Fifteen!

(10/1) I worked from home today, Dad worked at work, and the boys had school. I made one of my fall favorites; chili-brown sugar squash and apples (usually pears, but I didn't happen to have any on hand).

(10/2) I worked from home this morning. The boys' transportation never showed up, so I ran them to school. At lunch, I drove up to Nanan's to help her with a telehealth appointment. Once I was done with work, I took her out to dinner. It was a little too chilly to sit outside tonight, but they turned on the fire for us.

(10/3) I went to the gym this morning, did the WinCo run, and came home and got caught up on my podcasts.

(10/4) My bio siblings were in town and we gathered for dinner tonight at the place where it all started, Elephant and Castle. I got to meet another cousin and his wife too. We have the best time together! They're all such cool people and it's crazy how much we're all alike. It's been so fun getting to know them all!

(10/5) Monday, Monday... The boys and I had school and work today, and Dad had the day off.

(10/6) I worked in the building and had a busy day of meetings. Dad got pizza for the troops tonight, which the boys always look forward to.

(10/7) After the boys went off to school, I snuck in a class at the gym. The boys had an after school appointment, which I had successfully bribed them with Slurpees and Jersey Mike's, to attend. 

(10/8) We all had school and work today. I got caught up on my trash TV since Dad had to work late. I'm sure he's super bummed to have missed all my shows. 

(10/9) The kiddos' school was closed for a teacher workday, so they got to sleep in and get an early start to their weekend. I worked from home today, and Dad called out sick.  

(10/10) Sarah and I hit the gym this morning for a class. I met my work peeps at the winery to "quality test" our Xmas party selections. We found several that we loved and we're ready to get our holiday on! I ran up to Nanan's in the afternoon to take her shopping. As I drove home the sunset was so gorgeous I had to find a place to pull over and get a picture.

(10/11) Happy Birthday, twinsies! Dad bought fancy donuts for breakfast and they both picked a restaurant to order linner from. And then we had polar pizzas for dessert.

(10/12) Today was a fiasco. I got up early to go into the office only to get there and discover the building was having key card issues. I'm the only one in on Mondays, so ran home to get logged in again.

(10/13) Fortunately, there were no issues getting into the building today and Meeting Tuesday proceeded as normal. 

(10/14) Dad and the boys had work and school and I had the day off. I met Sarah for a pre-dawn vent sesh and took a class at the gym after the boys went to school.  

(10/15) We all had work and school today. Dad dropped J at school after his appointment this morning and then went into work, and I worked from home.

(10/16) I worked from home, Dad worked at work, and the boys had school. F contacted us that C was really feeling lousy and wanted him to see a doctor. He said he was feeling dizzy on top of a horrible cough. Urgent care sent us to the ER, and we had a long evening there. I told him next time he wants to hang out, he can just come to dinner. We don't need to do the whole ER thing. (C will be fine and everything checked out okay)

(10/17) Sarah and I attended the No Kings Get Out the Vote event. Usually we come away feeling energized, but this one was pretty sparsely attended. I don't know if it was because the main protests were in Seattle or what, but this one didn't have the same vibe. Our ballots were dropped off though, so now we wait.

(10/18) Dad, D, and I went up to get together with S and W this afternoon. We haven't seen them in a long time and it was great to catch up and hear everything they've been up to. I can't believe I completely forgot to snap any pictures! W is getting so tall and is such a sweet kiddo, and we're so happy for S that things are going well for her!

(10/19) I took the week off to burn some vacay time. I slept in, and after the boys went off to school, went up to Nanan's to take her shopping. 

(10/20) I got up early and met Sarah for our dark-thirty loop. After the kiddos went to school, I got my errands out of the way and then came home and did a whole lot of nothin'. 

(10/21) The boys' school was running three hours late due to PSAT testing. Since they're already on an abbreviated schedule, I called them out for the day. I still had an IEP meeting with D this afternoon and it was a doozy. Long story short: I'm not sure we really accomplished anything. We'll have to wait and see how the next few days go.

