Julaugtember

Well, I shouldn't have bragged about how easy my kids are at this stage. Because the next day, one of them was having a rock-throwing contest with the neighbor kids (always a good idea) and managed to break a window. Not ours. Awesome. They are all getting older now, and they care about what I tell people so they shall remain nameless =) But is it a real childhood if you don't break someone's window? I remember hitting a baseball with my Louisville slugger and breaking a window in the apartment building down the street. Not the smartest idea but I learned that maybe I should stick to baseball fields =)

And as I write this, another kid is grounded for tripping their sibling on the stairs and causing them to fall down a few steps. No more broken knees please, ugh. What is happening.

Winter managed to fracture, tear and dislocate her knee just by falling down in a weird way whilst playing tag in flipflops on the 4th of July. We're really hoping it heals completely and there are no long term effects. She missed out on some fun things this summer including Forest Home Camp & horse camp but true to form, she's had a great attitude about it all. Winter is such a delightful young lady. And both camps gave us a credit to use at another time when she's all better. Oh and she can hitch a ride with Dan to PT! 😂

I can't believe how fast time goes. We've been to Newport, Mom came into town and we're back to school. I'll do a separate Newport blog of course. It'll look pretty much like all of the other Newport blogs but the kids will be a tiny bit older haha.

Heard around here lately:

Angus: Being a criminal sounds really fun but jail does not.

Angus to me: So when I'm 25 you'll be like...94? (Math isn't really his thing)

3 Things that are making my life better right now are: 

1. Audiobooks. 

I've mentioned this before but having something fun to listen to while I do things that aren't exactly fun is the best thing ever. I drive a lot. I'm pretty much a taxi. I'm by myself half the time. Listening to a good book makes me a more patient driver. I'm lost in the world of the story. Also, I do a lot of laundry. Obvously. Laundy is so much more fun while listening to a good story. I walk 4 miles to audiobooks and go to sleep to audiobooks. It takes me a while to fall asleep sometimes so it's nice to pop an earbud in and drift off that way. I use the Libby app. I know that there are others but that's my favorite. It's free and easy to use. I'm connected to several other friends who are on the app including my librarian and bestie, Elizabeth. She sends me recommendations and puts holds on the app for me =) I love her.

2. Another thing that I just started doing might be something everyone does but I never used to. Snoozing emails. I know. Ground breaking. It's just so nice to delete, handle or snooze an email. I mostly do it for work but it also works in my personal account if I don't have time to answer the email. It comes back a few days later, unread so you don't miss it. Why can't I just leave it in my inbox you ask? I'm a minimalist who hates clutter. Do you snooze?

3. Colorblocking my week in my google calendar. 

There's no other way to explain this other than to show you. See below. I just did Monday. I usually do this on the weekend. I'm not that scheduled of a person, but it helps me to lay out my day so that I touch on everything I want to like groceries, shopping, exercise, my admin work, etc. I'm very visual so just seeing what I have that day in the morning helps me remember my priorities that day. It's not for everyone but I thought I'd mention it since it's super helpful to me. Many things repeat daily and you can set them to repeat in your calendar, so just a small tweek each week is necessary when changes come up. Take it or leave it, obviously.

And here are the more exciting photos for this blog.

Winter lived on the couch for days when she hurt her knee. She was in heaven. She cried when I told her it was time to get up and eat dinner at the table with the family.

This is the picture the kids chose to use for my Netflix account. Nice. They took the time to add my name and a pic and no one else's. 🙄

She's off the crutches now and the knee is doing much better.

Dan made steak. They're like seagulls. Just hanging out in case he leaves a bite unattended =)

Often in the summer when they weren't in the pool or at camp they did this. We have lots of couches. But they have always clustered together like this. 

We went to some weddings this summer. This one was super fun.

And on our way to the next wedding, we got to visit my adorable niece and her babes. So fun to meet my new great nephew. I love them all.

This one loves me. Don't be fooled by her coy expression haha =)

It was a lovely wedding 💕

The back of my dress broke, unbeknownst to me but from the front I think we looked very nice.

Angus is in love with Spanish. It all started with the song, Despacito 🤣. Then he learned some words in summer school. I told him about Duo Lingo. He's obsessed.

