around here: week 24 2020

 

 

{the boys ordered Josh a miniature of his car for Father's Day with my mom- so cute!}

{the girls- Carly & Annie- saying goodnight to each other on Facetime}

Enduring... tooth pain like I have never felt before.  It was like labor- I had to close my eyes and breathe through it.  I was absolutely miserable. After I went to my dentist, the pain went from generalized jaw pain to a more localized pain that was much more tolerable. Hallelujah! 

Grateful... for the twins when they spent their money on ordering pizza in on Tuesday when Josh was at work late (returning his students' belongings to their parents as they swung by the school pick-up line) as I was miserable from tooth pain.

Celebrating... our last day of school, finally!!  The last three months have been a challenge, and not at all what we expected the end of third or sixth grade to look like.  But we made it, and with flying colors.  The boys grades are excellent, their participation was great, and for the most part, all our attitudes stayed on the positive side. So I am calling this year a win!!

Reading... Little Women with the boys while Josh has a turn laying Carly down for a while.  We finished Call of the Wild so quick, Josh said to read them another chapter book and Little Women is what I chose.  They are really liking it so far, and Wyatt made me laugh when he asked, "If a girl who acts like a boy is a tomboy" (like Jo)... "then what is a boy who acts like a girl called?" I didn't have an answer for him.

Having... a mouthguard made by my dentist, in hopes that my stress-related teeth clenching would be stopped by a good mouth guard and that would eliminate my tooth pain.  But I also have a follow up with the endodontist to see if my problem is due to my needing a root canal. (fingers crossed) We'll see what's up.

Taking... George to the vet to get his eye checked out.  All the stress of Ramona passing, getting a new kitten and adjusting to Grady as George has spent more time downstairs seems to have created an eye infection for him, which I guess is quite common.  So he needs a twice daily ointment to heal up.  Poor guy.
I also took Molly in to the vet this week to get her first set of shots.  She was a super good girl and didn't seem phased by them at all.

Watching... Orange Is The New Black, and enjoying the prison riot episodes. They're so intense!! We only have two (ish) seasons left, and then I'm not sure what we'll watch. But I know I will miss all these characters!!

Visiting... the chiropractor in case my jaw tension is from any neck issues.  I'm telling you, being in this kind of pain from my jaw/teeth has me attacking it from all sides. 

Talking... to my mom about the pool she and my dad are gifting us (!!!!) since the pool here in town likely won't be opening this summer (thanks a lot Coronavirus!) and about how life is hard right now and how much we miss each other.  I guess I can thank Coronavirus genuinely for making me realize how important my people are to me.  I won't take seeing them for granted after this, that's for sure.

Enjoying... another visit from my sister & her crew.  The kids had so much fun together, and we (as always) had a great time catching up.  She even helped me with a project I'd been putting off.  A while back I ordered another bookshelf for my bedroom and it came last week.  Josh put it together for me, but I still hadn't unpacked my journals and put them on it, so Roxanne helped me.  They have been in boxes since we moved ten months ago! It feels so good to see them all on their shelves.  I have over one hundred!

Spending... movie night on the "phone" (pretend ones made from Tinker toys) with Carly, who told me she lived next door and asked me to deliver her pizza and cookies to "the purple house" where she lived. Then when the movie was over, she called to thank me for the good pizza & cookies.  She's just so much fun. I'm so glad she's ours.

Happy... that Wyatt is doing so well off Singulair.  I was nervous at first when his pulmonologist and I agreed we'd try to take him off of it.  But his lungs have shown no changes, and I'm so relieved. 
(Singulair has been linked with depression and suicide and I didn't want to have that risk for Wyatt if I didn't have to.  That's why we chose to take him off it.  He's currently on Asmanex, a daily prevention inhaler, and that's working to keep his lungs healthy.)

{I love this}

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{100% accurate}

2017-2018 School Year

These three guys' last day of school was Friday.  They are out for summer!!! This school year feels like it flew right by!  I think part of that is how sick everyone was and how busy I was taking care of them.  Wyatt's asthma has a way of making the weeks fly by in a blur of no sleep and lots of worry.  Thankfully he's healthy now and we have an appointment next week to get his allergy testing done, so hopefully that will give us some answers about if anything is exacerbating his asthma.

The twins wrapped up fourth grade with good grades and happy memories.  They have grown so much during their two years in public school and I think they are ready to start fifth grade.  We have opted, again, to have them in separate classrooms because we feel that is what's best for their distinct personalities and it decreases the chances that they will be compared to each other, which is something we are trying to minimize.  (They still do it, but we want to make sure that we, as adults, aren't doing it!  Harder than it sounds!)

Wyatt finished first grade with some amazing testing results and we're super proud of the awesome student, reader & speller he is.  He really excels in school and it's nice to see him blossom there.  I think he's looking forward to some downtime, though, as he loves to play and be outside, really misses Carly when he's at school, and loves to spend time in the garden.

I am nervous for summer with all of them home, I won't lie.  The spring was hard for me as I struggled with anxiety and I worry how I will make sure I get some "me time" in with the four kids home, but since Josh is a teacher, he will be home, too, and he assures me that it will all be okay.  (I thank God for that guy everyday. Seriously.)

I've made some bucket lists for myself and the kids, as well as some realistic things that the kids and I need to accomplish each day.  I think it will create a nice balance of work and fun for all of us, and it makes me less anxious for what's to come.  I've committed to walking everyday because it's so good for my mental health, and Josh agrees that it's something that's really good for me, so we're on the same page there.  Early bedtime is also a must because I will continue teaching with VIPkid throughout the summer, so that will help keep the kids and I on a good schedule.  I'm also hoping to do some adventuring in our area.  Even though we've been here two years, there are a lot of places we've yet to explore.

I'll close this little end of the year post with some first & last day of school photos so you can see how the kids have grown (maybe especially Carly!?!) and changed this year.  It's so fun to see!

August 2017

May 2018

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First Day of School

Last Day of School