{November 23rd-29th, 2025}
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| My mom MADE these stockings for us. I am *obsessed*- they are so adorable!!! |
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| From "The Wreck" by Catherine Newman |
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| "They were teenage boys and therefore morons." Can confirm. (From This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel) |
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| (From This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel) |
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| (From This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel) |
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| (From The Wreck by Catherine Newman) |
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| (From This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel) |
Finally... decorating for Christmas. We typically decorate much earlier (usually around Veterans day) in the year, but life has been busy. We played Christmas music, though, and Josh cajoled all the boys into helping decorate the tree with us. I was glad, because this very well may be their last Christmas at home.
Hanging... the amazing Christmas stockings my mom made for us. Our old ones were classic felt stockings with glitter glue names across the top, and they were totally stretched out and the glitter glue was peeling off. It was time for something new. So when my mom offered to make us new ones (and pick the fabrics- I get too overwhelmed!!), I jumped at the chance. They turned out so beautiful and are something I'll cherish forever!
Finalizing... and ordering our Christmas cards. This was also much later than normal. I have often times ordered our cards before Halloween. So this was very late to be doing this. But better late than never!
Taking... Carly to the orthodontist for her retainer appointment. She got great news, which was that she only has to wear her retainer at night now!
Doling... out consequences for the twins who got in trouble. They had to rake and do a bunch of extra chores. Mostly we ground them, but this time we gave them extra work.
Working... Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday in kindergarten and enjoying it so much. One of the days we got snow, and their absolute delight just lit up my heart. We also had the students' first safety lockdown, and it was heart wrenching. Just to sit, in the dark, with twenty nervous five-year-olds, thinking of why we do these drills... it makes you sick.
Laughing... when one of my students shared with the class what tradition she celebrated on Thanksgiving. She told us that she and her grandma make scones every year. A super sassy friend sitting to her left asked, "What the heck is a scone!?" I giggled and she answered her friend, "It looks like a rock, but actually you can eat it." I about died. The absolute most random answer, but also incredibly accurate. Haha! This kind of stuff is why I love kinder.
Discussing... with my mom how her glass measuring cups eventually start to fade. I laughed as I told her that I had four children and quartz countertops- my glass measuring cups don't live long enough to fade. Shortly after this conversation I noticed one of ours was, in fact, fading. Miracles never cease! Haha!
Attempting... to write our yearly Christmas letter, which gets harder the older the kids get. It's like, yes, it's my story to tell... I mean, I'm experiencing life right alongside them. But even more than it's my story to tell, it's their story to tell. And my job is to protect their privacy and their journey. But that does make being an open book more challenging for me.
My sister and I started joking about what (brutally honest) things we'd include in a Christmas letter if we had no filters and those random texts were amazing and hilarious! My favorite was a meme she sent about how this year has been like a razor scooter to the ankles (IYKYK) and I'll be honest, I ended up using it in letter. Hahahaha!
Grateful... for friends reminding me that I'm a good mom.
Struggling... with one of my kiddos. Every day it seems I'm having to remind myself to think, "Fresh start".
Getting... only four hours of sleep after being up with Wyatt and then Carly, alternating. I just do not do sleeplessness as well as I did once upon a time.
Picking... the prettiest dried brown hydrangea that was still on our hydrangea bush out front.
Making... Special K bars and pie from scratch for Thanksgiving. Yummmm!!!
Enjoying... Thanksgiving break together and really loving our boys together. The break from fighting about school and homework and grades was much needed!
Thankful... for Carly's teacher who loaned her a book to read from her classroom library and when I tell you she could not put that book down! It was The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. She kept gasping at certain chapters and telling me how I needed to read it. She's so cute!
Making... cream corn in my new crockpot that I got especially for Thanksgiving. We cooked it on high for 2-4 hours and stirred after one hour. It makes the most delicious corn. It's cream cheese, butter, salt, pepper & milk, and I am obsessed with it!
Reading... The Bright Years, which is hard because it's about a father with alcoholism and so heartbreaking, but I love books that hurt my feelings. Haha!
Receiving... messages from two of the twins' good friends on Thanksgiving, telling me Happy Thanksgiving. One from Sullivan and one from Brennan. They just made my heart sing, these sweet teenage boys, thinking of me on that day.
Celebrating... Thanksgiving with my side of the family in Wenatchee at my mom's house. The food was so good. The sparkling cider was delicious, the dessert (especially the pumpkin pie and special k bars) were a huge hit and we had so much fun together, laughing and sharing what we were grateful for.
Laughing... as we tried a current TikTok trend with my parents and their grandkids. The kids stood behind them on the couch and said "Hi Nanny" or "Hi Papa". My mom got a perfect score, knowing which voice went to which kid, which surprised no one!, and my dad only made one mistake. Then some of the kids tried it, as well as Josh and I. We had a great time. So fun!
Researching... ADHD meds for Logan and finding that they do, in fact, increase the seizure threshold, which is such a bummer. Unfortunately, that makes it incredibly unlikely that he'll ever try them. His epilepsy doctor said that he could try them, especially since he's on seizure meds now, but I'm not sure Logan will ever risk it.
Adoring... when my teenagers come in my room to talk and then fall asleep in my bed. It reminds me of when they were little and I love it so much.
Wishing... my cousin Kimmy a happy birthday. I am ten and a half days older than her, and we grew up best friends until about middle school when we drifted apart. But my heart ached when I heard that her dad passed earlier this month. She and her dad had such a special relationship and I knew how much she was going to miss him. While it hurt to think of her loss, seeing the pictures of her and I that I shared for her birthday post made me smile. We had some really special times and I cherish those memories.
Desiring... control of my children. Part of the challenge of my kids growing up is their no longer being little. But another really hard part is how, bit by bit, my ability to control them lessens. They have autonomy to make their own decisions and whatever the consequences, I just stand on the sidelines while they move forward and wait to see how it pans out. It can, at times, be literally painful for me.
Searching... for good quotes for Senior Sunday. I have a handful of books I always turn to for quotes. This week it was The Wreck by Catherine Newman and This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel.
Watching... the documentary Thoughts & Prayers and repeating in my head, "WTF... WTF... WTF..." over and over. It was upsetting not only because any documentary about school shootings would be, but also because one of the main shootings they talked about happened nearby in Oregon, and also because I spent time earlier this week doing a lockdown drill in a kindergarten classroom I was subbing in. It was their first lockdown drill, and it lasted on and on, over twenty minutes, and by the end some kids were crying and everyone was on edge. I did my best to keep them calm, but curling up in your classroom by your cubbies in the dark is not normal. On some instinctual level they know this.
Making... cinnamon rolls just to get a practice run in before Christmas. They were SO delicious!
Blessed... by my man (and his sidekick Jack) for cleaning the garage so I can park in there again! I am so grateful that I can finally park in there now that the weather is cold and frosty in the mornings. What a lucky lady!
Laughing... as Wyatt came home from a haircut with his brothers with a mullet. It was so unexpected. But it suits him! The fact that he's a teenager in high school still blows me away.
Loving... the way that Julie loves my girl, buying a Christmas outfit (and fabulous Christmas earrings) for Carly.
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| My friend Kari sent me this. And oh, how I needed it. |
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| Thanksgiving 2014 in Alaska |
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| Thanksgiving 2016 in Battle Ground |
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| Me & Kimmy |
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| Kimmy & Shelly |
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| How CUTE was Kimmy?!? |
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| Our first birthday party |
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