Laela gave the whole family a beautiful nights sleep, and we woke up to our bodies simply being ready to be awake, instead of being jolted awake by her cries. It was refreshing, and likely the best gift I could have asked for today. Ok, Brady buying me the original Naked palette from Urban Decay was pretty good too 😉 We all got up in decent time, got everyone ready for church, and headed out the door.

And then I got sooo sick that I couldn’t sit through church. After singing, I took my parents car to their place and lay on their couch and half-watched a movie.

The plan for today was SUCH a good one! My mom and I had lunch reservations at Tony Tomas with big plans to do some shopping afterwards. But I was sick 🙁 We missed our lunch and ended up just eating hot dogs with the boys. Well, not me. I had crackers and grapes and water. I’m not sure what was wrong with my stomach but I was fairly determined not to lose our entire date day! I was feeling a bit better after eating so I was very thankful to be able to go out with my mom after all!

We did some shopping at a few box stores, and had a phone date with my sister. Wish she could have been there with us! We did a bit more shopping and then discussed whether or not I could handle a restaurant for supper. I voted yes, so we tried to think of where to eat. It was a bit tricky, since we had no supper reservation anywhere. We tried Red Lobster, but it was backed up about 45 minutes. So we attempted Tony Romas again, and luckily, everyone waiting wanted a bigger table! We got in after maybe five minutes 🙂

And we ate WELL! Even feeling sick, we shared the shrimp appetizer for the starter. Its called Kickin’ Shrimp, and if you’ve never had it, have it. I’m not crazy about shrimp, but it is incredibly flavorful and amazing. Then I got potato bacon soup with garlic bread, and my mom got riblings. We waddled out of there completely filled and satisfied. And I felt waaay better. Whatever had happened that morning was on its way out.

We got back to my parents house where the men had been watching the kids all day, and were greeted with everyone awake, and strawberries dipped in greek yogurt. A delicious dessert to such a yummy day! Once I had eaten a few, I hit up the couch to be closer to the littles, and fell asleep. I dozed in and out for a while before Brady told me he was going to start getting the kids ready to go.

So now I am home. Sooo ready for my tub, and even readier for sleep. I’m hoping whatever my issue was today is gone tomorrow!

Lastly, I want to just say happy mothers day to every mommy. As I wrote on Facebook earlier, that includes those of us with kids here on earth, or in heaven, in our arms or our bellies, or in our future plans and ambitions. I’m so very proud to be a mother, and to have my mother so close by.

I love you, mama!

Today was Dalmeny’s annual garage sale day, and we were there first thing in the morning! We often go later in the morning and so many of the good deals seem to be snapped up already. So this morning, as soon as Laela was up, we got up and ready.

We were in Dalmeny by 9:30. We began our shopping from my parents house, and walked down a street or two with them. Dekker was struggling pretty hard going from place and seeing all the cool toys, but not being able to go home with each and every one. Plus, Laela was fading fast.

 

So my parents volunteered to entertain Dekker for a while while Laela napped and we finished the town.

Brady and I drove every single street in town, and I’m thrilled to say that we cleaned house. We did really, really well this year! I know not everyone was pleased with their findings, or lack there of, but we’ve had disappointing years in the past as well. This, however, was not one of them. And so begins the insane flow of photos of our purchases. One of these days I’ll just picstitch them all together so it goes quicker, but this is just whats happening today.

Free bike!! Definitely too old for Dekker, but a solid bike for a few years from now. Who can say no to a free bike anyway?!

Free school desk! Dekker is really embracing drawing and coloring right now. Our kitchen table is tiled, so the surface isn’t especially smooth. I try to put a book under his paper, but if I ever leave and come back, the book is at the other end of the table. I’m pretty sure he will LOVE this! I’m hoping to paint it 🙂

Last free thing – a transformer! I’m not going to lie. I know nothing about transformers. But it was in a free box and I dunno! We’ll see if he likes that kind of thing 🙂

This is the only legitimate toy we bought for Laela because someone *cough mom cough* bought every single cool one we came across!! $0.75

We were specifically searching for wagon, so this was a good find! However, Dekker wanted everything but the wagon, so he threw a pretty solid fit :/ Its ok. The rest of us were still excited about it. $20.

A life jacket for baby girl! We’re going to Fairmont in a few weeks so this will be great. $1.

Solidly good quality tools for Dekker. Many battery powered, and all working! $2.

I believe this box was labelled as $0.25 each. We got the whole box for $3! Lots of good quality old school metal Hot Wheels in here!

This is probably Bradys favorite thing of the day. This little ride on car is solid. Its metal, and heavy. The wheels turn exactly right with the steering wheel. Its in incredible shape. $40.

