Photo Journal - Josie Boettcher

Day 238 of my 365 Photo Journal Today is our last day at the beach. I'm feeling conflicted, as I always do at the end of vacations. I want to go home, sleep in my own bed, get back to my normal routine, but I also don't want the trip to end. This has been a good one. Lots of active, fun time at the beach and in the pool. The kids have been really happy, pretty much the whole time. Ben and I have been really happy and it's just been great. I  feel healthier than I have in the last couple of years. I just love to be by the ocean and feel that breeze, hear those waves crashing. It makes me feel nostalgic and homesick, like this is where I'm supposed to be. Of course, every time I think about giving up my awesome life in Ohio, I realize that I am already exactly where I'm meant to be, but the pull I feel towards the coast is strong!  I'm not looking forward to tomorrow's frantic rush to get out of the house early in the morning OR to the incredibly long drive ah...

Day 237 of my 365 Photo Journal We went to the Atalaya castle place this morning and (thank God) it was cloudy and cool. When we got to the state park it was nearly empty, but was definitely filling up by the time we left. After that, we went and picked up some souvenirs for WAY too much money and later on, we went to dinner at Bubba's Fish Shack. It was the first time we ventured out to a restaurant all together and it was a success! The food was good and the kids were great!  We took that restaurant risk to celebrate 11 YEARS MARRIED to each other! Our anniversary is today and it's so nice to have a reason to look back on our marriage. Ben is one of the very best things that has ever come into my life. He is wonderful and I am so thankful to be his wife. 14 years ago, I doubted I'd ever get married and was nearly certain that I wouldn't ever be with a decent guy. Ben proved me wrong on both counts and I thank God for him and my current life every day.  We've start...

Day 236 of my 365 Photo Journal  Today was basically a repeat of yesterday, but still a great day. We went down to the beach in the morning, spent a few hours there, came back and swam in the pool, then chilled out for most of the afternoon and went for a beach walk in the evening. It was INSANELY windy on the beach this evening though. Like, crazy. The sand was blowing so hard that all of the girls were screaming because of how much it was hurting their skin! While we were walking, we saw this beach wedding that was trying to happen and felt so terrible for them, because there was no way anyone could hear anything and that sand...seriously painful and awful and blowing right in people's eyes.  I'm thankful that this trip is moving slowly and we're getting real time to relax...like, in the way that people with kids relax. Not like "actual" relaxation. :) But still, it's been nice.

Day 235 of my 365 Photo Journal  It was a beautiful day at the beach. The waves have been huge here and I love sitting on the balcony watching and hearing the ocean. It's honestly pretty fun watching all of the people too! Today, we started the day at the beach. I mean, we were down there by 8:30am. We hung out there for THREE HOURS! It was actually really cool. I read a teensy bit, we played in the ocean tons and tons, and got super sandy. Good times! We came "home", had a quick lunch, ran some errands and realized that it is way too crowded around here, then hung out for a bit while Ollie napped. When she got up, the pool was finally open! We ran down there and hopped in...and of course it was like cloudy and 65 degrees. 😅 We've been waiting for the pool to open since yesterday and now it's freezing! Then, after dinner, we headed back out for a walk on the beach and it was suddenly hot and sunny again. 🤷 It was a really nice walk and we saw something super coo...

Day 234 of my 365 Photo Journal We drove the rest of the way to Surfside Beach today, about 5 1/2 hours. The drive was less good than yesterday's, but still not terrible! Ollie had about 2 hours where she was just done with the whole damn thing and nothing we said helped. She wasn't screaming or anything, just fussing. She finally fell asleep for a bit and that helped. My kids hardly ever sleep in the car, so that was a treat! The condo is in the absolute best spot. The balcony looks right out at the beach and it is the most stunningly beautiful view. I love the ocean so much and have missed it terribly. The place, itself, has some pros and cons. The pool is closed today, although we were told that it should be open soon. There are a lot of little things about the condo that are outdated, but plenty of things that are new and fresh. The biggest annoyances are the fact that we're on a public wifi, rather than a private one for this condo and the fact that the owner is really...

