catch the moment: wk 40

Wait, did I just type week 40? How are there only 12 weeks left in 2015? This, I have to admit, has been a rather dull photo week. It’s been a weird, kinda sad, super stressful and odd week with some really great moments sprinkled in for good measure. I’m looking forward to things being better going further into fall and October. This is definitely one of the boys’ favorite time of year with Halloween coming up. They love checking out spooky decorations and picking out their costumes -which we’ve yet to do. Yikes! Running out of time and this month is getting ready to fly by for us.

274/365: Thursday, October 1st. Theo is getting interested in video games! He’d been asking about going bowling so I suggested letting him try it on the Wii. He loves it and he’s rather good at it! As a bonus, his victory dance is pretty cute.10-01-2015

275/365: Friday, October 2nd. We went to the local high school’s homecoming parade to show our school spirit and when I pulled my DSLR to snap a couple pictures of the festivities, I found out that my battery was dead. Boo. We talked about going to the football game but it was windy and started to sprinkle so we decided to go to the movies and see Hotel Transylvania 2 instead. It was weird to see the boys running around with other kids and hearing kids who are complete strangers to me calling Theo’s name and chasing after him. It was a great family night! Dexter sure does love his blue raspberry icees & popcorn at the movies. I snapped this picture on my phone.

10-02-2015

276/365: Saturday, October 3rd. A brief break in the middle of a day FULL of fighting. It was a weird, rough day. I knew I needed to go shopping for myself and for the boys. All week I had been looking forward to my day of shopping ALONE! But the whole 5 hours I was gone, I was rushing through the racks, checking the time, and feeling anxious and frustrated. I couldn’t find anything I really liked. I didn’t want to spend money. It was so cold and rainy outside and the mall was blazing hot inside so I was burning up, plus carrying crap. I didn’t have a stroller so every time I wanted to look at anything, I had to sit all my stuff down. It just felt like an ordeal. I was so looking forward to shopping alone and I felt nothing but loneliness. I needed a second opinion. I missed my kids (who were home fighting). I didn’t feel cute at all when I tried things on. I tried to buy stuff for the boys and every time I held something up, I questioned if they would like it and if it would fit. I am not looking forward to taking them clothes shopping but I guess that’s what we’re coming to. Once I got home I immediately felt relieved and at the same time, mad at myself for not being able to enjoy my time. I started cleaning and cooking and playing with the boys and instantly felt better. 10-03-2015

277/365: Sunday, October 4th. Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day here in central Indiana. A perfect day for open windows, sidewalk chalk in the driveway, the smell of fabric softener wafting through the windows from the vent in the basement, candles burning, food cooking, grocery shopping, and all that other good Sunday stuff. For my instagram #souperbowlsundays challenge this week I made Hot Eats & Cool Reads’ Beefy Tomato Macaroni Soup. It might be my favorite soup so far. Looks like chili but no beans and totally different flavors. Very tomato-y and hearty. The leftovers tasted even better than the night I made it.10-04-2015

278/365: Monday, October 5th. UGH-the start of a very busy, hectic, and stressful work week. It started off by rushing the boys to their pediatrician’s office at 8am for their Flu Mist vaccinations and ended with me working late. Ironically, this was the domino setup Ryan designed with the boys that night. Theo and Dexter just haven’t been getting along very well lately. 10-05-20156

279/365: Tuesday, October 6th. I took a brief brain break from work to meet my sweet friend and her even sweeter baby (if that’s possible) at our favorite local spot for lunch. Baby’s first trip to Ben’s! Ryan’s parents stopped by Tuesday night with some fall and Halloween decorations for me to look through and to visit. We ended up all going out to eat, which was nice. Unfortunately, Dexter woke up Tuesday super congested with watery eyes and a runny nose from that stupid Flu Mist. I forgot that it’s a live virus and that Dexter probably had a similar reaction last year. I’m thinking about making him do the shot next year. He was miserable by bedtime.10-06-2015

280/365: Wednesday, October 7th. Even when he’s feeling like crap, you can still get a smile out of him. His little face is raw from wiping his nose so much. His eyes had stopped watering but still congested and nose still runny. He insisted on wearing scary pajamas and wanted to read this souvenir Haunted Mansion book from our first trip to Walt Disney World.  UGH. This topic probably deserves its own post but to sum it up, it was a really hard parenting night for me on Wednesday. We had actually had a GREAT day. Both boys had their parent-teacher conferences by coincidence on Wednesday and both teacher had great things to say about Theo and Dexter. We were so proud. The evening and story time progressed into bedtime smoothly. For whatever reason, Theo made a bad choice. After their lights went out, Theo apparently tried to get Dexter in trouble by telling him to scream. Dexter refused and Theo threatened him with “if you don’t scream, I’m gonna hit you.” Dexter still didn’t scream, so Theo punched him in the nose.  I wasn’t in there but I imagine it wasn’t a light tap, but that Theo hit him as hard as his little fist could hit. I’m pretty devastated about it because it clearly was not impulsive – it was premeditated. He had time to make the right choice and he didn’t. Dexter didn’t retaliate and apparently didn’t try to get out of the way of Theo’s right hook. I know Theo’s only 5 but it breaks my heart. Dexter certainly doesn’t deserve to be treated that way and I can’t stand the thought of Theo becoming a bully. To Dexter or to anyone else. I cried my eyes out and texted my friends. The general consensus is that it’s partly normal brother / kid stuff but that it can’t be tolerated. We’ve had serious conversations with Theo and right now the consequence is going to be that Theo sleeps in the guest bedroom for a week or so until he can earn back our trust and show more respect for his brother.  I felt really sad about it all day today and also had a very stressful work day. I will be glad to get off work at noon tomorrow.10-07-2015

And that’s the end of our weird week.

xo,

~C~

catch the moment: wk 27

Last week’s post ended in a rather sad way, with me sharing that my aunt had passed away and we that were preparing for her funeral.

