Around Here: Week 50 2020

{December 6-12th}

Reading and sharing... my friend Tabitha's post: A Love Letter to Mothers of Middle School Boys with every mom of tweens that I know. I cried and felt so seen as I read her words. Here's a snippet that really got me: 
"I see you in your nightly rounds of checking on everyone in their beds when you stop and stare at that boy. I see you how you smile and stare in awe and wonder at those soft cheeks and long eyelashes of that boy that makes you so crazy all day but here he sleeps and somehow you can still make out that little boy who held your hand and twirled your hair absentmindedly while you held his whole body easily in your arms.
that seems like only a few blinks ago
or was it ages ago
it's hard to to tell
it feels like both in the same breath."

Gah. I'm telling you, go read it. 

Living... life Facebook & Instagram free. I am still thrilled with how much more time I have on my hands, and haven't really found that I miss it at all. 

Learning... I like algebra.  As the twins and I move through different parts of their 7th grade math, I am discovering that there is some math I actually enjoy.  It makes me wonder if I bought into the whole "Girls aren't good at math and science" idea because last quarter I found that I enjoyed teaching them science much more than I had expected, and much more than I enjoyed teaching them English. 

Visiting... the chiropractor this week after I did something to tweak my neck. Gosh the relief I get when I go is so lovely!

Sending... Logan to Wenatchee and being so happy for him that he got to go out in his Uncle Blake's boat. He, his cousin, my dad, and Blake went out and they had a really good time. 

Getting... my Book of the Month reward for completing all the reading challenges in 2020.  I read 12 books, from 5 genre's including three debut authors. In my December package I got the cutest little candle that smells so yummy.  I had no idea when I was completing the challenge that there was a prize. So that was a fun surprise. 

Doing... art with the kids when a book I was reading to Carly inspired me.  We used white crayons to draw snowflakes and snowmen, then painted with simple Crayola water colors over the top, and we got the most gorgeous winter art!

Grateful... that Carly seems to have outgrown her car sickness.  We've been doing a lot of driving to trade kids with my sister or send mine off to spend time with my mom, and it's a bit of a drive. So the fact that she can watch a screen and not vomit any more is the best!

Reading... My Name is Mary Sutter (for the second time) and loving it so much.  Mary is such a strong character, and she's so inspiring. I read it again in preparation for reading Winter Sisters, the second novel Oliveira wrote about the Sutter family.  

Pleased... that this was Grandpa Jerry's last week of chemo.  He tolerated his treatment so well.  It went far better than we could have imagined, and I am weak with gratitude. 

***

This made me laugh.

This is both my dad, and my husband. 

Early Heaven

"A happy family is but an 

earlier heaven."

-Geroge Bernard Shaw

Around Here: Week 49 2020

{November 29-December 5th}

{pc: Carly May}

{2020 Christmas Card: front}

{2020 Christmas Card: back}

Wishing... for snow.  It snowed a little bit one morning, like a tease, and it made all of us wish for the real deal.

Using... my Stress Away roller to get rid of a migraine that was starting, and it worked! Hallelujah! I am up to my full dose of blood pressure medicine, which is supposed to help eliminate migraines (and as an added bonus, it might reduce anxiety as well!) and I can't wait to see how many I have during the next month. 

Breaking... the wish bone a few days after Thanksgiving.  It was Wyatt vs. Carly and Carly won!

Hosting... Alvin for a game of Monopoly with the twins. Some days they walk, some days they shoot hoops and some days they play games.  Checkers is a particular favorite.  It's a nice way to break up the day. 

Heading... back to (online) school for the kids after our long Thanksgiving weekend. The break was much needed and enjoyed, and now it's back to real life. Just a few weeks, though, until Christmas break. 

Enjoying... pizza at my parent's house during the Seahawk's game Monday night.  I was desperately needing to get out of the house (something I don't usually experience when I'm home for days on end) and this was just the ticket.  We enjoyed an evening with my parents, celebrating the boys' amazing report cards (all A's & B's for all three of them!) and watching the game. 