Day 233 of my 365 Photo Journal  We drove to Princeton, WV today, which is about 4 1/2 hours away from Columbus. We were actually packed up and ready to go when the kids got home from school. I wasn't sure we would be able to do it, but we did! It went really well, surprisingly. We got to the hotel a little after 8 and got settled into our rooms. The three bigger kids slept in the room with Ben and me and Ollie had a room to ourselves. She was up until 10:00 jumping on her bed and singing. It was so incredibly annoying. But, on the upside, I got to go to sleep super early!  This is such a terrible picture, I know. BUT, we've taken pictures like these when we've gone on big trips for the entire time that Ben and I have been together and I love it. We're always so optimistic at the beginning of our trips! 😅

Day 232 of my 365 Photo Journal One more day!! Today has been a little harder than yesterday. The closer the trip gets, the more little things you realize need to get done before you leave. I had like three errands to run this morning and had my time reading with Jenny...while the kids went nuts in the background 😅 and it was all good! All totally manageable. Then, Clemi's school called and said that she was acting really strangely and was complaining of dizziness. That threw a big loop in my plans for the day, but I was still able to be productive and get stuff done. AND Clemi seems to be feeling a lot better, thank God. I wonder if she's just dehydrated, because once I got a bunch of water in her, she started to perk up.  I ended up spending the evening outside with all of the girls and there were just so many sweet moments, mostly between Ollie and her ba-ba. :) I love this little series of Ollie pushing ba-ba on the swing, but the blurry one of her running away is hilariou...

Day 231 of my 365 Photo Journal  TWO MORE DAYS! TWO MORE DAYS! Ahhhh!!! Leaving for the beach soon! Our sitters are going to keep any eye on the animals, so we'll be giving them instructions tonight. I cleaned most of the upstairs today and started gathering some things to get everyone packed up. I have also done like 9 loads of laundry over the last three days. You'd think I hadn't done laundry in like a month, but no. I just did laundry last weekend. 🤷 We had a play date with Riven this morning at our usual playground. We love it there because there's usually no one else around, although it seems like the kids are starting to get a little bored of it. Ollie was still standoffish, but a little warmer than she was on Saturday.  2 seconds after I took this top photo, Riven started pouring dirt into Ollies shoe. 😂 Ollie got so mad and I have a 3 photo series of Riven dumping and Ollie backing away yelling, "No, A! No, A!" I have no idea why she calls Riven A. 

Day 230 of my 365 Photo Journal  We had a relaxing, but productive day at home today. We're already in vacation mode and are getting lists made and beach bags packed up! I cannot believe we're leaving in 3 days. It feels like we haven't been anywhere in forever...although we just went to a lake house last month. Just feeling so excited! I spent an hour and a half painting ALLLLL these little tootsie poppers and then decorating their big toes with hand-painted flowers. Everyone was so happy! Of course, Ruby's flowers are already smudged, but 🤷 she's five and that's just the way it goes. Ollie was surprisingly patient and still, waiting for her toes to dry. Oh, and maybe my toes crossed over each other looks coy or cute, but really I'm just covering up my dead big toenail that is still black as death and starting to peel away. 🥳 One thing about taking iPhone pictures most days is that I really don't have much editing to do. The phone does it all for me. ...

Day 229 of my 365 Photo Journal I'm looking forward to the day when I am able to post some pictures of my day that weren't taken in the back yard (usually in full sun)! That's where we're spending all of our time, now that it's hot.  We had Travis, Kylienne, and Riven over for a BBQ this evening and had a really nice time. They're really thin and healthy and they felt like we had prepared an absolutely decadent feast for them. 😅 Little do they know, this is how we eat all the time! Riven and Ollie are only a month apart in age, but Ollie just will not warm up to her (or any other kids that aren't siblings, either). It's a little frustrating, but I know I can't rush her social development. I just have to keep getting her around kids. I just wish she enjoyed the time she was spending with them a little more. She does a tiiinnny bit better when Ruby or Clemi are with her too.  Jonas, Ben, Travis, and Ky played a few games of Can-Jam and the Shauls caug...

