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A look into what it is like to live in our home just this minute. Intentional Hours Outdoors : 509  (of 1000) We racked up three and a half hours on Friday night, jogging in the Great Santa Run to support Wings of Hope for the second year in a row with Greyson. (that completes 100 small things list number 13: Run in three races! ) Rusty came along too, so I pushed the stroller while Grey ran right next to us for the whole 2 miles.  It was a pretty nice night, so we weren't too cold and Grey kept me motivated to keep running the whole time.  After the race, we got our medals and some hot chocolate - then snuck into a place on the side of the street to watch the Holiday Light up the Night Parade.  Gemma walked with Abba & Chum and threw candy with Conemaugh Health Systems.  Violet rode the stroller with Uch and threw out candy with Alleghenies Unlimited Care Providers.  The parade was beautiful (Rusty loved the high school marching bands!) and then we all congregated in Central P

I give thanks for this home that is more often than not disorganized and wrecked and a mess and broken and cluttered.  but also so obviously LIVED in and so obviously LOVED that we are forced to try our best to not let all the disorganized, wrecked, messy, broken, and cluttered parts get us down. I give thanks for my kids' daddy, who heals any and all of our broken hearts and spirits with a hug,  who administers compliments and kindnesses like a Santa who needs no holiday, who has patience as vast as the sea for every single one of us in this home, and who leaves in the morning to work hard all day and returns each evening with his eyes beaming like a sailor who has returned to land; a Daddy who's favorite place in all the world is right here in our home with us. I give thanks for this place that I can write and journal and lock away the memories of our life to be read later by me to laugh at how silly or beautiful or wonderful or meaningless or meaningful our tiny moments were

Nearly impossible to believe that it is almost this time of year again, but alas it is upon us and as my past few weeks have been going - I wanted to get a jump start on planning for our elf Marco's return so it could just be all set and ready to roll come November 30. We still participate in the Elf on the Shelf fun because the kids honest-to-goodness love Marco.  When we look back through our yearbooks they smile and ask questions about Marco like he's a real member of our family.  It it obviously brings a little extra special dose of magic to the season for them. As in past years, Marco arrives with a note from Santa on November 30th and then follows with a little surprise each morning through December 24th.  Santa then takes Marco with him back to the North Pole when he visits that night. I try to incorporate some of the other fun celebrations we do throughout the month in with Marco too (in part because it helps me remember the activities and him! hah).  Things like St. Ni

A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this minute.       Intentional Hours Outside : 506 hrs (of 1000) It's been such a weird two weeks with big changes, days off of school, and unreliable weather.  I have not been doing well with my outdoor hours - but the girls, Rusty and I made a playground pitstop after running some errands this week and it was a perfect dose of fresh air and vitamin D.  It felt great to be out in the wide open space.  Later that night though I was explaining to B how frustrating it can feel that there just are not enough hours in the day.  Especially now that the days are so short (!!) We got in some much needed playground/outdoor time - but then I had two loads of laundry unfinished.  Ugh, adulting is the worst. Reading My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman with our Inspired Readers book club Celebrating .  Big BIG news in our life.  After almost ten years as a district manager, Brandon got a new job as a bu

We had been running on low fumes for a few weeks, between the jobs and kids' activities, and the homework, and the regular chores, and holidays, and sweet baby Jesus the clutter.  And so one night during bedtime, I found myself staring down two huge hampers of dried, clean laundry in the girls' room.  He put the boys to bed, and while I folded laundry, the girls chatted themselves into sleep. A little while later, he snuck out of the boys' room and stood at the doorway to the girls' room while I sat in front of an almost empty second basket of clothes surrounded by piles and piles of cleaned laundry. 'How's it going in here?' he asked groggily, clearly having just woken himself up after putting the boys to bed. 'Slowly, I'm so tired, babe." "I know, me too.  I have to do the garbage yet." and he was standing there in his comfy sweatpants and hoodie with that face I've been looking at and loving since I was a teenager and I was so v

A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this minute. Intentional Outdoor Hours :  505 hours (of 1000) Another not great week (up 5 hours) and I really can only blame it on my own exhaustion.  ugh, must get out of this funk.  I attempted a walk with the pups and Rust only to be forced back home at the neighbor's house by a thunderstorm (ugh).   We had some beautiful days in the low seventies (!) this week that had us all outside and basking in the sun - as a forecast for a very heavy snow season looms...oh boy. Reading My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman with our Inspired Readers book club (finally started!) Finishing up our Halloween celebrations by volunteering in Greyson's class for their fall fest party and parade.  I loved meeting Grey's classmates and getting to chat with some of the other mommas.  And then our kids got to go trick-or-treating Round2 at Mimi's house with our Garrettson cousins and Caleb!  The bi

A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this minute Intentional Outdoor Hours : 500 hours (of 1000) Up a laughable (if it wasn't so depressing) 4 hours this week.  We finally had enough leaves to build a proper leaf-jumping pile in the yard and the kids were pretty happy about it.  Grey of course had to throw sixty thousand touchdown passes to himself while diving into the pile while the girls held hands and ran through them together.  Bullet has always loved rolling around in leaf piles, so we all called him over and he comes over, stands in the middle of the pile while we are all cheering him on, and takes a pee all over the leaves instead.  I could not stop laughing.  The kids and I tried to separate out the wet leaves (semi-successfully) so it was definitely a bath night after that.  Sheesh, always a circus here. Reading nada....which is quite terrible for my soul. Celebrating Bud's birthday on Friday with some kid-homemade paper/crayon banners, and dinner a