Friday Favorites: 1st Week Success!

My first full week as a Kindergarten teacher has been a successful one! Yaaaay!!!! Wooohooo!! Praise the Lord!!!! 

#butI'msooooexhausted #whenisitbedtime #mamaisruningonfumes

Despite my exhaustion I am so grateful for how smoothly things have gone overall. And, I'm really thankful that my kids weren't neglected, my husband wasn't neglected, and my house wasn't (totally) neglected during this first week. Those were all very real fears for me and I am just giving God the glory for the success we've experienced so far. And Spring Break coming next week has made a huge difference for me when it comes to being away from Layton. Post Spring Break could be pretty rough.... but this week, this mama and teacher is GRATEFUL. 

Here's a look at a few of my favorite moments from the week...

*This moment goes back to the week before last when Terrell surprised Garrison by coming for lunch. Austin had "Doughnuts with Dad" coming up (which we missed thanks to everyone being sick... so we ended up doing our own version at home) and Garrison was a little bummed about not having a doughnuts with dad...it was for PreK only.... so the best daddy ever surprised him for lunch! Terrell happened to be coming through Barnesville around Garrison's lunch time and it worked out perfect. Our biggest boy's day was MADE. =)

*I read this in the midst of everyone being sick last week. The week that about did me in and caused a nervous breakdown. Not only was it timely for last week, it was also a much needed reminder for me as I am pretty much always tempted to look ahead, plan ahead, and worry ahead. Who knew my New Year's resolution for the year would be almost impossible for me. Ha. Focusing on the present and taking one day at a time is big ole challenge for me... and I fail a LOT. But I do think being intentional and trying has at least helped a little.

*My middle man's 1st game of the season was a pretty great one. =)

*And so was his 2nd! One day soon I've got to get some pictures of Garrison playing!

*After school, post-homework downtime. Ahhhh. A much needed breather before the supper time and practice rush begins.

*I only made it to the last few minutes of Austin's practice Monday night but it was a great night for baseball. And the miracle of miracles is happening for me.... I've had very little Spring allergies so far!! Almost non-existent! I'm using my nose spray daily but this is HUGE for me. Obviously my surgery really paid off! YAY!

*The boys are back into Power Rangers right now and Layton is almost always in character when we're home. Even right before bedtime. =)

*One of Austin's teacher's sent me this picture of him and one of his besties waiting on an appearance from Pete the Cat at our Fine Arts Center. Love these 2 and their sweet little friendship!

*The same day I got a picture of these 2 bestie-cousins from my mom. They love off-roading together. =)

*A new request for the boys lately is that we have reading time together before going to bed. Normally Terrell and I alternate nights of who puts the big boys to bed and who puts Layton to bed and we read to them separately. But this week we had 2 nights of reading together that was pretty special. Even if the boys got on my nerves or made me a little crazy I was intentional about soaking up the moment because I wanted to remember it. These days are some of the best days. 

*Garrison wrote this short story during his "free choice" center time on yesterday and I love it. The title is supposed to be 3 Guys. My favorite line.... They were famous and victorious. =)

*Pre-game pictures! Hahaha! 

*Oh these boys of mine. They make me crazy and melt my heart just about constantly. =)

We are kicking off Spring Break this afternoon!! We're looking forward to some special family outings, extra rest, extra fun, and extra downtime! We are all excited and ready! Happy Friday!!

Last Week

So last week was a huge blur. An exhausted, crazy, stressful SICK blur.

I missed blogging, taking pictures, and honestly just feeling like myself. It was a rough one. I'll start from the beginning.

On last Saturday Terrell started with symptoms of the flu and ended up in the bed ALL weekend long. Opening Day of baseball was cancelled due to rain for the 2nd year in a row but it actually turned out to be a blessing given how sick Terrell was becoming. Our plans of taking Layton on his birthday outing were postponed and I basically spent the weekend giving Terrell medicine, keeping him hydrated and fed, and attempting to feed, entertain, and parent my 3 little men. I suspected the flu early on and started sleeping on the couch and keeping everybody as far away from Terrell as possible. It wasn't anything close to the fun weekend we were planning for. It was the opposite. Boo.

