Around Here Week 25: 06/19-25

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

Studerbabies farm fun!

photo cred: Uch

photo cred: Erin

photo credit: Uch

Studerbabies!

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 353+ hours (of 1000)
Another whopping 39 hours this week outdoors to add to the tracker! Plenty of sun, swimming, sports, and wonderful outdoor time! We got to take Violet's friend Giada with us to the baseball fields on Friday night and when I dropped her off I apologized to her mom - "sorry, they are all absolutely filthy!" and her sweet mom replied, "That means it must have been a great time!" and I was like - yes, true indeed! Full disclosure - there is a whole lot of baths via pools and lakes these days (hahaha, summer perk)

Reading not too much - we had a lot going on this week so I was pretty distracted. By the time I was getting into bed at night, I was getting through about a paragraph before passing out cold. (hah!)

Appreciating the amazing Dads we have in our life on Father's day (but also every day!) We finished up our Ohiopyle getaway with our family on Sunday and then headed home to unpacking and laundry. But B and I spent most of the afternoon drifting in an out of sleep in a snuggle up in the double up with the two babies and that was actually a perfect Father's day. (thank you to our Dads, our kids' goddads, and all the daddies out there loving and raising babies!)

Sending Grey for a evening of fun at his friend Mary's pool party (thanks for the invite!) and then he snagged a sleepover with his friend Gabe because those two boys sure know how to sweet talk their mommas (amirite, Jenn? hah!) 

Having another great week of Studerbabies Farm & Free play with some repeat families and some new faces too! 

Honoring the first day of summer by building some rock cairns at Greenhouse park with the kids. 

Getting things organized for Ariel's graduation party. I offered to be party planner because I love that stuff - so this week, I confirmed with our family and friends making food, pulled out the tablecloths and other decorations, and made my final grocery/packing list. 

Celebrating our Chummie who made it to retirement! He has worked at the water authority for 40 years! The company hosted a celebration for them at the Boulevard Grill and we were all so proud to attend in his honor. Kitty put together a little jar full of photos of Chum attached to popsicle sticks in case his co-workers already miss him (hah! love that idea!) The kids and I crafted up a Chum's Official Retirement activity spin board and there was plenty of delicious foods and drinks. So proud of my Dad and grateful he gets to have wide open days of retirement in his future! 

Shouting "Hey!" as Gemma plays the fight song on repeat on her trumpet on the back porch. You know the one. It's whole family participation around here when we hear that trumpet blaring the tune - hah! 

Visiting Laurel Hill State Park one afternoon with all the kids (7 kids and 1 mom! thank goodness for helpful big kids!) I figure either we stay at home while the kids bicker all day and wreck the house - or we venture out and get tired and dirty and the house stays exactly as dirty as it was when we laugh (LOL). We snagged two hours outside, I was able to swing by Walmart for my pick up order, and then we were home with 7 worn out kids! 

So grateful for the baseball and all star soccer season with Heather. In all our years raising these kiddos up, our sports seasons haven't overlapped and we've had to plan around all the kids' schedules to get together. But this past season (finally!) Grey and Caleb played on the same baseball team and we got to see each other multiple times a week at the games. Thank goodness for that because chasing Liv and Reddy around is such a challenge. Heather knows the way to both their hearts through fruit snacks (hah). And then Caleb and Gem both played all star soccer and we were able to coordinate food and drinks for the long soccer tourney days. So thankful for this season - probably both the first and last - but grateful to have got it at all! (love you! xxo)

Offering my reader's eyes and suggestions for my Uncle Steve who sent me his book about his childhood growing up in our big family (he was one of 14 and one of my grandma's brothers!) It was so wonderful to read some of the stories and I was glad to have the chance to give him some feedback while being inspired to just write the story on your heart! 

Playdating with the Fiores at Ebensburg Pool on Friday! We got to meet up with our besties at a perfect halfway point. The kids had a great time swimming and as always I was grateful to get to catch up in person with Kate. Sophie made us donuts and they were both beautiful and delicious. I got to leave Liv and Wells at home with B, so I was able to dedicate my focus to Reddy and the big kids. Kate hung out with Red for awhile so that I could swim and slide with the big kids - much to their delight. Isn't much better than Mom getting in on the fun! 

Celebrating our cousins' graduation at their party. Our cousins (twins!) Brody and Casey graduated from high school this year and we spent the evening at their party swimming, slip 'n sliding, and eating incredible food (Flair of Country never disappoints!) 

Sporting with another basketball open gym for Violet and Gemma and an all star soccer practice for Gemma. B and I played in our volleyball game at Roxbury (thank you Chum & Uch for watching the kiddos!) Grey had his baseball championship 3 game series with his CT team and they won the first, took a hard loss on the second, and then came back to win the third for the championship. Grey hit two dingers that last game, one of which was a walk off. He was so pumped. On Friday, his all star sanction team played in the CT tournament. I had worked a double shift in the concession stand to cover our family for the weekend and hired Gemma and  her friend Peyton to hang out at the field and watch all the kids while Grey played and B coached (it's always a circus!) Grey had a tourney game Friday night and then another on Saturday (they won both!) Gemma had her last all-star soccer tournament at Kidsport on Saturday. Another long day of soccer in the blazing heat - five games from 8:40a-3:20p in 90+ weather! They got second place again, but Gem had a great time playing! Thank you to all the coaches who love and help raise our babies up! 

Making leftovers from our weekend getaway took us almost the whole way through the week before we had a couple nights of take out. I ordered pizza right to the baseball field when Grey had a night game and then we had a championship celebration at Tollgate with some teammates after the game on Thursday. We had Chum's retirement party for dinner on Wednesday and then loads of concession stand food on Friday when I worked a double shift. Not a great week of meal planning - but some weeks be like that. For the soccer tourney on Saturday I made meatballs (for sammies), peanut butter powerballs, and funfetti muffins. I whipped up a batch of sugar cookies to include in the baseball tourney bake sale too. 

Keto check in: teriyaki salmon and veggies, chicken salads (thank you Uch!), kielbasa and veggies, and pulled pork. aw man, having some kind of adverse reaction to almonds which is a huge bummer because I love them so much (they're like my go to Keto snack!) Every time I eat them though I'm getting terrible GI stuff so I'm taking a break to see if that fixes my struggles.