around here: week 11 2021

 {March 7-13th}

Jumping... back on Instagram and feeling so happy about it. I enjoyed my four month hiatus, but also enjoyed getting back on and seeing all my (real) friends & insta-friends again. 

Suffering... a horrible migraine Sunday and feeling weak with gratitude when Josh took all four kids (and the dog!) to the land with him so I could sleep in peace as the medicine kicked in.  I was touched when both cats came upstairs to nap with me while he was gone.

Catching... up on the blog a little bit this week.  Still behind, but I'm working on it. 

Receiving... my COVID shot when they had openings at the county fairgrounds this weekend. I am thrilled to be safe to be around my parents, in-laws, grandparents and sweet baby niece.  

Enjoying... book club this week, where we had some great discussions (per usual) and ended up sharing all our wedding photos with each other via text afterward.  It was fun to dig up our wedding pics.  Gosh, we were just babies!

Driving... to Spokane with Logan for his neurology visit, where we were given masks with a see through mouth piece (so cool) so that his Deaf neurologist could read our lips. We adore her, and this was my favorite meeting with her, as we were discussing the fact that Logan hasn't had a seizure in two years, and his EEG came back seizure free.  So we will be slowly weaning him off his meds, and (fingers crossed!) we think he has outgrown his epilepsy.  What a dream come true.  

Taking... Carly to her well child visit and hearing that she is healthy and TALL.  Such a blessing to have a healthy girl on my hands. 

Starting... the twins' basketball season.  They are exhausted after practice, but I'm so proud of them!

Getting... my new dishwasher (thanks tax return!) that is saving my life! I don't have to wash the dishes before they go in the dishwasher anymore, and the time it's saving me is amazing!

Finding... the boys' socks ev.er.y.where. Legitimately, I find no less than five socks every day in different, random places in the house.  This week I even found one in the van when I was getting Carly out to go to the doctor. How? Why? I swear they multiply!

Being... pulled over for the first time (in my life) this week, with all four kids in the car. I was devastated. I felt awful.  I was speeding (42 in a 30) because I didn't realize the speed limit had changed where I was.  The officer seemed so angry at me, and I got a ticket, even though in 22 years of driving I have never even been pulled over!!

When I got home, I cried and cried, so relieved it was over, and so sad for how mad the officer seemed.  Also, I realized that I thought having never had a ticket was part of who I am. Josh assured me that it's not, and I am still a good person. Even if I got a speeding ticket. 

Saving... my life this week is my laundry schedule. It has made the laundry so much more manageable.  I just throw in whoever's load is assigned that day, in the morning, as soon as I wake up. I switch it by lunch time, and I haven't been behind on laundry in weeks thanks to the schedule. 

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My best is enough.

Your best is enough.

Around Here: Week 24 2024

 {June 9th-15th}

Don't let their half thumbs-ups fool you. They loved the movie!
They're just pretending to be Ennui from the movie.

Wyatt got such a bad sunburn, 
his face even had blisters!

 

Dropping... Wyatt off at the pool with his friends on Saturday and cheering internally that he has friends and they're doing wholesome friend things together. He sunscreened before he left and said he sunscreened twice more, but he ended up with the worst sunburn of his life. By Saturday night he had blisters show up on his cheeks and little ones on his shoulders. And when he woke up on Sunday those tiny shoulder blisters had turned into HUGE water-filled blisters that were incredibly uncomfortable. I felt AWFUL. I ended up going through and throwing out all our old sunscreen in case it was expired and buying new. (I wasn't sure if it was expired because the expiration dates had rubbed off. Sigh.)

Hosting... two of Wyatt's friends for a sleepover. It was fun to get to know them, and I loved hearing them laugh together. We moved when Wyatt started third grade, and then a new school was built and he was transferred there for fifth grade. Then he started middle school in sixth grade, so he has had a lot of transitions which has made making and keeping friends tough. He's heading into his third (and final) year in middle school, and I'm happy he's been able to stay and make some friends before he ventures off to high school in 2025. 