Monday the boys and I were off from school so I was able to take Terrell to the doctor first thing while my mom watched the boys. Sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed when Terrell tested positive for the flu. We picked up his medicine, came home for him to go back to bed, and then Layton and I hurried off to his 3 year well check-up. Because we were late I had a longer wait than usual and Layton was out of sorts and not very cooperative, but we everything looked great and we're thankful for our healthy growing boy! I grabbed fast food for lunch and we all ate my mom's before coming home and checking on daddy while also staying clear of him. Paranoia had set in for this mama.

Monday night was hard. I took on taking care of everybody in the house on a school night while feeling drained and exhausted thanks to a weekend full of taking care of everybody solo, and sleeping on the couch... which isn't the best sleep.

Tuesday morning came and the big boys and I were all preparing to go to school while Terrell's mom kept Layton and kept tabs on Terrell. But unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. Sigh. Garrison woke up with a pretty high temp and feeling terrible. I had to miss my 3rd day of work with my new class! We suspected him of having the flu or strep so there was no way I could leave him with someone while I went to work. It was awful and stressed me out big time. Working mom guilt and new job guilt set in and about did me in. It was a terrible feeling. So I took Garrison to the doctor first thing Tuesday morning.... and thankfully "the doctor" is one of my besties who didn't mind seeing our fam multiple times last week! He tested negative for the flu (Praise the Lord!) but positive for strep. And for once we were actually thankful for a strep diagnosis.

So once again we planned to head to school together on Wednesday (and by this point Terrell had turned a corner and was feeling MUCH better).... but Austin started complaining with his throat and running a fever and Garrison's fever came back. So were home yet again on Wednesday. Mama was spent and my nerves were shot. We got Austin started on an antibiotic and planned for school on Thursday.

Change of plans. Again.

Thursday the boys woke up with low grade temperatures and crying because of not feeling good. Sigh. I went to school but Terrell stayed with the boys until his mom could come over and then he went into work for a few hours. Thankfully as the day went on on Thursday they seemed to feel better and better and we thought for sure we finally had everybody well.

Then came Thursday night. Do you see a theme here? Not so fun surprises occurred everyday! It was so draining and discouraging. Terrell and I couldn't sleep and I was fretting and worrying about everything kid related, school related, and working full time related and then Garrison woke up around 3:30 in the morning running a high fever. What in the world?! So then we were up the rest of the night trying to figure out a game plan for the next day. Thankfully Dr. Brandi came to the rescue again and determined we needed to change Garrison's antibiotic. And that did the trick! #allthepraisehands

Other than a little excitement on Saturday night when Layton got hit in the head with a toy by accident and had to be taken to urgent care for glue, we all got back to normal over the weekend. Fever-free, flu-free, strep-free, SICK-free! Finally!!!

Last week was one for the record books. It was pretty terrible. But we are soooo thankful for a best friend who is a Nurse Practitioner, a retired Granna and Nana, and living here in the hometown. That made all the difference for us during a really hard, stressful, and very sick week.

This week we are hoping to get back to normal. Back to school, baseball, choir, tutoring, and our regular routine. And if we can make it through this week, we'll make it to Spring Break!!

This will be my very first 40 hour work week with 3 kids, a "side job" tutoring, and also trying to make it to our extracurriculars. Soo, I'm not sure if I'll blog again this week or not. I absolutely LOVE blogging and I reeeally want to continue, but I've also given myself permission to do whatever I need to do to give myself a break as we adjust to this change. Prayers are appreciated as last week reminded me in a BIG way that I don't handle having a ton on my plate very well. It definitely doesn't bring out the best in me. But Spring Break is on the horizon and we'll survive the craziness of me working one way or another!

Happy Monday! Have a great week!

Friday Favorites: Ready or Not Edition

What a week!! TGIF and yay for weekends!!

