a good old-fashioned recap

The week before spring break, I was dealing with awful allergies and could barely look at a screen. Then, Sutton started getting sick the first day of break and that lasted for an entire week, overlapping with me starting to get sick by the 3rd or 4th day of break. Which then worsened as the week went on. So we've had two solid weeks of not feeling great at this point. Scott had been traveling and also sick and my parents came to visit and they got sick and Wells seems to have escaped this, but he was sick about a month ago so, realistically, he got it all started. 

I ranted about this on instagram a few days ago but honestly, that's where I've been. I kept telling myself over spring break that I had to "lock in". I even went out and bought a $7 iced coffee one day, thinking it would give me the energy and motivation to get something done. All I did for a week was putter, sleep, and scroll. My diet consisted of ibuprofen to stop the body aches because, while I wasn't feverish or feeling chills, I couldn't focus with the body aches. And Sutton was miserable too, so that added to it. Wells played board games with my parents and played outside with his friends. He had a great spring break! 

Anyway. 

Wells' soccer practice (where Sutton first started saying "my legs and arms hurt"..the body aches)

Homeland in bed

More Homeland. Quinn was always my favorite character on that show.

Turned 4!

You can tell she doesn't feel good but she did eat sushi because that's what she wanted.

realizing I don't have nearly as many pictures of Wells because he's bigger and faster and she's the one who won't let me out of her sight..

Flashback to March 2022:

I posted a few pics of Sutton on Facebook for her birthday and included a baby picture and someone I currently know wrote "congratulations" under it and I'm thinking "did she think I just had a baby?

Her 4 year old well-check (where they said it's just an upper respiratory thing)

New toys

That $7 coffee. I did not ask for whipped cream but she enjoyed sharing it.

More soccer.

Randomly falling asleep

New messy toys

She got a tent for her birthday and she would just randomly go sleep in it

The weather was 90s some days and windchill in the teens other days

Then...

Sutton randomly fell off a chair before school on Tuesday morning and we went to the ER and they had to put a staple in the back of her head.

She was promised ice cream for dinner so they literally just ate ice cream for dinner TWO nights in a row this past week because I was in survival mode.

More soccer practice but healthy this time.

And we went to a bounce-house birthday party on Saturday. 

...staple in the back of our head and all. 

The last 10 years

For my 30th birthday in January 2016, we went to Denver for the weekend. I was very apprehensive about turning 30 and facing down 2016 because it was a deployment year. Scott was in Afghanistan from February-November 2016. While I’m “grateful” for the “opportunity” to “learn and grow” that year, it was not easy. I didn’t exactly feel like I was being set up for success and had no idea what the rest of the decade would hold for that reason alone. I had already spent full years of my 20s alone because of deployments. 

2017 was failed fertility treatments and, ironically, pregnancy. 

2018 was having a baby and moving. 

2019 was moving. 

2020 was moving. 

2021 was moving. 

2022 was having a baby. 

2025 was moving. 

I also taught at 4 schools in 3 states in the last decade, and took 4 years off to stay at home. 

Sprinkle in lots of TDYs and a few shorter deployments too. 

One dog passed away and we gained a puppy. 

We sold a remodeled house, bought 3 more, and took on remodeling another house as our family’s personality (again). 

We also traded in a truck for a bigger truck and bought a new SUV. 

Truly, almost everything looks different than it did 10 years ago. There is nothing familiar in my surroundings except Scott and Scout the Dog. Super weird, right? I guess we do have a lot of the same furniture. You only buy new furniture as a must when you know it'll get all dinged up during moves. 

While being a military spouse isn’t easy, it’s never boring. I literally had no idea where I would be at 40 so this last 10 years was a lot of big and little decisions that added up to what life became for my 30s. I couldn’t have planned it or done it any better and have been blessed with much more opportunity and goodness than I deserve. 

So I’m going to be super cryptic and superstitious and prayerful when I say I literally have no idea what’s next because I could not have laid out any of this 10 years ago. 

Monday again?

Not to be confused with "Monday already?".

