Around Here Twenty-Two: 05/26-06/01

A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this minute.

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 160+ hours (of 1000)
Racking up over 23 hours this week from baseball, outdoor projects, our volleyball game, dog walks, and just playing outside.  The weather has been slowly getting sunnier, but still not very warm which has been sort of depressing.  We are ready to swim!  Gem really believed that Greyson finishing school and it being 'summer' would automatically mean we could start swimming immediately.  But alas, the weather is saying it don' work that way.  We are 43 hours behind our intentional outdoor time at this week last year (grr!) but I am hopeful that we'll catch up and surpass very soon.

Reading The Post Birthday World by Lionel Shriver and really liking it.  It is very wordy, but a nice change of pace for me as I haven't read one with so much dimension to every sentence since Wally Lamb's I Know This Much is True.  And since I finished The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood this week, it's time to figure out how to watch the Hulu Series!

Cheering on the sidelines at the Path of the Flood Race - 5K, 12K, and half marathon.  It was our second year in a row setting up a little cheer station in Franklin with the kids and our homemade signs and pom poms.  I've always believed I have a 'soul cheerleader's spirit' and I believe in the power of encouragers - especially after running a half marathon this past year. So B and the kids and I whooped and hollered, clapped, high fived, and encouraged all the runners that came through there on Saturday morning.  Restores my heart, honestly.

Partying it up for Gigi's birthday at their house with pink strawberry cupcakes and yummy dinner.  Last year at Gigi's birthday party we spent the whole day swimming!  This year, the pool isn't even opened yet - waaah.  This weather!?

Taking full advantage of the clear skies on Memorial day though to work outside at our house.  We spent the whole day trimming bushes, painting our retaining wall (what a difference - love it!!), mowing grass, planting our new flowers and bushes, and B, my Dad, and Greyson started our new outdoor patio table.  My parents came over to help us and have a cookout and it was such an awesome and productive day!  While also feeling gratitude and reverence for those that sacrificed everything so that we could choose to do whatever we want everyday.

Playing volleyball together again on Tuesday at our co-ed game.  B was able to make it this week and it was so fun to play beside each other again after last summer off.  We had all four kids with us (!) and somehow, miracle of miracles, they were incredibly well behaved and sat on the hill and watched us the whole time.  I think Grey's 100degree temp had something to do with the general calmness - but whatever works?  HAH.

Celebrating the last day of school!  Grey finished up first grade on Thursday and I think I'm more relieved than him.  First rule of Summer:  NO BEDTIMES.  hahha, it's been such an annoyance to tell the kids to go to bed while the sun is literally still out and now that's summer, I do not care when those kids go to bed.  Grey said, "So I can stay up all night and watch Impractical Jokers?" and I was like, "Dude, go for it."  The only stipulation was that if they stay up later than us - they'll be putting themselves to bed, which is incentive enough for Gemma and Violet to go to sleep when we do; they like our little bedtime routine:  tuck in tight, kisses, "Goodnight my little angels," and listening to me read my book aloud in a british accent until they fall asleep.  #dontjudgeme.  As for Grey - he already slept on the couch last night.  Whatever.  it's summer.

Baseballin' at the kids' games.  Gem had one last Friday and Grey had two this week.  The weather was terrible on one night, but luckily I got a parking spot close enough to the field that I watched most of the game from Sheila while Violet and Rusty slept.  And then last night, Grey had a great game with a pop-up catch, lots of outs while he played first base, and an in-the-park homerun.  We didn't realize until after we got home and I was showing his at bat videos to Brandon (who missed the game for a school negotiations meeting) that Grey had hit the cycle!  He had a single, double, triple, and a homer last night (not in that order).  B and Grey were so excited!

Mentally blocking the thought that our Rusty is going to be one this weekend.  I ordered birthday party invites so late that some of our guests had to receive a text this week that said, "The invitation is in the mail but Rust's party is this weekend!"  Goodness, so unlike me, but I've really done next to nothing to plan it.  I think my subconscious is all, 'nope.  my baby is not going to be one yet.  Nope, nope, nope.' So far I've ordered invitations and decided it's going to be Shark themed...and literally THAT IS IT.  the party is on Sunday, hahhhhahhahahhhahhahahhahha.  (thank you to our family and friends who have already texted me to see what they can bring to the party - I seriously love you and am so grateful to you).

Loving Violet's funny little personality.  She loves to "wide my scootah," and says she's our 'meatball baby.' (she loves meatballs, also her little belly/booty) She is learning how to play real board games (thanks to Gemma's sudden interest) and is a great big sister to Rusty already, letting me know when he's being dangerous or naughty.  When she sees a hornet, wasp, or bee she says, "it's a horn!," she calls eyebrows: 'eyedrops,' and her favorite song to sing is "I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee." And she STILL loves her bubba and chill (good Lord). She took a late nap the other night and ended up staying up until after midnight (B and I had a movie night: Hacksaw Ridge which was an incredible, true! story - but very violent and gruesome) and Violet sat over near the books and read to herself and had a great 'ole time.  If I'm being honest, she was born right at the perfect birth order.  Not the oldest of either gender so the pressure is off - we're pretty laissez-faire about her raising up (see: still drinking a bubba for quiet time at 2.5 years) but she's also not the baby, with all the 'don't grow up yet, stay a baby forever' feels (see: I'm pretending Rusty isn't going to be one).  She probably gets the best version of us as parents just naturally (sorry other kids!)

Making meatball sandwiches, slow cooker cream cheese taquitos,and a roast in the crockpot with this recipe (which turned out so delicious and tender).  The girls and I made Iced Oatmeal cookies, but without the icing because they were perfect right out of the oven! We gave some to Grey's busdriver Rob on the last day of school too with a little thank you note and a wish for a happy summer!