10.17.2019

Week 41 Around Here {2019}









{Can you spot Ramona?}

























Escaping... parenting for a weekend, leaving the kids with Josh's parents so we could get away and celebrate our belated 16th wedding anniversary.  The weekend was absolutely lovely.  We spent nearly all of it in our hotel room, watching TV, reading, sleeping, eating and napping.  It was exactly what we needed after a crazy summer prepping the house for sale; moving; and then starting the school year. I am so grateful we were able to do that.

Reading... Fahrenheit 451 and We Are Okay while Josh and I were away for the weekend, holed up in a hotel with my husband.  It was so luxurious to be able to read entire books without interruption.  I loved Fahrenheit 451 and want to watch the movie next.  We Are Okay was just an okay read for me. It didn't feel like a well developed novel and I was left wanting.
 I also read about #6 Enneagrams in The Wisdom of the Enneagram over the weekend have been listening to The Quintland Sisters, a story about the Dionne quintuplets, five identical babies born to a couple in Canada in 1934.  (Can you even imagine? Five?!?)
Later this week I started The Farm, which was not what I thought it would be (I was imagining a book more like The Handmaid's Tale), but that I have enjoyed nonetheless.

Receiving... the second of Elin Hilderbrand's new winter series.  I got the first, Winter in Paradise, last year, but never read it, and the second, What Happens In Paradise, was just released.  So I am making my reading lists for November and December, excited for the chance to read them back to back.  Her previous winter series (Winter Street series) is one of my favorites of all time.  I highly recommend it.

Impressed... by Wyatt's running at school during Junior Joggers.  In the past he would barely eke out two laps, hating every minute.  But since joining wrestling and doing all the training they do, he's been running up to 6 laps during Junior Joggers, feeling pumped and so proud of himself.

Making... homemade tortillas this week and loving Carly's help.  She is such a little helper in all areas.  One day this week I made graham crackers with chocolate frosting for snack and before I got downstairs after her nap, she had gotten plates down for everyone and was passing out snacks for when brother's got home from school.  That little sweetheart. {swoon}

Taking... Wyatt to the dentist (no cavaties- yay!) and feeling proud of how far Carly has come as she took the hygenist's offer to sit in the big chair and help with Wyatt's treatment. I feel like the more exposure she has to the dentist and all their tools, the more comfortable she will continue to become.  Wyatt was also a great example of cool calm and I'm so grateful for that!

Laughing... when Jack emptied a glue stick so he could fill it with Starburst candies to make it look like he was eating glue.  I don't think I will ever fully understand middle schoolers.

Shaking... my head as Wyatt drug his backpack down the walkway, across the driveway and to the bus stop on Monday because he was grumpy.  I was stifling a smile because #monday. I feel you, kid.

Decorating... for Halloween and loving Carly's enthusiasm for every single detail.  She exclaimed over every spider, pumpkin and leaf; and when Josh got home she said, "Dad! You HAVE to see this!" and took his hand and lead him upstairs to show him the spooky things in her room.  Soo cute!

Hosting... our old neighbor kids for a playdate and dinner on Wednesday.  We were all so happy to spend some quality time with Cristian and Coral after months apart. Oh, how we miss having them across the street! Thankfully their mom and I have stayed in touch and have made plans to get the kids together a little more often. They are the sweetest kids and the best family.

Happy... that the twins have art club after school once a week.  Jack is in art this quarter and he loves it, but it doesn't come naturally to him. So that extra time in the classroom with the teacher is helpful.  And Logan loves it, so it's win/win!

Understanding... Carly's heart when she wants all the brothers to read bedtime stories with her each night.  That said, it's sure frustrating when they are showering/brushing/getting ready for bed and I just want to lay her down and she's all, "I want brothers! I want us all TOGETHER."
So there has been a lot of bedtime stories together as a family, especially now that all the Halloween books are out for the season.

Sharing... a goodbye dinner with my girlfriend Jolene who is moving to Alaska with her husband and four girls in a month's time.  I am going to miss her so much and am so grateful for the friendship she has provided me during the three years we have lived here together.  She has taught me how to be a better friend.

Surprised... by the early deep freeze we had and staring at the sprinklers I drove past on the way to drop Carly off at Grandma's.  The length of the icicles on them was insane!




***

10.10.2019

Week 40 Around Here {2019}




















{October TBR}

{October TBR}








Taking... Wyatt to Spokane for Cystic Fibrosis testing with Josh. (I am so grateful he took the day off work to accompany us.)  Wyatt was a real trooper, so brave.  After the test we took him out to eat, which he loves, and then we went to Target.  We don't have a Target in our home town, so Target was a big treat for me! 

Receiving... the best news from Wyatt's pulmonologist when she called to let us know that his sweat test was negative.  This means that he doesn't have regular, typical cystic fibrosis. 
He could still have a less severe form of CF, diagnosable only by genetic testing, but for now I am basking in the good news of his negative sweat test, and will plan on discussing if he needs further testing with his doctor when we see her again in December.

Running... the car through the carwash for the first time here.  It felt truly magical when it sprayed the car with a rainbow of soaps.  I felt like Carly, who always sees the world with a little extra sparkle.

Feeling... sad for Carly who is now scared whenever she is in the backyard after being stung by a wasp last weekend. I am hoping her fears fade with time.

Happy... for Josh who got to accompany our brother-in-law to the Seahawks game Thursday.  They had a super fun time and he so deserves to have some time to himself, enjoying life. He works so hard for us.  Thank you Bruce, Jennifer & Blake for taking him along! What a blessing!

Watching... I Don't Know How She Does It on Netflix, which I read (book here) over a decade ago in college.  Both the book and the movie are so good, and I love Sarah Jessica Parker, so I highly suggest you watch the movie if you like her too!

Rejoicing... at the news of my friend Tabitha's fifth pregnancy.  I literally gasped when I read her (super cute) pregnancy announcement on Facebook. 

Buying... Jack new shoes so he can run the mile faster in PE.  (His Vans were not providing the foot support he needed to get his workouts up to speed.)  He's improving his time bit by bit every week and I am so proud of him!!!

Reading... The Most Fun We Ever Had, and still loving it (it's just taking a while as it's 500+ pages) and listening to Nevertheless We Persisted on Hoopla. 
I also decided to make an October TBR list because fall is bumming me out a little bit, and having a list of books I want to read always cheers me up!  I have BIG goals this month- I want to read 13 books total, so I can get back on track for (maybe) reading 100 books this year.  With our move throwing off my reading/month numbers, I don't see myself hitting 100, but I bet I can get close, so I am shooting for the moon!  The pictures above (both on my book cart and on my reading chair) are the books I want to read this month, and I have a handful of audio books I plan to listen to as well.
In addition to reading some good books and making plans to read more good books, I swung by our local Goodwill this week and found three new books to add to my TBR shelf.  The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Summer Island by Kristin Hannah and The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton.  Super excited about all of those!!!

Thankful... for a happy package of large, colorful Fiesta Ware cereal bowls my mom sent.  It finishes out my collection of Fiesta Ware dishes and I can't tell you how joyful those rainbow stacks make me when I open my cupboards.

Enjoying... the zucchini bread that Josh made with tiny chocolate chips for us with zucchini he got from his parents' garden.  So yum!!!


*

{hahaha!}