June Family Updates
So much has happened this month! Check out photos from our moments at home here. Meals around here have been so yummy lately with summer ingredients and Jer home!
L Smiles
Her braces have come off, and she’s all about it!!! L is getting ready for Girls Camp in a couple of weeks. She has been biking to the library with friends and enjoying her little Bookworm heart. She’s been baking banana bread, muffins, and learning how to wash dishes and take out the Big Trash. While I was sick and couldn’t run or do any intense exercise, we did some low impact dancing and had so much fun together on Just Dance. Our goal is to complete one we thought was hard- “Dynamite” by BTS which is way too catchy. Jer forbid us from the song for a whole week, but we snuck it in during car rides and late night dog walks 🤭
How many ways can this girl read?
Jer the Biker
Jer bikes everyday and I can tell it makes his heart so happy. His favorite days have been mountain biking with his BFF Eric, then going on an afternoon ride with the kids, then biking to the church after sundown to lock the building. He’s in charge of organizing the weekly church cleanings and securing the building every night this month. He’s also been stellar with taking the boys to swim practice, caring for the yard, making meals, and helping us get enough vitamin C and rest. Jer has been my ultimate hero while I’ve been ill. Every chance he gets, he is reading Sicario.
F the Pokémon Trainer
The boys have been inseparable since summer break started and they celebrated their birthdays. The boys got swimming lessons and goggles for their birthdays (here and here), so they’ve been practicing in the pool daily for the last 2 weeks. Jer learned how to play Pokémon cards with the boys and they have been “building their decks”. F spent all his money from the tooth fairy, birthdays, and chores to get a new set of Pokémon cards at our local board game store.
F and I got to talking, and he is so excited for the library and reading. He gets to go on adventures as the main character.
W the Topsy-Turvy
W asks to play video games with his brother every day. He got sick (poor thing similar to my cough) but has recovered quickly and well with deep sleep that I envy. We got to stay home together from church while we were both sick, and he decided all by himself to get dressed and prepare to have “church at home”, got all comfortable in front of the tv so we could watch the service online, and was very disappointed when I didn’t have “special blessed bread”. I love experiencing how smart he is at the dinner table. One time a brownish avocado made its way to the table, and someone mentioned oxidation. “What’s that?” F asked, and W proceeded to correctly explain to him what oxidation means while F soaked it all in. I love how he trusts his brother.
Eat my banana! … Eat my shell!
W playing Mario Kart
Kat the Sicko
I am recovering from an illness most of the month. Negative for Covid, flu, pneumonia, and infection so… Most likely bronchitis from a virus, or a post viral reaction. Why is it lasting so long? The doctor told me not to push myself. Apparently sometimes I like to make problems for myself lol—my body is adjusting to the initial attack and just needs time and lots of rest. That’s been hard to do when I feel the summer sunshine slipping away and my most energetic time of the year “resting” into oblivion. No more running for now (which is killing me inside), it takes up too much from me and I am saving up energy just to do a mild hike.
We’re trying to make adjustments, I pick one or two things that I can do today and let go of everything else. I try not to feel guilty or upset about what I can’t do, and try to be smart about what I do have energy to do. When I get anxious about things I need to tackle, I need to face and solve the problems to make it better. Jer encourages me to work on just one or two problems today and save it for the next day so I don’t get overwhelmed. Jer and I have been taking daily walks at sunset which always lifts my spirits. I am trying not to let my fear of not being prepared take away from the excitement of all these upcoming trips and reunions. I want us to travel comfortably and be financially responsible, so it does take forethought, coordination, and planning that I’m not always able to handle right now. My kids, my sweetheart, and our home make me happy.
