Around Here Week 20: 05/17-23

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

photo cred: CTASD

photo cred: Sam R

photo cred: Heather R

three graduates in the family! 

photo cred: Michael O'Ship

photo cred: Deanna M

photo cred: Deanna M

photo cred: Deanna M

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 136+ hours (of 1000)
It is definitely spring in Pennsylvania which means you have to change your wardrobe five times in the day to accommodate for the weather. It's a surprise everyday (sometimes every hour) which season we will experience - almost summer like with blue skies and sun so bright you're squinting and sweating to strong winds and chilly light rain that gives football season vibes to downright cold and questioning if those are raindrops or snowflakes. Western PA is not a place to live if you like consistency or predictability when it comes to your weather. 

Reading and finishing Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. An important and incredibly well done coming of age story. Thank you Jenn V for the borrow and suggestion! Next I started Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score which I am reading alongside my friend and coworker Elizabeth. We both purchased our book at the book launch party for my friend Renee's book shop The Laurel & Leaf. Lucy Score is generally a good time, so it is easy to get back into the small town vibes story. Speaking of The Laurel & Leaf bookstore, I got my summer reading book list sent to Renee to be ordered this week, yay!!

Listening to and finishing The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough. Holy Cow, what an amazing, detailed account of that event. I got to have dinner and chatting with the people who participated in The Path of the Flood reading group too! For the past few months, I have managed a facebook group with other readers as we read the book and we finally got together in person to discuss the book. It was so nice to hear everyone's thoughts and reflections. How grateful I was to go into the restaurant that night, not really knowing who (if anyone!) would be there and in total there were seven of us - three of whom are good friends and educators! (thank you for participating Megan, Jakeb, and Renee!) 

School stuff this week: 

• Rusty and the third graders had their Pittsburgh zoo field trip
• Violet and her group did their presentation on France
• Olive had her snack day on her birthday - she took in mini donuts to share
• Grey and Gem took their necessary Keystone state testing exams this week (Lit & Bio for Grey and Algebra for Gem)
• I emailed photos of Violet and her friends over the years for the fifth grade promotion video
• Red & Olive graduated from PreK and had their last day of school on Friday!

Thinking of Gigi on the second year anniversary of her passing. Two years later and I am no way exaggerating in the least when I say I still cannot believe it. Just impossible that she is not alive. I miss her everyday, most days in a dull heartache, but some days in a flash of shock and absolute despair. For the smallest reason, the grief washes over in a tidal wave and feels unbearable. But I let the tears come and take some deep breaths and can get through the surprise of how deep the water still feels without her. (Grief is like glitter). We talk about her all the time, I send photos to B and Pappy and the big kids when they pop up in my memory feed. The windchime in our back yard rings and we say that is Gigi talking to us (Olive sits out there under the tree and says 'hi Gigi'). Gemma wears her jewelry, Violet wears her smile. We are all always looking at the clock right at 4:44 and know it's her.  Brandon finds quarters every where and says, "Mom, how about you start leaving my $20 dollar bills - you know I got all these kids to feed!" She is part of our lives every single day. Love you gigi.

Celebrating our FIVE YEAR OLD babiest baby Olive! We had tacos and confetti cake gobs with homemade whip cream filling for dinner. She took in mini donuts to school for snack and mini cupcakes to her soccer game to share with teammates. We have a Teen Beach Movie birthday party planned but had to reschedule it because the weather is not giving beach vibes (at all - high of 40 degrees and rain!?) My youngest baby is five years old which seems an impossibility - although she sure has the sassiness to match! She is the perfect amount of sweet and sassy and she is absolutely adored (and babied) by everyone in the family. Our little queenie Loopy Lou, she rules the roost!

