Week 11 Around Here {2019}

Enjoying... Friday night on my own while Wyatt & Josh ran out to the land to get Josh's dads truck so he could make a dump run early Saturday morning.  I made a pizza and watched Ben is Back, which I had borrowed from Redbox.  It was super sad, but really good, and heartwrenching to watch as a mama.

Adoring... the picture my mother-in-law captured of Josh & Carly on the 4 wheeler last week.  Josh said she was totally digging it, yelling, "Go four wheeler, go!" the whole time.  Our little daredevil!

Spending... Saturday with my crew on my own, as Josh was at the land working on Samuel's car with him.  We enjoyed movie night with homemade pizza & cookies (yum!) and it was a nice, mellow day.

Walking... to the school playground in the sunshine (finally!) with my sister and her kids on Sunday when they came into town.  It was so great to take a walk after months of being stuck inside for my workouts, and the kids had so much fun together. (They always do!)  I couldn't believe how big my niece has gotten- I haven't seen her since before Christmas- and was really happy to have everyone together!

Enduring... one more snow day- seriously- on Tuesday this week.  We got over three more inches in the night, and I was honestly in disbelief.  We had the neighbor & her 5 boys over for a playdate, so that helped the morning go by quickly, and I gave the boys all haircuts, which was much needed.  Then the boys played outside and I went to the dentist where I had my permanent crown put in, but with no pain meds.  I'm not sure why they didn't give me any pain meds, they just said they tend not to with permanent crowns... but let me tell you, there was a lot of cement-scraping-off on my tooth nub, and I was in a LOT of pain.  Whoooo! I was SO glad when that stinking appointment was over, let me tell you!!!

Reading... The Life You Longed For and Down Came The Rain, and listening to In Pieces by Sally Field, which I believe should be required listening for every woman.  She is so profound in even the smallest slices of honesty about her life, it's amazing, and I love how she doesn't make anyone out to be a "good guy" or a "bad guy", but allows for shades of grey (something I am terrible at)... it's just so human.  Through her story, she revealed things to me about my own life.  How most things aren't "right" or "wrong", but often fall somewhere in between, and how many times, people are just doing the best they know how, and we can't fault them if they don't know better.  It was a beautiful book, and I loved it.
I gave up reading Maid... Everyone else who read it loved it so much... but I just didn't get into it.  I struggled to identify with the main character, and when Josh saw how long I'd been reading it without making any actual progress, he offered to "get rid of it" for me. Haha! "No one would have to know," he joked.  That was what finally convinced me to put it down, DNF.

Loving... our new bedside tables (I'll have to take pictures next week!) that we got after making do for 2 years with the ones we were given when we moved here.  The new ones match our bedroom furniture, look great with the new flooring, and have three drawers, which is awesome.

Indulging... in self care Wednesday during nap time and watching an episode of This is Us (are you watching it? It's so good right now!) and then taking a nap after lunch.  It felt so good to take care of me, and it turn my anxiety down, which had been creeping up on the dial.  (Sleep always helps tone my anxiety down.)

Attending... the movies Thursday with my girl Megan (hey!!) to see Five Feet Apart after reading the book.  I did not love the book, but to be honest, I only read the book because I knew I was going to see the movie.  And actually, they wrote the movie first, then developed the book from the screenplay.  (Kind of backwards from how it is normally done)
Anyway, even though I only gave the book 3 stars, I LOVED the movie (sobbed like a baby throughout) and highly recommend you see it.  It was such a great way to bring awareness to Cystic Fibrosis, which is actually what they thought Wyatt might have when he was hospitalized in the PICU with status asthmaticus last year.  I follow a girl named Katharine with it on Instagram (she's a fellow BOOK LOVER!) and she has taught me so much about the ins and outs of the disease.  They are so close to finding a cure, which would impact so many people.

Taking... Carly to the doctor on Friday when she just wasn't herself after a bad fall that injured her hip.  I wasn't sure if there were internal injuries; if she was coming down with a cold; or if she was just behind on sleep, but she was NOT acting like herself, and it had me freaked out.
Because I didn't see the fall that injured her hip, the doctor ordered an x-ray, which Carly handled like a pro, and we were relieved when it came back fine.  In the end, I think she was coming down with a cold & cough, as Wyatt came down with the same thing a few days later, but boy was she miserable for a few days!!

Kicking... myself for forgetting to schedule more counseling appointments.  I knew I had scheduled quite a bit out, and then suddenly it was March and I had no more appointments scheduled. Dang! So I will go the next month without seeing my counselor.  I am nervous about it, but I have more appointments scheduled starting mid-April, so hopefully I can make it until then.