  Day 228 of my 365 Photo Journal I'm not sure why, but I've been having a hard time lately. When I visited with Brit, she mentioned kind of an anxiety hangover and I wonder if that's what it is. Ben is struggling with some stuff too, but we're both trying to just focus on the good (because nearly EVERYTHING in our lives is good!) and not get too bogged down in our emotions. I have been thinking a lot about the daughter of one of Brittany's friends who suddenly became ill and now may not live. She's the same age as Ollie and it's hard not to think about how devastating that would be for our family and to feel terribly sad for their family. Why God allows such things to happen is such a mystery to me and I just cannot accept that it's all part of His greater plan as an adequate balm for the grief and pain. I know that He DOES have a plan and I know that we're all part of it, but...there's a lot of complexity going on here. I don't want to go o...

Day 227 of my 365 Photo Journal Man, sometimes I get so behind with this that I worry I won't be able to come back from it! It's 2 1/2 days this time, which isn't terrible, but it makes it hard to remember the thoughts and feelings I was having on that day. Thankfully, my photos help to bring some of them back. I'm still going to write the post as if it's today, because it's easier for my brain. We had a water play date with the younger kids in our group today and it was such a fun time. There's always a little bit of crazy at the beginning of play dates, while the kids remember that they know and like each other, but the last hour of it was really chill and fun. One of the things I love most in my life as a parent is having mom friends to talk to and spend time with. I'm so thankful for these special women that God has placed in my path. Sharing life with them is such a blessing.  This is a photo of my friend Caitlin and her youngest son, Emmett. I love...

Day 226 of my 365 Photo Journal HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! 38 years old! I have a lot of thoughts about getting older and how lucky I am, but I haven't been in the mood to write lately.  Brit came over for a visit today and these girls are so stinking cute!

Day 225 of my 365 Photo Journal  I had a play date with Jenny and the kids today and although we talked through some uncomfortable subjects, it was a good time. Jenny thinks that I should pursue counseling or follow up in some way with someone about my anxiety problems...especially after they got so bad while Ben was gone. It makes sense and she is probably right, but I feel reluctant to add another thing to my list of problems that I'm dealing with. I really appreciated her willingness to talk to me about this stuff though, and will be thinking more about that.  I was also telling her about the kind of mom I was when I had just Jonas. I used to plan these pot luck lunch play dates that were so awesome. All of us moms would bring some kid-friendly food for our kids to share and then we'd hang out while the kids played. Once a month, we'd schedule a big craft play date and make something special. Nothing seemed impossible then. My house was pretty clean and I went out all th...

Day 224 of my 365 Photo Journal  Ollie has been getting super into pretend cooking lately and I love it so much. I bought her this little chef outfit for her birthday, and although I was worried she wouldn't use it much, she wears it almost every day! This is the first time she voluntarily put on the hat though. :) She tends to be cranky and needy, so watching her play pretend, independently, makes me so immensely happy. And her too! Just look at that smile.  I can't believe we leave for vacation next week! I am NOT ready. 

Day 223 of my 365 Photo Journal  It's no photographic masterpiece, just an iPhone photo taken during our Sunday evening BBQ, but she was too cute in her sun hat and strawberry dress, eating blueberries on the porch!  Today was better, having Ben home again. We were pretty productive and stayed outside most of the day, playing and working. We set up the pool and started filling it and Ben mowed. I'm still reeling a little from the last few days and how stressful they were for me, but glad to be getting back to normal!

Day 222 of my 365 Photo Journal  Ben came home tonight, thank God! During the day, I got out the water tables for the kids and we had a nice afternoon playing outside...FOR-EV-ER. Like, we literally played outside from 11am until 7:30pm and only took a break for dinner and Ollies nap. The morning was a little rough, but the water tables saved the day. 😅 And, of course, all of the girls were dressed in their Sunday best for the outside play, because fash-on! 

Day 221 of my 365 Photo Journal Today has been a little better than yesterday. No crying, just plain old sadness. I hate Ben being gone. I know that 3 days is such a short amount of time in the span of our lives, but it doesn't seem to make it go by any faster.  The little girls were twinsies today and I did take a picture of them, but it didn't turn out great, so...here are a couple more from the other evening. 