183/365: Thursday, July 2nd. Getting through the day at work on Wednesday was difficult as my mind was anywhere but on my job duties. I spent Thursday with my mother and grandmother, remembering my Aunt Sandy and other relatives we’d lost. I had not yet seen my grandfather’s grave so we visited the cemetery where so many family members I never met are buried. It was some much needed, rare, and very therapeutic family time. I learned that my grandpa’s brother had died after getting hit by a train at age 22. How have I lived 35 years and never heard that story? It’s strange, walking through a cemetery. You can literally feel pain there. Every stone, every name represents so many stories and such sorrow. With my already sad mood, it was a somber experience that wasn’t taken lightly.07-02-2015

184/365: Friday, July 3rd. Just before the viewing and funeral. None of us wanted to go in there, but we did. It was a beautiful tribute to a beautiful person.  We stayed the night at a hotel since the burial was early the next morning.07-03-2015

185/365: Saturday, July 4th. After the burial, we ate lunch with family and then headed an hour and a half or so west back to my house. My sister and her family came to stay with us Saturday night. We grilled out, walked to the park, and later stood in the driveway watching the neighbors shooting off fireworks from side. I love watching fireworks, but it shocks me how much people spend on them. Oh well – we appreciated the show!07-04-2015 186/365: Sunday, July 5th. Since my family ended up in Indiana instead of us being in TN for the 4th like we’d planned, we tried to make the most of it. We got the inflatable water slide out on Sunday. The kids had a blast. I couldn’t have kept count of how many times my nephew Malachi went down if I wanted to. I love having my family here. I love them being in my house. I love cooking for them. I hate that we live 6 hours apart. Oh, this day was also our 12th wedding anniversary! See day 187…07-05-2015

187/365: Monday, July 6th. Ryan had told me Sunday that his parents were coming up Monday night so that we could go out for a nice dinner. I was so excited! We don’t get many date nights so they really are special times that I look forward to when we are able to talk and reconnect without distractions. I was so thankful for the surprise and for my in-laws agreeing to come up and watch the boys for a few hours. After dinner we went to a couple of furniture stores and the mall.07-06-2015

188/365: Tuesday, July 7th. Seeing this beautiful old house turned schoolhouse when I drop off and pick up the boys at summer camp never gets old. Still decked out for the 4th of July. 07-07-2015

189/365: Wednesday, July 8th. Typical array of toys strewn through the house while big imaginations are running wild with make-believe play.07-08-2015My mood has definitely improved again as the week has gone on, despite having a constant ache in my heart for my uncle and my cousins who lost their wife/mom last week. Grief is such a hard journey that we all go through at some point but I’d never wish on anyone.

Which photo is your favorite this week? They are all special to me.

xo,

~C~

Linking up with Mindi,Stephanie, and Carrie for week 27 of Catch the Moment 365.

catch the moment: wk 26|halfway point

It’s official – 2015 is halfway over. Hard to believe.

This week has, if I’m being honest, sucked. It’s had some positive moments that you will see below but for the most part, it’s been stressful and sad. I lost my Aunt Sandy to cancer. She had been receiving treatments for a few months but suddenly took a turn for the worst and passed away Tuesday. Additionally, Dexter has a new skin rash. He is on a strong antibiotic that isn’t working, which tells me he probably shouldn’t be on it. But here it is, the holiday weekend, and I feel stuck. I want to stop giving it to him but don’t want to compromise his healing if it is actually doing something. I’m frustrated with Dexter’s skin for giving him so much trouble. I’m frustrated with doctors for not trying harder to figure out what’s going on. I’m tired of worrying about him all the time. I was able to spend the day with my mom and grandma today, which was greatly needed and appreciated. This weekend will be hard as we say our final goodbyes to Aunt Sandy. Death is never easy, but this solemn reminder of how short life is has hit me hard. I shared some of our visits with her and her alpacas in previous posts like THIS ONE.

Linking up with Mindi,Stephanie, and Carrie for week 26 of Catch the Moment 365.

176/365: Thursday, June 25th. Ryan’s beard sure was getting long. And I didn’t love it. So scratchy. The boys didn’t seem to mind.06-25-2015

177/365: Friday, June 26th. All that growing out for this….he agreed to do this along with another Tough Mudder teammate of his. He completed the course the next day and shaved his face on Sunday! Win – win. This is his “you’re not gonna put this on your blog, are you?” face. YEP!06-26-2015

178/365: Saturday, June 27th. We went to this little cutie’s 2nd birthday party while daddy was in Kentucky getting all muddy. I’ll take treats and sparkles over getting electrocuted (on purpose…what?) any day. 06-27-2015

179/365: Sunday, June 28th. We’d had nothing but rain, rain, rain for what felt like all summer but the sun finally came out and Sunday was a perfect day to take the boys to a baseball game with some friends. 06-28-2015

180/365: Monday, June 29th. Dexter at the doctor after I picked him up from camp and noticed the new rash on his arms and legs.06-29-2015

181/365: Tuesday, June 30th. After receiving the news that my aunt had taken her final breaths, I just wanted to be alone. I’d felt irritable and sad all week and needed some time to walk and think and just be. 06-30-2015

182/365: Wednesday, July 1st. The buddies whispering about the Lego creations they dream of building while looking through a Lego ideas book they picked out at the library. These two. 07-01-2015I hope you have a good 4th.

xo,

~C~