So this week I was on stand-by knowing that I could start my new job at pretty much anytime. I was told to be ready to go come the 21st, but this week was a stand-by week. So I took a couple of days off to be home with Layton and tried to do some cleaning and ran some errands, etc. fully expecting to start on Tuesday the 21st. But the call came Wednesday morning and yesterday was my first day with my new class full of Kindergartners. Ready or not. Phew! It's been a roller coaster of a week. Knowing that change is here and we aren't looking back... at least not until this summer... has been a little tough to accept. Plus overwhelming. My heart is home with my boys so the thought of working full time feels unnatural and super intimidating. But I've definitely felt the Holy Spirit gently reminding me that I'm not in charge, this isn't about my plan and what I think is best, it's about His plan and what HE knows actually is best. Oh blessed assurance! 

Here's a few pictures and a quick look at my favorite moments from the week...

*Austin cashed in some of his Trojan bucks on Friday to have his "name in lights". =) He was SO excited and loved the whole process. I must admit I'm pretty smitten with his name (and picture!) in lights too. 

*Monday night baseball was cancelled due to freezing temps and rain so we enjoyed being home and warm together. Twister was the game night choice and pretty fun to watch. Layton participated a little but mainly ran around on the mat or got in the way. Haha. Everybody was cracking up throughout the whole game. =)

*Baby boy was ready for the cold weather this week! Ha! He loves his Winter weather gear.

*This was the same day he begged and begged and BEGGED to ride his tractor and "cut the wet" (grass). So while Terrell was grilling in the freezing cold, we bundled Layton up and let him ride around the backyard a few times before making him park the tractor and come in. Of course he had a huge meltdown after that because HEARTBROKEN, but I sure did love watching him do his favorite thing from the window. If his love for being outside continues I seriously see him choosing a career that allows him to be outside a lot. Sometimes I think he would stay out all day long if we let him. 

*I loved my quality time with my littlest man earlier in the week. Zingo is always a favorite. 

*My quiet time yesterday morning that led me to verses in Isaiah 40 and 41 was a much needed favorite as I prepared to embark on my 1st day.

*Happy St Patrick's Day from my guys in green! =)

*Favorite Quote of the Week: Your assignment was designed just for you because you have what it takes. ~Wendy Pope, today's First 5 devotion (I read this this morning!! Wow. SO timely.)

The great thing about starting work on a Thursday is that today is Friday! YAY!! Yesterday was extremely long because immediately following the school day I tutored and then we had baseball.... and honestly the busyness and exhaustion of the day didn't help my confidence and peace going forward about things, but today is a new day and I actually have a long weekend with the boys that I am sooooo grateful for. We are excited to kick off baseball with opening day on Saturday and *hoping* to finally take Layton on his birthday outing. I am looking forward to the long weekend big time! HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!

Weekend Goodness

This past weekend was full of goodness. Special, sweet, normal, fun, elaborate, simple, and romantic all wrapped up in one. It's one to document and remember for sure. 

So last week Terrell asked me out on a date for Friday night (I love when he asks me out!) and he totally surprised me! He told me the kiddos needed to spend the night away so he could whisk me away to one of our favorite fancy restaurants and so we could have the entire evening to ourselves with no curfew. =) He's the best! When he first asked me out he didn't mention his plans so I thought he wanted to go to our local Mexican restaurant. Ha! That would've been fine too but I was super surprised when he revealed his plans to me. =) So we finally worked it out and Friday after Terrell got off work and his parents came to pick up the boys we set out for our romantic date night!

We went to Downtown Grill in Macon which is one of our favorites!! I'm stilling smiling over the fact that he planned this for us. =) We celebrated an anniversary or two there while we were dating, possibly a birthday, and we went there for our 10th wedding anniversary. It's always so good, so romantic, and it holds a special place in our hearts.

Their cheese grits are amazing! Everything is really, really amazing.

And this time I was determined to save room for dessert. So I skipped a salad, ha, and we enjoyed this delicious ice cream pie. Sooo good!  

We came home full and sleepy and crashed Friday night. Our dinner and date night was the best! We had an amazing time together and I loved every second. 

We slept in a little Saturday morning and just enjoyed an easy, slow morning before heading out for baseball practice and meeting up with our babies. Garrison's team had practice and since I never get to watch him practice I enjoyed seeing him and his little team. 

