My weekend consisted of lots of down time, extra big mugs of coffee and dowsing myself in this amazing Hope oil. Although I know many people think our life is go, go, go…..in reality our weekends are intentionally bare for us all to recharge and connect before the workweek/schoolweek begins again. I know this might change once WonderBOY starts getting into more sports so I am appreciating every relaxing moment of this season.
Speaking of relaxing moments, this photo is in response to my prompt, “you must eat two bites of cauliflower before moving on with your day”….avoidance tactic of choice today? WB takes a 3 hour nap. Parents are so mean…..until he realized that the same cauliflower tastes kinda gross 3 hours later.
Sometimes, self-care means escaping to the mall to get storage bins from Target and coming home 2 hours later with some new shoes. Also, trying to ONLY get one item from Target is like eating one red vine from the Costco sized red vine bucket… simply impossible.
With some heightened emotions around our house for a number of reasons, I am loving giving both Wonders this teeny tiny box and letting them choose what they need to calm down and move on. Aromatherapy and kids is such a magical combination due to their heightened amygdala response to stimuli – if you haven’t tried it yet with kiddos, I highly recommend (and can point you to a good starting spot if you’d like – message me if you want more details).
Sharing each step of our big moving adventure (more details to come soon) with the kiddos has been so very exciting! It’s amazing some of their misconceptions and confusion around moving for a positive reason and with ALL of our stuff. Their past experiences with moving involve mostly negative situations, new parental figures and relationships, and according to them, with only the amount of possessions they can fit in a backpack. WonderGIRL and I have bonded over pinning many many pictures of potential room decor ideas – this color combination is currently in the lead!!!
I didn’t forget!!!
…..well I kind of did. But then I remembered and now I feel guilty and now I am going to make up for lost time. Last year, I did a teeny tiny giveaway on my blog and asked for feedback on what you might want to read about in the future from my little bloggity blog.
Here were some of your answers (published here as a to-do list for me in the next couple of weeks!):
– family fitness
– traveling with kiddos
– how to create and maintain meaningful adult relationships
– building community in a new place
– growing/strengthening/surviving your marriage while raising kiddos
– balancing the side gig with the real gig and a family (and whether or not it’s worth it to do so…..the side gig part, not the family part of course)
Although I’m certainly not a master or expert in any of these areas, I would love to share if it might help even just one of you AND I also love starting some conversation around the topic for others to share as well. If there’s anything else that you might be interested in my take on, please feel free to leave a comment. If I run out of ideas, I might post even less than I do now!!!
(Oh and I also flaked out big-time on getting one lovely blog reader her very lovely freebie – she’s lovely because she extends big time grace like winning something and then not nagging me about actually giving it away)
If you like exploring ideas around personal and family wellness, I share all sorts of different stuff on my rootedwell Instagram page. Feel free to explore!
My One Little Word for 2017
Throwback to some history on my One Little Word Journey
My one little word for 2017 found me while I listened to this Lively podcast featuring Erin Lochner (very excited to read her new book, Chasing Slow). They discussed the difference between ALLOWing something into your life (with joy) and TOLERATING something (with disdain). Although I contemplated some other words to focus on this upcoming year, this one kept speaking to my heart time and time again.
I will allow:
– my daughter to dress how she wants to dress, style her hair how she wants to style her hair, and take pictures of what she wants to take pictures of because she is a unique force of a human that I do not want to restrict in any way from developing her true self (I’m putting this first because for some reason, this one might prove to be the hardest for me)
– my son to become a young man even though I so desperately want him to stay little
– my husband to cope with his stuff in ways he needs to cope with his stuff
– my students to express themselves in a variety of ways, not just in my step-by-step directed ways
– myself to connect with friends and girlfriends WITHOUT feeling guilty about missing time with my family
– intentional time to be made for creative pursuits each week
– time each day to reflect on gratitude and express that gratitude to those that gifted me that which I am grateful
– good things to happen to my family without second guessing who is judging from afar
WITH JOY.
I will NOT allow:
– screentime to become more important than eye contact and deep connection with my kids
– my insecurities to block my successes
– others around me to struggle with ailments, both physical and emotional without an effort from me to help (even if it’s an offer to help through the medicinal properties of an open bottle of red wine)
– politics to shade my hope and belief in Americans, America, and our future generations of change-makers
My little family set some goals on New Year’s Eve together. We are using an amazing goal-tracker by Elise Joy (get yours here for FREE) to track our PROGRESS (not perfection) at these goals this year. One week in, and this has already been a great way to keep each other accountable and have some meaningful conversations about reaching our goals, both big and small.Happy New Year to all of my loved friends and family – thank you for checking in on us every now and again. I can’t wait to keep sharing our wins and our struggles this year as we keep chugging away at this little thing called life.
