Our Week - The One with Olivia’s Birthday, a Slumber Party, a Lock-In, and a Date Night

Last week was all about grieving Maui’s loss, trying to play catchup (and not succeeding), and celebrating Olivia’s birthday.

Monday, February 24

Monday morning, we had to send the kids off to school after a sad day on Sunday when we lost our sweet Maui.  Olivia wore her “Maui” bracelet that she made years ago so she could carry a little piece of her memory to school.  She has also started taking her Maui stuffie everywhere since Maui passed last week.  I thought that was so sweet.

When I dropped the kids at school, Olivia’s friend, Maren, came running over to our car to tell me how sorry she was about Maui.  She spends time at our house often, and she loved Maui so much.  Her mom had shown her my Facebook post the night before, so she was ready to welcome Olivia with open arms at school Monday morning.  Sweet girl.

After I dropped the kids at school, I headed home, and I started playing catchup on all the things that I had let go while caring for Maui during her last week of life.  We had piles and piles of laundry, and I ended up knocking out five on Monday.  I ordered a birthday gift for Olivia’s friend, Caroline, I ordered some makeup refills for myself, and I called the vet and canceled our appointment.  We had set an appointment for 4 PM to have Maui euthanized, but thankfully, God took her on His own, so we didn’t have to.

All of the ladies at the vet’s office love Maui so much – she was, by several pounds, their smallest dog there – and they always loved when I brought her in, so they were all saddened to hear the news.  I tried my best to make it through the conversation without crying, but that didn’t happen. 

Brian called the cremation place Monday morning to give them information on the little box that we’d picked out for her, and they told him that we’d be able to pick her up Thursday or Friday as we had to wait for her little plaque to come back. 

I also got my planner ready for the week and month ahead and I watched my weekly sermon since I hadn’t done that on Sunday, and I got some Amazon returns ready.  I swear, I turned around in my chair seven or eight times throughout the day to check on Maui only to find an empty bed.  I never realized just how much attention I gave my sweet girl until she was gone. 

I left a little early to pick up the kids so I could run some errands along the way – I had to drop my Amazon returns at UPS and I had to drop some library returns and pick up a couple of holds.  My friend, Jeannine, was working, so she gave me a big hug and then we talked about our sweet fur babies and how hard it is to lose them.  She and her family just lost their baby of many years last summer, so their pain is still fresh, and it was nice to be able to chat with somebody who has recently been through it.  I’m so grateful for her and our almost-30-year friendship. 

After that, I got in the car line, and I caught up on emails.  I also emailed Olivia’s teacher to let her know I was bringing birthday donuts for Olivia the next day to lunch, and then I started the new book I’d picked up from the library – The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. 

When the kids and I got home, I went over some homework with Olivia and Brian and Jacob left for golf practice. 

While Olivia read, I caught up on my gratitude journal, prayer journal, devotional, and Bible study, and then I went for a very short run and did an arms workout because it was so beautiful outside for the first time in a while.

Jacob had Velocity right after golf, so Brian dropped him there, and then when he got home, we had chicken tacos with all the toppings.

B had to pick Jacob up at 8, so I got some laundry put away while Olivia showered, and then she and I spent some time together outside looking at the planets since they aligned last week.  She also showed me the drawing she’d done of Maui in her little cremation box.  And she wrote the sweetest letter to God and Maui in heaven.  If this doesn’t make you tear up then I don’t know what will.

After the boys got home, Jacob got showered, we got the kids in the bed, and then Brian and I watched some of Severance (I think?).

 

Tuesday, February 25

Tuesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I headed home to get some stuff done.  I worked on the blog, I transferred the pictures from my phone to my computer for the week, I got three loads of laundry done, and I wrapped Olivia’s birthday gifts from us, which was good since Tuesday was her birthday. 

After lunch, I headed to the outreach center at our church to drop a bunch of donations and then I headed to our favorite local donut place to grab donuts for fifth grade to celebrate Olivia’s birthday.  I took those back to the school and sat with Olivia during her lunch break, and the whole cafeteria sang Happy Birthday to her. 

