{iPhone Rewind} :: January

Brothers holding hands :)

So excited about their tower!

Snuggling up with their blankets

"Look: popsicles!" {meatballs on a pretzel stick}

A little reading before bedtime

"Mommy, will you take a picture? It's as tall as me!"

Just chillin'

Reading by himself {"self!"}

When your room isn't set up for nap time, you get to watch some Charlie Brown on the couch

"I want to be a hero, Mommy!"

Dr. Maddie, taking very good care of Pooh Bear

My parents gifted me a new set of pots and pans, and I am a little too giddy about it. #adulting

The vet sent a sympathy card, and I got Sasha's pawprint back {it was complimentary from the vet after putting her down}. We had only visited them once when we first arrived in Virginia, but I am thankful for their kindness when we said goodbye to Sasha.

This boy takes Pooh with him everywhere. So when he peed on Pooh {accident after bath time...oops!}, we had to separate him while we washed Pooh. He was SO out of sorts the entire time Pooh was in the washer and dryer. It was a long 1.5 hours. But reuniting felt so good!

Silly faces with Daddy!

For Christmas, I got Mike spicy pepper seeds to plant, and the rest of the gift was for me to make him homemade salsa from said spicy peppers :)  We got them planted in their little planters, and we are excited to watch them grow!

January was basically like Christmas all over again, with the kids getting all of their toys back, and all of the family gifts rolling in {since we didn't have a place for them in December}. We got to play with all the fun Play Doh that Uncle Bryan and Aunt Christa sent!

#thisislifewithstairs

Keeping them close and occupied while Mommy tries to unpack things upstairs. Daniel Tiger for the win.

I live in a place where we get messages about bear sightings. Welcome to Virginia!

National Chocolate Cake Day!

Today was National Chocolate Cake Day! :)

I really wish that Costco still sold the All American Chocolate Cake. It was 7 pounds {!} of chocolate amazingness, and was the driving factor for us getting a Costco membership. And then they discontinued it. I went on a hunt to see if I could find a copycat recipe, and there was not much out there. I found one recipe that claimed it was the real deal, so I decided to give it a try. {Spoiler alert: this is NOT it}

Even though it was nowhere near our beloved chocolate cake, and my baking skills leave a lot to be desired, it was still fun to take a break from unpacking to bake in the kitchen with my kiddos. They were SO excited to help bake, but even more excited to eat the cake. After every step in the recipe, Maddie would ask, "can I eat it now?" Haha- she didn't quite grasp how drawn out the process was going to be :)

I let them taste the unsweetened chocolate: Eli pretended it was delicious, Maddie made a really bad face and said "that's not chocolate", and Aiden wanted no part of it after Maddie's reaction. Maddie and Aiden got bored with helping pretty quickly, but Eli stuck around for the whole process, carefully paying attention to every step.

Even though I baked it on the lowest time suggested, it was still overdone. The icing was too runny {and not at all the richness the recipe claimed}, and my chocolate shavings {used to cover the massive craters in the cake} basically just looked like chocolate dust haha. 

But my kiddos didn't care. They were excited to eat "their" chocolate cake! They were so proud of it! 

We had fun celebrating this silly holiday, making some fun memories in the process :)

High Five for Friday!

It has been awhile since I did a "High Five for Friday" post...but it's a good time to do one now :)

{one} This past weekend, we moved out of the extended stay hotel and into our rental house!! We were SO ready to have all of our stuff back and to start getting more settled here in Virginia. We had a team of deacons who helped us move our stuff out of the PODS, and we are so thankful! I was organized 3 months ago when we packed...but my brain can't seem to remember that far back. So we have been playing the "where's that?" game haha! It will take time, but we're steadily making progress. It will be nice to actually rest and enjoy being in our new space! The things I missed the most? My washer/dryer {in my house, so I don't have to walk outside and fight other people} and my oven. So nice to have those things back! :)

{two} Aside from being unsettled in our living space, we have felt like we are settling ok in other ways. We're starting to learn the area and find what we need {grocery store, Chick Fil A, etc.} Mike is settling into his job at the church, better understanding his role and totally rocking it. The kids love going up to Daddy's office to run around in the empty building or in the empty field behind the church. While COVID still limits our ability to meet people, we are still finding creative ways to get plugged in. I was able to join the women's Bible study back in November {online}, and people are so kind to find safe ways to meet. We spend a lot of time outside and socially distanced, and I'm just so thankful for the level of sensitivity and graciousness. We are loving Virginia so far!

{three} I really miss Sasha :(  I don't feel quite as out of sorts like I did those first few days, but there are reminders of her everywhere. I think of her when I drop a piece of ice {she used to always run to come eat it}, or when I open the peanut butter jar {her favorite treat}. Even unpacking now, I am finding random Sasha hairs :)  I will say, though, that I am glad she left us before we moved. I think the stress of it would have been too much for her. And the layout of this house would have kept her on the bottom floor, too much by herself {because she couldn't do stairs anymore}...just not super ideal. So I am just thankful that her last days were close by all the people she loved. 

