Around Here: Week 32 {2018}

Reading... An American Marriage and In Shock.  An American Marriage is slow, but good; and In Shock is so good. I am totally interested and inspired by this doctor's true story of what happened to her during her first pregnancy.   I finished Goodbye, Vitamin, which was really good, but too short (!) this week as well.

Visiting... a new park with Carly and the boys (that we drove to) and she calls it the "car-park" since we drove to it instead of walking.  She loved the sand box and swing that were there, and the boys had a lot of fun, too.  I'm hoping to visit a few more new parks before summer ends after seeing how much fun they had.

Eating... homemade pizza with Uncle Samuel, Grandma Carol & Papa Carl Saturday night.  It was such a fun night, watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid with the kids, chowing down on pizza & ice cream.  Josh makes the best pizza and we kind of can't wait for his parents and brother to move here for good!

Sorting... through all the kids' clothes for fall- whew! What a chore!  But it made shopping for school clothes so much easier later this week.  So I'm glad I did it!  (Even if making the twins try on everything in their closet made me want to stab my eyes out with a spork!)

Road tripping... to Vancouver to see family one last time before school starts.

Surprising... my little brother for his 29th birthday.  His girlfriend and my mom threw the sweetest party with all his old friends.  It was super fun.  I just adore his girlfriend (as do my kiddos!) and it was fun to celebrate him. I hope when my boys grow up, they have someone who loves them as much as Bri loves Dallas.

Celebrating... our 15 year anniversary by leaving all the kids with my parents overnight.  We went to Long Beach and spent the night in the sweetest cottage, enjoying every kid-free moment.  We talked, uninterrupted, for the whole drive there, and I never once had to climb in the backseat to break up a fight. Hah!  It was the first time I had left Carly with anyone other than Josh overnight, and I was a little nervous about how she and my mom would sleep, but my mom said she did great!  Josh and I got pizza and a Redbox, enjoying the evening in our cottage, and the next day, when we got back to Vancouver, we saw The Equalizer 2 and went out to dinner at Red Lobster (my favorite!) before heading back to the kids.  It was so, so lovely to get away and celebrate each other.  I am so thankful for Josh and our marriage.  He is my rock and my very best friend.

Getting... a haircut that has me feeling fresh & flirty after letting it go way too long without one.  My hair is always bad for the first few years after a baby, and I am definitely in that space right now.  It's growing back in, but is still pretty thin.  This new cut has it feeling much better!

Buying... fun lotions, sprays & body washes at Bath & Body Works at the mall while shopping for school clothes with my mom and the boys.  Josh's mom took Carly so mom and I could focus on the boys while shopping (which was so awesome!) and we managed to get everything they need for the school year.  Shoes, socks, pants & shirts. Done and done. Phew!  I am so grateful for my mom and dad's help.

Loving... the twins eating Panda Express at the mall with chopsticks!  They're so brave- not just for trying chopsticks- but for trying anything.  Nothing intimidates them.  I wish I could be brave like them.

Sleeping... with Carly between Josh and I while staying at my parent's house. She won't sleep in the playpen there (she just cries pitifully when we put her in there, and I can't stand it) so we let her sleep with us, which is 20% really sweet and 80% really uncomfortable.  You moms who co-sleep with your babies have my total bow-down respect.  I don't know how you do it!  The whole time we are there, I am counting down the nights until I am going to get home and have my bed to myself again!  We joke that she likes us to sleep like the letter H.  Josh and I are the poles of the H and she is the middle.  Her feet are in my back and her head is in Josh's back. It's impossible!

Hanging... with my sweet friend Brittany and her crew Friday morning.  Together we have six boys and it was so fun to have them all together.  She is the sweetest mama, with the best heart.  She is totally real, down to earth and completely inspiring to me.  I love you, B!

Crying... about parenting when things got hard one night this week.  The kids are testing out lying and it's hard to not take it personal, like I'm a failure as a parent when they look me in the eyes and lie.  Josh assured me that it's not personal, it's a phase, and that we just have to let them know it's not acceptable.  I cried a little more, for good measure (unbeknownst to said naughty child) and then tried to let it go.  Gosh, parenting is not for the weak of heart!

Swimming... at the Washougal River, where I grew up swimming.  I absolutely love swimming there myself, and I love taking my kids there even more than that.  It was, hands down, my favorite part of our vacation.  All four of our kids loved it there.  The twins swam and snorkled and rode the rapids.  Wyatt jumped off the rocks and caught crawdads.  Carly swam and played and loved every minute of it.  My heart was so happy there.

Visiting... my grandparents for the day in Rockaway Beach.  It was so nice to see them.  We went out to lunch, did a little shopping at Flamingo Jim's, did a puzzle with Grandma and got ice cream.  Our visits never feel long enough, but I am so grateful we live close enough to visit once in a while.

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