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catch the moment: wk 41

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Another post will come soon with LOTS more photos of our fantastic weekend getaway to Portland, Oregon. Having just been home for 24 hours, I’m still basking in the afterglow of the amazing time we had and all the sights our eyes took in. The mountain and ocean air we breathed. Oregon has always been a place I’d like to visit but it was never on the radar for a family vacation. When my best friend called a couple months ago and told me she and her girlfriend had decided to get married on the Pacific Northwestern coast, the wheels in my mind started spinning. Could I make it work? How could I not? My best friend was getting married and was telling me that she wanted me to be there if I could work it out. Whether it made any logistical sense or not, I knew I had to go. So, it wasn’t easy but we did what we had to do to MAKE it work and guys… I couldn’t imagine not standing there on my friend’s wedding day. The ceremony was short and purely magical. I cried through their vows and felt jitters like it was my own wedding day. The entire weekend was just breathtaking. Can I go back now?

281/365: Thursday, October 8th. Coloring after school…like always. I was running around getting packed and trying to figure out all the last minute stuff for our village of people who agreed and volunteered to help out to make this trip a reality for Ryan and I. 10-08-2015

282/365: Friday, October 9th. A very hectic and stressful week was winding down at work and a getaway couldn’t have come at a better time! My mom got to my house around the time I got home from work. Ryan and I caught a 745pm flight and sitting in the airport was the most relaxed I had felt all week. 10-09-2015

283/365: Saturday, October 10th. After touching down in Portland at 2am Eastern time, we went to bed shortly after arriving at the airbnb that Emily and Lauren had reserved. By shortly, I mean 430am Eastern time. I was TIIIRED. But I woke up with new energy on Saturday. Really early. Pacific time is a rough change. Ryan and I were up early and getting ready to go grab some breakfast when I got a text from Emily asking if I wanted to go for a walk and grab some coffee…talk and catch up before everyone else woke up. How could I turn down an offer like that? It was great to steal the bride-to-be away for a little bit before grabbing brunch with the whole crew of 14 who made the trip out west for the big day. The rest of the day consisted of standing around talking about what we were going to do, walking and using public transport to get around and see downtown, and enjoying a few drinks and yummy local food. 10-10-2015

284/365: Sunday, October 11th. As much fun as we had on Saturday, I was really looking forward to Sunday – hiking day! This is what I had in mind for REALLY seeing Oregon. I only saw a tiny piece of Oregon and it’s gorgeous.

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285/365: Monday, October 12th. WEDDING DAY! I let the pros do their job and just tried to enjoy the ceremony for the most part instead of obsessively snapping photos. I have lots more pictures of the coast to share in a separate post. Everything about the day was perfect.10-12-2015

286/365: Tuesday, October 13th. Time to go home. The end of a wonderful {mini} vacation always feels bittersweet. That process of replaying all the cherished moments over and over in my mind so they don’t slip away. Filing them under the “cherished memories” tab in my brain. All of the sweet sadness mixed with the anticipation of getting home to see my boys. The feeling of relief when the plane touches down at “home” and that comforting calm that washes over when I walk through our door. Kissing my boys over and over even though they’re fast asleep. Going to bed 2300 miles away from where I woke up. I love all of it and I’m so thankful for the chance to have been able to make it happen. 10-13-2015

287/365: Wednesday, October 14th. Back to normal life – sort of. Dexter is on fall break this week so he went back to where him and Theo had summer camp. He looked like he was having fun when I picked him up, which was a relief since Theo isn’t on fall break just yet. It was great to just be home and give them baths and cook their dinner, read their bedtime stories and tuck them in. It feels right. 10-14-2015

Okay, hopefully I haven’t blabbed too much about our trip because I still have a lot more to share – a lot more that I want to publish here so I can remember it forever. More photos of one of the prettiest places I’ve seen. Hope you had a beautiful week.

xo,

~C~

catch the moment: wk 32

Gallery posted on by mommyinthemidwest

The theme of this week, if there was one, would be lazy. Because that’s what I’ve been when it comes to taking pictures. Waah, I left my camera in the car. Waah, I left my camera in the house. Waah, my camera is way over there on the table and I’m on the couch. I just haven’t taken every opportunity to capture those little moments that add up to our ordinary life, which to be honest, has been fine but not particularly awe-inspiring by any means. So just like anything else, you have good days and bad days…all you can get are lazy shots sometimes.

218/365: Thursday, August 6th. If you look hard, you’ll see a couple outlet covers still missing but this was the day (or was it the day after?) Ryan finished sealing our tile backsplash. If you remember from last week, the bar was COVERED in all this junk and it was driving me crazy. It felt good to put things back where they belong. Don’t mind the dishes drying by the sink!08-06-2015

219/365: Friday, August 7th. The boys and I had a sleepover with my friend Angie and her 2 kids while her hubby was out of town and Ryan tackled a to-do list I left for him. Potentially the best part of the whole event…this homemade margherita pizza. YUM. Fresh tomatoes and basil from her garden. It was heavenly.08-07-2015

220/365: Saturday, August 8th. Because it can’t always be all about food, we went to the park between breakfast and lunch. 🙂08-08-2015.

221/365: Sunday, August 9th. Hey, Lazy Lady here–another picture of my kitchen because this was literally the only pic I took that day. A good Sunday though- we cleaned and lit a candle and had a cozy dinner together while it rained outside. And of course I admired my clean countertop some more.08-09-2015

222/365: Monday, August 10th. I am still working on timing the drop off of both boys at their different schools. I definitely don’t want Theo to be tardy (again) and his dropoff is between 825-845. But we can’t drop Dex til 9. You wouldn’t think sitting in the car for 15 minutes would be so brutal, but it’s the longest 15 minutes ever. Yes, we could take him in at 845 and pay $8 for before-care but I just don’t see the point in paying for those few minutes. So we wait. We goof off. We climb all through the car. We strap Curious George in the car seat and sit on his lap. “We” being Dexter. Whatever it takes to pass the time. {sometimes that means going through the Starbucks drive-thru}.08-10-2015a

223/365: Tuesday, August 11th. After school play time. Super typical, frequently photographed scene at our house. Because this is our life.08-11-2015

224/365: Wednesday, August 12th. Theo has always been Theo to us – we don’t call him Theodore often. However, when I registered him for Kindergarten I registered him as Theodore and I don’t recall ever having an opportunity to designate the name that he prefers. On back-to-school night, his cubby and mailbox and desk and binder and everything else in the world said “Theodore.” Initially I felt bad, thinking he doesn’t want to be called Theodore! Now I’ve noticed that he’s started writing Theodore on all of his papers. I think it’s adorable for some reason. 08-12-2015There’s a peek into our exciting week!

xo,

~C~

 

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~