{four} I am still battling with health stuff. Before my last infusion, they did bloodwork to measure the level of Entyvio in my system. Good news: I don't have any antibodies. Bad news: my levels were really low {half of what they like to see}, so I haven't been getting enough medicine. Which explains why I'm not feeling better yet! So my doctor is putting me back on infusions every 4 weeks, in an effort to hopefully kickstart remission. I am still taking the Lialda {the anti-inflammatory medicine he added in December}, and I do think it's helping. My stomach aches are gone {from the gastritis}! {I knew it wasn't stress!} But the Lialda hasn't been able to help all of my Crohn's symptoms, so hopefully the change in my Entyvio dosing will do that. I feel pretty exhausted and icky most days, and it feels defeating to know it has been A YEAR of battling these symptoms. So I am praying that the increased infusions will be the trick to remission!

{five} And because we love those silly holidays...we celebrated National Pooh Bear Day {January 18}, and National Popcorn Day {January 19} this week! Super easy ones to celebrate in the midst of all the unpacking mess. Watch a Pooh Bear movie? Check. Pop some popcorn? Check. But sorry, no photos... I'm not THAT organized yet :)

Happy Friday!

Goodbye, Sweet Pup

Yesterday, we said goodbye to our sweet Sasha. While I have been waiting for this day and knew that it was time, it didn't make the decision to let her go any easier. I had tried to prepare for this day {she was really old and starting to show her age}, but you're never really ready for it. I have felt out of sorts all day, realizing how much a part of my daily routine she has been for the past 13.5 years. There's a huge hole in my heart right now, and I am really missing my sweet pup. I know it will get easier. Dogs are not meant to live forever. But gosh, she sure got ahold of my heart and has been such a constant in my life.

After college, I got it in my head that I wanted a puppy. We had always had dogs growing up, but never a puppy. And I felt like it was the perfect time to train a puppy, as I was still looking for a job and living at home. After A LOT of convincing {including a masterfully presented PowerPoint presentation}, I was able to convince my parents to let me get one. Our neighbors across the street had just brought home 2 lab/boxer mix puppies, and I went to check out the litter. 

Sasha was the quiet one in the pack {hard to believe, I know!}. While all of the other puppies were running around and playing, she came and laid quietly under my chair and didn't leave my side. She chose me, my heart immediately fell in love, and the rest is history :)

Life with Sasha was certainly fun and exciting. She was a HUGE ball of energy from the start! She really didn't grow out of her puppy stage until she was 7 or 8 years old {which is when they consider large breeds seniors haha}. Which made her an awesome running buddy when she {and I} were younger. But we did have to work really hard on good manners, and she really only learned any when Mike entered the picture.

When Mike and I were dating, Sasha was NOT a fan haha. She did not like him being around {really, she didn't like that he was the Alpha who wasn't going to put up with her antics}, and she would go pout in the other room. But when she realized he wasn't going anywhere, she warmed up to him, and I often wondered if she liked him better. 

Sasha loved our babies from day one. She accepted them into the pack, almost as if they were her own babies, and watched over them constantly. When they were babies, she would be right by their side when they cried. As they grew, she was always ready to go get her babies up every morning. And even when they crawled all over her, she was patient and gentle, never once growling or snapping at them. She really put up with a lot, but deep down, I know she loved it. And I really do believe that our babies kept her younger longer :)

While she could certainly be a handful {at times a complete diva}, she was the absolute sweetest dog. She really was a good girl, and she was hands down the BEST snuggler. It didn't matter that she was 70+ pounds. She would constantly climb into my lap or sit as close as she possibly could. No matter what I was doing, or where I was, she was right there by my side. When babies came, she had to be right where everyone was, right in the action. Although, she did have a knack for snoozing through all of the toddler/preschooler craziness. And that never changed, even until her last day.

Sasha was with me through all of my major life changes. She was with me through job changes, unemployment, multiple moves, ministry changes, dating, getting married, having babies, health issues, and more. She liked to lay in the most inconvenient places. She was a heater hog. She loved peanut butter. She hated thunderstorms. She shed like crazy. Her stomach was on a timer, and she would pester you until you fed her. She never realized how big she was. She was a loud snorer. She had the most awful gas. But she knew the exact right time to nestle her head on your lap. And she was the absolute BEST dog.

Goodbye, my sweet girl. Thank you for always being happy to see me, for loving me unconditionally, for always being by my side. Thank you for being my sounding board who gently reassured and comforted me, offering your snuggles and puppy kisses. Thank you for loving my babies, for being so patient and gentle with them. Thank you for being my faithful companion day after day, year after year.