It was chilly but a beautiful morning.

After practice we came home for lunch and then got ready for Austin's best bud's birthday party! 

Our kiddos had a ball. Thankfully Layton finally warmed up to everything so he could enjoy himself too. 

Austin with another bestie!

After the party we came home and settled in for the evening and the time change. Our baby boy was in a terrible mood and just exhausted. He didn't sleep well at Nana's and Pops' house the night before so he was just miserable... and making the rest of us miserable too. We put him to bed around 6:00 (7:00 new time)! After supper he was just about inconsolable he was so tired and ill! Thankfully he got a good night's sleep and even slept late Sunday morning!! Baby boy was TIRED.

Saturday night before bed I was able to read Jesus Always and loved that it was about focusing on the present. I am enjoying this devotion so much. And the new study on 1st Samuel from First 5!! I highly recommend them both!

 Sunday morning we enjoyed a special dedication with our SS class in our brand new room (we have the most special class!) before coming home for REST. That time change is a doozy! Layton napped, the big boys watched Swiss Family Robinson, I cleaned bathrooms, Terrell did laundry, and then we napped for a little stretch too. The return of Winter and freezing weather combined with the time change made everybody lazy!

On Sunday at 5:00 we turned on our new favorite soccer team to watch them play... in the snow! Atlanta United is an expansion team for MLS and we lost a close game last Sunday but this Sunday came away with the win against Minnesota! We are hoping to take the boys to a game in future. Maybe next season. =)

At half-time we all loaded up for take-out and I took a drive-thru selfie. Ha. We're having a version of breakfast supper later this week so we decided to skip our usual Sunday night breakfast. We ate our fast food gathered around the bar so we could see the end of the game. It was pretty fun.

The boys wrapped up the weekend with an episode of Paw Patrol and then we all read books together in the big boy room before getting everyone settled in bed for the night. 

The whole weekend was full of goodness and one of my favorite ever! We still had meltdowns by Layton, a little fighting amongst the boys, a parenting challenge here and there, and some time change exhaustion, but it doesn't have to be perfect to be perfect. We loved our couple time and we loved our family time. It was pretty awesome start to finish and this wife and mama is SO thankful. 

Friday Favorites: Getting Closer Edition

This week turned out much busier than we were expecting but thankfully we got back to normal around here! For me this week was all about trying to prepare myself for working full time and getting things done around the house. I'll never be ready to go back to work but I'd like to be somewhat prepared. We're getting closer to the big day and still don't know for sure the exact date, but it's coming soon ready or not! Eeeek!! It's a little scary but I'm so thankful for what this opportunity will provide for our family and for a wonderful Granna and Nana to take care of my baby. 

Here's a look at my faves from the week...

*Austin's class learned about shadows and reflections last month his teachers made a silhouette of each child. I LOVE Austin's!! Definitely keeping this little treasure. 

*Garrison Cade lost another tooth first thing Monday morning while he was eating breakfast! And he pulled it himself!

*One of my "students" made this for me this week. I love that I'm tall with long legs. =)

*Wow. So true. Such a reminder. So good.

*I have savored my time with my littlest love this week. I've worked a little more than normal so my time with him has been pretty special.

*Game Night with Eye Found It! My guys all searching hard. =)

*So this little man hasn't been very pleasant to take to the grocery store lately. We've talked about trying the whole ordering online thing and then picking up at the store but right now I don't even have the time to order online and then drive the next town over to pick everything up. So. I have to purchase my groceries the old fashioned way. Ha. Two things lately have saved us from embarrassing moments and/or meltdowns while grocery shopping.... the free cookies for kids (why did I not know about this sooner??!!!) AND taking him a piece of bubble gum to chew once he's done with the cookie. Soooo helpful! #thankfulmama

*Our alphabet train is growing! =) I'm going to miss my little teaching opportunities with him. Waaaahhh! Hopefully Granna and Nana are up for the challenge and my mama-teacher heart will be okay.