Here's the thing: I spent most of last week in a Sunday Scaries mentality, knowing I have 44 days of school left. Plus I had a lot I wanted to accomplish with my spring break and I did...very little of it? I think I froze up. 

Monday, we had a vet appointment. Scout had an infection a month and a half ago, and they wanted to do one more recheck. Then we went to the chiropractor. Tuesday was Sutton's birthday. We went out for lunch, stopped at Aldi, and then had cake and presents at home. Wednesday, I woke up feeling awful...a cold? dizzy? ugh. But Sutton had her 3 year appointment so off we went. I don't remember the rest of the day. Thursday, *I* had my regular annual doctor's appointment. I do like my PA so it was just one more thing to check off the list (before I grab those medical records and run from Missouri). I was supposed to have an eye appointment too, to renew my contacts prescription but they had to reschedule. Friday, I finally made it to the library and then I went to get my hair highlighted. It was only my second time having it done professionally and it's such a nice treat. 

Anyway, the funny thing about Thursday and Friday is that Scott had taken off work to take care of some house projects and the kids wanted to stay home with him. All I needed him for when it came to watching them was for the hair appointment; I could, and have in the past, wrangled kids at all kinds of appointments and situations. They legitimately just wanted to stay home with him. I feel like I'm entering a whole new era of parenting with Sutton getting older now. 

Saturday was Sutton's birthday party and then Sunday was my day to catch up and prep for...another week. 

before:

                                                                            after:

I made a hard commit to that center part.

When she comes to the store, she gets a treat at the check-out. 

Post-doctor's appointment treat. for real though, I need to do something with my nails. 

Stages of annoyance, with me, at the pediatrician's office:

They give kids actual stuffies now, to keep them quiet, at doctor's offices. It's not just a sticker at the end of the visit. And she wanted so little to be there that they kept handing her more stuffies. We ended up with 3 and, when we left, she gleefully waved and yelled "bye!" to everyone. They were shocked because they thought she was mute and violent, I'm sure, based on her reactions to nurses and doctors. 

Cracker Barrel 

Aldi

Presents, cake, and babies:

This was Sutton's bassinet and we used it for about 2 months, give or take. It was definitely indispensable during that time. It's in excellent condition and I've searched high and low for a a new owner for it, hoping to find a good home. No one wants it and that's really annoying to me for some reason. Anyway, I've decided that Sutton can just have it for her baby dolls and this was a good idea. My friend originally suggested that a year ago but it seemed like it would just be clutter. But I really do think she'll use it as a toy. 

Alright: it's going to be a long and packed and busy 44 days, but 44 43 more wake-ups until school is over. 

6 Years of Wells!

Wells turned 6 on the 10th. 

The last two years, especially, have flown by now that he's been in school. 

Wells enjoys Pokemon, school, riding his scooter, being outside with Scott, going anywhere with Scott, riding in the UTV, swimming, splash pads, playgrounds, and making friends with anyone and everyone he meets at pools, splash pads, and playgrounds. He likes to shop for toys with his own money and he will do anything for some time to watch Youtube. He loves Sutton and he loves his Nannies and Paps so much. 

Wells exceeded my expectations in his two years of preschool and he continued to do so in kindergarten. I'm not saying I've never worked with him, but I don't push him. He was tested for the gifted program this past year. I'm excited for him to go to first grade. He told me he doesn't need to go back to school because he's already learned everything. Yeah, me too, Wells. 

(Sutton is filling up a shopping bag with whatever she finds that she likes)

Outsourced the cake this year...he wanted Pokemon again and once was enough for me. 

On his actual birthday, we ate at Cracker Barrel, went to the army museum, and then opened presents and had cake. On the weekend, we went to the aquarium at Bass Pro. He did get to spend the whole week with Nanny and Pap. 

Wells was kind enough to buy her that baby doll with his birthday money.

In case you've been following along and keeping track, Wells has had FOUR birthdays in this house now: three, four, five, and six. Two was in Kansas and one was in Pittsburgh.  

                        Four birthdays in one house is definitely a record for us.