Quinny Loves Aunt Ash

Quinny-girl is absolutely obsessed with her Aunt Ash. Like, obsessed. Not a conversation goes by where she is not telling me about something Aunt Ash taught her, about some silly song Aunt Ash sang or about something she wants to tell Aunt Ash. You think I've written Aunt Ash a lot in this little paragraph? Well, have a short conversation with Quinny and you will see that I did anything but over exaggerate! Quinny lucked out to have the most incredible kindergarten teacher in existence and boy, does she know it. 

Aunt Ash pulled out Quinny's front tooth last week. It was hanging by a thread and was super painful because her big tooth was growing in and trapping it against her other baby teeth. Both of these girls were brave because I'm usually the teeth-puller-outer in the family and I couldn't even do it. I love toothless grins so much. What a sweet duo!

^^School Projects^^

"Take a picture of my muscles and send them to Aunt Ash!"

Pajama Day at school!

You guessed it. "Take a picture of me skateboarding and send it to Aunt Ash!"

 

New Bed, New Room

The Big Wigs are to blame in the very best of ways. You see, for Christmas they replaced our tired Queen mattress that we not-so-lovingly referred to as "the taco bed" (because, as you probably have already imagined, it folded up at the edges and landed us on top of each other in the very middle of the bed every night--and not in the good way) for a fancy, comfy, GIANT California King of my dreams. Oh my goodness it's beautiful and warm thanks to a heated mattress cover, and there's room enough for the two of us and all our kids and even a dog (we don't yet have a dog--still working on it--but when we get one she'll fit as well!) One of the best parts is that it's all white. I've always wanted an all-white bed and thanks to them, I have it! Kate and Gigi came over the day it was delivered and made it all up for me and to say I was giddy is an understatement...this is exciting stuff, people!

But then, it was the darn give-a-mouse-a-cookie situation. The second one thing is updated in the house I think, well-since we did that, we should probably also do x, y and z. (James is not a fan of that book FYI, nor it's influence in my life.) I had this all white bed that I have always wanted, but up against an all white wall in a rather nondescript room I kept getting major nursing home vibes. And I may officially be in my mid-thirties and I do plan to live in this home for a million years but ya'll, I'm too young to be occupying a nursing home! I know, I'm weird, but I just knew we needed to do something to bring this room alive. And I honestly feel like crying because we did it. WE DID IT! (Ok, Ok, Chase and James did it, but I was an excellent designer/bossypants/gopher/paint-picking cheerleader!)

We estimated it would take 4 hours and it actually took 12 (plus a few hours the next day to sand and paint), but it's gorgeous beyond what I even anticipated and I love it, I just love it so much. We learned a lot in the process and that give a mouse a cookie thing is no joke, I've got woodworking wall designs on the mind for all over the house now! 

Throughout this whole process I kept thinking about how thankful I am to be surrounded by so many people who love us enough to give their time, money and talents to beautify our space. We legitimately could not have done this project without the Wigs and the littlest McKees--and I'm gushing with gratitude.

Big, pretty bed right there!!!

Chase has all the fun tools and we definitely benefit from it!

My job: pick the color. I almost always choose a gray with a slight blue undertone (middle) but for this wall I wanted something darker and moodier. I chose the bottom color, Urbane Bronze, and then learned that it was Sherwin Williams 2021 Color of the Year. It's a gray/brown and it's rich and warm. Oooohhh, I was nervous because it's outside of my comfort zone but I couldn't have picked better. I love it!

The nightstands used to sit 16 inches shorter (I got new legs) and I also did a faux granite top instead of the oak veneer. I love this space now so much! Next step--new floors (coming soon, yay!!!)

A reality post from last week...

(I wrote this last week and sat on it. I know it's just a little something, but it's a little something worthy of being published because life can feel lonely and hard sometimes and I don't want to forget that. These feelings are just as important and valid as the sunshiney ones, albeit less fun. And although I'm the reigning queen of fun, reality is that this "sickness season" as my kids refer to it has been really hard for a lot of people--me included.)