Waiting for Angus to get out of Spanish class. They offer it after school on Tuesdays. He was like umm obvisouly I'm doing that.

I took line dancing classes in July. It was a blast. I learned a handful of dances and I think I can actually do two of them to the music the whole way through without getting lost. It took lots of practice. Our field trip was to Montanas. It was the most fun.

We took Aunt Terry out for her 76th birthday. We talked her out of McDonald's and took her to Islands. She was okay with it since they had cheeseburgers and lemonade. 

We got our doggie fix at a friend's house.

Angus helping the girls pick out some good underwear. "These look comfortable."😆

I love Mya. She planned her whole birthday party, decorated it and ran it. She had her friends over for swimming, an ice cream bar and painting. And some slept over. The perfect day.

Dan is constantly trying to get Winter to wear longer shorts. Since they don't make shorts the length that would make them both happy. I had to buy some extra long shorts and cut them. 

Mya's 2nd day of school. On the first day, they all have to wear the same T-shirt so she likes for me to take a 2nd day of school pic =)

Mya is not big on animals so she has made plants her babies. She got this giant thing for her birthday. She named it The Hulk.

We went to a 90s bday party. Since we we all went to school together in the 90's it wasn't hard to come up with something.

Some firefighters and their wives all went to the magic castle. It was magical! 😍

I took a little getaway with my Karlita at the house she's staying at. It was so lovely.

And we found a giant pot!

Addie still sits where she wants on whoever she wants.

My mom came in to town for a few weeks. We miss her already.

I'm very slowly learning how to play the guitar. It has been my dream for as long as I can remember. Chords are really hard for me because I have a really short pinky and short fingers but I'm determined. 

We have decided to pay Addie to help Angus with his homework every day. Angus struggles with math and it has always been easy for her. She's doing an awesome job and our sanity is totally worth it. She's the cheapest tutor ever and she thinks she's getting a ton of money because she's 10. It's a win for all of us.

Dan has been doing Addie's hair in the mornings since Mya has zero period and is gone before she wakes up. He does a great job.

We hung out with some puppies yesterday. They were beyond adorable. We might have some doggie news soon but I'll save that for next time.  =)

Happy Sunday All! 

Next up, Newport pics 💙

And just like that, 7 months have passed...

The kids don't give me much writing material because they are well-trained and well-behaved with only minor setbacks from time to time for the most part. No complaints here. I've been waiting a decade for this. 

My 30's were a giant blur of diapers, strollers, wet beds, toddler tantrums, chicken nuggets, applesauce pouches, mac & cheese, and lost keys. There were also two dogs to add to the chaos. Unfortunately, both pups are no longer with us. We will be looking for a new one soon but not quite yet.

I've had no trouble filling the time that was once used to meet needs, answer questions, and clean up spills, as time is often not hard to fill. As the kids get older, the schedule becomes full with activities. So we are busier than ever during the school year. I can't wait until Mya starts driving. And summer has all the kids all over the place in different camps etc.

I thought I'd provide an update on the kiddos and Dan and me. Kind of like that Christmas card we never send out.

Mya - 

Mya is a beautiful soul inside and out. She is done with 9th grade. She took a few honors classes, advanced math, and orchestra. She still plays the stand-up bass. She works really hard for her A's and managed to keep them all year. No easy feat. She can't wait to grow up, get married, have babies and organize her house. She has started babysitting for different families, and volunteers at church with the toddlers and loves every minute of it. She also loves shopping but hates spending money which is a tricky thing =) Whenever I need to buy a gift for anyone, I often let Mya pick it out. She loves choosing the perfect thing. She's really good at it too. Of course she's a fan of thrifting like her mom too =) Mya plans on attending Citrus College so that she can save money and then who knows. Maybe she'll go into business, or something with babies or toddlers. Whatever it is that she ends up doing, she will do her best and succeed at it. 

