Around Here: Week 35 2023

 {August 27-September 2nd}

My first journal is full of gems like these. 
Also, how much do we love d'nealian?

It's official: Jack is taller than Josh

Attending... Back To School night at Carly's school.  It was so nice to meet her teacher and see her classroom.  Her school has two stories, and in second grade you move upstairs. So it feels like a big transition.

Organizing... our closet, which was the last thing to be sorted upstairs. It feels so good to be starting the school year with the entire upstairs organized. 

Reading... The Five Star Weekend and It Didn't Start With You.  Loving both. It Didn't Start With You is fascinating. It's about how trauma is passed down generation to generation. 

Happy... to have the twins home after they spent the last week house sitting for Grandma Carol, watching her chickens, duck, geese, cat and dog. They had fun, but I could tell they were happy to be back home, in their own beds, surrounded by family. Lots of naps and laying around after not having anyone make them go to bed for a week. Hah!

Loving... Carly's imagination. Currently: destination Hawaii

Sending... the twins and Carly off for the first day of school, all smiles.  

And sending... Wyatt off to school the next day while the twins were home. The funny delayed schedule for everyone makes the first week a little wonky, but also kind of nice because it gently deposits them in school after a summer of freedom.

And finally... sending all four of them to school for the first time on Friday. It was absolutely as lovely as I dreamed. (Moms, amiright?)

Doing... counseling, per usual, which I am always so grateful for.  Some of my favorite things she says include: That must be really hard; What's the goal in doing that?; and You're doing a great job. 

Taking... Logan and Jack to the eye doctor. Logan got contacts. Jack got glasses.  That afternoon Logan had the worst migraine of his life. Normally he throws up and then feels better, but not this time. This time it was a hemiplegic migraine where half his body went numb and he couldn't really get around. I felt awful for him.  

Chatting... with Kari & Kori and feeling so grateful for them. They just get me. We can talk after months of no communication, and we pick up right where we left off. 

Enjoying... banana popsicles which are mine and Carly's favorite. Do you have a random favorite summer treat?

Listening... to the Healing Her podcast. So good! I love Ashley (I follow her Instagram) and her story is so inspiring. 

Working... to finish my homework this week so I can take the weekend off since we're going to see Grandma. It will be my first time visiting the beach since my grandpa passed in January.  I'm nervous. 

Looking... at old journals. It's really mindblowing to me that I have so many. I am currently writing in my 109th journal. Carly was talking about it, and she said, "You're a really good journalist mom." Hahaha. Oh man I love her. 

Doing... my substitute training for bloodborne pathogens and other required trainings for the district. So boring, but necessary. 

Answering... Carly's question: "What does a brain look like?" and showing her.  I so often wish I could crawl inside my kids' minds and look around. Like, where did that question come from for her? 

Signing... Jack up for traffic safety. Dang it's expensive ($550!) but feeling super grateful my parents offered to pay. Thanks Nanny & Papa! Jack is already driving a ton. He's very confident and doesn't scare me for the most part. In Washington state you have to get 50 hours before you have your license. We are at around 500 minutes (10 hours) so we're on our way!

Road tripping... Saturay morning to the beach to see my grandma for the first time since my grandpa passed back in January. The trip was overall pretty smooth. It's so much easier to travel with the kids now than in the past. My parents took care of the dogs for us, so we just had the six humans and the least amount of luggage we've ever traveled with.

Seeing... grandma and her house, which felt honestly kind of empty without Grandpa.  I missed him so much.  His stories, his laugh, and his big hands reaching out for me or my kids as we walked past his easy chair. 

Dealing... with a very homesick Carly as we tried to go to sleep at Grandma's. This girl is a creature of habit and being away from home is really hard on her. Bless her little homebody heart. 

Indulging... Carly's dream of a YES day and doing whatever she wanted. We shopped at Walmart for her and Wyatt (they set a $30 spending limit on themselves) and we made yummy food and got to do lots of screens and stay up late. Lucky kids!

***

Do you follow @laurakelleyart on IG?
She's so inspiring & strong.

Have you listened to Ashley's new podcast?
Healing Her is so good, raw and real. 

Around Here: Week 34 2023

 {August 20-26th}

Logan sleeping with Grandma's dog, Oscar

My cat is cooler than your cat. 
ha!!

My brother-in-law Blake was sworn in for the Wenatchee Police Department.
So proud of him!

