Project 365

catch the moment: wk 27

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

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

Gallery posted on by mommyinthemidwest

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~

 

 

Catch the Moment:wk 25

Posted on by mommyinthemidwest

Summer is in full swing and I’m loving it! I love the heat, the long nights, being outside, and grilling everything. At the same time though, knowing how quick we got here from last Christmas makes me gag. I don’t want it to be winter again in the same tiny blink of an eye. We had so many goals for this year and here we are, with only 26 weekends to catch up on those home renovations and de-cluttering/organization projects. Aaah! It’s just so hard to say “no” to fun when you just don’t get that many days off work to relax and enjoy. But let me NOT moan and groan summer away, because it’s here now and it’s happening all around me and we are making the most of it by staying busy with tons of fun.

I’m linking up with Mindi,Stephanie, and Carrie for week 24 of Catch the Moment.

169/365: Thursday, June 18th. I hadn’t seen this little lady in over a week and I couldn’t take it anymore so the boys and I stopped by to see Kennedy on our way home from camp Thursday night. Still as precious as ever! Gah, I just LOVE her.06-18-2015

170/365: Friday, June 19th. I tried a new Pinterest recipe: Stuffed French Bread. Theo came down with a fever at camp around 11am Friday so I knew we’d be staying in for the night. I wanted something comforting and quick and this hit on all points. Before we’d finished eating, my wheels were spinning with ideas for similar sandwiches…taco theme, pizza theme, chicken cordon bleu…on and on and on. So yummy and versatile, yet simple. It was awesome with ground beef, cream of mushroom soup, celery, cheddar cheese, and a few spices for max flavor. 06-19-2015

171/365: Saturday, June 20th. YAY, Theo woke up feeling fantastic so we were able to proceed with our fun summer plan for the day. I dedicated an entire post to this awesome inflatable water slide, which we broke out for the first time this weekend. The boys had a wonderful time climbing and sliding down countless times for about 3 hours nonstop. 06-20-2015

172/365: Sunday, June 21st: Father’s Day. I didn’t take any pictures until evening, but Ryan had a great day. We saw Inside Out and went to lunch. Did some yardwork and played around the house. I had plans for a big dinner but we were too full from the restaurant so we had grilled cheese and soup. Ryan cut down some overgrown bushes that completely blocked the view of our porch from the street. I ran outside before it got dark to get a better view of the new look. Now to work on our weeds and landscaping…baby steps. 06-21-2015

173/365: Monday, June 22nd. They DO love each other. They don’t always show it but it’s true. They are the very best of friends.06-22-2015

174/365: Tuesday, June 23rd. Ryan is doing a Tough Mudder on Saturday so he’s been growing out his beard for about a week. All the guys on the team will have a fu manchu. I can’t wait for him to go back to his normal 5 o’clock shadow stubble-face!06-23-2015

175/365: Wednesday, June 24th. It was a perfect night for a picnic and playing at the park, so that’s just what we did. PB&Js and smiles all the way around!06-24-2015I hope you’re enjoying your summer – we sure are!

xo,

~C~