*On Mondays and Thursdays we have back to back practices with the big boys... Austin's is at 5:45 and Garrison's is at 7:15. Terrell coaches both teams so he takes Austin to practice after we eat a rushed supper at 5, and then Garrison, Layton, and I head out later (after I've cleaned the kitchen) to watch the 2nd half of practice.... and when Austin's is over I take him and Layton home while Terrell and Garrison stay for Garrison's practice. It's a crazy long and tiring night on practice nights. Garrison gets home so late we decided to start letting Austin and Layton sleep together in Layton's bed on practice nights so they can get in bed at their normal bedtime. It's working out perfectly so far and I'm so thankful! Last night Austin "read" to Layton by flashlight before they fell asleep. It was the sweetest. #melted

This week has been a bit of a whirlwind but still good. I've SO appreciated having lunches made ahead of time (and not having to wash lunch plates every afternoon! pre-made lunches are a new requirement for me!), I'm thankful I've been able to have a little extra time with Layton at home, I'm learning how to squeeze in chores and errands whenever I can, and Terrell and I are tag teaming like pros. =)  The adjustment to mama working full time is going to take a toll but we're going to survive it. I'm covering it all in prayer and trusting this is God's plan and His plan is always best. 

We are looking forward to a great weekend that kicks off with a special date tonight! Happy Friday!!

Selph Family Facts & 'Fessionals

I decided to make a running list of facts and 'fessionals about our fam. I thought it would be fun to document all of our little quirks and things people may not know about us. Some are fun, some random, some weird, but all are us. =) 

The Selph 5 Facts & 'Fessionals.... 

*We don't drink coffee. (Gasp! We don't even own a coffee pot.)

*Terrell cuts his own hair... with my help.

*We haven't had an actual baby-sitter, who is not a family member, for our kids since Garrison was a baby and we lived in Covington and needed a "nanny" to keep him at our house for my last few weeks of the school year. She was a college student and wonderful but she's been our first and only "sitter". 

*Our boys have never slept in the bed with us. Ever. 

*Most people are shocked by this but they actually aren't allowed to leave their rooms without permission. We started a "rule" of not getting out of your bed when they transitioned to a big boy bed and as they've gotten older it's now become a "don't leave your room without permission" rule. It's mainly for the weekends and helps insure we get to sleep as late as possible, but since we've always done it this way it's always worked and been good for us. 

*We don't do a load of laundry a day. We don't really have consistent pattern... a load today, skip 2 days, then 2 loads, skip another day, etc. However, once I start working full time we may have to attempt a load a day. 

*Our boys are all morning people so far. They wake up easily and in good moods 95% of the time. Yay.

*Terrell and I share almost ALL household chores. He helps clean up the kitchen every night, does just as much laundry as me, de-clutters when we need it, cleans showers, tubs, and toilets as those are my least favorite chores, and is always willing to do anything extra I need him to do. When I'm home I do most of the bathrooms (minus showers and toilets), dusting, and vacuuming but other than that everything is shared around here. Oh how I love and appreciate him!

*Household chores are shared but outside work is not. I don't do yard work. Ha! I've helped with things here and there in the past but overall I stay clear. For one thing, I've always had terrible allergies and they are just now under control so I've never been able to be outside around the grass, flowers, trees, etc in the Spring without being pretty miserable. For another thing, I don't like being hot. I'm a wimp when it comes to hot weather. Being cold isn't pleasant but if I had to choose I'd rather be cold. Annnd, for another thing, I've just never cared for yard work and the great outdoors. (My mom and Granny are wondering where my genes came from and how I ended up this way. Hahaha!)

*Terrell stays up about 2 hours later than me every single night. Shortly after getting married we accepted that we'd always have different bedtimes. He's a night owl and I'm an early bird.

*We have been meal planning and menu writing together every single week since before Garrison was born. I'm estimating 9-10 years. That's a lot of weekly menus. =)

*We all sleep with some kind of white noise... the big boys have a floor fan in their room and Layton has a sound machine. And we have the monitor which serves as our white noise. How did I ever sleep in the total quiet before?