I'm itchy--oh so itchy. Itchy to run. To travel. To party and be with friends. To meet people. To think about something other than masks and stats and sickness. You know, I'm itchy for my old normal, and all of the blissfully boring details that I actually didn't take for granted. I loved my life, and I was grateful. I still love my life and I'm still grateful while also acknowledging that this new normal life of mine feels nothing like normal, especially for an extra-extravert. I've been weepy this week if I'm being honest, because sometimes life feels like business as usual and sometimes it feels heavy, and hard, and sad and long. I mean, we are almost coming up on a year of Covid--A YEAR!!! And I'm tired. 

Matchy-hair Wiggy Women--love these two. And sunshine.

Quinn: I can't wait for you to see that picture. I did your favorite smile. The pirate smile! 

(Note: not my favorite smile. But also, I LOVE the lost teeth look on a kid...it's adorable!)

This one is never too far from my side and 9 times out of 10 I'm really grateful for her quiet presence. (That 1 out of 10 is when she's trying to snuggle my legs and I'm alllllll out of touches for the day, haha!) She doesn't usually need to be entertained, she can play by herself for hours, but she always wants to be close and I love that she loves me so deeply. 

Our baby nectarine

The work crew. Where is Everett, you may ask? Inside reading (and hiding from work.) He read four novels this weekend alone!

"We" planted our first tree at our new home--a nectarine that will hopefully be productive in a year or two. It seemed like a pretty big step, and a pretty exciting one! James is a beast and has been working to make our garden beautiful every single Saturday for MONTHS, and it's been a whole lot of stones and dirt and sprinkler systems and digging holes. But yesterday, oh yesterday, we planted a tree!!! The garden still has a ways to go to be ready for the spring, but I can't help but get a smile on my face over my new baby nectarine. ("We" planted it really meant that James did all the prep work and then allowed me to actually put the tree in the hole...and then he buried and perfected it. Love him for letting me be involved!) Photo--and 100 million others--courtesy of Quinny Cat.

Pretendemies

They pretend to feud NONSTOP but next thing you know they're changing outfits in order to twin, haha! One of James' New Years Resolutions is to be better friends with Ash (wink, wink), and I'd say they're off to a good start! (In all honesty, it's one of my great delights to see Ashleigh pester James and then to see him sneak a smirk between grumps.) They love each other, and I love them! 

T's a Deacon!!!

"Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God."

--President Russell M. Nelson

Talmage is turning twelve this year which means he gets the priesthood. (How is he old enough? How am I old enough?!) In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God to serve others. T is such a good boy and really wants to do the right thing, so his preparation was intentional and he spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not he was ready for this added responsibility. I love that he's a thinker and has a desire to know things for himself. There have been a lot of conversations this last month about testimonies, recognizing the Holy Ghost and how to make big decisions--and ultimately he felt ready and excited and all in. Last week, surrounded by a small and socially-distanced group of family (and outdoor to boot), he received the priesthood through a blessing by his Dad, and he was nothing but smiles! We are so grateful to live close to family and for their love and support to Mr. T and all of us. Go forth and serve, baby boy! 

Holy Mornings

I miss my running club more than I can adequately express. Also, I just miss running. My knee has been playing games with me for the past few months so I'm taking time away from pavement pounding to allow for healing. And although I know it's the right choice, it's definitely not the easy one. I'm so grateful that despite my gimpyness James and I have encouraged each other to get out of bed each morning to sweat it out, albeit in different ways than I'm used to doing. We row in our chilly basement, we stretch our old and tight bodies, we take a cool-down walk and talk around the neighborhood. Usually we have our separate work-out crews but we're filling each other's friendship void and you know what? So far, so good! The early mornings have felt particularly holy lately and I'm being deliberate about simultaneously holding the longing for what was, the hope for what could be and the gratitude for what is.

