Currently

Currently we have just started our 2nd week of school after wrapping up a pretty great 1st weekend after school started. Yay. We needed the rest, down time, and family time that the weekend provided after our exhausting 1st week. It was such a blessing to have a chance to recover and regroup from the 1st week of school!  

Terrell and I enjoyed a quick date Saturday morning shopping for a few more house needs and going out to lunch while the boys enjoyed a breakfast date and play date with Nana and Pops. The afternoon was really low key and restful before we headed out to a fun birthday party at the park and a fun Sunday School party at the pool. And yesterday was super laid back at home after church. Just what we needed! 

Since we don't have anything big going on, I thought I'd go with a random update and peek at life currently...

*Eating... Tonight both big boys had soccer practice (Garrison from 5:00-6:00 and Austin from about 5:30 til 6:15) so we needed something quick and pretty much ready to go as soon as we got home. We decided on a crock pot meal that requires little extra or sides if any... roast, potatoes, and carrots! I threw some crescent rolls in the oven and easy mac in the microwave as soon as we got home while Terrell gave the boys a bath, and viola! Supper was ready. =) Hopefully even with early practices on both Mondays and Thursdays for our big boys we can get creative and still manage some good meals at home. Unfortunately crock pot meals aren't always an option for us because they typically aren't complete meals and we're going to need something ready to go as soon as we get home. No time for whipping up sides. Unless it's easy mac or crescent rolls of course. Haha. Thursday we're resorting to frozen pizza but we think we have several ideas to get us through this soccer season.

*Planning... Currently we've just started planning our middle man's 4th birthday party!! How can he be turning 4 in less than a month?! Gracious. Even though it's hard watching your babies grow up so fast, birthdays are so fun and special. I just love celebrating my boys! So far this party is turning out to be one of our easiest. PTL! Earlier this summer we started asking Austin what theme he wanted and after several weeks of considering transformers, various animals (we're Wild Kratts fans at our house), and football, he finally made a final decision...a Georgia Bulldog party. How fitting! =) We already have lots of Georgia decor as well as some red and black party supplies so things are coming together smoothly so far. He just picked out his cake so next up is finalizing the menu, finalizing favors, and sending out the invites!

 *Loving... My new house (!!!), quality time with my husband, watching the boys play and have fun together, being a stay at home/work from home mom, planning Austin's party, my Sunday School class, my new Trojans t-shirts I just ordered (yay for school spirit!), Fall being on the horizon, Garrison's teacher, our quiet new neighborhood, and reading through the book of Matthew. 

*Not Loving... The hot weather (so ready for Fall weather!), back to school stress (mainly for me but a little for my biggest... poor baby inherited some of my traits), parenting challenges (those are never fun), and chasing down my almost 18 month old at any and every social gathering, event, or practice that doesn't include family (aka HELP). It's exhausting. Haha!

*Watching... Right now there's not a whole lot on so our TV watching is pretty sporadic. We typically watch the Braves whenever they're on, plus we're catching up on Duck Dynasty and Celebrity Family Feud. We're looking forward to the return of our favorite shows! Watching something together almost every night has become one of our favorite ways to hang out and wind down. =)

*Reading... During my quiet time I'm reading through the book of Matthew, one chapter every morning, plus I'm going back and reading the study notes for that chapter. It's been really good. I'm an Old Testament lover so lots of times I focus the majority of my Scripture reading in the Old Testament, but Matthew has reminded me I also need to study the life of Jesus regularly. His ways, His actions, His love. Reading the words of Jesus and the details of His life and ministry are pretty powerful. 

I'm also reading my last book by Liane Moriarty... The Last Anniversary. After this one I'll have read all of her books... and next I think I'll be on a mission to read all of Elin Hilderbrand's books. I've read 3 so far and they are right up my alley. And I love the Nantucket setting! Reading will slow down some for me now that school's started back and I'm busier and more tired, but I really do love and enjoy it so I know I'll get to some books eventually. Haha.