Winter - 

Winter is 13 and completed 7th grade. She's 5'7 and adorable. Winter breezes through life. She also earned mostly straight A's without much effort. She makes friends easily and often earns the praise of her teachers. She is a friendly, easygoing teenager who rarely gets upset. Her goal is usually just to have fun doing whatever it is that she's doing in that moment. She still loves animals and dreams of owning a horse someday. She knows that they don't come cheap so she hopes her future husband has a good job so he can support her equestrian habits =) Winter also plays the stand-up bass in orchestra and enjoys it. At home, she fiddles around on the piano more than she practices her bass but at least she's making music. She hopes to make the volleyball team next year so fingers crossed. I've been practicing with her outside so we shall see.  

Addie - 

Addie is 10 and completed the 4th grade. She also earned all A's in school this year. She started the cello this past year, following in her big sisters' footsteps. She is still very tiny but steadily growing. I think she grew more this year than any so far. We are hoping she breaks 5 feet eventually. Addie is very smart, very artistic, and has a huge heart. She's the loudest person in the house. Well, maybe Dan is. But she's a close 2nd. She can be fierce when she gets mad and super crazy silly when the mood strikes. She never hides her emotions and isn't intimidated by anyone. She always roots for the underdog and loves all animals. She watches Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet every chance she gets. She says she wants to do something like that when she grows up. I hope she does. She also writes and illustrates stories for fun. She loves ocean life but doesn't really like going very far into the water since it contains sting rays and sharks. I tend to agree. Addie is so smart and creative. I can't wait to see what she does with her talents.

Angus - 

Angus is 9 and completed 3rd grade. He has been working SO hard. School doesn't come easily to him but he has the best attitude about it. I'm amazed by his inner joy and confidence in life. He has been working with a math tutor and is doing so great. He also just got glasses a couple of months ago because he's pretty blind unbeknownst to us. That should help him in school next year we're hoping. We bought him a basketball hoop for his birthday in May and he has been shooting hoops every day and hopes to play professionally someday. Like I said, he has an abundance of confidence. He's also the happiest person I've ever met. And the most obedient of the kids. He always says, "Okay Mom" or "Okay Dad" when asked to do something. It drives his sisters crazy because we never discipline him. He rarely needs it. He loves life and people and has tons of friends at school. He really is a lovely human. 

Dan -

Dan injured his shoulder in January and has been home from work since. He had shoulder surgery in March and has a few more months before he can return to work. It was a pretty extensive surgery with several repairs. He's been going to PT and has been trying to be as helpful as one person can with one arm. He can't wait to be able to use both arms again so that he can work on home projects again. He says that this is good practice for us since he'll be home all the time once he retires someday.  I don't think I really need a lot of practice for that =) We play a lot of board games most evenings and we try to get in a walk most mornings. It has been an adjustment having him home but I think we have found our rhythm. Now that it's summer and everyone is home all the time. I may need to find a hobby outside the home =)

Amie - 

I've been keeping myself busy as always, doing some admin work online, laundry, kid shuttling, grocery shopping, running errands, some cooking here and there and all the other things moms do. Oh and I've been in three bible studies and one book club. One of them I've been doing on zoom with my sisters and mom. We've been reading our way through the bible one book at a time starting with Genesis and we're now in the new testament so that's exciting. I love that we are all in different time zones and are still able to stay super connected. We are on the Marco Polo app daily too. I've been exploring a lot more in the kitchen making more and more plant-based recipes. I love challenging myself, trying to make good healthy food. I've also been trying to work out more. It's harder than you would think to work out without injuring yourself in your 40s. But I am determined. I've come to the conclusion that "low-impact" workouts are the safest bet. You know, the ones they make for old ladies. =) On Monday nights I've been taking "line-dancing" classes with some friends. An older lady named Donna teaches them and I'm loving learning the steps to my favorite genre of music. Country has always had my heart.

Summer is half over and we have been non-stop with camps and social engagements. Winter injured her knee so she is missing out on some fun things, but she's also loving not having to help out with chores. She also loves having breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacks served to her on the couch. She's actually my favorite patient in the house. She rarely complains, and gets lost in her books or TV shows all day. I forget that she's in there, poor thing.

Well that's about all that's happening. I've been trying to post this for months and life keeps getting in the way. Here's a TON of pics from December through July in no particular order because if I took the time to put them in order this post would eternally be in my drafts. =) My goal is to post monthly now. Fingers crossed.