Week 33 Around Here {2019}

Wow! This week was a FULL one! 

So I am sorry (not sorry!) for all the pictures- haha!

Here we go!

{Shelly & the twins at the waterfront circa 2009}

{3 years ago-- oh my heart}

Driving... to Vancouver with the four kids by myself to see my parents and let my mom (God bless her!) take my boys school clothes shopping.  She does this every year, and I am so, so grateful.  I packed that morning, before we left, which was a bit nuts- I never do that- but I had been packing the house (like, into boxes, to move) the day before we left, so that's just the way it worked out.
On the drive the kids and I listened to Orphan Island, which is our first audio book together.  Jack was super into it, and I think we will be doing that more often in the future!

Walking... the Columbia River waterfront with all four kids, which I have been walking since before I even had children.  I remember taking the twins there as babies after I got off work.  (See photo above)  Now they ride their scooters and zoom past me.  It's crazy!

Eating... pizza with just my kiddos at NYC pizzeria and having the best time.  We really enjoyed ourselves, and they were so well behaved.  The pizza was amazing (yum!) and when they were all finished, but I wasn't, Jack said, "Hey guys, let's let mom finish eating."  I felt so thankful, and so proud of him.

Hitting... the mall for some school clothes shopping and Bricks & Minifigs.  We bribed the boys with Legos if they did well shopping for clothes.  And truly, they did amazing.  Jack spent the morning with my dad because he had done his shopping the week before when he came to Vancouver with my sister. So mom and I just had the other two boys and Carly.  We got right down to business trying on clothes and it went super smooth.  (Mostly because my mom has the patience of a saint.)  I was also able to get some outfits for Carly for this fall, and I may actually be looking forward to cooler weather so I can put them on her.  She's going to be SO adorable!!!  We met up with my dad and Jack at the Lego store (Bricks & Minifigs) when we were done with the clothes shopping.  Jack was THRILLED because my dad and him had found a pocket knife at an estate sale.  Jack wants to be just like his dad, who carries a pocket knife, so he feels pretty cool now that he has one. (Even if he can't use it whenever he wants.)

Trying... Olive Garden as a family for the first time and LOVING it!  Jack had it last time he was in Vancouver and made my mom promise to bring Logan back because Jack just knew Logan would love the breadsticks and pasta.  He wasn't wrong!  Logan is hooked!  He was in heaven.  The rest of us enjoyed it so much as well, and the kids were so, so well behaved.  It was a lovely way to end a day of shopping and busyness.  Just sitting all together, talking and laughing and eating.  It made my heart feel so full.

Heading... to the beach to see my grandparents with both of my parents in tow (and my kids, obviously) and having the MOST gorgeous weather ever!!  I was particularly grateful because I had woken up with a migraine and was working on getting rid of it.  So the sunny weather felt like a boon to my soul.  We went out to lunch with my grandparents first, then we hit the sand.  The kids were thrilled to run and play and dig and get wet.  Except for Logan who wasn't feeling well, and literally slept almost the entire time we were there.  He took a nice beach nap, which reminded me of his dad, and restored his pep for the rest of the day.  After playing at the beach all afternoon, we got ice cream at the local shop with my grandma & grandpa and sadly had to say goodbye.  We got Dairy Queen on the way home and had some very happy, tired, campers.
My favorite memory from the trip, though, is from my grandparents bedroom where they have a rotary telephone.  Jack picked it up and was asking how you used it, and I refused to tell him.  I let him mess with it for a bit, cracking up when he couldn't figure out how to hang up.  Then he kind of figured it out.  And Logan got in on the action.  Soon they were competing over who could dial a number the fastest, using an actual timer.  I videoed the whole thing, and I have to tell you, I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!

