Around Here: Week 36 2021

 {August 29-September 4th}

Caretaking... Josh who spent the whole weekend not feeling well.  Thankfully he was better by Monday, but he really was miserable all weekend, poor guy. 

Putting... away all the things we bought for the twins' back to school while shopping in Wenatchee with my mom and sister on Saturday. It was a big job, but it was so fun and rewarding, and I am so grateful the kids have all they need.  (Thanks, mom & dad!)

Dealing... with a MESSY house Sunday after being gone all day Saturday, and feeling overwhelmed by it.  Thankfully the kids pitched in and helped me get it together, because it was bad! 

Reorganizing... Carly's room.  It has kind of been a mess since our attic leak, and it was driving me crazy.  So we rearranged her furniture and sorted through her toys and bubbas.  I was really proud of how quickly she let some things go (that isn't typical) and how helpful she was.  Now I just need to take all of the discarded items to Goodwill. 

Watching... from afar as my parents were evacuated from their house due to a wildfire in Wenatchee.  It was incredibly close, and very scary, but my mom and I were talking, and it really made her realize that all she cares about is her people and her pets.  Things don't really hold as much value as they once did.
Thankfully the threat eased (thank you firefighters!) and they were able to go back home after a few hours at my sister's house. 

Ending... the friendship I decided was over last week after a few weeks of wondering & contemplating; and feeling awful for any hard feelings I have caused.  It was not a decision I made lightly, but one that I know was right.  Why does no one talk about friend break ups? They are hard and full of muddy waters.  I know the break up came as a bit of a shock to her, and I feel bad for that.  I wish her well, truly I do... I just didn't feel that our values lined up in any more in a way that could maintain our friendship.  

Saying... goodbye to Josh every morning this week as he worked his first five day week of the new school year. 

Laughing... when I (thankfully) thought to double check the garage fridge/freezer and found brocolli florets tossed about in the freezer. 
The kids help me unpack groceries each week and this week Wyatt was helping run stuff to garage.  (Extra bread & meat to the freezer; extra milk and eggs to the fridge, etc.) He didn't know the fresh brocolli goes in the fridge.  Oops!

Opening... the twins' class schedules and seeing what they will have going on this year. 

Taking... the twins to the endodontist to have their wisdom teeth removed (at the same time, on the same day) and feeling bad that getting it done meant they had to miss the first two days of school.  But it was the best of some bad options, and this way it's over and they can then jump into cross country and football practice once they're healed. 
When the boys came out after their surgeries, Logan was pretty coherent and did NOT want me video him.  But Jack was super loopy (and so sweet & enthusiastic!) and I got some good footage.  We all laughed when we watched it later, but he asked I only share it with family, so I respected that.  
That's one thing that makes blogging now different from when they were little.  Being their mom isn't just MY story anymore.  It's THEIR story as well, and I think I owe it to them to run things by them before I post or share.  Lucky for me they are not crazy private and typically don't mind if I share. But when they do ask for discretion, I grant it. 

Spending... the week preparing soft food (noodles, soup, mashed potatoes, ice cream and pudding) and reminding the twins not to use a straw.  Their sweet little faces were so swollen as the days passed, so we also spent a lot of time icing their cheeks with frozen bags of peas and ice packs. By Day Three Jack's swollen cheeks were looking like he was a squirrel saving food away for hibernation.  Poor kid! 

Setting... alarms throughout the night for the first few nights to keep ahead of the pain for the twins.  It was brutal, but the pain only brought one of them to tears twice. 

Cooking... chicken soup & dumplings from scratch for the twins who will likely never want to eat yogurt, pudding or mashed potatoes ever again in their lives. Hah! Logan was thrilled to have our classic chicken and dumplings as a menu change up. 

Believing... strongly that "We take care of each other" as Laura (@pitterpatterart) says.  Of all the jobs we have as humans and people, taking care of each other is our most important one. Love that message.

Watching... my friend Christi's kiddos for her on Friday while she was in her classroom meeting with parents and her middle schooler was off to her first day. Carly was SO thrilled to have a little girl over, and my boys were great with her boys.  Wyatt and Christi's fifth grader especially hit it off, which made me so happy.  The last year and a half of quarantine and COVID has made friendship hard for Wyatt, so I'm thrilled for him to have a new connection.

Starting... a puzzle.  It's a picture that looks like buckets of paint, but really it's Legos made to look like buckets of paint. It's super cute!

Attending... meetings at the kids' elementary school to see the campus, drop off their supplies and meet their teachers. Wyatt's a little nervous as it's a new school and he doesn't know where anything is, whereas Carly is just excited and can't wait to make friends.  After seeing her in the classroom setting with her teacher I do worry a little about her listening to directions (she's never been to school!), but she's enough of a people pleaser that I think she will figure out quick that the way to win is to show good listening in class. 

Noticing... that I want so badly for my kids teachers (all of them) to like me and feel free to reach out to me, that I sometimes give them the benefit over my kids.  Or I will say something negative (or at least not entirely positive) about my kids, when in reality, my kids are great and their teachers are lucky to have them.  I'm working on it. 

Remembering... the joys of warm pudding when Jack made some chocolate pudding on the stove top and shared with all of us.  My mom used to make pudding occasionally, in these special pudding cups, and I remember waiting until they were cold in the fridge, but now that I'm older, I love it warm.  Carly and Wyatt did, too. 

Impressed... with Wyatt who found a Raspberry Pi in some of our tech items and knew it was a computer. So he plugged it in to a monitor he had and it loaded up some games.  He had the best time playing the different games- Super Mario Brothers and Crash Bandicoot.  He's so cute and smart. 

Pulling... the drawer out from under our stove when Logan accidentally dropped one of his pain killers under it.  I was disgusted by how dirty it was, and delighted to find: a bouncy ball, a nerf bullet, one of my chalk board markers and multiple toys of Carly's.  Then I vaccumed and cleaned the floor, and was impressed by the before and after.

Joining... the #readintoautumn challenge this weekend and picking up The Heart's Invisible Furies which has been on my "To Read" shelf for years now.  It's so good!

Enjoying... a fun Saturday evening at Josh's cousin Nathan's house.  To celebrate Nate's birthday, his wife Dunnette invited us over for tacos and cake, and we all had the best time!  The food was amazing (homemade tortillas, from scratch salsa and chicken & pepper tacos...) and the cake was beautiful AND delicious.  Hanging out with them was great, as it always is, but I especially enjoyed visiting with our twins this time.  They make me so proud.  They are funny and witty and sarcastic, and many a time they had us busting up laughing. 

***

Loving Laura's message about how our job is to take care of each other. 
I believe this wholeheartedly.

I love this peaceful way that people are
showing support for LGBTQ youth at BYU.

My brother shared this, 
and it made me laugh out loud.

***

Around Here: Week 35 2021

 {August 22-28th}

{Before & After :: Makeup}

Can you see how hard Jack is laughing?

"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. 

***

*

Josh sent this to me,
and I kep thinking about it and cracking up.
So accurate.

***

My friend Ashley shared this quote and it really felt comforting to me:

"No matter what's happening in the world, 

have your tea, make your list, plan your food perparation,

read to your children, wash the clothes, do something creative for everyone

and be a light for your home."
-Lydia Sherman

***