Intentional Hours Outside: 414 hours (of 1000)
Up twelve hours from last week - we got in some outdoor time taking the dogs for walks, cheering Grey on at his football games, mowing, and doing laps around the house with a slightly fussy-growth-spurt baby. I loaded all four kids up in the car one afternoon after school to head out to Greenhouse park for some playground fun and the three big kids got a chance to put their toes in the Stonycreek river while we were there because it was so low and slow-moving. With summer winding down I keep feeling the urge to relish in all things summer before I know they'll slip away and winter will be here in no time and we'll be trapped in the house.
Reading Home Field by Hannah Gersen and our illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling with Greyson at bedtime.
Celebrating my thirty-third revolution around the sun. thirty-three feels pretty darn awesome, like I know who I am and what I want and I'm young enough to dream big and old enough to have some experience and perspective to keep me realistically ambitious. seriously, you guys, thirties is where it's at. We had pizza and night swimming at Gigi and Pappy's house on Friday night and like a true 33 year old wild child, I took an hour and a half nap during my birthday party. #lookoutworld Then, in annual tradition, my best friend Kate and I had our grown-ups only dinner date with our hubbies to celebrate our birthdays (her's is two days before mine) and we sent a little birthday wish out to baby James, our other best friend Karpy's newest babe who's birthday came right between Kate's and mine! We're kind of like the coolest birthday club ever.
Feeling so grateful for this handsome hubs of mine who has been so supportive and interested in everything I talk about school and teaching (which is like 24/7). The homework for last week in my class was to take a #spanishselfie with Spanish they found in their home or community - and didn't my adorable husband send me his #spanishselfie on Friday morning. I was smiling and swooning like it was 1999 and we were in high school again. seriously my man knows the hidden tributaries to my heart.
Laughing (sort of) at the state of our home which is mess to the max. Between back to school for Grey, juggling a new schedule for me (not just the part time work, but the lesson planning and after school tasks), and Rusty being more interested and able to do some more things (neglect-a-saucer is out! yay! hah) - are house is in shambles. I've been using our weekends to do some bigger cleaning and chore-makeup which keeps the sanity in check...but during the week...it is actually kind of comical. My bff Kate sent me a quote that I'm fully supportive of in the moment, "Treat the mess like fairy dust. Someday it will be gone and it will take all it's magic with it." yep, that's the way I'm choosing to look at in this season of our life.
Loving my girls' and Rusty's happy faces when I come home from school in the early afternoons. They got to spend time with Daddy, Pappy, and Aunt Dar (thank you!!) this week and they are thrilled to get to play and show off to undivided attention. The kids even said last Saturday, 'aren't you going to work today? we want someone to babysit us.' (HAH!) I have been feeling guilty with the truth in my soul that I am so happy to be back in the classroom (you guys, I love teaching so much) and have this internal mean girl asking why I wasn't this completely fulfilled (is that the right word even?) as just a full-time sahm. And I was, but I'm somehow more balanced now - as a human, as a wife, and as a mum that I have this thing that I'm doing that feeds my soul and brain and creativity. I don't know - I'm still working it all out inside and I'm sure I'll write about it more, but I just feel so much more sane and happy and excited.
Getting through that weird back to school transition period when everyone is tired and out of swing with the new schedule. Grey has loved first grade so far, but has also been pretty wiped out after learning all day (read: CRANKY). His vocabulary seems like it's made a huge leap in just this first week and half of first grade! He's been throwing out in casual conversation: absolutely, irritating, furious, and suspicious like it ain't no thang. He also has been sporting this 'big kid' attitude where he's waaay cooler than all of us, especially Gemma and I who know nothing compared to his first grade infinite wisdom. #Lordgivemepatience It will all balance out here in a few weeks (we'll get used to this big first grade kid! and he'll figure out how to be big but without so much 'tude), so we'll just hang in there until then. Bedtimes and dinners are slowly getting more normalized and I'm working on getting into an afternoon snack planning rotation - because when booboo gets home he's STARVING.
Adoring Rusty's little smiley face as he reacts to us talking to him. He loves having 'conversations' with all of us and Aunt Dar and the girls had him full-blown laughing out loud this week. He is so loved and all three big kids will stop dead in their tracks of imagination immersion to lean towards him, kiss him on the head and say, "hi Rusty, i love you."
Cracking up at Gemma and Violet's collaborative play. They spend most of the school day playing babies and pretending they're going to lunch with their boyfriends ("mine is really cute"-Gemma Ro) and making plans for a wedding they are always having to go to in the backyard. Gemma calls Violet girlfriend all day long - "Come on girlfriend! Let's go put make-up on" and the two of them stomp around the house with my flats and sandals while carrying purses the size of their bodies and half their weight.
Making Chicken supreme casserole which had me getting into a cozy fall/back to school mood. The girls helped make a batch of these chocolate chip coconut oat cookies for an afternoon snack, and Brandon grilled these honey garlic pork chops one night.
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