I had an hour and a half to kill before it was time to get in the car line, so I went to the vet to drop all of the canned food we didn’t use for Maui.  They had told us that they would refund us for all of the cans of her prescription food that had been unopened, and I also wanted to donate all of the random cans of other food we had purchased when we were just trying to get her to eat something… anything. 

Once I was done there, I went to Bath & Body Works to get some soap for our primary bathroom… now that they’ve cleaned up their soap, I’ve been using it a little more often, even though I do use Mrs. Meyers in the kitchen.  They have a whole new line there and it’s all Disney Princess stuff, so I couldn’t wait to pick up the kids and tell Olivia. 

When I got in the car line, I read for a bit, and then Olivia and I went to Chick-Fil-A while Jacob was at Velocity.  She got a milkshake, and we chatted about her day.  She’d had a great birthday which made me happy because the last few days had been so rough after losing Maui.  I didn’t want her day to be sad.

We picked up Jacob from Velocity when it was over, and then we headed home for Olivia to change into her dance clothes, and she and I headed back out.  After I dropped her at dance, I cleaned up the kitchen and did my Bible study, and Jacob showered early since we were going to be going out for a late dinner after dance per Olivia’s birthday request.

I also did some laundry and read for a bit before it was time to pick her up.  All three of us went to dance to pick her up, and then we went to Culver’s which was her birthday dinner request.  Lol.  She didn’t even want a special dessert… she just wanted Culver’s chicken fingers and ice cream.  Very easy to please!

When we got home, she opened her gifts from us, then she showered, did homework, I did a stair stepper workout, and then we got the kids in the bed.  It was a very late night. 

Brian and I finished the end of the episode of Severance that we’d started the night before, and then we watched a few minutes of the Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special before going to bed.

 

Wednesday, February 26

Wednesday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I went home to work.  I had to do my weekly recap, and it meant recapping Maui’s last few days, so I really struggled with it all day.  That post ended up taking me the entire day because I took so many breaks from it.  I ended up scrolling through social media that day more than I care to admit because I needed the distraction.  I had also planned to wash her bedding Wednesday, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that just yet either. 

At three, I picked the kids up from school.  We drove Jacob home and Olivia had about five minutes to change into her dance clothes and pack her dinner because we had to get to the other side of town for her semi-annual ENT checkup for her thyroid.  She did her homework in the car, and then she and I read our books while we waited.

Her appointment went well… the nodule on her thyroid’s dimensions had changed a little, but hadn’t grown much overall, so he said that we’re cleared to wait another six months before we have to come back.  Eventually she will have to have it surgically removed, but we’re waiting until she is older, taller, and generally bigger. 

While we were there, he asked about my vertigo since he treats me as well, and I told him about upper cervical chiropractic care that so many people have found success with in this new Facebook group that I recently joined.  He had never heard of this specific kind of chiropractic care, but after I explained it to him, he said it sounded promising, and I have a feeling he’s going to be doing some research about it before my next appointment with him. 

By the time her appointment was done we had just enough time to get her to dance right on time and she ate her dinner in the car on the way there. 

I headed home, and then I went out for a walk/jog because it was sunny and 75 degrees – heaven after all of this cold weather we’ve had this winter.  I was hoping the sunshine would lift my spirits, but it didn’t… I was just really struggling with Maui’s loss on Wednesday. 

Brian and I cooked breakfast for dinner after I got back from my walk, and the three of us ate dinner together.  I got showered afterward and then did my Bible study while Jacob showered.

Jacob was really struggling with Maui’s loss on Wednesday evening, too, so it was just a rough evening all around, but thankfully, I think that evening was a turning point as I haven’t cried nearly as much since then. 

While we waited for Brian and Olivia to get home from dance, we worked on the puzzle together and Jacob printed some new sheet music for a couple of songs he wants to learn on the piano. 