(10/22) We had a frustrating morning. D refused to take his medication or go to school which threw my plans off for the day. J also had a rough time without his brother at school. Hopefully tomorrow is better.

(10/23) I bribed the boys with being picked up if they made it through the day, and they did! We stopped by WinCo for garlic bread to go with the lasagna we were having for dinner and got all the things except garlic bread. Sigh. The lasagna was still good though.

(10/24) I had such a nice day! I messaged the grands to see if they were up for a visit and then hopped a ferry and went over to see their new place. It is beautiful! I got the full tour and heard all the plans. It was wonderful to see them so happy!

(10/25) Dad took my car over to Rob's to work on a few issues. I now have a functioning windshield washer and blinker! I caught up with my book club peeps this afternoon, and then we had a relaxing evening in.

(10/26) I started my day working from home and then took D to a doctor's appointment. Poor guy started feeling queasy afterward which resulted in him going home for the day. I went in to the office after dropping him and finished my shift.

(10/27) I worked in the building, the twins had school, and Dad was off. J was having a rough day and Dad ended up picking him up.

(10/28) I was off for the day and took J to an appointment. We picked up sushi and then came home to hibernate for the rest of the day. D had an amazing day at school and we have, all fingers crossed, found the right mix of accommodations? Maybe?

(10/29) Dad and I worked today and D went to school. J was home and had a doctor's appointment. Poor buddy got an armful of vaccines. He is hoping that he feels sick tomorrow and doesn't have to go to school. I'm guessing he won't even have to fake it.

(10/30) J woke up feeling awful. He always has a rough time with vaccines. D, on the other hand, was excited to go to school and even asked for a ride in so he wouldn't miss any class time.

(10/31) Happy Halloween! I love that it was on a Saturday this year. We had 77 trick or treaters and gave out all the candy and ramen we bought. Playdoh was also a hit with the teens tonight!

Pumpkin Time!

(9/1) I worked from home for a few hours this morning and then we all went to meet the twins' teacher and take a campus tour. The twins will be on an abbreviated schedule with a late start, which is a huge relief because they are most definitely not morning critters. They will have different lunches and fourth periods and three classes together.

(9/2) I dropped the twins off for their first day of school and then headed up to Nanan's to take her grocery shopping. I got to hang out with C, F, and the chickens for a bit before shopping and then sprinted back home to meet the twins. J had an appointment after school which he was pretty grouchy about going to, and about school, and about everything, so this evening was fun. He seemed to cheer up a little after a Slurpee, but shew!

(9/3) Well, we made it a day and a half without a call from the school. Yay? There's still some kinks to be ironed out, and on the bright side, we were also given some positive feedback. I was home when the kiddos got there, so was able to defuse today's sitch and sent them to separate corners.

(9/4) I worked from home today, Dad worked at work, and the boys had school. At lunch, I got my 5G upgraded along with this year's flu shot. My office closed early for the holiday, and I attempted to take Nanan in to get her labs done, but they had also closed early. ARGH! I took her for dinner and we sat out on the patio and had the place to ourselves.

(9/5) The boys and I spent the day doing a whole lot of not much. I ran to the store, but we had no other plans. It's always exhausting getting into a new routine.

(9/6) We all were off today. I went for a walk and then sat out in the back yard with the puppers and enjoyed one of the last gasps of summer. 

(9/7) We were all off for Labor Day. We didn't go anywhere or do anything and it was perfect.

(9/8) Meeting Tuesday. My office is back on its fall schedule which means two days in the building for me. Luckily, Dad's schedule has him off the days I'm in, and we've even had a weekend day off together lately. It's been nice!

(9/9) What a day. J had a medical appointment this morning and didn't feel up for school afterward. I warned him I had a lot to do and that he'd have to tag along. I tried again to get Nanan's labs done, but this time the lab didn't have her orders. I called and texted, but her doctor's office was at lunch the first time I called and their voicemail was full and disconnected me the second. Frustrated, I had to request that her appointment be rescheduled. J and I went grocery shopping with C and then came home. After that, it was just a comedy of errors with the coat rack falling off the wall, D's bag of candy exploding all over the floor, and dinner over-flowing the pot and all over the stove. I waved the white flag and went to go watch some TV.

