1. I was stressed about our family pictures last week - worried that it would rain or the kids would be grumpy or I'd look horribly fat, but it all went very well! Levi had a bit of an attitude at one point, but Stacie is a pro and got him to cooperate. He did well for the first half, so I know we got some good ones. And the other kids were great! We've just gotten some sneak peeks so far, but I love them, and can't wait to see the rest!
Aren't you proud of our color coordination??
2. We started school on Monday. By Tuesday I was looking up ACS's prices again and trying to figure out if we could afford to just send one of the girls. Sigh. It did get better from then on. I'm hoping it's just rough transitioning from the ease of summer to the routine and expectations of school. Ideally, the girls' attitudes will get better as we get back into a routine. And mine too for that matter.
3. In other big news, our basement is finally 95% done! The electrician finished up on Monday, I spent hours and days cleaning and re-organizing everything, and Justin hung up most of the decorations in the bathroom. We're having a mirror custom made, though, so you have to wait for pictures until that's in place. Here are some pictures of Levi's finished room to hold you over:
This wall needs some artwork, but that's pretty low on my list of priorities.
4. I finally bit the bullet and ordered a new phone this week. Mine has been having storage issues which started making everything shut down. Most of my apps stopped working - including my ability to text. I've been wanting something with a better camera anyway, so I gritted my teeth and pushed "complete order" on an Amazon refurbished Pixel 2. So far, I'm loving it. Can you see the difference in photo quality between my first day of school pictures and the pics of Levi's room? Plus, it has this fancy "portrait" setting that makes my pictures look all DSLR-y.
Unfortunately, I didn't realize that bringing an "outside" phone into my plan with Republic Wireless requires a SIM card conversion kit. So I ordered that a couple days ago and am still waiting for it to come. Until then, I can't send texts, though I receive them here and there. I've been carrying around both phones - one to make phone calls (if I'm desperate), and one to use as a camera.
5. I finally finished the 4th Harry Potter book this week, and have officially started having nightmares about Voldemort. Justin and I are hoping to watch the movie tonight, but I'm a little nervous about how gruesome it will be. I have nightmares just from the image conjured in my mind. How much worse will it be when I see it with my eyes?? I'm still struggling with the writing style . . . kind of. I do think they're well written. They're just a bit slow for my taste. There's so much build up and little bits of information being woven together. The last 5 chapters are always incredible, but it's hard for me to push through to them sometimes. *cringe* I'm sorry!
6. And finally, the depression update. After our horrible day on Tuesday, I picked up the phone and called a counselor. She came highly recommended by a close friend, and I had options paralysis about all the other choices. Unfortunately, it was very expensive (my insurance paid zilch) and 40 minutes from my house. I did really like the counselor though, so I'm torn. The drive wouldn't bother me as much if I didn't have to worry about a babysitter. Poor Libby ended up watching my kids for almost 4 hours (because I speed-shopped at Meijer on my way home). It's almost an hour and a half of driving, plus an hour of counseling - and we actually went over about 15 minutes. Fortunately, I have a wide support network willing to watch my kids, so no one person should get too overloaded. Anyway, the counseling itself was kind of fun. I love talking about myself (hello, blogging), and this first session was just "getting to know you." I mean, it's intimidating to sum up "what brings you here" succinctly. And I'm worried that I'll tell her impertinent info that will throw her off while leaving out something that she really needs to know to help me heal. But I guess that comes with time . . . if I'm willing to pay for it. Oy. I know mental health is important, but so is food on the table, gas in our cars, and a lack of credit card debt . . .Thank you, sincerely, for all the private messages, words of comfort, and prayer after my last entry. I am truly truly blessed by a community of loving people.
7. More pictures:
Lena got to try out Stacie's camera, and Levi was a modeling pro. Lol
The balancing act
Lena was doing a show for me one day and decided to set out a pot for donations. Her sign cracked me up. (Any Parks and Rec fans??)
In the great basement clean-out this week, Levi discovered his Cars costume and the girls' old dollhouses. He is totally enamored with the Elsa and Anna dolls. #dichotomy
Today we got to go back to Justin's grandparents' old house to swim. His cousin bought it from his grandparents a few years ago and invites us all over once a year for old time's sake. The kids love the pool - and the awesome Ninja Warrior course in the backyard.
Justin's dad is the biggest kid of them all . . .
The "Red Shirt" Table
Warp wall champions! (Levi had a bit of assistance.)
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