Day 220 of my 365 Photo Journal  I honestly do not have it in me to take any pictures today. I am having a really tough time with Ben being gone. I think I secretly held onto the hope that he would cancel his plans, up until he left, which kept my anxiety at bay. He left about 4 hours ago and I have probably cried for more than two of them. Pretty pathetic and ridiculous, honestly. I hate this. Anyway, we're going to do pizza and a movie night...even though we only have one stupid pizza, thanks to Target not having the kind that I like. Gah! I should not even be writing right now, because I'm just being a big, stupid, whiny pants.  I took these pictures yesterday evening while the kids were playing outside. 

Day 219 of my 365 Photo Journal  Oh, man. I'm feeling so sad. Ben is leaving tomorrow around noon and will be gone through Saturday or Sunday. I don't have a whole lot to say about it. He needs to go see his mom and I am fully capable of caring for my children alone. BUT, my anxiety is saying something different. I feel like I could just curl up in a ball and sleep/cry for the entire time he's gone. I won't though! Ollie snuck away to color earlier today and this moody light drew me in. haha "Drew" me in. Get it? I've always loved a darker, moodier style of photography, although I know it's not everyone's favorite. I really like how this picture turned out and especially love the little sparkles on her tights and dress showing up. 

Day 218 of my 365 Photo Journal  I'm so glad to be doing things indoors again! I'm kind of glad for the forced time outside over the last many months, but it's still nice to just sit on the couch in my sweatpants and visit with friends. Jenny and kiddos came over today, which is always fun, and we chose our next thing to study. It's been a while since I've read through Romans, so it will be really good to have that refresher!  Ben's mom has been doing pretty bad lately. She's been in the hospital for almost a week and is supposed to be moved to a rehab facility today. I talked to the nurse, who said that technically, she could be ok, but she's not up for eating and won't push herself to move. She just feels too weak. The nurse said that her blood work is pretty good and her vitals are great, but to Ben and I it almost seems like she's lost the will to try anymore. Ben, understandably, has been pretty distraught. Things haven't been great betw...

  Day 217 of my 365 Photo Journal  Oh my gosh. I hate Mondays. I know how cliché that is, but I really do...especially when they follow really great weekends. It's like this huge letdown, getting back to responsibilities and healthy eating, after a weekend of freedom. I just have such a hard time getting back into the swing of things sometimes.  Ollie and I went out for a walk this morning and after Ben joined us, we saw two duckies! They let us get really close and I got some good pictures of Ollie being really excited. :)

Day 216 of my 365 Photo Journal  It's Mother's Day! It rained ALL day, which I didn't mind at all. I slept in and Ben made me breakfast and then I just sat around almost all day. It was heavenly. The kids were so excited to celebrate me and were really sweet for me most of the day. Ooh! AND I got the air fryer that I've been wanting since October! I'm so excited about it. Clemi got me some nice hand lotion, Jonas got me a Matilda DVD (which we already watched!), and Ruby got me some fancy hand soap. Great gifts and some really thoughtful and beautiful cards and notes. I felt very spoiled and very loved.  This picture is really terrible, but it's the only one I took all day. I spent some time doing watercolor painting while Ollie was napping and Clemi joined me for a bit. 

Day 215 of my 365 Photo Journal Today was a good day. We played outside a little, did Mother's Day crafts for the grandmothers and got Mother's Day packages sent out (a whole day before Mother's Day!), I had lunch with a neighborhood friend, without feeling too guilty, and I got an awesome package in the mail from Alisha, filled with goodies! I haven't mentioned it on the blog before, but Alisha is pretty recently engaged to Patrick (who is great) and they're getting married in February 2022 and...I get to be in the wedding! She asked me to be her bridesmaid today and I am so excited. :) Oh, and do you see this lawn?? Do you see any dandelions?? Nope. Me either. Last month it was a sea of yellow and, thanks to Ben, today it is a beautiful sea of green. 😍😍

