Around Here: Week 16 2022

 {April 17-23rd}

My little brother Dallas and my dad at Dallas' tattoo shop

Frosting... the carrot cake (and cupcakes!) I made yesterday for our Easter party at Josh's cousin Nathan & Dunnette's house.  Meanwhile, Josh made The Pioneer Woman rice krispie treat recipe I found.  It was so cute- it had an m&m in the middle and then you shaped the rice krispie treat inside of an easter egg.  He topped them with sprinkles, and they were so adorable! And tasty!

Enjoying... our get together with Nathan, Dunnette and their little boys.  The kids had so much fun together, and so did the adults.  Haha!  Just talking and laughing and eating all the good food.  Dunnette is the BEST cook and made the most amazing tacos and salsa. Holy yum!  We were all very spoiled.  They even had easter goodie baskets for the kids, and hollow eggs filled with confetti that the kids broke over each others' heads. So fun!!

Subbing... two days in a row this week, and being flipped off for the first time. Ha! Truly, though, I love subbing. I also did a half day this week, and even on the days that are a challenge I am enjoying myself.  The hardest part is getting out of the house, and figuring out how to also get laundry done.  Hah! Working moms, you're my heroes. 

Cancelling... my sub job on Thursday to take Jack to the ER because of severe stomach pain he was suffering.  We worried it was his appendix, but all the tests came back negative.  They gave him some pain meds and sent us home, and I was grateful for not having to put him through surgery.  I also canceled on Friday because the twins were sick and so was I.  I took a much needed nap and took care of those growing boys who still need their mama when they don't feel well. 

Taking... the twins to their first game while Josh took Wyatt (and Carly) to his.  It POURED down rain and was so windy that my umbrella turned inside out twice.  Logan was up to bat during the windy downpour that turned my umbrella inside out, and how he managed to stay up there and try to hit is beyond me. 
During that game they got so dirty that I had to use tide and hot water with a toothbrush to scrub the mud out of their uniforms.  What a mess! Plus, the boys felt the umpire wasn't calling the game fairly, so by the time we got home, they were wet, cold, miserable and upset about how the game turned out. Poor Jack had it the hardest.  It was decided then and there that if we have to divide and conquer (take kids to different games on the same night) that Josh would accompany the twins and I would accompany Wyatt. 

Due to bad weather, practice for the rest of this week was canceled. 

Struggling... with Wyatt's asthma following a cold he had. It's like the kids are taking turns being sick this week.  Thankfully we avoided the doctors office and the ER, managing his symptoms with steroids via his inhaler. 

Smiling... as I found the cherry blossoms Logan had picked on his way home in a "vase" (empty water bottle) by the sink. I love that he finds beauty in the world. And that he thought to bring some home. 

I also smiled when Logan texted me to check on Jack while we were at the ER.  They give each other a hard time, argue and fight like mad sometimes, but when it comes down to it, they're so glad they have each other, and they really care for each other. I love when I can see it so clearly. 

Counting... all the books in our house after Carly asked if I thought we had 900 books.  I counted the books in each of the bathrooms, all the bedrooms, and downstairs and came up short.  Then I was telling Logan about it and he goes, "You probably have that many in the shed alone." And I was like, "In the shed? There's no books in the shed." And he reminded me that we have all our holiday books (Valentine's Day, Halloween and Christmas) in a tote in there.  With those books we hit 900 books!!! I was so (nerdily) thrilled!!!

I shared on my stories on IG and FB that I was counting and my sister was texting me her "book math" as I went through my house, shelf to shelf, snapping pics of our books.  One that I shared in this post is my collection of Anita Shreve books.  She's my favorite author, and I love so many of her books.  Sea Glass and Body Surfing are probably my favs. 

Receiving... Piper's DNA results, which was so fun! She is 50% German Shepherd, 21% American Staffordshire Terrier, 14% Siberian Husky, 12% Alaskan Malamute, 2% Beagle, and 1% Great Dane.  I am so curious how big she is going to get, and what she's going to look like once she's grown. 

Attending... book club and discussing with my girls the friendship break-up I had last year.  They were so kind, listening and asking questions.  They said they were proud of me, and honestly, it made me cry.  It was such a hard decision, and one I didn't take lightly, but it was also the right thing for me. To hear my friends say they not only understood, but thought I was brave, was really heartening. 

Grateful... for Wyatt and Carly getting to enjoy the "Day of Awesomeness" at their school.  They rented bouncy houses and had so many fun games and activities.  My friend Christi sent me pics and videos of Carly as she ran into her in the field. It made my day!

Also grateful for Josh who made me pizza for date night Friday. The sweetest!!!

Sleeping in... on Saturday and waking up with a terrible migraine. That's just the worst. If I change my sleep habits at all (not enough sleep or "too much" sleep) I get a migraine. I hate it! 