After Olivia was home and showered, we got both kids in the bed, and then we watched some more of the Saturday Night Live 50^th anniversary special, and then we called it a night.  I really struggled all week to be on the couch watching TV because that was always my Maui snuggle time and it’s just not the same without her sleeping peacefully in my lap.  Gosh, I miss her.

 

Thursday, February 27

Thursday, I finally buckled down and worked on the blog all day.  I got in the car line and read before I had to pick up the kids, and then we went to music lessons.  Mr. Steve’s 3:30 appointment had canceled, so he was able to take Olivia back at the same time that Jacob had his piano lesson.  I usually sit in with both kids during their lessons, so it’s always tough when they’re at the same time, but Olivia asked me to be with her in her lesson and I obliged. 

She continued to work on I Love You, I’m Sorry by Gracie Abrams and she is doing so well with it!!  She is now able to strum the entire song.  She has some trouble switching from G to D in a timely manner since the fingering is so different for each of those chords, but her D to A Minor and then A Minor to C is seamless. 

When we got home, I did my Bible study and then went for a walk, and the kids played outside for a long time because it was beautiful outside again. 

When I got home, I made meatballs, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and blueberry muffins for dinner, and then I showered.  I spent some time with each kid while the other was in the shower and then after they went to bed, Brian and I watched some more SNL before heading to bed ourselves.

 

Friday, February 28

Friday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I spent the rest of the day playing catchup.  First, I caught up on blog reading because I was, like, two weeks behind.  Then, I caught up on emails.  I paid bills.  I transferred money.  I washed more laundry and put it away.  And I finally washed Maui’s blankets… well, all but one.  There’s one blanket I can’t bring myself to wash just yet, and I haven’t washed her bed, but I’ll get there eventually.

Just before lunch, the cremation place called and said that she was ready to be picked up.  When I tell you that I literally dropped everything I was doing, threw my shoes on, and was out the door so fast, I mean it.  I was at the place within 15 minutes of the guy calling Brian’s phone.  I felt so dang relieved to bring her little box of ashes home along with her certificate of cremation and her little paw print that they’d done for us.  That definitely gave me some closure and I have no regrets about having her cremated.  Years ago, I might have thought that wasn’t for me, but it was most definitely the best decision.  She’s sitting on my desk right now as I type this because we’re still waiting on pictures to come in the mail to put in the frame on her little box.  Once I have that, we’ll find a place to put her in the house, but until then, I’ve just been carrying her around wherever we are.

When I got home, Brian and I ate lunch and then I got back to some emails before it was time to pick up the kids from school.  When we got home, I did my Bible study and quiet time, and then I helped Olivia tidy a bit.  Her room and the playroom are quite a mess because of the new gifts she received for her birthday and it’s going to take some time for us to sort through all of it.

After that, both kids got packed because Jacob had an overnight lock-in for Velocity and Olivia had a sleepover birthday party Friday night.  That meant that Brian and I were kid-free for the evening! 

We dropped Olivia at Caroline’s house and then we went to pick up Jacob’s friend, WJ, for the lock-in.  They weren’t able to be dropped off until 8 PM and they had to eat dinner first, so we took them to a new place not far from our house that we hadn’t tried.  They have all kinds of different foods from pizza to pasta to sandwiches to burgers to tacos, and they have a giant beer tap wall.  Meanwhile, we got some pictures of the girls and they were having a blast!

Brian and I wanted to use the childless evening to our advantage, so we’d snagged a late reservation at our favorite restaurant in town, so we didn’t eat with the boys.  We just made sure they were good and full first.  And we ended up loving the place.  The boys gave the spaghetti two thumbs up and the atmosphere was great.  We will definitely be going back so Brian and I can try the food!

After we were done there, we dropped the boys at the lock-in, and then Brian and I headed downtown for our 8:15 dinner reservation.  We were seated in my absolute favorite spot, and the meal was delicious from start to finish.  We started with a round of cocktails – an Old Fashioned for Brian and a Manhattan for me.  I had never had a Manhattan, and wow, was I excited to have tried something new!!  I loved it so much and now I’m currently trying to figure out how to make one at home.  The one I had there might just be one of the best cocktails I’ve ever had. 

