Around Here: Week 44

Breathing... a sigh of relief after seeing Logan's pediatrician.  He's been released to regular activity and we will follow up with an EEG to monitor his brain activity, but we are thinking that his seizure was a one time event caused by a concussion from a head injury.  Praise the Lord.

Loving... everyone's reaction to Carly's Cabbage Patch costume. Oh man she was scrumptious!

Hating... Carly's teething attitude. Poor baby is GRUMPY!

Reading... Bird by Bird (still) and Believing God by Beth Moore and getting ready to start Flight Behavior, our new book club book, this weekend! Please join us on Facebook!

Laughing... that one of Josh's students dressed up as him for Halloween.  They look just alike and I think it was my favorite costume of the year!

Using... the Fiesta ware my mom sent home with us and smiling every time. It's so nice to have more plates and it's a bonus that they were my mom's, so they mean a lot to me.

Checking out... new blogs thanks to a post from my friend Ashley.  It's always refreshing to find new inspiration and I'm grateful for some coming my way this week.

Enjoying... a quick weekend trip to see my parents & everyone else back home.  It was such a great trip, even the ten hours (total) in the car were fine.  It was my first trip home since we moved in August, and I think I'm going to love living so close!!!  Sure beats four planes over twelve hours!!!

Starting... a daily gratitude post on Instagram (& Facebook) for the entire month of November.  It's so good for my soul to remember to be thankful and the daily posts are a perfect way to do just that.

Decorating... for Thanksgiving. I love November (it's my birthday month!) and the fall colors thrill me.

Impressed... with Wyatt's learning.  He is a sponge and everyday he just soaks up more knowledge. I am so proud of him, and so grateful for the amazing school he is at.

Remembering... the baby I lost two years ago.  I feel like I have finally come to peace about losing that baby, in that I no longer blame my body for the loss.  It's just part of life, and for whatever reason, that baby wasn't meant to join our family.  I am okay with that, and feel so blessed to be where I am today.

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In addition to my weekly update, filling you in on life at the Cunningham ranch, I'm also going to be adding new weekly goals for the following week.  As I'm sure many of you moms can relate, the hours my kids are in school seem to pass in the blink of an eye and I'm not getting nearly as much done as I would like to be. I think being specific about what I want to accomplish each week, as well as specifying to myself what day I am going to accomplish each goal will help me not waste my precious time alone.

Next week I want to:
Blog every day
Organize my journals
Label Josh's classroom books
Open kids' bank accounts
Write back to penpals/Send pictures

***

Quote I'm loving:

"Expectation 

is the root 

of all heartache."

-Shakespeare

Halloween 2016

Jack the SWAT cop, Wyatt the Minion, Logan as Finn from Star Wars

and Carly the Cabbage Patch doll

This Halloween was really fun for our boys-- they got to wear their costumes to school and all had class parties.  Then after dinner they got to go trick or treating all over the neighborhood.  As we were leaving the house, this crazy collection of crows circled over our house. It was really creepy & the perfect start to our Halloween night.

 The boys had fantastic manners and made me so proud out trick or treating.  

Carly didn't last the whole time, so her and I headed home early to put her to bed, but I was happy that at least for a while we all got to go together.

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A few days before Halloween we carved pumpkins.  It was the first time the twins did the whole thing themselves.  They were so proud!  Wyatt dug most of his guts out, too!

 

 

It was a great Halloween!!!

Our First Visit Home

 This weekend we made our first trip back home since moving away.  We left after school Friday and made fantastic time, stopping once to go potty and once for dinner.  Carly only cried for about twenty minutes of the five hour drive and slept the majority of it. 

When we got there, we were welcomed into my parents house where they had two rooms set up for us.  

It was a quick weekend as we had to leave Sunday afternoon to get back home for work & school Monday, but oh the fun we squeezed in!!!

My parents read the boys bedtime stories both nights and we all slept pretty well, except Josh who we had bunked up with the twins to keep any eye on Logan post-seizure.  Apparently those cuties aren't quiet sleepers.  Poor Josh!

My mom has three dogs and Carly LOVED them. It was so sweet to see her with them. She especially loved Sadie (pictured here) who happens to also be my favorite. 

 

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Saturday my mom & dad kept the kids so I could go shopping and out to lunch with Josh's sister Julie.  It was so lovely to have entire conversations with no interruptions!

After lunch with my bestie, it was time for my adorable nephews' birthday party.  It was a costume party, which the kids loved!

Wyatt the minion & Milo the firefighter 

 My dad as Space Ghost & my mom as a Chinese woman.

My sister's {adorable} family!

Superman & Super Girl

A fireman, Little Red Riding Hood & Dead Pool

 Seriously, so cute!

 Blake & Roxanne

 Milo & Ferris

Happy Birthday boys!!!

I was a librarian, Carly was a Cabbage Patch doll

Jack was a SWAT cop, Wyatt a minion and Logan was Finn from Star Wars

The best part of the party was getting to love on my niece Annie.  She's simply delicious and I love her so!  

 Carly also got her share of lovings from everyone!

 (I had to include a shot of the back of her wig. It's just adorable!)

I don't think we held our own babies the whole afternoon (barring when Annie took a nap in the Ergo).  We just love each others' babies so much! 

 Best costume award?

Roxanne's sister-in-law and her husband who showed up as Dog the Bounty Hunter & Beth

 Roxanne wore Annie, as I mentioned, for some of the party.

 Annie was so at peace all snuggled into her mama.

These two pictures were taken seconds apart. 

Annie would literally peek out at us, smile, then seemingly realize she was tucked in close to my sister, and nestle her head and close her eyes. It was the most precious thing ever.

Jack & Aubrey (Roxanne's niece)

Love these two silly boys!

They are growing up right before our eyes.

 Ferris & Logan

 Nice work, Milo!

 Instead of a cake, my sister made this awesome donut tower.  

 They put candles in,

 we sang,

 and then we ate! Yum!!!

What a super fun party and a great way to spend time with everyone. 

For years we missed Ferris & Milo's birthdays, much to Ferris' dismay, because of living in Alaska, so nothing was keeping us from this years' party. 

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After the party, my parents took us out to eat at Red Robin, my kids' favorite. The boys were surprisingly well behaved considering how long we had to wait.  The food was great, the babies were well behaved and the conversation was fun, too!

After dinner I came back to my parents house and put the kids to sleep and my sister came over.  She, my mom and I all stayed up waaaay too late talking & laughing, and ended the night hugging and feeling so grateful that I don't live so far away (like in the village) any more.

Sunday morning we were up bright & early to head over to Josh's parents house.  There his mom had arranged a playdate with the boys' cousins.  Liesel (pictured with Carly) and Gustav & Gisele (pictured below).

The kids had a great time together and I am so happy they all got a few hours in despite our tight timeline.  I got to catch up with Josh's sister Andrea and see all the things Carol has done around the house since we moved out. It looks so great! 

After our morning playdate we zoomed back to my parents house where we packed up while my mom made us a delicious breakfast for lunch.  As soon as we finished our last bites, we loaded the kids up in the car and hit the road for the five (ish) hour trek back home.  Carly and Logan slept the first two hours which was awesome.  And the last three hours went surprisingly well, too, despite Carly being awake for all of them. 

All in all, it was a great trip home and a welcome reminder that family is so close and even a quick weekend trip is worth the effort.  Cause boy did we have fun!!!