My treasure

"The family is the greatest treasure of any country. Let us all work to protect and strengthen this, the cornerstone of society."

--Pope Francis

Gratitude just outside

Something as simple as opening the curtains in my bedroom was all it took today. It was early, and as I drew them back I couldn't help but think of how funny it was that I opened them just to close them 12 hours later with little contact in between, but the fresh morning light came pouring through my window--in a dark, moody, cold January type of way--and I was just instantly and overwhelmingly grateful. The overgrown olive trees, the camellia bushes with bursting buds, the kid's sidewalk chalk, soggy from morning mist, it was all so moving to me. I've never much appreciated anything other than the summer heat but this morning as I looked outside I craved a brisk walk, the smell of fallen leaves, a cut flower for my kitchen table. Mother Earth, man, she's got a way of smacking me across the face sometimes in the most simple and subtle ways. Being alive is a privilege and this world is a wonder.

Welcome to 2021!

Last New Years Day I begged 2020 to be gentle with us. It had been a dark, difficult and isolating season with the Little Wigs--and that was even before a global pandemic and national lockdown--and I just wanted peace and calm and a return to normalcy, whatever that even means. But then 2020 barged through the door, anything but gentle, and quickly my life was upended in every possible way. I became a homeschool mom. My races and concerts were cancelled. I stopped writing. We left the beach and my besties and moved up north. We bought a big house on a big property that needed (needs) big updates. We lost multiple grandfathers. We saw Covid's ugliness firsthand. My life in 2020 was largely full of masks and zooms, suburban house projects and stress. And happiness and joy and healing and fun, of course, but I don't want to lie about this year's heaviness. If I'm being honest with you, it's not been easy for me to grasp the avalanche of changes that our family has experienced in 2020, and it's almost comical to consider my plea for a gentle touch.

But while this year showed only a strong arm, I surprisingly found the gentleness I craved. It was a treasure buried deep within my ever confident, energetic and wild soul and somehow, this year when I needed it most, it was found. It was subtle and not at all automatic, but the deeper I dove into 2020 the more quiet grace I was able to offer the world. I was gentle with myself--my weaknesses, my shortcomings, my emotions that lasted too long and the ones that never showed their faces. I was gentle with others--their decisions, their experiences, their feelings that I didn't understand and the ones that I felt right along side them. I was gentle with situations that I couldn't control, and sometimes more difficultly with situations that I could. And sometimes I wasn't gentle at all--I messed up this year, too. It hurt and I stewed and then I took a deep breath, and forgave myself. Gentle is not a word usually found on my resume, but this year it's been written in bold right under my name. In a year where everything has been out of control, I'm particularly proud of the way I've shown up for myself. It's not been perfect or easy or always very pretty, but I've been more accepting and light and calm and it's not a bad look on me.  

Now, here comes 2021, and to be honest I'm not asking her to give me anything but time. I'm going to show up for my life just like I did in 2020, and I'm hopeful that it will be another year of reflection and growth, self-discovery and happiness. And while I don't have a list of stringent do's and don'ts for the new year, I have thoughts about who I want to be this year: a person who moves their body daily, a person who plays more board games with the kids, a person who doesn't exaggerate, a person who is not constantly asking for things to be cleaned up, a person who is content. I also reeeealllllllly want a few good parties this year--like huge, massive, invite everyone you know kind of parties--but I'll put a pin in that one until it can be a maskless (and legal) event! I've missed the party-part of me, I'm hoping to find her again real soon.

In a small way I saw her on New Years Eve, and it was exhilarating. The invite list was small, but there were sparkles on our cheeks, appetizers being devoured and a night full of games and laughs and a disco-ball dance party. It was my type of heaven and I was high on extroverted energy for hours into 2021. I'm going into 2021 feeling deliberate, feeling joyful, and feeling grateful. And also wearing sweatpants with my sparkly shirt, because 2020 definitely taught me a thing or two!