Applauding our two pre-K graduates! Maple Ridge held their PreK graduation ceremony on Thursday night and B and I got to watch Red and Liv sing their songs, dance, and receive their diplomas. What a blessing the PreK teachers and Maple Ridge have been to our family this year. Red and Olive learned and grew so much - they made friends, read great stories, and took field trips. Their lives (all our lives) were enriched by the educators that helped them get ready for Kindergarten. They adore the teachers, principals, aides, and all school workers that they were encouraged by this year. Some favorites were their teachers (obviously) Mrs. Gongloff, Mrs. Lesko, and Mrs. Cook and the classroom aides, Ms. Heather and Ms. Cookie. Their beloved principal Mr. Spangler, their funny and cool gym teacher Mr. McCormick, and their amazing bus driver, Mr. Brandon were among the ones most talked about at home. 

Giving Violet & Rusty a kiss goodbye as they headed off to Yogi bear campground with the Maurer family for Memorial day weekend. A long weekend full of camping, swimming, Spike ball, biking, and time with friends - the luckiest! (thank you for having them!)

Cheering on the runners at the Path of the Flood race on Saturday morning. Uch was part of the Path of the Flood race committee this year (bravo!) and we set up our aide/water/cheer station in the usual spot - in Woodvale before the tunnel only about a mile from the finish line. We are the last spot to charge up and make it to the end. We take it as a personal challenge to motivate the runners and get them to smile and keep on keeping on. One runner said to us, "I really thought I was going to get up here and there was going to be like 50 people cheering and here is just you four." Hahhhaa, we take our jobs of motivating the runners with fun and joy very very seriously. It was a great morning spent with my Mumma and sisters. (xxox love you more)

Taking a day of rest on Saturday and doing literally the bare minimum. We mostly lounged around, read, and took a long hot shower. I literally went to bed at 7p on Saturday and it was amazing. The weather was perfect for doing nothing (rainy, chilly, and dreary) and I think my soul really was grateful to have no expectations. Brandon and I kept looking at chores (laundry, vacuuming, etc) and saying, "I think that's a tomorrow problem, right?" LOL, sorry Tomorrow Tab & Brandon! 

Time with family and friends. Gemma went thrift shopping with Aunt Kitty, out to eat with Abba and Chum, and had two soccer kickarounds with her friends at the high school field. Grey went to the outdoor store with the Conn family (thank you!) and then to Applebee's all you can eat ribs with the guys. We had lots of help for rides/games on Thursday night of PreK graduation - thank you to Chum, Pappy, and Kitty who all snagged big kids to go to games/practices while B and I attended preK graduation.

Teaching the last week of elementary school! The lower grades were done one week earlier than the upper grades because they are having massive renovations over the summer and all the teachers needed time to get packed up and ready. The younger kids had zero complaints - hah! In expo, we finished the geography unit and started on week 4, but abbreviated because the eighth graders had some special events planned. Spanish 1 learned about Selena and we started watching the movie while also de-decorating my room (a very big task). Spanish 2 turned in their final house projects with essays and their speaking presentations. So proud of all of them - I loved seeing their creativity on their house designs. 

Sporting with two 6U AYSO soccer games for Olive and Coach Momma (we had birthday snacks after our game on her birthday!) Reddy had one coach pitch baseball game and Rusty had two minor youth league baseball games. Violet had one Sparks soccer practice and three 12U AYSO soccer games. Gemma turned in her softball uniform, REFed 14U and 10U AYSO soccer games, and had one Gators soccer game. Gem also went to get her ankle/foot checked that has been giving her trouble for the last year. No breaks were found, but she does have some weakness and stretched tendons - so she'll attend Physical Therapy for eight sessions and have it rechecked. Grey had four baseball practices and one District5 semifinal baseball game (we lost - our first loss of the season which also made it our last game of the season!! Heartbreaking, but a record of 19-1 is something to be proud of - You can hold your heads up high, fellas!)

Making kielbasa, veggies, and tortellini on the blackstone, ground beef tacos, crack chicken sammies, church picnic chicken on the blackstone with roasted broccoli, and buffalo chicken dip. We also had dinner out to celebrate Red and Olive's PreK graduation at Tailgatez (my favorite grilled chicken salad!) and I made brownies with peanut butter on top (just like Gigi) and confetti cake cookie gobs for Olive's birthday. 