Brian and I both got the restaurant’s famous filet with whipped potatoes and asparagus and everything was perfection.  If I knew I was going to die, and I had to have one last meal that would be the one I would choose.  I’ve been all over the United States and eaten at some incredible restaurants in big cities and my favorite meal of all-time is right here at home.  It’s always such a treat.

Brian and I lingered for a long time at the restaurant since we didn’t have to pick up kids and we didn’t have Maui to get home to :o( but it was nice to be able to take our time and not feel rushed to get home as we usually do. 

We finally got home sometime after 10 and I was exhausted.  We’d gotten a piece of cheesecake topped with caramel to share when we got home, and we enjoyed that after we got in our PJs. 

It was really sad to come home to an empty house, but since we’d gotten Maui’s ashes back earlier in the day, I put the box on my lap for a bit while we watched TV just to have her close.  I told Brian that I promise I’m not crazy (haha) and I’m not going to do that every night, but I just wanted one more night with her in my lap.

We turned on Severance, and after Brian started rubbing my feet I promptly passed out on the couch and slept until he woke me to go get in the bed.

Friday, on Instagram, I also posted about the current political climate here in the United States... I don't typically talk a lot about politics here on the blog because I want it to be a space that you can come to to get away from that kind of stuff.  However, as someone who runs a blog that people from all over the world read (which still blows my mind), I just wanted to let all of you readers from other countries know that not all of us Americans agree with the things going on here.  Some of us – many of us – are just as sad and stressed out about it as you are.  I think I have prayed for the leaders of our country more in the last six weeks than I have in all of my years combined.   

Saturday, March 1

Saturday morning, WJ’s dad texted me right at 8 AM to let me know he’d picked up the boys from the lock-in and he was taking them to their house to hang out for a bit.  He also sent me his usual "proof of life" picture.  Haha.  I got out of bed and read for a bit until Brian came down and then we had breakfast together. 

After that, I went to my office and spent a couple of hours getting caught up on blog comments.  I hadn’t even checked them since early February, so I had a TON to respond to. 

Brian left around 10:30 to go pick Olivia up from her sleepover and then I spent the rest of the morning looking through old pictures of Maui.  I plan to do an entire blog post all about her and it’s going to take some time going through 15 years’ worth of photos.  When Olivia got home, she came and hung out with me in my office, telling me about her sleepover and looking at all of the pictures with me.  She picked out several to include in my future blog post, and they are some good ones.  <3

B, Olivia, and I all had lunch together and then Jacob got home around two.  When he got home, we expected him to have slept a little as all of the kids were told they could bring sleeping bags and pillows to the lock-in, but we found out that he had slept NONE and he hadn’t slept at WJ’s house either.  In other words, he had been awake for almost 32 hours.  OMG.  I couldn’t believe it.  Had I known that he didn’t sleep at the lock-in we would have made him come straight home and go to bed at 8 AM.  Haha.

He went straight to sleep when he got home, and the rest of us did quiet things around the house.  I read outside in the sun for a bit and went for a walk/jog and then I did my Bible study.  Olivia crafted a bit and watched some crafting videos on YouTube, and then I got showered.

We let Jacob sleep until the last possible moment before he had to get up for church, and at that point he’d only slept for 2.5 hours.  Sigh.  I felt so bad waking him, but we had told him well in advance that we were going to 5:30 Mass and that he would have to suffer the consequences if he didn’t sleep… and he definitely suffered.  Lol.

During church he pretty much slept sitting up the whole time – bless him – and he looked like a zombie.  He perked up a little at the Mexican restaurant while he was eating, but we could tell he was still struggling. 

Since Olivia had just had her birthday, we got them to sing to her and put the hat on her even though we weren’t really there to celebrate her birthday.  She’d never had that experience before, so we thought it would be funny.

