Around Here Week 40: 10/03-09

 A glimpse into what it is like in our home just this moment. 

the little brothers and sisters of players and cheerleaders club

Center & QB 2016 to 2021

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 520+ hours (of 1000)
The two big boys, Olive, and I went for a walk one afternoon and what was going to be a quick out and back, turned into Grey convincing us to do the high school loop which is about 4 miles! Rusty didn't even have a shirt on (LOL) and at one point a family friend and one of Grey's former baseball coaches even stopped to make sure we weren't broken down somewhere because why would I be walking with the baby strapped to me so far from our house (thank you Coach Terry!) It was a really beautiful hike though and I was glad to get in some extra time with those two big boys and listen to all their weird little ramblings that spill out when you are just walking and thinking aloud. 

Reading and finishing I'm Still Here, Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown. Such an important read and I can feel gears switching and moving in my mind; kind of like light switches flicking on in rooms I didn't even realize were dim. Very grateful to have read the book and will be thinking and reflecting on it for a long time. 

Soaking in all this perfect fall weather. Warm but breezy. Some leaves changing but still plenty of green. Mums in full beautiful bloom. Windows open and curtains blowing in the breeze. Gosh, it is the weather that all my daydreams are made of. 

Stopping at the Pediatrician for well checks for Red and Olive. Both look good and healthy. I brought up my concerns about Reddy's speech (or lack of) and was relieved to hear that as a fifth kid with no red flags, I do not need to worry. We are working on lots of new signs for him, reinforcing using words to express ourselves, and using a little communication chart to point to pictures if he is really frustrated (things like hungry/diaper, etc)

Introducing food to the Livy Lou! She is so happy about it! 

Holding on as best as I can to sanity as Red has activated full toddler mayhem mode. How do we mothers forget? I honestly don't understand how it works because I've been through this stage 4 times and yet I forgot how impossible it is to accomplish anything with an 18month old in the house. Any chore you thought you were getting done has now been canceled out by the three new messes that your toddler just made behind your back. Clothes pulled out of hampers, all the kitchen cooking utensils sprinkled all over the house, snacks in the dogs' water dishes, diapers pulled off and poo carried around the house, clothes dipped into toilet water and swung around the room....it's a never-ending list of surprises of the total destruction that can be accomplished by tiny toddler hands within minutes. I'm just white flagging it over here - at least after 4 times through this I can appreciate that it is in fact a phase. 

Receiving the sweetest note and gift from one of my students. Her mom, a teacher, dropped it off with Brandon in the business office and when he brought it home and said this is from Sarah - I started tearing up immediately. She wrote such a thoughtful and beautiful message in the card. (thank you Sarah, from the bottom of my heart). I miss teaching Sarah and all my students so much but I am so relieved to not be sucked up in all the other parts of teaching right now (the planning, grading, paperwork, online lessons, etc). I just walk around grateful for this life right now to be home taking care of our family but with a broken teacher heart from missing 'my kids.' 

Babysitting my sweet nephew on Thursday night so his momma and daddy could go out to dinner. He is so precious and almost exactly 3 months behind Olive. In a year those three months won't amount to anything as a difference between them - but right now it is wild to see how much 3 months matters in all the ways of a baby growing. Oh Wells, I love you so. 

Celebrating our biggest kid who had a half birthday this week - eleven and a half! 

Surprising the sixth grade wing for their last regular season home game in the youth league. Some of our amazing 6th grade moms spent Thursday night decorating the players' and cheerleaders' lockers and their hallway to surprise them all on Friday. B wrote a little note to all the players to add to their treat bag - he's been coaching them for four years and he is so proud of those kids! And then after the last regular season game, we had a little 6th grade ceremony for the players & cheerleaders (it's their last year in youth football) So B and I got announced on the field with Grey and there were lots of pictures taken. Grey has had the same center since first grade and even thinking right now of the way that Gabey has protected my QB son all those years makes me want to cry with gratitude. (thank you Gabe forever and ever). I tell Grey all the time that he might be my favorite player, but when its game time I'm cheering for the lineman (thank you boys, for always protecting my baby).

Hunting on Saturday morning - Gemma got to go sit with Pappy in the tree stand while Grey and Daddy headed out to participate in the youth pheasant hunt at Mountain View Acres. Grey brought home a pheasant for us (yum!) and Gem and Pap only saw a doe. 

Visiting with our favorite friends The Kochs who came out to watch Grey's game. It has been awhile so each individual person in our family was overjoyed to get to hug them and spend time with them. The kids all played together at the game and then they stopped by our house afterwards from drinks and snacks. Now we can hardly wait to see them again! 

Sporting with 2 seven-hour days at the football field. On Sunday, all three kids had games against North Star (3 wins!) and then they played their last regular season game on Saturday against Rockwood (all 3 wins again!)   Violet's flag football team went undefeated this year and Gem and Grey's teams are off to the playoffs next weekend. Besides games, Violet had her last two football practices and a flag scrimmage against Windber! Gemma had two cheer practices and one basketball practice. Grey had two football practices and B was in the box for offense at the Varsity football game against Blacklick. 

Making instant pot lemon chicken and rice (so yum!), cheesy beef quesadillas, BBQ ribs in the crockpot, meatball sammies, copycat chik-fi-la sandwiches. On Saturday night after the game, we had some buff chicken dip as a late night snack!