Awaiting... next week when the twins get BRACES!!! Our local orthodontist (Feller Orthodontics) is amazing (love him & his family) and worked with us to get our insurance to approve the boys' braces, and now we are ready for Phase 1!  I am so excited both for the boys to have more handsome smiles, and to have safer mouths.  Right now, their side teeth stick out, which puts them at risk for getting knocked loose, so they will be much safer once they are all aligned!

Flaunting... my new purse from my friend Shana.  She saw how sad & old mine was, and gave me one. So sweet!  I love it!!

Treating... myself to Starbuck's on Thursday morning before hitting the grocery store.  It was so nice to sit and drink a mocha while reading before running my errands.  Then I was able to get groceries without Carly, who was spending the day with Grandma, and listen to my audiobook while doing so. 

Receiving... my Book of the Month order and feeling thrilled to get No Exit, The Dark Lake & Queenie in my box.  I think I will dive into No Exit next!!!

I laughed when I read this one:

(thanks for sharing Januari & Julie!)

Tiffany at the Gray Gang shared this quote on Instagram,

and I loved it so much, I wanted to share it as well:

"My child isn't my easel to paint on

nor my diamond to polish.

My child isn't my trophy to share with the world

nor my badge of honor.

My child is here to fumble, stumble, try and cry.

Learn and mess up.

Fail and try again.

Listen to the beat of a drum faint to our adult ears.

And dance to a song that revels in freedom.

My task is to step aside.

Heal my own wounds.

Fill my own bucket.

And let my child fly."

-Shefali Tsabary

Week 10 Around Here {2019}

And a few memes that made me laugh out loud (and cry inside) this week:

Facing... yet another snow day, even though it's MARCH! I don't know what the heck is going on, but I am so over it. We are all sick of being cooped up inside together, and I am ready to start walking the kids to school again.  (How is it that my kids can make a two minute car ride to the school so incredibly painful?!?)
At this rate, we are going to be in school an extra week in June!

Driving... Carly & Wyatt out to Grandma Carol's house to spend said snow day with Grandma & Papa.  They did Grandma School, arts & crafts, and played in the snow, even building an adorable little snowman.
It's a beautiful drive out to their land. One that I enjoy very much, and they, of course, enjoy every minute with grandma.  Recently I asked Carly what love meant, and she responded by looking very intently at her fingers and pushing on some of them. I figured she was distracted and not listening to me, so I moved on.  Then she said, "This means LOVE. I love you," and held her little baby fingers up in the sign language for "I love you", which Carol had taught her last time she was there.
Melt.my.heart. It was the sweetest!!!

Smiling... as Wyatt lost his second front tooth.  I was quite sad when he lost the first one, but he looks so darn cute with both of them missing, I couldn't really be sad about this one.  And he was so thrilled to get to leave it for the tooth fairy, his excitement was contagious.

Like mother, like daughter... Carly loves to take a bath with a bath bomb.  We found these Crayola bath bombs at Walmart that dye the water, without dyeing your kid or your tub, and she and Wyatt love them!  With the weather so nasty lately, it's been nice to throw her in the tub to kill an hour before dinner, and she happily complies if I let her bring some pups and a bath bomb.

Moving... rooms for the kids this week as we decided against the thought of moving to a bigger house.  We were never sure we would move, but it was something we had toyed around with, and then decided against.  With that decision came a lot of peace on my part because I love our house. I also love where we live, and our neighbors.
This decision reinvigorated in me my love for our house, and my desire to make it work for our family.  So we swapped things around and are left with the twins in what used to be Carly's room (in the twin beds, side by side- it looks so cute!) and Wyatt & Carly sharing what used to be all 3 boys' room.  Right now, Carly is still using her crib (just while she gets used to the new room) but eventually, she will sleep on the bottom bunk, while Wyatt sleeps on the top bunk.
The main catalyst of this entire change was for Wyatt to have a desk.  He is a different kind of kid than the twins and enjoys having his own quiet space.  I found that having the three boys together was a bit overwhelming for him and was not meeting his needs.  So having him with Carly will free up some space in that room for a desk, as well as give him some distance from his brothers who can sometimes be a bother. Ha! #littlebrotherlife

Taking... Wyatt to the dentist to get his molars sealed (which is supposed to help reduce the risk of cavities) and unbeknownst to me, they use gas during this procedure.  Wyatt was awake the whole time, but they put a mask over his nose to relax his gag reflex.  I had been in a rush to get out the door that morning, and forgot to grab his emergency bag (which has his oxygen meter, his peak flow meter & his Albuterol inhaler) so as they put that on him, I was freaking out because last time he was put under sedation, he had a really hard time coming out of it, so I am kind of paranoid now.  I ended up standing next to him during the entire procedure and asking every 7.3 seconds how his breathing felt, watching his chest rise and fall to make sure it seemed like his breaths per minute were good.  It was a reminder to me that wherever Wyatt goes, his emergency pack needs to go also.

