have all missed him, honestly.  He's one of those kids that you just love having around.  He lightens the mood, is super sweet to Carly and just really easy to be with. 

Going... to Wenatchee Sunday to see my sister and celebrate her birthday.  Carly fell asleep for some of the drive (thank you, Dramamine for Kids -before that, she would throw up. Every time.), and I took pictures, and I'm so glad I did.  They are the last pictures I got of her with her beloved favorite feather taggie, which we lost this week.  The party was really fun- we played charades, got to visit and catch up with my sister as well as my parents who were in town.

Needing... to find (and believe in) my value as a human being without tying it to what I accomplish in a day.  I have been feeling lately like I don't have value because I don't bring in a paycheck.  I have been second guessing myself in every area of my life, and really feeling down on myself.  Feeling like a failure as a wife and mother, and just questioning whether I am effective in what I do.
I put a lot of thought into it, and I think it is the stage of parenting I am in.  When you have a baby, your duties are very clear and you know if you are doing a good job because the baby is healthy & thriving. It's very cut & dry.  But I don't have a baby anymore.  I have two 10 year olds and a 7 year old.  A lot of the parenting I do is planting seeds that I won't see grow (let alone bloom) for years.  Teaching kindness and morals is much slower work than teaching ABC's and potty training.  The turnaround is less immediate. All I can do is keep working (and working, and working), praying that it's all getting in there.

Working... to combat my lack of confidence by staying in the moment with my kids, and finding that it really works.  I've been focused at bedtime on listening to each kid, giving them all my full attention, and also by making lists and accomplishing a handful of specific things each day so I feel successful.  I think some days the things we do as moms are easy to forget because each day we just have to do them over again (feed the kids, do the dishes, wash the laundry...).  Having a list to cross off makes me feel productive and confident that I am working hard & making a difference here.

Laughing... when Logan came home sick from school one day this week and couldn't play with friends after school, so he was left playing with Carly.  I knew they were going to play Nerf guns (a favorite around here), but was dying when I saw that Logan had "arrested" Carly, zip tying her hands together.  She was totally willing to play, not even irritated, just going along with his orders. Oh that girl is just the best sport! #lifewithbigbrothers

Walking... to school finally after what felt like the longest winter ever.  It was just me and Wyatt because Jack had patrol, so he and Logan rode home once his duty was over.  It is just so nice to be outside again, hearing the birds, looking up at the blue sky, and seeing some green after a winter of grey and white.

Feeling... the strong urge to spring clean as the snow melted and spring suddenly "turned on".  I did a big Goodwill run, bought some things we have been needing on my Walmart list (lightbulbs, etc.) and feel much better about the state of our house as we prepare to spend more time outside working on the yard.

Reading... No Exit and listening to Becoming on audio.  No Exit was disturbing with a ton of twists and turns. Super exciting and edge-of-your-seat. Whoooo! (Warning: it will make you want to avoid rest stops for the duration of your life. Ha!)  Becoming was equally engaging, and I found myself doing extra chores just so I could listen a little more. (It's nearly 20 hours long!)

Being... heavy hearted when Carly took her favorite taggie on a walk to the school to pick Wyatt up and we lost it.  I walked back, then drove back, then looked in the school lost & found... it's nowhere to be found. She is heartbroken.  I feel so sad for her!

Thankful... Wyatt has found some neighbor kid friends in our neighborhood.  He is so happy to go out and play after school, and I'm so happy for him to finally have friends around us.  The twins have had friends nearby since we moved in, so I'm happy for him to have the same now.

Icing... the black eye Wyatt got from a friend during a playful wrestling match.  Somehow he didn't cry when he got it, but that sucker looked painful, and only got worse as the week pressed on!  He couldn't even wear his glasses for the first two days because his face was so swollen!  Poor kiddo!

Loving... the Mother's Day gift Josh said I could order for myself (a huge splurge!) from Lisa Leonard Designs.  She had a huge sale on rings a few weeks ago, and when I saw that the rings I've had my eye on for years were on sale, I asked him if I could order my Mother's Day gift early.  He said, "Whatever makes you happy, baby," and with that, I ordered myself four sweet little rings, one with each of my kids' names on it. 
I have worn them almost everyday since, and love how they remind me that this is my greatest work, my greatest privilege.  As Ricki Lake said, "Motherhood is the greatest thing and the hardest thing." Amen.

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For a laugh:
{Do I have to answer this???}

A sweet reminder:

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