Life as a Lewis

I had all kinds of plans to get back on track with documenting our life. I even had a grand scheme of blogging every single day in October in an effort to get caught up on sharing photos and stories. Not for my readers, but for me. This has been my main source of documenting our family's life over the last 7 years, and I am just not willing to let that go. But to be perfectly honest, while very fulfilling, going back into the workforce is using up all I have. There seems to be no time left over for anything extra. I am full out putting all my energy into work, getting supper on our table every night, and marginally staying on top of the laundry and house. I'm sure a good night's sleep would do wonders! As I head into the D6 Conference in Louisville tomorrow and know that I am realistically looking at 14 hour days the rest of the week, I have to let some things go. This week that has meant skipping consignment season. Those totes with fall clothing from last year ar

Rory's 8th (EIGHT!) birthday is Saturday, but I cannot let her celebration come without acknowledging Camden's this past summer. If I remember correctly, we left town immediately after his birthday and the kids stayed with grandparents, I had an interview, then got a job, kids started school, etc. Somehow these pictures never even made it out of Lightroom. I only took a few, but here they are. Ice cream cake, of course. Oh, look. This was before he grew extra teeth. No lie. His eye teeth grew on top of the other ones and now look a little crazy. Both of my kids have very jacked up teeth at the moment. Seriously, could he look any more like a teenager here? And because I think it's fun to compare, I found these and thought I'd share. Birthday #3 Birthday #4 Birthday #6 Birthday #8 Where do the years go?

Rory is just FULL of it these days. She told us at supper the other night that now my cancer is gone,  I could just have another baby. And she was just giddy at the thought of it. CLEARLY we have not been upfront enough if (1) she thinks cancer is gone, (2) I can just have another baby, (3) there is no "another" since I never "had" one to begin with. She has been calling me "mothah" for the last several days. She thinks she's speaking in Spanish. Camden has mentioned several times that he wants to stay a kid. Last week it was because kids have more energy, read more, and enjoy things that "adults do not delight in." Also, he says that "time has taken a toll on my voice - I can't hit the high notes the way I used to." That's only the beginning, buddy. I managed to get in 3 walks this past week, and I am quite proud of myself. You do not even want to know how long it's been since I expended that much energ

"The whole of the life -- even the hard -- is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole. These are new language lessons, and I live them out. There is a way to live the big of giving thanks in all things. It is this: to give thanks in this one small thing. The moments will add up." - Ann Voskamp Because life is work, busy, stressful . . . Because parenting is hard . . . Because I want something fun to happen every weekend instead of the drudgery of cleaning house, doing laundry, helping Brian grade papers, watching Brian work too many hours, etc. etc. etc. . . Because my heart is so full of discontent that I forget to say thanks for all the many blessings that come my way every day . . . I'm listing a few of those infinitesimals from the weekend that - without an intentional decision to acknowledge - would pass me by without so much as a glancing notice much less the whispered thanks they deserve. sunshine

There are an embarrassing number of pictures in this post. It was one of those early fall afternoons that was just perfection. I had a hard time putting the camera down so that I could actually participate in the activity. It just felt like I was missing out on trying to capture the feeling of that hour in the park. If you can believe it, family, I actually played football. :) Side note: I have alot more pictures of Rory than Camden mostly because he moved too fast for me to capture very well. Most of his pics are blurry. Caught it even with his eyes closed. Watching barges and speed boats go by.

Drink Coffee Have you tried the Oprah Chai Latte at Starbucks? It's all kinds of good! Does this even count as coffee? Create Stuff   Sleep I've complained enough over the last 6 years about lack of sleep to last us a lifetime. And, yet, it's still happening. The not sleeping, that is. I took A* intermittently from late 2007 through 2011. Then cancer diagnosis, a whole lot of steroids, surgically induced menopause at 35, etc. I started to take it a little more frequently. Because I process meds in a crazy way (apparently), the stronger extended release A* did not work. At. All. In 2012, I started taking sleeping medication every single night. And I slept pretty well with some random sleepless nights thrown in until recently. This spring I could tell that my beloved A* was losing its effectiveness (and I'm already taking the maximum dosage). I knew it could happen. I've tried to stop taking sleeping medication multiple times. If I

I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again. I. Love. Fall. The weather (cool and humidity free) and smells (smoking tobacco barns, pumpkin candles) and clothes (long sleeves and jeans) and colors (warm, rich colors) are just my favorite. I'm working from home the rest of the week since all my work partners are at the Dallas D6 conference . I am slightly jealous, but comforted by the fact that I'll be working at the Louisville D6 conference in just 2 weeks. The workload is low this week so I mostly get to just hang out and be "available" if anyone needs me. I picked up my first Salted Caramel Mocha of the season, am wearing a shirt with an owl on it (it's super neutral and cute but not cutesy) and my morning couldn't be much better. Addison has been spending Tuesday afternoons with us, and the kiddos played outside for over an hour. After the heat of the summer, there is a renewed interest in all things bikes and balls and jump ropes.

Not only is it Friday, but the temps were in the low 60's when we left for school this morning. I do love when fall starts sneaking its way into our lives. I'm currently sitting upstairs at my desk wrapped in a blanket drinking an iced coffee enjoying some computer time . . . none of which seems to come my way quite often enough these days. Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty good! The rest of Friday includes a chiro appointment, grocery shopping, haircut, surprising the kids with a trip to the theater to see Dolphin Tale 2. Brian and Camden are helping some friends move tomorrow while I work on some photography edits (a.k.a. my second job), then we're going to take advantage of the gorgeous weather with a trip to the park or an afternoon hike. Brian is still swamped at school, but since this is the first weekend in forever with no official church activities outside of the actual services, we're taking advantage of it and planning to cram in as much togethernes