Finishing... The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu and feeling bereft.  I thought the third season was out for some reason, so when Season Two ended, and there was no Season Three to move onto, I felt duped!  I cannot wait for Season Three to be released! I am also waiting for Season Six of When Calls The Heart (and am praying that all the drama with Lori Loughlin doesn't change the release of the episodes!).
In the meantime, I am getting caught up on Teen Mom 2 & This Is Us.

Cleaning... the sink & dishes this week after days of build up.  It was so bad, I took an "after" picture when I was done because I felt so accomplished.  Things were just a bit crazy this week, and dishes weren't top priority, so handwashing waited until I had a minute.  Turned out, that was a LONG wait. Hah!

Creating... a March TBR list, but also allowing myself to follow my mood when it comes to reading, because when I do, I tend to get more reading done.  Here's the tentative list for March:

• Fahrenheit 451
• Molokai
• These Granite Islands
• Becoming MomStrong
• The Untethered Soul
• The Kiss Quotient
• Maid
• The Winter Sister

Laughing... at the names Carly has for some things.  She has two "Fur Real Kitties" that purr and have leashes to take them on walks.  They are soft on their fur, but underneath, they are hard plastic, so she calls them both, "Hard Kitty".  "Mom? Have you seen Hard Kitty?" Haha!  She has another cat that has sort of angry looking eyes.  That cat she named "Naughty Kitty". So she will be crying, upset about something and say, "Wyatt, can you go get Naughty Kitty?" She also has the habit lately of adding -y to everything.  Like when she's being sweet to Wyatt, she'll calling him Wyatt-y.  And her wolf becomes Wolfy, her bear, Beary, etc.  It's really cute.

Attending... our sweet friend Lily's birthday party at the local gymnastics center.  The whole family was invited, and all four kids had a great time!  Lily is just our favorite little girl, so fun and silly, and their whole family is the best ever.  Hopefully we can spend more time together as summer approaches.

Sleeping in... on Sunday thanks to my awesome husband. It was seriously delicious to sleep and sleep, uninterrupted and wake feeling so relaxed.  Thanks babe!

Getting... some dental work done myself this week in preparation for a crown.  It was a long appointment, but pain free, and the temporary crown seems to fit well enough, so I am a happy camper.  This all dates back to that time last year when I was eating a mandarin orange and bit into a seed, cracking my tooth into bits.  The dentist fixed it, but recommended that I get a crown to better protect the tooth from further damage.  So here we are.  All in all it was a smooth appointment and they should call within the next two weeks with the permanent crown to install.

Ordering... my March books from Book of The Month.  I was SO ridiculously excited this month when I logged in because two of you must have signed up for books using my link, which gave me two book credits (THANK YOU!!!) that I got to use!

For March I chose Queenie. (Click the link, and then scroll down and read the preview. I was instantly hooked! Can't wait to start it!)
And for my add ons I chose:

• The Dark Lake
• No Exit

Book of the Month is great because it's only $14.99/month for a hardback book (what a steal!), plus you can get two additional books (also hardback!) for only $9.99 each.  And if you don't see anything you like, you can skip a month, no questions asked. I put myself on a Book Buying Ban for 2019, but Book of the Month doesn't count- I allow myself this one luxury of my subscription every month because it's so affordable, and it brings me such joy.

Trekking... to Spokane for Logan & Wyatt's specialist appointments.  Logan saw his neurologist, who said with him having gone so long without a seizure, she doesn't need to see him in her office again for a YEAR (I am so, so grateful the Depakote is working); and Wyatt saw his pulmonologist, who is very  happy with how well he has tolerated the twice daily preventative Flovent and how it has brought down the number of times he's been so sick he has needed oral steroids.  (None since October!)
I will be doing some follow up work with the sleep doctor to see where we are at with Wyatt's central sleep apneas (periods during the night where his brain forgets to tell him to breathe), but to have his asthma under control feels like a HUGE win, and we left Spokane celebrating!
In between appointments, we went to the mall there and saw How To Train Your Dragon 3, munching on popcorn and candy, killing time until we had to be back at the hospital. 
This time last year compared to now feels like night & day, and that does not escape my notice.  I am so, so grateful for the change.  For the break.  For the chance to just enjoy my kids and let them be kids instead of constantly worrying about auras and seizures and peak flow numbers.

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My friend Sharon shared this, and I loved it so much:

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