Around Here Week 19: 05/10-16

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

photo cred: Candace M

Mother's day charcuterie by Gemma

photo cred: Jenilee L

photo cred: Michael O'Ship

photo cred: Michael O'Ship

end of year shenanigans

photo cred: Deanna M

photo cred: B

photo cred: Jamie K

photo cred: Candace M

Intentional Outdoor Hours: 123+ hours (of 1000)
I love you, spring. welcome back. 

Reading and finishing Lost Man's Lane by Scott Carson. I really enjoyed the book and laughed a lot of the time thanks to the character Weller specifically but also just the narration of a teen growing up in the 90's. It was spooky at times and supernatural and really great characters. Giving Stranger Things coming of age vibes - thank you Russell T for the recommendation! Next up is Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. It has been great so far and I am flying through it (graphic novel). Thank you Jenn V for the borrow! Two coming of age stories back to back with polar opposite settings and experiences!? wild. 

Listening to The Johnstown Flood. I also scheduled our Path of the Flood book club meeting for Wednesday of next week so we can discuss the book before the race on Saturday! 

Proud to stand with our Gemmi who was confirmed at St. David's on Sunday morning - a perfect Mother's day start! The mass was beautiful and Ms. Christy said kind and heartfelt words about each confirmand. A big thank you to all the youth mentors and teachers at St Davids - we appreciate you so much. 

Celebrating Mother's day with Gemma's confirmation, Violet's sparks soccer game, and then my favorite foods at home (perfect!) Gemma made me a charcuterie board (you know your girl loves to be snacking!) and B made so much food on the grill - all my favorites: chicken, shrimp, fried rice with green onions on top! So many sweet texts from mom friends who I am grateful to walk alongside in this journey of motherhood. I will take the pampering, but it is honestly the privilege of my life to be their mother and his wife.

School stuff this week 

• Violet performed a solo in her spring concert
• Rusty had a speaking part in his spring concert
• Red & Olive enjoyed carnival day at PreK with a petting zoo, helicopter and fire truck visits, snow cones, and lots of games
• Reddy & Liv got to visit the book fair at their school
• Violet participated in the Math24 competition and made it to semi-finals
• I ordered the babies' preK graduation outfits

So thankful to make it to everybody's stuff, even if only for a little bit. Many of the days this week were stacked with multiple activities, but through the grace of the universe and some logistical planning I was able to make it to see all the kids do some of their stuff. Monday alone was Gemma's softball game, Grey's parking lot send off for the Heritage championship baseball game, Coaching Olive's 6U AYSO soccer game, Reddy's baseball game, Violet's solo at her spring concert, and then rushing out to Marion Center (55min drive) to catch the last two innings of the championship baseball game - and they won! Thank goodness for grandparents and teammates who helped make sure all the kids got to where they needed and had cheering faces for the entire length of their activities. Our schedule is definitely full, but our hearts are even more so. 

Smh because how did this outside cat become an inside/outside cat? Nova is living his best life running wild and free and hunting all the things outside and then takes long cat naps in the house (he loves the hallway closet upstairs, Olive's bed, and the yellow chair in the living room). The land of no rules because we all cherish snuggles and creatures too much. 

Outside work day on Saturday so that we could get started on spring chores. Brandon and Grey stained/painted a bunch of things that needed some TLC (back porch posts and shutters) and everyone pitched in to mulch the flower beds around the house. I spent over an hour brushing Osa which she loved so much. We moved some seedlings to outside and did a lot of mowing. Grey and B even got the string lights hung up under my direction (hahhaa, they love that) It looks refreshed and ready for spring around here (at least on the outside of the house! hah!) 

Happy birthday party to my baby sister Uchie. We hosted Uchie's party and I made the cake, but Kevin did all the planning and food prep! We hung around by the fire ring eating delicious food while the kids all ran around and played. We had got the string lights up just in time for the party (thank you B and Grey!) so it was all the right vibes while Gemma manned the playlist. Happiest birthday to my babyiest sis. 

Time with family and friends: Rusty got a sleepover and fishing with his friend Liam, Violet had a birthday sleepover at Lillian's house. Grey went fishing with his buddies too. Heather and I had an end of the year lunch together in my classroom with sandwiches from Awakened Brewery (delicious!)