(9/10) We all had work and school today. The boys' teacher called and they're still strategizing the best schedule for them, but she's leaning hard on them not having any classes together. Which makes sense, but is not the most practical with the resources we have at hand. 

(9/11) 25 years. It's hard to wrap my head around that it's really been that long. I listened to a few podcasts as I worked today and took in other people's experiences. 

(9/12) I bailed on Zumba this morning when my gym buddy woke up not feeling so great and opted to bum around for the morning instead. I had to take Lime-kitty's meds up to C, so I met him at work and then ran some errands. Lime is doing great and has been gaining weight and is being sassy, which we love to see! 

(9/13) After a long summer, I was glad to wake up to a rainy Sunday. Dad and D went up to Rob's to work on D's car. J and I stayed back and had a much-needed day of sloth.

(9/14) I worked in the office today and Dad had the boys. He had to get them off to school and then take Noodley in for his annual. The Sausage™ is doing well and surprised us all that he was actually a little lighter this year than last. 

(9/15) I worked in the building and Dad got the kiddos off to school. Meeting Tuesday was relatively uneventful, which I appreciated.

(9/16) After the kiddos went to school, I drove up to Nanan's to attempt her labs a third time. We were finally successful and I'm never messing with a sure thing again! I took her grocery shopping and we bought lunch to eat out on her deck. It was a lovely day! 

(9/17) Oh yay, it's germ season. Both boys came home sniffling and requested chicken tortellini soup for dinner.

(9/18) J sounded terrible this morning so we called him out. I worked from home and Dad had a later shift. D made it through, but was so very glad it was Friday. Same, bud!

(9/19) Sarah and I finally made it to the gym for a class. It's been a minute! I ran some errands afterward and bought the sniffling duo some Gatorade and snax.

(9/20) Dad and I had the day off together and got to go play. We went to Bailey Farms and picked honeycrisp apples and then went into Snohomish for lunch. We went to the Pie Co for some sammiches and a pie shake. Both were amazing! And I made apple crisp at home for dessert.

(9/21) I worked in the building, the boys had school, and Dad was off. He got a surprise visit from C and they talked cars. C is looking to get out from under his. Crossing fingers that it works out.

(9/22) Happy fall! I worked in the building and Meeting Tuesday was pretty tame and since it was Tuesday, the day ended with pizza.

(9/23) I went and got sushi for the troops before heading out to see Nanan. She's thankfully feeling much better today and we didn't have to make a doctor's appointment. C sent us home with some eggs. He says the chickens are laying them everywhere BUT the coop he built for them. Lil brats! 

(9/24) I worked from home today. The grands popped by this afternoon to drop off some things since they were in town. Toffee got way too overexcited and went after River and they got in a huge fight. Once I finally managed to get them separated, we managed to have a nice visit! 

(9/25) TGIF! We all had work and school today. I work from home on Fridays and kicked my day off with a walk which ended in an amazing sunrise.

(9/26) I managed beat J to asking to go to WinCo by being up and out the door early. He has been sorting all our coins and found enough quarters that D should be set with vending machine money for the rest of the year. 

(9/27) We all had the day off together. Dad brought us some amazing donuts to start our day. We went antiquing in Snohomish and stumbled upon a rock sale. There were bins and bins of really cool rocks, and Dad picked a few to slab and tumble. We got back in time for me to go to virtual book club. I'm finally getting my reading mojo back and added a bunch of new titles to my list.

(9/28) I worked in the office today and Dad saw the kiddos off to school. The sky was beautiful this morning!

(9/29) I had a dentist appointment this morning and then went in to finish my work day at the office.

(9/30) I had the day off today and went up to hang with Nanan, C & F. I took the kids shopping and then they went home and made a metric ton of cider.