*I'm the only member of my family who LOVES going out to eat. Unless we're going out with grandparents or other family, the boys would typically choose to eat at home if they had the choice, and Terrell doesn't care for it because it can be a little stressful with the kiddos. Plus expensive. While I'd never want to eat out every night or even every other night, I appreciate being cooked for, waited on, cleaned up after, and not having to cook and clean at home too much not to enjoy and really appreciate eating out. =)

*Bread and sweets are my weakness. Major weakness. Ahhhhhh. Why do they tempt me so!?!

*We prefer lamps to overhead lights. Or at least I do... and my family has never objected. The first thing I do when I'm done in the kitchen every evening is turn off lights and turn on lamps. It's also the first thing I do in my bedroom. I just like the soft glow and coziness of lamps. 

*We got a new mattress! We decided to give Layton our mattress (which we're estimating to be around 20 years old) and we got a new one. Given our budget and our research we nervously went with a memory foam and I think it's safe to say we LOVE it and may never look back. It took us a few nights to get used to it but it is the best, most comfy, most sleep-inviting thing ever! We are super, super happy with it. 

*Terrell never eats breakfast. He might grab a snack mid-morning but so do I. And I have to eat breakfast. I can't wake up and not eat. It's essential to eat something for breakfast! He's weird. Ha.

*I drive a suburban and have no desire to down-size. Ever. I'm not saying never, I just love my big, spacious, roomy, comfy bus. I can't imagine driving anything smaller. 

*We've been on one cruise (before kids) and it wasn't our favorite. It wasn't bad, we still enjoyed ourselves for the most part and made the best of it, it just wasn't for us. 

*I need to wear a watch every time I leave my house. It's a must-have. Terrell has never really worn a watch. (Garrison wears a watch and a fit bit on the same wrist. #awesomeness)

*The Selph 5 are beach people. We looove the beach. But we prefer the beach in the summer. I'm sure we'd still enjoy it during other seasons, but summer is the absolute BEST time to experience the beach. (In our opinion of course... I know some would argue with me on this, ha)

*We yell at our house. Sometimes to be heard, sometimes to get attention, sometimes in anger, sometimes in frustration, and sometimes in joy. We just have a loud household. 

*My new favorite make-up product is eye shadow primer potion by Urban Decay. It works wonders! I got it for Christmas and love it. My eye shadow stays on all day long and I don't come home from work anymore with tired, weak, or smeared eyes. 

*We still have a room in our house we don't ever use. The door is closed and we rarely, rarely go in there. It's our 2nd bathroom upstairs... otherwise known as the purple bathroom. Haha. The boys all use the bathroom in the big boy room and the purple bathroom needs painting and decorating before it's ready to be used so we just keep the door closed and rarely use it. We'll get to it eventually.

*I don't watch the news. It's not that I want to be ignorant of things or indifferent, I just don't want to see and hear all the negative, all the arguing, all the issues. My trust is in Jesus and that's what I want my focus to stay on. Terrell watches it sometimes after I'm in bed and he keeps me pretty informed.

*I've lost my desire to go to Disney. Too expensive, too much work, too much of a headache, too much of everything. The thought overwhelms me. A kid-friendly resort though? YES. We are hoping to go to one of those one day and truly experience a vacation that's also super special. 

*And last but not least, while we love our family outings and the special things we do away from home, I think it's safe to say that as a whole, we are home bodies. We like being together and we like being home. Too much time away is exhausting and too many plans are stressful... so it isn't our thing to be busy and away all the time. Now we can't stay in the house for long without needing to at least get outdoors, and I can't stress enough how much we LOVE our family vacations and family outings, and we may even "do" and "go" more and more as our budget allows, but, for now, I think our favorite place to be is home and together. =)

I know there's probably lots more facts and 'fessionals I could've shared but these are all I could think over the span of this week. I know some of these will change over the years and some won't but they make me smile because they're unique to us. =)

Happy Friday Eve!!

Friday Favorites on Monday: Last Week was Crazy Edition

Sooo, last week turned out super crazy. Hence a Monday morning version of Friday Favorites... 