Playing... guitar with my dad for the first time. I have no talent... but I'm trying and it made me excited to learn! My first goal is to learn how to play the chords to Bill Gorgan's goat. 

Grateful... that my mom bought the kids Advent calendars this year. It has made every day of December so exciting for them.  The Advent calendars along with our Elf on the Shelf Dashy has made the start of our countdown to Christmas very festive. (They all got different Advent calendars- Jack chose a Funko Pop Harry Potter advent; Logan chose the Lego City advent; Wyatt chose the Hot Wheels advent and Carly chose the Littlest Pet Shop advent.)

Listening... to Ordinary Grace on audio and loving it. It's such a beautiful tale, and reminded me a lot of Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. 

Getting... school lunches everyday with the kids and stocking up on little milk boxes.  It is saving us so much money, I'm sure, and it ensures we get out of the house (even if it's just for a minute) everyday.

Taking... Logan to the doctor to get a fresh cast (the other one was funky!!) and having Carly get her flu shot at the same time. She was so funny, very nervous, but when it was over she said, "Owww! That didn't hurt at all!" Hahah!

Logan has just two more weeks with his cast. His break is 80-90% healed, but I don't trust that he would (could) be careful, so we're keeping it on a little longer for complete healing.

Sending... Christmas cards, which is probably my favorite Christmas tradition. I write a yearly Christmas letter, which feels so good- to look over the year and remember the ups and downs- and we usually have my sister take family pictures (thank you Roxanne!) which I then turn into a Christmas card on Shutterfly during one of their 50% off sales around Halloween. I really love when I choose a card that has a matching return address label. So cute!! #nerd

Thankful... that school is going really well right now with the kids. It is not my favorite, and this obviously isn't how school was meant to be... but we are doing well.  We are in a good routine and the twins' teacher is working really hard teaching them math at a distance, and Wyatt's classwork has simmered down some, so I am overall really pleased. 

Seeing... Logan's neurologist via Zoom and telling her that he is two years seizure free. What an amazing thing to say out loud. The next step is to have a sleep deprived EEG for him and see if he is seizure free during that. If he is, then we can try weaning him off his medication and see how he does. Fingers crossed that it all goes well, and that this means he has outgrown his seizures. 

Organizing... the pantry & the garage which is so helpful when we are all home (and usually in the house) during winter time.  The space suddenly feels so much smaller now that we aren't spending all our time outdoors. 

Obsessing... over Harry Potter alongside the kids. I still haven't read the books, but Josh is on the third one with the boys and they are loving it. It's so cute to hear them talk about it and to have them look forward to bedtime reading the way I do. 

They have been watching each movie as they finish the book, and that's made it really exciting as well.

Ordering.... things for pie making (a pastry cutter and a crust cover) to make it easier. I enjoyed making pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, but realized that some tools might make it easier, and make me more likely to bake when it's not a holiday. 

Those items along with all our Christmas gifts started rolling in, and the empty boxes stacking up in the kitchen are quite ridiculous. 

Cracking... a twin egg while making breakfast one morning this week and calling all the kids to show them. It always blows me away that my body did that same thing. 

Watching... Carly dance to the music and pretend to snap her fingers. It's currently my favorite thing, and I really need to video tape it. You can tell she really feels the music in her soul. She closes her eyes and furrows her brow, and it's just the best. 

Coloring... while the kids do school in my new beautiful color book by Katie Daisy. It is so happy. 

Wrapping... up a good reading month. I read 8 books, hitting 99/100 on my yearly goal (wahoo!) and getting rid of 7 books off my Unread shelf, bringing my Unread Shelf down to 121.  I am toying with not buying books in 2021, in an effort to reduce my Unread Shelf... but the idea makes me kind of sad... so I'm not sure I'll do it. 

Reminiscing... this time three years ago when Wyatt was hospitalized in the PICU in Spokane for status asthmaticus (asthma that is not responding to treatment). It was a very scary time, and I am forever amazed at how his body eventually recovered.  And now, with us being home full time, he doesn't seem to have any asthma symptoms at all.  It feels like a miracle. 

***