Enjoying... a beautiful day at one of my favorite places in the Northwest- the Washougal River.  We got Subway and brought snacks and all my moms pups, and we made a day of it.  And oh! What a day it was!  The twins swam and swam and swam, and Wyatt threw rocks to his little heart's content.  Carly was in and out of the water, playing with her toys, and the dogs, and asking me or my parents to swim with her.  Wyatt asked my mom the day before if he could try something he had seen on Youtube.  (Why is Youtube the bane of my existence!?!) She said he could, so he got to carve a watermelon like a pumpkin.  It was actually really cool, and looked pretty funny!

Roasting... smores and having pizza after we got home from the river.  It was a lovely evening with lots of yummy eats and happy kids.  The smores were, naturally, a huge hit, especially with Carly who ADORES marshmallows and chocolate.  She was winning at life, I tell you!

Getting... us all home safely on Tuesday so I could make it to book club and I could continue the nonstop work of getting ready to move.  (We close on the 24th!)

Sharing... all my thoughts about my book at book club (August's book was Molokai by Alan Brennert, which was my pick) and loving every minute.  I love those ladies so much, and I swear that time with them makes me smarter!  Aside from encouraging you to join a book club (seriously, go do it!) I also encourage you to read Molokai.  It was a really engaging story (with lovable characters), but also taught me a lot of history about Hawaii that I didn't know, and a TON about leprosy and the leprosy colony that existed on Molokai that I didn't know about beforehand.

Also reading... Maybe You Should Talk To Someone and really enjoying it. I am underlining a lot in there, and feel like there is SO much insight.  It's almost like therapy itself, there is so much great advice and insight since the author herself is a therapist.

Taking... the kids to the pool Wednesday to get them out of the house for a bit.  It was so lovely!

Dividing... and conquering Thursday by sending the littles off to be with Grandma & the bigs off to be with friends, and then I was able to get some serious packing and cleaning and organizing done here at home.

Receiving... keys to our new house!!! They let us move in a week early if we agreed to do the painting ourselves.  We agreed to that joyfully, knowing that being able to get our things in over the course of a week (and to be able to clean and paint at our leisure) would make things much nicer for us in the long run. (Especially since Josh's first day back teaching in the classroom with students was Thursday, and we would only have Friday after school and Saturday until 6pm to move.)
I am just so, so happy with the house. I can't even tell you.  It is beautiful and spacious and nicer than anything I ever thought I would be able to live in.

(I promise to share more pics in the next few weeks' updates!)

Feeling... sad to leave our old house behind, especially our garden and yard.  We've put so many hours into them.  Wyatt is particularly sad to say goodbye to his pumpkins.  As my sad feelings come up, I am just letting myself feel them, and then I remind myself that new memories will be made in our new house in the years to come.

Suffering... my worst migraine in years on Friday.  I was in tears it was so bad, and I couldn't get out of bed.  Logan was really worried so he called my mother-in-law and she offered to come get all the kids so I could sleep.  I stayed in bed until 1:30, sleeping off and on and icing my neck and head.  Then I ate some lunch and watched a little TV.
My bestie Shana dropped off some Past Tense oil to see if that would help my migraine dissipate even more.  I was nervous at first- I haven't used oils before... but I tried it, and it felt sooo good.  I now carry it in my purse.
Josh got home and then picked up the kids from his mom.  By then I felt quite a bit better and after they were in bed I was able to eat dinner and watch an episode of Game of Thrones with Josh before falling asleep again.
I'm sure the migraine was from the stress of traveling, summer coming to an end, the boys all planning to attend brand new schools at the end of the month, and our big move coming up.  In the coming weeks, I am going to need to make sure that I get enough sleep, move and fuel my body well, and try to keep my stress level lower.  Otherwise, this could get out of control!

Book nerding... out of control and posting my Mid-Year Reading Check In post on the blog.  Oh how I love compiling all my reading numbers and choosing my favorite books to share with you.  I've read 11 that I think you should REALLY read, and I got on a midwife kick and a biography kick that lead me to some great reads as well.  Check it out if you're looking for some good recommendations. (I also share my tips on how to squeeze as much reading time as possible into your life. #idratherbereading )

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