A WONDERful 2016
My intention with this blog was/is to document the big and little stories of US just as we are. Here are a few slices of that world that I hope never to forget.
First of all, these two littles ones love each other so much. Their joy and giggles when they are around each other are truly unique, considering how many years are between them. This year, they begun having some deeper conversations but also begun pestering each other to no end. And while I know that is a normal sibling phenomenon, I find a spark of comfort in their endless bickering because it is far better than their dysfunctional parenting dynamic when they came to live with us….in our home, when WB and WG are exhibiting age-appropriate and normal behaviors, even the problematic ones, we are happy about it!
WonderGIRL’s highlights from 2016:
First of all, these pictures give me all the feels because our LITTLE girl is growing up. Especially in the last 6 months or so, her attitude, demeanor and looks have really matured. I am especially proud of how much she is overcoming in regards to adjusting to our new family and accepting/processing her past family and memories that pop up for her. We are really grateful for a great counselor for WonderGIRL to help with this processing because sometimes my own emotions can cloud the true listening that she needs.
This year, she got braces, a new cell phone, and a broken leg as she performed a pretty awesome front flip at the Trampoline Zone. This year, she also complained about her braces, lost her cell phone due to breaking our fairly strict contract, and gained lots of sympathy and attention for said broken leg…..all markers of a darn-near typical teenage girlie.
WonderGIRL’s highlights:
Movie: Moana (girl power!!!) and Pirates of the Carribbean
TV show: Gilmore Girls with mama
Books: Twilight series and A Dog’s Purpose/Journey
Music: Ariana Grande, Alessia Cara and Justin Beiber
Favorite memory: Getting my phone (she says with jazz hands above her head)
Funniest quote that Mama’s brain can remember on Dec. 30th: “This sand is so different than the sand in Cannon Beach.” (Mama: “Uh….this is Cannon Beach”). Her memory and attention skills create some pretty humorous (and repetitive) conversations, let me tell ya.
WonderBOY’s highlights:
This boy turned 8 this year and while I still view him as my little squishy, cuddly, little guy….sometimes his maturity and logic really amaze me (as does the picture above where he looks so darn grown up)! This year, he has finally started connecting the dots between making good choices and being truthful and how much more peaceful our days can be together. He is down to only 1 timeout every couple of weeks and that, my friends, is a miracle. There are many times during family conversations that WB has the appropriate and wise answer regarding behavior and choices before his big sis.
This year was our first conference at school, that his BEHAVIORS fit in with the rest of his peers. Although he still struggles with some learning, he is respectful and focused in class and we are so proud of him for that! At home, WB is most often found in his underwear as this kid just runs at a hotter temperature than the rest of us. With the big snow that came this year, we had to buy some athletic leggings to go under his usual uniform of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. Speaking of basketball, he began playing on an organized team this year and we love watching his skills and understanding of the game grow and grow. My coach’s heart and brain is especially happy when I see what a good teammate he is from the bench, cheering on his teammates and supporting their every move.
WonderBOY’s highlights:
Movie: Sing
TV show: Teen Titans GO!
Books: Notebook of Doom and Eerie Elementary
Music:Jason DeRulo and FloRida
Favorite memory: Great Wolf Lodge, Portland on the train, and Cannon Beach
Funniest quote that Mama’s brain can remember on Dec. 30th: “Hey there how ya doing….balk balk” (said in an extremely cute and accurate parrot voice with a switch to a chicken for the finale)
This pic cracks me up because we get this blank look as soon we ask WB to do something he doesn’t want to do. We’re onto you and your little tricks of looking cute to get out of hard work…..and it only worked a few times half the time mister.
Thank you for reading this little blog stroll along memory lane…..I can’t wait to check back in a year and see how far they will continue to grow and thrive! Cheers to a new year!!!
Holiday highlights 2016
Holidays are pretty magical with kiddos – our favorite parts often are smaller moments that come from seeing old friends, completing our Christmas countdown activities, and celebrating the birth of Jesus. Although presents are fun and exciting, I feel like our little fam does a good job balancing the small joy of those with the BIGGER joy of being together and showing acts of compassion towards others.
I am lucky in that some of my bests come home each year to see THEIR family which gives me some small moments to sneak in visits and dates out of the house. Matching sweaters for the festive win!
My littlest niece is the cutest right??? So smiley…..
And my oldest niece from my side is pretty darn cute herself…..same size as WonderBOY and just as tough. Love her to pieces!
This year, my family served at a Cornwall church service and we got to hand out links as families walked in. What a great practice of social cues for WG (eye contact and facial expressions) and a fun privilege for WB who loves sneaking into “big human” church when he can! Favorite song from our service this year from him included a peppy version of “Go Tell It On the Mountain” in which he sung “go tell it! go go tell it!” all night long.
WonderGIRL’s gift from Santa – a new instax camera. Super cute, actually good quality photos and some fun accessories to go with it. Also, check her new Christmas eve HAPPY JAMS – so many emojies, so many selfies, so little time…..