*Trying... Hmmm... what are we trying right now? To figure out our new after school routine? Yes. Having early soccer practices and somewhere to be by 5:00 3 afternoons a week (starting this week) is going to be interesting. We've heard a rumor that 1st grade homework is on the heavy side. So I'm bracing myself. And I'm just not sure we'll be able to get it done in the afternoons before our extracurriculars start. (Which was what we did last year and worked out perfect.) Especially on the days Baby A is here. I want Garrison to have some down time after eating his snack and some time to rest and relax before heading out the door again... but I'm also dreading the thought of doing homework late in the evening. It's probably going to be trial and error for a while but I'm sure we'll figure out a system that works. I thought today went pretty well. 

Here's a quick run down of our afternoon... Snack is on the table once we arrive home around 3:20, all the boys eat their snack while we talk about Garrison's day, big boys change into soccer clothes, Layton gets into stuff, big boys watch Miles from Tomorrowland and rest together, Layton has big poopy diaper, Layton gets on socks and shoes, show goes off, Garrison does math sheet while I put on Austin's socks, shin guards, and cleats, Layton gets into stuff, Garrison finishes math sheet, I put on Garrison's socks, shin guards, and cleats while Austin and Layton get into stuff, Garrison reads to Austin (yes this counts for homework, yay) while I fill water bottles and pack our bag for soccer, we finally leave for soccer and make it there early with the only homework remaining being spelling and reviewing high frequency words. Whew. Thankfully Garrison completed the rest of his homework right after supper with no problem. The biggest challenge with homework so far, just like last year, is younger siblings. Gracious. BUT, I really was pleased with how our first go at things went today!

*Hoping... I am hoping to start keeping another baby, toddler, or preschooler soon. Right now I'm keeping Baby A 3-4 days a week and that's it. And while I LOVE the flexibility of that part time schedule, we also really need more of an income from me. We're committed to me being able to stay home while we still have kiddos at home but we also still need a paycheck from me. Of a certain amount. My amazing husband has worked SO hard and crunched numbers like CRAZY to make sure I've been able to stay home almost full time since Garrison was a baby. So, I want to contribute and relieve some of the burden and pressure for him. Bless him. He is just one of a kind. I am so thankful for him! But we also really need my income plus a little more. At this point we're just praying for another family to need my services and trusting in God's plan. 

*Wanting... A good August! August seems to be a tough month for us. Half of us end up getting sick. Currently Layton and Austin have runny noses and little coughs. We struggle with the back to school transition. It's tough getting back into the swing of things! And for some reason this is the month Terrell and I always fret over our finances.... and my job status or future career plans. Ha. I just want to be able to enjoy this month a little more. It's full of good things too like Terrell's birthday, planning for Austin's birthday, preparing for the Fall season, and soccer fun. So I want to focus on those things and try not to let the sickies and the little stresses get to me.

*Needing... 100% clarity on a BIG issue. Like are we ready to make it official and permanent and done deal that Layton Thomas is our last baby? (Another hot topic that came up in the month of August, haha) I know Terrell is. Everybody who knows Terrell knows he is. =) He's content, he's at peace, he's ready to do what we agreed he would do when we decided we were done. Me...well I'm just a tough case. It's a huge step to do something permanent and I'm just not quite there yet. How will I feel in 1 or 2 or 5 years? How will Terrell feel then? I mean he can't say for sure he'll feel the same... although he definitely reminds me that no matter what we'll feel much, much older. Hahaha! Some days I think I'm ready and then the next day I think we should wait til Layton is older. For some women it's easy, for others it's not. Guess I fall in the not category. Still, I need to be fair to my husband. He has worked so hard to provide for us so I can be home, and he works so hard FOR us when he gets home. Not to brag but he does more around the house and with our kiddos than any other dad I know. He is just very hands on and we share the load around here. Like almost 50-50 to a T. He is amazing. That's why being Team Selph with him is so wonderful. Because we really are a team in every sense of the word. So I want to honor and respect his wants while also feeling like the Lord has led both of us to this decision, not just Terrell. Again, just praying through it and seeking clarity and wisdom. *Needing* it for sure.

That's all for currently. =) Happy almost Tuesday!