{August 22-28th}
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| {Before & After :: Makeup} |
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| Can you see how hard Jack is laughing? |
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| "Aunt Shally, look. I can make a heart." |
Registering... the twins for their last year in middle school and spending buckets of money at orientation. ASB cards and Chromebook insurance and PE clothes and yearbook orders. But it's all done and they are ready to go back after Labor Day.
Attending... an appointment with the oral surgeon for the twins' wisdom teeth. We scheduled an appointment to have their teeth removed Wednesday September 1st. They will miss the first two days of school, but with them being on Cross Country (Logan) and Football (Jack), I would rather get the surgery over with at the start of the year than later into the academic and sport season.
Sending... the twins off to play with their friends and help their friends' mom in her classroom. It's been a great way to keep them occupied in the afternoons and the bonus is that they are helping their friends' mom.
Loving... the picture my mom found of my grandpa Jerry helping me put on lipstick when I was little. Such a tender memory.
Joining... my weekly Mine To Tell zoom and spending Tuesday afternoon writing. It brings me such joy every week.
Walking... at the kids's old elementary school and enjoying the time getting my body moving, finishing the stress cycle and being in the sunshine. I am also enjoying bringing Carly to walk with me. She brings her stroller and her new stuffed animal to play and it makes me so happy. Having a daughter is continually a dream come true.
Blogging... a ton in an attempt to get caught up before the kids go back to school. It's been fun to relive our summer adventures.
Recieving... a care package from a blog follower and loving all of the surprises inside so much. Her thoughtfulness to reach out and think of me as all my kids go back to school made my heart swell. Thanks, Eva!
Deep cleaning... the van in preparation to spend a large amount of time in there during the school year. I put in new smell good trees, vacuumed, windexed and dusted the whole thing. I will be dropping off and picking up the little kids, and picking up the twins from practice (and maybe even dropping them at school some mornings). It's going to be a lot of living in my van.
Playing... at the park each afternoon with the kids when Josh gets home from work. It feels good to be out in the sunshine, and while I'd rather be swimming, since it's not hot enough, playing at the park is a close second.
Making... a really hard decision this week regarding a friendship. We have slowly grown more distant, our values less and less aligned, and after the last time we got together I decided that I couldn't continue our friendship. Our differences had gotten too wide. It was a hard decision to make, and one I did not make lightly. But I knew it was right.
Listening... to a handful of friendship podcasts that were really helpful. One by Tracy Dalgeish and this one by Cheryl Strayed of Dear Sugars.
Kayaking... with Josh and the kids on his last day of summer. He got his classroom ready and was able to spend the last day before his students came at home with us. It was a gorgeous day on the lake and I was so happy to be out in the sunshine.
Loving... Carly's perspective on life. We were reading Mercer Mayer's The New Baby and when the mom and dad arrive home with the baby, the mom and dad are dressed up fancy. She looked at the page and goes, "Do you think they adopted that baby?" I asked, "Why? Do you think they did?" and she said, "Yes. Because they wanted a girl. So they adopted her."
My sister's third (after two boys) is a little girl they adopted, and I just love that because of that, it's such a natural part of Carly's life and her vision of how families can grow.
Smiling... so big as Logan & Jack ate dinner with their best friends Easton & Channing on our back patio. You could hear them laughing through the back door and I could see Jack from where I sat, and his whole face was lit up in laughter.
Back to school shopping... with the twins and my mom in Wenatchee. When we arrived we played with my sister's babies so she could shower (I remember those days!) After that we had lunch out with the cousins and then got down to some serious shopping. The boys found everything they needed really quickly, and I didn't even have to help! My mom helped them find what they needed while I shopped for a new purse (thanks mom!), earrings, and new fiestaware soup bowls and plates (in purple). She spoils me so. (Not to mention the kids. So blessed!)
After we were done shopping for the boys, my dad picked them up to go swim at his house, and I got to shop with my mom and sister at Ross. I fed baby Royal and enjoyed perusing the aisles. I found an adorable sports bra and some stuffed animal baskets for Carly.
Grateful... for Carly's friendship with her cousin Liesel. Throughout quarantine, their sweet friendship, facetiming daily and playing Roblox together, has been a light to Carly and I'm so glad they've had each other.
Embracing... my inner homemaker a making pickled red onions from a recipe my mom shared with me. Jack and I cried for hours after cutting them, but they will be delicious on my salads, I'm sure! I also made pickled cucumbers and Jiffy muffins from a box this week.
I also made snickerdoodles one night for dessert and they were so much easier than I remember them being. Also yummy!
Enjoying... fresh eggs from my mother-in-law and Josh's aunt who are both raising chickens. The fresh eggs are so much better than store bought. I know everyone says that, and I did not believe it... but it's true. Gosh, they're amazing!
Also enjoying the Maxwell House International cafe flavors I picked up. They're less than $3 a box and each one has more than 12 servings. They're great for cool mornings and as a little caffiene kick when I'm feeling tired.
Making... even more slime this week with all four of the kids, and being so grateful that Myriam at Mothercould told me that the way to get it out of clothing or material is with white vinegar. Wyatt got it ALL over one of his new t-shirts and I didn't panic because I believed Myriam knew what she was talking about. And boy did she! I poured a little vinegar on there, rubbed a touch, and voila! It was gone.
Getting... groceries this week with Logan's help and feeling so grateful that the kids are so capable now that they're older.
Bringing... the wooden trains downstairs for Carly to play with after she noticed them in Wyatt's closet. I am always surprised how bringing a toy into a new area brings new life to it. Never gets old.
Suffering... so many migraines. As ever. I am trying to exercise and sleep and eat right... but it doesn't seem to matter what I do. They are strong and consistent. Sigh.
Loving... Carly's new hair towel. My mom bought her a set at Target, and they have been life saving. After her baths, she wears them while we eat dinner and they a) keep her pajamas dry and b) help dry her hair so that blowdrying doesn't take as long. Highly recommend!
Celebrating... my dad's retirement from Freightliner/Daimler where he worked my entire life. I am so grateful for the years he put in there (and the years my mom put in at home supporting him) for my siblings and I.
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Josh sent this to me,
and I kep thinking about it and cracking up.
So accurate.
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-Lydia Sherman
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