Teaching and really feeling the end of the year looming. I am sporadically seeing my elementary classes as they are bouncing around on field trips, but I got to celebrate with them at the end of year carnival day (where the PTA gets the teachers a coffee from the Tom's Coffee truck - yay!) The high school students had state testing this week, so the week is all off for scheduling - I missed two of my classes three times this week due to the scheduling changes. 

Sporting with two 6U AYSO soccer games for Olive and Coach Momma. Reddy had one coach pitch youth baseball game and Rusty had one youth minors baseball game. Violet had one sparks soccer practice, two Sparks soccer games, and as a 'mathlete' she participated as the only girl on her team in the Math24 competition where she made it to semifinals! Gemma had one Gators soccer game, two softball games, and her last softball practice with the end of the year pizza party. Grey had one baseball practice, two baseball games - including the Heritage conference championship game that they won! Heritage Conference Champs! He also had his sports massage with Miss Emma this week. We all got to line the school parking lot on Monday afternoon to lead the baseball team out on their way to the championship game with cheers and honking! I got Rusty signed up for fall youth football, and scheduled everyone's well checks for the summer months so they could get their sports physicals for next season. 

        Gemma pitched for the first time ever (in her whole life) at one of her games this week and it was the epitome of what we believe is the value of sports as a parents. It was brutal, she's never pitched in a game before (practiced pitching for only the first time this season at home and at practice a few times) but her team needed her. It was brutal...brutal because pitching is just hard, because everyone at the field is literally looking at you do something you don't feel confident doing, because the entire game hinges on your performance. (It's still nerve-wracking to watch Grey pitch and he's been pitching since he was 9 years old). But despite the pressure, our girl HUNG IN THERE. She tried, tried, and tried again. She walked plenty of players, she struck out a few, she took deep breaths, her teammates gave her encouragement, she looked to her coaches for words of guidance and she tried so many times that the merciful other coach had his players make intentional errors to get out of the inning (which she was embarrassed by because she just couldn't make it happen herself while I was sending gratitude vibes to the coach for being so gracious about it). It was one of the bravest thing we've watched Gem do in a long time. She stuck it out and just kept trying. She kept herself composed on the mound, took a breath and faced the batter time and time again. At the end of the inning, she sobbed in the dugout out of frustration, out of disappointment, out of shame that she couldn't just do the thing she wanted her body to do. I got to hug her and said, "That was so brave!! Your team needed you and you stepped up to do it even though it felt like an impossible task! There is no shame in the way you held you head high and didn't give up. We are so proud of you!" 

    At Grey's championship game, he went to the mound to pitch the last two innings. I knew his shoulder has been bothering him and I sat wide eyed as he walked out there with the game on the line. (mommas to pitcher, IYKYK). He stayed calm and level headed, even as the game was incredibly high pressure. At one point, the count was full and the batter hit (I'm not even kidding) five foul balls - I knew Grey's shoulder was killing him, but he took a deep breath and shook it out and locked in to his job for his team. In the bottom of the last inning in which the game was tied up, I was wishing with all my might for a run - please don't let him have to go out again...I knew he would though, he would do what was needed for his team. God Bless, Brycey Conn (one of Grey's best friends) who hit the walk off RBI. When I got down to the field after the game, I gave Grey a hug and was overwhelmed with the smell of Biofreeze (thank you Reedy Conn for loading him up!) 

That is why we value sports: of course, it is great to win, it is cool to be athletic - but sports expose and exploit your weaknesses and if you have the mental toughness to not give up - you get to stare the challenges in the face and say, "I'm going to try anyway." When the pressure is on and your teammates and coach are looking to you and saying, 'we need someone to keep their head even when the stakes feel high. We need someone who is going to help lead us to glory or carry the burden of defeat, can you be that guy?' and THOSE are the skills that serve you for the rest of your life. 

Making instagram chicken with rice, meatball sub sammies, sheet pan chicken fajitas, beef ramen, take out pizza from Martin's (our fav!), spaghetti, For Uchie's birthday I made funfetti cake with homemade whipped cream icing and Kevin brought delicious food (burgers, shrimp, crab cakes!)