The Cunningham Family: 2025

{June 22nd - June 28th, 2025}

Aunt Julie made this for Carly.
She's so talented!

Kramer :: Piper

Cadence calls Carly "Carla"

Carly made a puff paint lemon loaf from Starbucks

PC: Carly

Wyatt's new shelf!

Ending... our Sunday with the twins coming home from a friends' house to a facetime call from another friend whose story isn't mine to tell. But they weren't okay, and we ended up driving their family to the hospital. We got back home in the early hours of the morning Monday, heavy one kid who needed a place to stay. Supporting this friend and their family ended up being one of the blessings of the week, and thanks to fast acting friends & family I am can report that everyone is okay.

Taking... the day on Monday to lounge in our hammock and recover emotionally from the chaos that was Sunday.

Grateful... that Josh didn't take Monday off and instead organized the entire shed for us. He's the best and I am delighted that he is off all week!!!

Noticing... that as I'm eating better (read: more protein, less sugar) I am having less migraines. It's mind blowing.

Officially... done transferring pharmacies. I have been with multiple pharmacies since moving to our small town and had finally settled in with Rite Aid. We were set up to autofill a lot of our prescriptions, plus I got text messages when they were done, and they had a drive through Rx Pick Up, which, as a busy mom, is amazing. But, alas, Rite Aid is closing, so we transferred to our community clinic pharmacy, which is in the same building as our doctors' office. Getting all our prescriptions transferred and refilled as needed during the transition, though, was something of a nightmare! I am so happy it is finished!

Taking... Carly & Wyatt to Walmart with me to get a few things on my list, and to get Wyatt swim trunks and get Carly preemie clothes for her realistic baby doll that finally arrived. We had so much fun shopping for baby clothes, but Carly struggled to decide what she wanted to buy since she was spending some of her own money. (I bought two outfits, but made her decide what else she wanted). It was a good practice though because she she put back quite a few things since she was spending her own cold hard cash.

Helping... Wyatt use his cold hard cash (earned from mowing for the neighbor, a job Logan handed down to him now that he has a regular job, and from working on his grandma's land) to buy a PS2 on Facebook marketplace. We got really lucky and the guy was willing to meet us at a location near our house, and the system came with a bunch of games Wyatt didn't know about, so that was a cool bonus. He had a good attitude, though, about if it was a dud. He figured it'd only take a little over two weeks to earn back the amount of cash he would have spent (lost), and to him, it was worth the risk.

Choosing... paint with Wyatt. We ended up going with Sherwin Williams Arugula, which is the most beautiful rich, deep green. I am just obsessed and can't wait to get it on the walls! We also ordered the furniture he wanted for the room. A bedside table, a bookshelf to display his Legos and the fireplace he wants (which his Aunt Julie is buying for him as a birthday gift! so thoughtful!). It's making us both really excited to get started on the process.

Decluttering... Wyatt's room and going through every single nook and cranny as we worked to empty the room and make decisions about his old toys and belongings now that he's older. It was hard, and time consuming, but also really rewarding, and I think he's going to be so happy with his new room when it's all said and done.

Hitting... 261lbs, which is a total of 9 pounds lost since I started Phentermine three weeks ago. Woo hoo!

Heading... to Jazzercise Monday and feeling super bummed when it wasn't my friend Amy teaching. Don't get me wrong, there are so many awesome instructors, but I really enjoy hearing all my friends stories while we workout, so I was a disappointed. Thankfully she was back Wednesday!

Enjoying... Chobani flips as a great dessert replacement since I'm trying to increase protein and limit sugar. I am currently loving the Smores one. Highly recommend.

Hating... to hear about Jack's bad dreams. He's been dreaming that he himself or his friends are drowning lately, and I just feel awful about it. What a terrible dream to wake up to!