WonderBOY’s “something you want” gift from us was this starter BB gun. Scott is big on teaching him appropriate gun safety so safety glasses are a must. I think this pic of him in his new robe and snowboots (a white Christmas for once!) with Scott in shorts and romeo’s behind him are pretty darn cute so I had to include it here!
Our favorite gift this year was surprising the kiddos with a Disney Cruise for NEXT Christmas. Scott and I have been saving all of our overtime (his) and doTerra commissions (me) towards this trip for over a year now and we’re too excited to wait even a year. They had to embark on their annual scavenger hunt for this present which was a surprise at the very end of the morning.
With all of the Hoelzle children together in a household, shenanigans often arise. This year, Mom surprised us with our favorite childhood meal, “red weiners”!!! You can see our excitement below. Along with this meal, there are some strict meal guidelines one must follow: 1. Create an appropriate mashed potato volcano for the gravy to rest in before eating. 2. Enjoy this delicacy made of dollar store ketchup and hot dogs by pretending treating it like the best meal you’ve ever eaten.
The family fantasy football league championship game down to me versus my older brother, BJ this year. The deciding game was MNF’s Dallas game. Off to Buffalo Wild Wings with the children in tow we went (tablets to keep them occupied…..boneless wings to keep BJ satisfied). The “Audrey” trophy sat atop our table the entire time, which attracted a large number of waiters coming over to join in on the rivalry. Here I am posing with MY new trophy as I was declared the winner early in the 4th quarter of the game. First time winning for me – woot woot!
Safely buckled for the ride home with Mama!
Other fun memories I want to document:
– playing Pie Face and BeanBoozled for the first time with friends and family
– Scott and his lack of rhyming skills for the scavenger hunt
– my experiments with the Instant pot and mini cheesecakes for Christmas dessert
– Christmas extravaganza with Mallory and Travis at Warm Beach with 20 degree weather to see the Lights of Christmas (never again)
– Snow days and late starts to school
– Santa train with the McConkeys out in Blaine (must do if you didn’t get a chance this year)
On my favorite ornaments….
For the past three years, I’ve added a photo ornament to my Christmas cards order from Tiny Prints and I love giving them away to grandparents and adding them to our ornament collections. This one was from the “just married” collection but I think it pertains to our first Christmas as a forever family as well.
WonderBOY coming home from school with these adorable handmade ornaments are dang precious….this year, he chose to gift his to special Uncle Jake which makes my heart a teeny sad, but happy that he is spreading the handmade love around.
This was our version of a “baby’s first christmas” ornament by gluing sweet pictures of the kiddos to snowflakes and writing on the back. It will be fun to look back on these in years to come and remember their sweet faces the first couple of months they lived with us.
Another Tiny Prints ornament from our first crazy and lovey year together in 2014.
This was a very PIN-spired ornament I made the first year we lived in our home. I love the imprint of our key (although it’s ironic because I don’t think I’ve used that key even one time since I’ve lived here). Our address is hiding under that green star. 
Once my first niece was born, I thought it would be cute to document her adorable little hand as a Christmas ornament. Now that my brother has three adorable little ladies, these are some of my favorite ornaments to unpack.
And last but not least, one of my childhood bests, Taryn, made this for me in high school and I love love love it. So creative even before Pinterest Tare!!!
Tonight is our annual sleepover and movie marathon sleeping around the Christmas tree where I can’t wait to admire all of this cuteness!
WonderBOY takes over the blog…..holiday edition
WonderBOY’s (8) thoughts on….
Holiday traditions – They are fun and sometimes they are things that we have never done before. Tonight we ate red and green food for dinner. I thought the green eggs would be gross but they were still good to eat. My favorite tradition is delivering stuff to people and giving presents to people that don’t have anything to live.
Sis’ broken leg – Actually, in more than 6 months the cast will be gone. I hope she doesn’t break her other leg 2 days after that cast comes off. She might break it my probably not being careful or running and twisting it. Or by a trampoline. (Mom: So does that mean we can’t go back to trampoline zone?) NO! It just means she needs to be more careful next time.
Snow day – We don’t have any hills in our backyard so I wish we could have sled. Both Mom and Sis had broken something (toe and leg) but they had fun with us because Mom just needed to be careful and stand sill and Sis crawled everywhere. It was fun and kind of not fun not going to school because I miss my friends and hanging out with my friends and playing 2-square. The thing that I liked was hanging out with my family and playing in the snow.
Christmas wishes – I wish for a jaguar race car, my civil war guys and that homeless people have a great Christmas.
Wonders take over the blog….holiday edition
WonderGIRL (age 14) on……
Holiday traditions – I think that some are like really good because you get to learn more about your family and I like spending time with my family. My favorite traditions are going to church on Christmas Eve, look at lights with music on, and a scavenger hunt for our gift. We always do the Christmas Countdown and then we do things for other people and look out for others like praying, and learning the Christmas story from the bible.