We finished up early at the restaurant and we were home just before eight, which was perfect because both kids were exhausted.  Jacob still had to shower, and while he was doing that, Olivia straight-up asked us to tuck her into bed because she was so tired.  Lol.  Both of them were out cold before 9 PM so Brian and I had a long evening to watch TV.  We finished the Saturday Night Live 50^th Anniversary special and then we headed to bed a little early, too.

 

Sunday, March 1

Sunday morning, we all slept in per usual and I made waffles for breakfast.  Even though the kids had gone to bed super early, we still ended up waking them at nine.  By that time, they had both slept for over 12 hours which is wild.  Haha.

After breakfast, the kids got their laundry started since they hadn’t had the chance to do it Saturday and I did my usual sermon/yoga/planner ready for the week ahead.  After that, I spent a couple more hours looking at old pictures of Maui, and I got a bunch ready to develop.

Before I knew it, it was time for lunch, and then I showered and went back to my office to edit, upload, and order all of the pictures I wanted to develop.  I was originally just wanting to have one developed to put on the top of Maui’s little box of ashes, but if you give a mouse a cookie…

28 ordered prints later and I had developed new pictures for the frames on our wall in the living room, some pictures that needed to be added to the kids’ keepsake boxes, new pictures for the new frames in my office, and various other frames that needed updating around the house.

That took a huge chunk of time, so the rest of the afternoon was spent transferring pictures from my phone to my computer (and doing nothing with them because I had no time) and cranking out an entire blog post from start to finish for Monday as I hadn’t even started one prior to that afternoon. 

I barely got the post squeaked out, I got the still-damp towels out of the dryer (because I forgot to flip them in time – oops again), and we had to be out the door for Sunday dinner at my parents’ house.  All the while, Olivia had been crafting and baking with the cutest little baking kit that one of her friends had given her for her birthday.

 

We were celebrating Olivia’s birthday over there Sunday evening and she’d chosen spaghetti for her dinner choice… always a favorite.  She wanted an ice cream dessert, so my mom had made a brownie ice cream cake, and it was all delicious.  She opened her gifts, and then we all sat down and watched our One Second a Day video from 2024 as my parents hadn’t yet seen it.  The video is filled with snippets of Maui, so naturally, I teared up, but I will treasure those videos forever, especially now that she’s gone. 

I had made it through the whole day without full-on crying for the first time since she passed away on February 23, but then we got home, and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Arivo opened the Oscars by singing.  When Ariana Grande started with Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I promptly burst into tears, and I cried through the entire performance from both of them.  It was so beautiful, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow took me by surprise since I’d assumed they’d only sing songs from Wicked and not The Wizard of Oz.  But it reminded me of The Rainbow Bridge that I’ll hopefully eventually get to cross to see my girl again, along with my childhood dog, Bill, who I haven’t gotten to snuggle since 2008.  I miss them both so much.

After we got the kids in the bed, Brian and I watched The White Lotus and that was our week.

And since I didn’t do a currently section at the end of last week’s post as I always do during my last weekly recap of the month, I thought I’d go ahead and do one today…

 

Currently Reading

In February, I started and finished Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan and The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.  I loved both.

I also continued my new devotional Everyday Gospel by Paul David Tripp.  I’ll be working on this one all year long.

And finally, I’m still working my way through the Bible for the second time around, along with my new study… The Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz.

 

Currently Watching

With B: In February, B and I finished No Good Deed and we enjoyed it.  We also started Severance and got all caught up on that, and we started the new season of The White Lotus.  We also watched the Super Bowl, the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary special, and a couple of episodes of The Chosen.

With the Kids: This month, we finished The Unlisted.

Alone: I finally switched from The Holiday back to The Wedding Planner.  I really don’t watch anything on my own though.  I listen to music all day while I work, and I only turn on a movie on Sunday afternoon if there’s time.

 

Currently Listening To

February was all about Gracie Abrams.  Olivia and I have been wearing her album OUT.  It is so good.  I also threw Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poet’s Department and Folklore albums back in the mix because February was kind of depressing this year, and both of those albums are fitting for that kind of mood. 

Happy Thursday, y’all!