Watching... the circus as a family on Sunday afternoon and remembering why we do so little as a whole family. Hah! The boys were NOT excited and Wyatt was extra miserable with his sunburn, whereas Carly could hardly stand her excitement. But the tickets were less than $50 for all of us, and I thought it would be entertaining at the very least. In the end, we did have some fun and some laughs, but also, if you're out there raising bigs and littles, and you feel like it's hard to find something for everyone, I see you. Just do the best you can. 
While at the circus, we got Carly some cotton candy, and we got her a ticket to ride an elephant! It was so fun! She was super brave. I think our favorite acts included the globe of death (where two motorcycles drive inside a giant sphere), the elephants and the aerial acrobats. 

Attending... Carly's end of year assembly where she earned an award for being organized. For her last day of school, she and her friend Charlotte wore flower dresses and curled their hair along with their teacher Mrs. Shaporda. Her teacher was the sweetest, kindest, best teacher for Carly. I am so grateful for all the love she gave our girl this year. And I'm so sad for her that she's been rifted by the district. (Due to budget issues we had to complete a Reduction in Force which was heartbreaking for over 100 teachers that were let go. It's also heart breaking for me personally as it means there won't be a chance for me to get hired on as I had hoped now that I've graduated.)

Hugging... our boy Ainsley before he leaves for three weeks.  We're gonna miss him so much!

Grateful... that Josh was able to replace the heating element in the stove (yay!) and that he let me clean behind there while it was pulled out. It was so gross!!! I am also grateful that while he wasn't able to fix the old dryer, he did go buy me a new (used) one so I can finally do laundry again. I've never been so happy to fold laundry in my life! Haha!

Missing... Josh as he worked all week. Our school district only had to go Monday, but Josh's students weren't done until Friday. It was a long week without my sidekick, and it made me feel terrible for all you moms whose husbands work all summer.  

Taking... care of Carly when she had a migraine and nausea on Thursday. She was so miserable. Finally I got her to lay down in my bed. After her nap she seemed much better, thankfully. I hate so much that her and Logan got my migraines. 

Celebrating... Wyatt's thirteenth birthday! We had ice cream cake after dinner on his actual birthday. The day before his birthday Wyatt, Carly and I spent the day in Wenatchee with family.  We saw Inside Out 2 with my sister, her son Milo and her daughter Romy.  The theater was so full we had to sit separate, with Romy on Roxanne's lap between Carly and me, and the boys in the very back, with Wyatt on a seat and Milo on an arm rest. Thankfully we enjoyed the movie anyway, and the boys didn't mind the weird seating. After the movie (which represented both middle school and anxiety so well) we went to my mom's where we got to see the little cousins (Daphne & Sweet P) and swim.  I sometimes get sad that Carly doesn't have sisters, but then we get together with my sister, and I am relieved of my guilt and sadness because three cousins more than makes up for her not having a sister.  Carly especially loves my sister's youngest, Sweet P. She is so fun and Carly just adores her.
My mom cooked for us and bought the most delicious cake at Coscto. It was all amazing and Wyatt had so much fun. I cannot believe our sweet little singleton is officially a teenager. He is funny, empathetic and very smart. How lucky to call him ours. 

Reading... High Achiever, which was an un-put-down-able autobiography about one woman's struggle with addiction; The Girl In His Shadow, which was a book club pick about a female surgeon in the early 1900's in Europe (when it was illegal for women to practice medicine). I am loving it. I have also been listening to Look Me In The Eye, which has been on my physical book shelf for years. It was a fascinating listen, but not my favorite book. 

Having... hard conversations. Man it's tough to sit with hard emotions.

Loving... on George, our sweet old cat who recently suffered with vestibular disease (basically made him very dizzy for two weeks) and hasn't been the same since. He adores the twins, though, and Logan loves that cat more than life itself. So we are doing everything we can to make life better for him. Canned food, lots of babying, and all the snuggles. 

Meeting... with my new counselor for the second time and feeling grateful for her. She is very wise and careful in what she says, but also challenges my thinking. It seems to be a good match thus far. 

Enjoying... some time at the park at Carly's school.  I bring a book and a folding chair and she brings her wagon full of American girl dolls and they play. The hot sun feels SO good on my shoulders. It's dreamy. 

Sending... Logan to summer school for some testing and it was a long session for him.  We sometimes think that he has ADHD as he says it's hard for him to focus for long periods of time. So being at summer school for four hours straight is a lot for him. He has three credits to make up- an entire biology class and half a math class. But I have high hopes he'll get through at least two of those classes, so fingers crossed!!!

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