Let's see, we had a strep diagnosis, some not so fun side effects to the antibiotics... which we now believe may have been a stomach bug, an actual and for sure stomach bug, a combined 5 days of missed school, mama working, mama tutoring, a frigid and late night of baseball, a late, LATE night of cleaning up and washing everything in sight, some up and down "moments" (mainly by me) thanks to all of the unexpected that occurred during our week back to school.... and all the while we were *attempting* to get back into the swing of things. Phew! It wasn't a fun week and it definitely wasn't what we were expecting in our week back, but thankfully it only amounted to crazy. And crazy is something we can survive! We were especially grateful our weekend was pretty wonderful. Yay. =)

Here's a few of my favorite moments from our week of crazy...

*Baseball practice was cancelled Monday night due to rain and we SO enjoyed the break. Or maybe that was just me. Ha. After working all day, plus a doctor's visit for Austin, mama was SPENT. I was so thankful to have the night at home. We even got in a game of Hungry Hippo before bed. =)

*Tuesday Austin stayed home from school and me and my littles went out for a little shopping. With Spring fast approaching... and working full time on the horizon, I had to get in a quick shopping trip to spend some Christmas money ASAP.

*We only went to one store because this is where I find almost 100% of my clothes and as soon as we made it back to the petite section Layton said, Mama, dat is a MOM (referring the the mannequin)  Hahahaha! Then, Austin asked for me to take their picture with them! I laughed so hard! Thankfully we were the only customers in the store that early. Haha!! 

*We survived our shopping without any major issues so the boys got to ride the Cat in the Hat ride right outside the store before we left. =)

*Tuesday is our night off and for the first time ever the boys all took a bubble bath together! 

*They loved it. =)

*Wednesday morning my mom sent me and Anna this picture of our babies watching Mickey Mouse together. Mickey is pretty famous to these 2. =)

*Another Game Night with Don't Break the Ice! #concentrationmode

*On Thursday I was able to eat lunch with my biggest at school and we had the best little lunch break together. This was a day that Austin couldn't go to school but I had to work so his 2 little brothers got to stay with Nana and go out to breakfast and get a little special treatment that left Garrison feeling pretty bummed. But our lunch date was super special and turned out to be the perfect remedy. =) 

(Thursday night is when our crazy week got CRAZY. Garrison woke up sick around 11:20 and Terrell and I were up for the next 2 hours cleaning, washing, and taking care of our sick baby. Thankfully he was asleep and past it all by about 1:45 Friday morning and I made it back to bed around 3:45, but Friday was rough. We were sleep deprived, Terrell went into work for a little over half a day, Garrison was weak and unable to play or eat much, while Austin was mourning the fact that Garrison couldn't play and Layton was just left to practically fend for himself. It was as pleasant as you can imagine. BUT, eventually everyone perked up and I actually made it to my girls night with my besties. And let me tell you I needed that break and girl time! We had the best time ever as always. Maybe one day we'll take a selfie to document. =))

*Friday afternoon once Terrell came to my rescue (because I had a meeting at school and because he felt sorry for me and is pretty wonderful), he organized our pantry! I love him so. He's a puzzle guy and always does the best job loading the dishwasher and packing , etc and he's now officially in charge of pantry organization. Our "walk in"/closet style pantry is located in our laundry room and isn't practical except for things we stock up on or don't have room for in our cabinet pantry. Plus we use that closet as a craft and game closet. So we have to get creative with our smaller pantry. And this is perfect. Terrell Selph is officially hired! =)

*Saturday afternoon we went on another family walk and Layton rode his little balance bike for the whole mile. We love our family walks together!

*Terrell put Layton to bed on Saturday night and sent a group text to our families with this picture letting us know that he got to read books with Optimus Prime before bed. Haha!

Last week was SUPER crazy but even in the midst of cleaning up throw up into the wee hours of Friday morning I was reminded of my blessings. I literally thought to myself, there's no one else I'd rather be doing this with. I am so thankful for my husband and my family. We have lots of tough days, lots of days that are exhausting or trying or hard to enjoy, but God's grace is so abundant gratitude really is possible. Thank you Jesus for JOY. 

We are hoping for a much more calm and normal week this week! Have a great Monday!