Picking... Logan up from the skate park after my migraine had subsided (praise the Lord for Sumatriptan!) only to find him suffering an ocular migraine.  His vision in one eye was nearly gone and he came home and promptly threw up.  He laid down for a nap in my bed, thinking the vomiting was done, only to wake up vomiting again in my bed.  I was glad he didn't throw up on the carpet, but it meant I had to wash all my sheets, including my giant comforter. After that throwing up episode, he finally was able to sleep and when he woke up he felt so much better. 

Working... to catch up the blog.  I have been behind nearly all year! 

Loving... this quote by Ashley LeMieux:

"Acceptance is relearning to live our lives around the hard thing, 

and we allow new things to come into our life, 

we honor the hard, 

and we accept it as a reality 

that we cannot change."

 

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Around Here: Week 15 2022

 {April 10-16th}

Thanks for the roses, Jubilee

Cleaning... house with a good, deep clean (all hands on deck) the Sunday after spring break so we could head into the new week (and the last push until summer) with a clean house.  I redid the boys' chore lists and am happy with how they turned out. I will rewrite them and laminate them after this week and then they will rotate chores weekly.  That keeps any of them from getting burnt out on one set of chores, and helps them all learn the different skills.

Shocked... as we had a snow day (a real, legitimate snow day) this week.  Who has heard of a snow day after spring break!?!  We were all so surprised to wake up to snow, and I think it's fair to say we were all quite annoyed as well.  A) we don't want to add more school days to the calendar in June, and B) we are all over the winter weather. Bring on that sunshine!!
Because of the snow, games were canceled the rest of the week because they didn't want the kids playing on fields that were muddy.

Subbing... some half days this week (if you missed it, I am substitute teaching at Wyatt & Carly's school a few times a week to bring in some money and dip my toes back in the work force) and loving a half day.  I get to be social and feel useful while subbing, but I am also able to get some things (dishes, laundry, etc.) accomplished at home.  It's the best of both worlds. 

Hitting... the 22 year mark on our dating anniversary (April 11, 2000 we became boyfriend/girlfriend) and admitting here that marriage is hard.  We had a pretty easy go of it the first two decades.  Really.  We were almost always happy, madly in love, and on the same page.  But as our kids get older, and I begin losing my place as primary caretaker of small children (they just keep growing!!) and we try to navigate later bedtimes, more privileges and a busier schedule, it's gotten harder.  It takes work and choice to keep putting each other first, to work through the hard things, and to remember we're on the same team when we are more like ships passing in the night than ever before. 

Yelling... "bad dog!" more than once this week as Piper moved from chewing only on the ottoman to chewing on the actual couch, and Grady ate half a stick of butter.  You can't make this stuff up! Oh what frustrating, adorable, naughty, loving creatures they are!

Sending... Josh to the twins' practice with Wyatt's baseball blanket that I made last week.  It is so cute, and SO cozy! Tie blankets are the first thing I have ever "made" and I am so proud of them! (My mom bought the material for us after we froze our butts off during Jack's football games back in the fall.  Thanks mom!)

Noticing... that I am aging.  Suddenly it seems.  I hit 35 a few years ago, and since then I am just constantly noticing things (wrinkles, age spots, weight gain, grey hairs). I am trying to focus on the positive- that I am alive- but it's hard when age feels like a frying pan to the face! Hah!

Struggling... to let the boys experiment with their own styles when it comes to haircuts.  I have been giving them haircuts since before Wyatt was born (he has never had a professional cut) and I am limited in my ability.  But when they have asked for different things recently, I am trying to branch out, and stay open minded.  Hair is one area I am willing to let them have their own way.  Even though it's not easy!

Attending... Wyatt's first baseball game with the whole family.  I was so proud of Wyatt!! He got a hit, and he got an out while he was playing first. He has come so far since he started and it makes me happy how much he loves the game. 

Staying... at a birthday party I had planned to drop Carly off at when she became tearful at the thought of me leaving. It made for a busy Saturday with errands to run, food to bake (for easter!), kids to pick up and game night to attend. But we got it all done! And she had so much fun at her friends' birthday. 

Baking... carrot cake from scratch for Easter and planning on frosting them Sunday morning.  They smelled sooo good!

Laughing... so hard at our first game night with family at my sister-in-law's house.  We left the kids home for movie night (they did great!) and Josh and I enjoyed some good old fashioned fun playing games with his sister, brother, nephews and their significant others. The laughter was good for my soul, and I was really proud of Logan for getting Carly to bed with no tears.  There are definitely perks to these kids growing up.

Cherishing... the way Carly says "willn't" instead of "won't".  I have no idea where she got it, but if I say, "You can't put those in the water," for instance, she will reply, "Don't worry mom. I willn't."

Not cherishing how picky she is about strawberries.  She took one single bite from every strawberry in the container and told me they were all "too sour". This girl. {smh}

Loving... how Logan picked some cherry blossoms on the way home from school.  I like to think that I have influenced his ability to notice the beauty around him. 

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