Big brother hugs. Haha! Eye roll.

Collection of books I've started and not finished. Does anyone else do this?

Reading... The Covenant of Water (oh so good, my friends. Don't be intimidated by its size) and listening to Screaming on the Inside. I liked parts of Screaming on the Inside, but didn't identify with all of it since I'm not a working mom. 

Shaking my head... at brothers who hug their little sister in a way that more closely represents a headlock than an embrace. hah!

Testing... my reading speed online after wondering how fast I read. We often test students reading speed with tests and I was curious if something like that existed for adults. There sure is and it turns out I read about 340 words per minute. Pretty cool!

Sorting... through my bookshelves, getting rid of books that I don't want to keep (that I've already read) and getting rid of books that no longer make me excited to read them.  It always makes me happy to sort through my shelves. It makes me excited to read again!

Loving... my new Stanley cup. My mom bought it for me and it reminds me of camp mugs & bowls. I love it so much!!

Doing... all the homework this week.  Logging lots of hours at my desk in my room. 

Proud... of my brother-in-law who transitioned from being a fish & wildlife officer to a city police officer. The city is so lucky to have him. 

Opening... the twins' school schedule and seeing they have three of the same classes/teachers, but not at the same time.  It'll be interesting to see how that plays out for them. 

Attending... a training myself for something called Alphabet Bootcamp which my mentor teacher put on with her fellow kindergarten teacher friend. It was so cool to hear about how effective the bootcamp is for kinder students and I've seen firsthand (with Carly) how impactful it is. 

Photographing... my sweet girl during a nap.  Why are our babies their most beautiful when they're sleeping?

Finally... capturing Piper's Star Wars look. When she rings the bell, she often comes at the back door through the curtains, and the curtain sits on her head like Emporer Palpatine. It makes me laugh every time, but I haven't been able to photograph it just yet. I was so happy to get it this week. Haha!

Disgusted... by the Republican debate which was terrible toward teachers. Honestly. If they had spent a single day in a kindergarten class with twenty 5-year-olds, they'd do a lot less shit talking. 

Sending... Wyatt for a sleepover with my sister and her boys and he also got to go to the movie theater with my dad. I love that he enjoys time with his cousins and Papa so much. What a lucky kid to have such awesome family. 

Cooking... smores after dinner one night with just Wyatt and Carly while the twins were out staying at the land housesitting for their Grandma Carol's chickens, ducks, geese, cat and dog. The smores were delicious, and the smoke from the fire didn't bother Wyatt at all. I truly think he has outgrown his asthma, and it makes me weak with gratitude. I remember in 2018 wondering if Logan would ever stop having seizures and if Wyatt would ever get a cold where I wouldn't have to worry about his ability to breathe.  And now, here we are less than five years later, and they've both outgrown their ailments. I am so grateful. 

School clothes shopping... in Wenatchee with Wyatt, Carly and my mom. We did it separately, leaving Carly with my sister while Wyatt shopped with my mom and me. Then we swapped out for Carly in the afternoon. It was so fun. She is just a hoot.  She acted like the entire shopping experience was her own personal fashion show, strutting out of the dressing room to show my mom and sister her outfit. Gosh I adore her. 

Basking... in the fact that my boys are finally starting to sleep in. Took long enough!! Haha! I remember wondering if this day would ever come (especially when they were babies) and now here we are. It's not super consistent, but I'll take it however it comes. 

Feeling... really proud of who my boys are as I watched them washing their dirt bikes, taking pride in their ownership and honestly just feeling like at fifteen they are cooler than I've ever been. Haha!  I was so happy to have them home after they spent the last week house sitting at their Grandma Carol's. Our house was so quiet without them! It made me think of when they move out or go to college. It's gonig to feel like a drastic change to our family dynamic. 

Attending... middle school registration which went really quickly, and praying that this school year is better by miles than last year for Wyatt. 

Living... with wildfire smoke that settled in overnight and worrying over my sister's in-laws' brand new house and Josh's cousin, both of whom were very close to the fires. 

Mommin'.... on my own as Josh's amount of work and training continues to increase as we head towards the beginning of the school year. I can't believe summer is nearly over!

***

"Here is a hug for anyone who feels alone"

The Republican debate was so insulting for teachers. 
We're out here busting our butts to teach your kids, 
not to indoctrinate them. 

This is straight facts at the Cunningham household.

***