My broken leg – It’s really annoying. I wish I could run around and that I could walk normally. When it’s wet, I fall which is embarrassing. However, I do like that I don’t have to do PE or run so that’s kind of nice. I also get out of some chores so I like that.
Romantic relationships – Well….I think it’s a good thing because you get to learn how to love even though it’s hard when you break up. If you do it at a young age, then you can make smart choices when you’re older like my Mom who chose the perfect man to marry. I think you should go slow and not rush anything. Not very many people at my school do anything….they just tell people they are dating and then don’t do anything because they don’t want their parents to know. I only know one couple who holds hands. Scott doesn’t like the idea of me going out with anyone because he thinks that guys are not very kind and he also thinks that it would be unsafe. He says I can’t date until I’m 32. My mom says if I’m mature and can handle rules at home and with my phone, then maybe when I am a sophomore and 16, I can possibly date but it depends on my behavior. She always says that my choices will affect her choices. Rules = maturity.
Christmas wishes – I want $25 for my middle school yearbook. I also want the Magic Light speaker and really really want this Wowie Chip Dog, but my Mom says that they are not choosing to spend their money on that because I tend to lose and break expensive things. My wish for others is that my family adopts another child so we can help others have a Christmas where they are safe.
Tomorrow…..WonderBOY gets a turn at being witty and clever on the blog.
On the broken leg
….and how God used this little tibia to give me some needed reminders about my role in WonderGIRL’s world. 
For those of you that know our family….you know we LLLLOOOOVVVEEEE going to the Trampoline Zone. So on one fateful trip, WonderGIRL was showing off her front flip moves and cracked a bone (insert entire ER admitting staff rolling their eyes here). And although she showed us yet again how absolutely tough she is through it all….a few lessons stuck out to me that I thought I would document and share.
WG and I had been battling pretty good the last couple of months. As a typical teenager, she was pushing boundaries with us her parents and testing out her independence in some areas. As a non-typical teenager whose brain and impulse control is greatly impacted by her trauma, she was questioning the adoption and pushing us away in fear that all of this permanency stuff was really just a dream. Her nightmares of us leaving/dying/divorcing were happening nightly and her behavior aimed at creating distance between us and her.
But of course….I’m only processing all of that brilliantly and with compassion in true perfect HINDSIGHT because while I was in it…..you better believe there were more swear words than empathy in my brain regarding the lying, manipulation and defiance that triggered me day in and day out.
And not that God knew that one month into being “legal parents” we would need a reminder that we are never fully in control of keeping our kiddos safe from every harm. But I am questioning whether or not HE intentionally set up a scenario where our beloved WonderGIRL grace would break her leg in order to teach me a few things…..
Some truly magic events happened immediately after the break, I bathed my child. I helped her walk. I did her hair. I picked out her clothes. Things I never got to do with her because we got her at age 11….when she could already do those things herself and where some of those things were not appropriate due to her abuse. I got to mother my child in ways and from stages that I never got to experience in real time. And during those times, her eyes lit up, she was giddy, and I fell more in love with her than I already was. It was true attachment in a way that I’m sure my education and training had told me to do in other ways before this point but I chose to ignore (insert my hubby being right about this very thing and rolling his eyes when he reads this here).
This NEED for me and my care reminded me of her NEED for this attachment, even when her biological age doesn’t call for it and even when my education and training tell me what is appropriate/inappropriate for her. This mom-tuition is real and I love that God gifted me with it to care with such amazing and vulnerable little beings.
Add this to your wish list
I passed up the amazing Amazon primeday deal and then regretted it when I saw all my blogging friends and insta-friends raving about all of the things they were creating in very little time (my dream cooking situation), so when Black Friday came around and the Instant Pot was on sale again, I couldn’t pass it up. And although it’s back up to it’s normal price now, I would say it is so worth the money (but will probably go back down in price at some point before Christmas). Sorry to all of my work friends when I come in waving my homemade soup or other Instant Pot concoction excitedly at lunchtime……it’s not often anything from the kitchen makes me excited so this is a rare phase in my life I’m sure.
Hard-boiled eggs in 7 minutes??? Spaghetti squash in 20??? Scott and I are already loving the possibilities to still get a good dinner on the table after arriving home close to 5 with our kiddos after school. If you have any yummy Instant Pot recipes you’d like to share, please do in the comments!!!
And our November in video….(only one month left until we get an entire year’s worth of second snippets all together in one video – so excited!!!):
Happy December!!!! We started our favorite DIY advent calendar today and the kiddos are so excited for the activities/missions listed inside! It is such a blessing to repeat traditions with our little wonders and to know that we get to continue them for so many more years…..JOY.