Performing... "surgery" (not actually) on Carly's eyebrow when out of nowhere she started to develop a scab that wouldn't quit. It just kept staying a scab. Finally I ran my finger over it, and I was like, "Carly, I can feel something in there. Let me try and get at it." So she laid down on my bed, with her head nearly off the edge, aimed at my window for the best natural light. I scraped at her eyebrow and she squeezed her favorite stuffy, Long Kitty, with all her might. I looked at that eyebrow of hers from every angle and then, AHA! Just like that I could see what looked like a thick, white piece of floss, sticking out of her head. I got my tweezers and pulled that sucker right out. Dang, it was satisfying!! She felt so much better and I felt confident that now her eyebrow scab would heal.
I think that what I found was a piece of a stitch that was left behind from when Wyatt accidentally hit her in the face with an ax at Grandma's while they were breaking rocks.

Eating... lunch out with my friend Jodi, who is Wyatt's friend mom and a teacher at the middle school. We had the best time just chatting together and eating good food. I am so grateful for little chances to break away from the monotony of home!

Loving... that I have raised my kids right. And by that, all I mean is that they will notice a sky. Honestly, if I give them nothing else, but they can appreciate the beauty of a sunrise or sunset, I think they'll survive nicely. Hah! Carly thought one of the sunsets was so good this week that she stole my phone to take pictures of it. Now that's a girl after my own heart.

Planning... to host the fourth of July at our house for both my side of the family and Josh's side of the family, which we have done multiple times for both fourth of July and also Christmas or Thanksgiving. Well, Carly is only nine, so she doesn't remember that we've done this a lot and when I told her who all was coming she looked at me and said, "I don't know if that's a good idea..." Haha. She wasn't sure they would all get along. When I told her that they had been "family" by association for over twenty years, and I told her what different relationships there were (for example, my mom loves to visit with Josh's mom, and Josh's sister loves to visit with my sister), she seemed to think it might work out alright.

Accepting... that Jack broke up with Cadence for good on Saturday night. I think it helped that they took a break and then got back together because then when they broke up yet again, they maybe both knew it was for the best. Still, though, I'm not sure how many of these heartaches I have in me people! I am not cut out for it!

Comparing... my old dog Kramer to our dog Piper, which was fun. I forgot just how black Kramer was, and not at all tan like most german shepherds. And Piper is quite similar.

Coloring... with Wyatt after Carly went to bed one night, using markers to outline and crayon to color in, and I will tell you, it was the most zen, peaceful activity I have done in a long time. I think I may have to make it a regular habit!

Deciding... to paint our kitchen table. It's a huge mess, the top coat and even some of the dark color underneath has worn off, and absolutely everything sticks to it. It's the worst. So while I was at Home Depot gathering supplies for painting Wyatt's bedroom, I googled painting a kitchen table and found a youtube video (I'll find and share the link after I actually attempt this) and proceeded to buy the primer, paint and top coat it suggested. Sometime this summer, our cute little dining table will be getting a new look!

Ordering... puff paint from Amazon after seeing a guy painting online with thick paint that resembled puff paint. It came in the mail and Carly and I enjoyed it exactly as much as I thought we would! What a blast from my past! So fun!

Shedding... a tear when Logan sold the dirtbike we bought him as a surprise for his fifteenth birthday. He was ready to sell it and move onto something else, but it was still bittersweet to watch him walk it out to the guys' truck.

Laughing... at the absolute irony (cliche?) of Logan showering in his bathroom, which shares a wall with my bathroom, while blasting, "I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby" hahahaha!

Having... to remind one of our drivers to take it easy in the neighborhood after he was put on blast on the facebook page. He wasn't speeding, but his vehicle is loud, so it sounds faster than it is. The amount of grey hairs these kids are giving me... Uff da!

Chatting... with one of the twins' friends about some pretty heavy teenage stuff and feeling both sad and frustrated that these kids don't all feel like they can talk to their parents about what's going on in their lives. Please, parents. Take a moment and sit your kid down and spell it out. Tell them that whatever is going on (if it's about sex, drugs, school, mental health), you want to know about it and you can handle it.

Hitting... Starbucks to grab a slice of lemon loaf for Carly May. This girl loves her Starbucks treats. Cake pops and lemon loaf in particular, but she wouldn't turn down coffee cake or brownies either.

Feeling... so seen as a mother when I read this:

"Mothers' real unseen labor is the emotional weight

we carry trying to hold everyone together."
-Cocoon to Bloom on ig

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