Day 214 of my 365 Photo Journal  Friday! Friday! Friday! And it's a Friday with no real plans alllll weekend. Except for whatever fun Mother's Day stuff Ben and the kids have planned for me. I'm super looking forward to presents and good food, because no matter what, I know I can count on those things coming for me in two days. 🥳🎉 Speaking of Mother's Day, I (as always) am going to get packages/cards out VERY late for the mothers in our lives. With Marme, it's not a huge deal, because her address is changing pretty frequently and it's easy to say that I sent it ahead to Oregon to make sure she didn't leave DE before the card arrived. With Ben's mom, it doesn't matter too much, because she probably isn't expecting anything from us. I feel a little bad about Hazel though, because I already received a Mother's Day card from her and haven't even gotten the kids started on our craft yet and am just hoping and praying I can get everything in ...

Day 213 of my 365 Photo Journal Ollie, Ruby, and I went on a play date with Caitlin and kids and Jenny and kids and it was such a fun time! It's hard for me to motivate myself to get out of the house, but I often enjoy it when I'm with people I like. I also got out of the house for cell group tonight, which was also pretty fun. We had a lot of extended, awkward silences though, which was kind of weird. It's not usually like that. 🤷  I love the timing of this picture. We were trying and trying to get a picture of all five walking kids (little Emmett was in the carrier), but Cam was pretty shy with all of these kids he doesn't remember, so he'd start backing away pretty soon after Caitlin got him to stand next to them. In this photo, not only do we have all five walkers, but we also got this enormous sting ray! Yay!

Day 212 of my 365 Photo Journal Oh, my gosh. The healthy eating is killing me. I'm SO hungry! I have nothing else to add about today. This bubble photo is from our lake trip. We got this bubble kit that makes HUGE bubbles and had tons of fun playing with them. I have this photo shoot in my mind where I have huge bubbles floating out of our yard and there is one kid in each of them. This obviously isn't that, but I felt like it was a good experiment to give me an idea of how big the bubbles get. It'll be a lot of photoshopping, but if I can just get myself motivated to get outside and take the pictures, I'd be find working on the photoshop slowly, as I find time. 

Day 211 of my 365 Photo Journal We got to have a play date with Anna and Brittany today and it was chaos! lol I know that I can't expect my kids to act calm and normal when they have company...especially after a year with barely any friends visiting, but man, they were really going all out with the crazy. And last night was a night of very little sleep, due to a late night wake up with Ollie that lasted hours. Hoping the kids will act more normal for future play dates, as they realize that these things will be happening more often this year.  I snapped some photos of the madness in our very dark study and couldn't get rid of all of the noise without blurring the whole thing, but still fun to get a picture of all these little girls together...plus Brit!

Day 210 of my 365 Photo Journal  Happy Monday! Haha just kidding. It is nice and rainy though, which I'm happy about. I've been super lenient on TV time today and spent like hours reading a book that I'm really enjoying. Ben and I have restarted eating healthier again today. It's been pretty awful trying to get used to the constant gnawing hunger... We'll see how long we last this time! I'd love to lose 10 pounds before I quit/take a super long break from eating healthy again. Also, we went to home church in person tonight and it was really fun. It's nice seeing people face to face and so much easier to relate like this, rather than over Zoom.  I was really excited to get this picture of Ollie sucking her thumb and rubbing her nose, because it's her signature pose, but I don't remember ever getting it on camera before. She's growing up so fast. 

  Day 209 of my 365 Photo Journal I am struggling with my motivation to keep going with this blog right now. I don't want to give up, and don't plan on it, but it kind of sucks to keep on the way I have been going. Here is my April picture that I'm doing in the same spot every month! 

Day 208 of my 365 Photo Journal  We visited with Poppop and Grandma today and had a really nice time. The kids were outside ALL day and even though it was full of activity, it was a nice day of unwinding and getting out of our every day routine. Hazel hasn't been feeling great lately. She's had a lot of trouble breathing and Dennis has been having a lot of pain. It was good to get out there and just be with them for a while, and Ben was able to help out with some work around the house. The cherry on top? The kids did awesome on the drive. It gives us hope for our beach trip coming up later in the month. It was a great Saturday! Also, IT'S MOMMY MONTH!!!! 🎉🥳