A second box of metal Hot Wheels cars for $3!!! At the same sale, we also purchased a wicked sweet track that Brady is currently trying to build. I’ll include a picture if he succeeds before I finish posting 🙂

$5. (Hahaha, nope! Didn’t get there. Missing some pieces 🙁 )

I know no one cares about this, but my measuring cups go up to 4 cups maximum, so this is something I’ve been wanting for a long time. And it was worth the wait! $1.

Bath seat!! I’m hoping that Laela will love being able to sit up in the tub, and the little thing that wraps around the side of the tub might entice Dekker to get in there and line toys up on the table top. Sounds lame, but its sooo Dekker. $10.

Ok, ready for my favorite sale?? I used self control. At first.

I have this funny obsession with little bowls. Who would ever need so many teeny tiny bowls?? I would. I love them. This little set cost me $2.

Also there, I found these shoes for Laela. They’re both Etnies. The pink ones ($1) will fit her now, and the blue ones ($5) will fit her next spring probably.

My FAAAAAVORITE part of the day! These Dr. Brown bottles are the best bottles available, and they are incredible for barfy/gassy babies. They cost between $8-$10 each, but I picked up 22 of them for $80!!! Plus extra unused nipples. You will NEVER find a deal like this ever, and I’m sooo excited! From right to left, there are six 4oz, twelve 8oz, and four 7oz. Laela doesn’t use the 4 oz so much anymore, and we’re working to get her drinking 6oz fewer times in a day, but there will one day be more babies, and then we will have some more little ones to work with. Yay!! I say again, $80 for a bundle that would cost $250-$300 new. Awesome.

Today was sooo loaded and we all felt completely exhausted by the end,

but in a good way.

My parents scored a ton of great baby toys, including a great quality jumparoo for Laela for only $15!! And we went home with a van full of toys and sad babies. They’re both fast asleep, and I’m ready for a soak in the tub.

What a great day 🙂 Anyone else have an awesome day? I keep hearing of birthday parties!!

 

Brady has had a pretty long stretch without consistent work. I know some of you have been asking what he even does that allows him to be home with me so often. For those who don’t know, Brady is a finishing carpenter. He works for Daytona Homes. When he is given a schedule, he’ll have a certain number of days to complete the homes. Its up to him whether to come in early or work late, or do what he needs to do to get them finished in a timely manner. Therefore, even when he has a full schedule, he can still find the time to come to eye doctor appointments, chiropractic appointments, etc. With all that being said, he’s kept decently busy with other private jobs. Its exciting to see his name being passed around a bit more these days 🙂 Feels all fancy and stuff,

Anyway, all that being said, Brady is finally back with Daytona. He is now officially booked or double booked every single weekday this month, plus a likely Saturday here or there. Its awesome, since I know he goes a little crazy just being home every day, but its going to be quite a change! Luckily, he came home refreshed and happy to have had a full day of familiar work.

We, however, didn’t have a very smooth day around here. Laela would not nap. Normally she naps around 2:00 in the afternoon. Today, her and Dekker were sort of in the same place around the same time, so it seemed like a good opportunity to try and nap them together. Its only happened a few times, and we’re trying to make it more of a regular thing around here.

I put Laela in her crib first, and she cried and cried. I tucked Dekker in right away afterwards and told him she’d stop soon. His response was a mild “bu-bye.” So I left.

No judging! She wailed for probably over a half hour before I finally went up. She rarely cries herself to sleep, because she’s content and just babbles while she falls asleep. When she does cry, its big and ugly and loud and short. So I let her go for a good while, but to no avail. When I went up to get her, Dekker was out cold. I have never seen that side of him! I was fully expecting him to be upset and grumpy, and I assumed he’d try to get up out of bed when he saw me. But no. He was out. I picked Laela up and burped her for a while, and she eventually calmed down. I put her back down and left.

Another half hour, I gave up and went to get her. She was sweaty and angry and sooo relieved. I brought her downstairs to feed her a bit more, and to let her cool off from being so worked up. Just short of an hour later, I had put her down in the spare bedroom. And she cried and cried and cried. Sooo weird! But it was a very overtired cry, and I knew she was where she needed to be. She eventually fell asleep, only to have Brady and I wake her up maybe an hour and a half later in order to make sure she’d sleep at night.

Which is what we’re working on now! Wish us luck!!

I know that tbt, or throwback Thursday is a thing, but I feel like I have seen more posts under this title than usual. Apparently I’m going to be the last one to post something relevant, but I was out in the morning, home with the littles in the afternoon, and out again in the evening. Only now am I finally home with two sleeping littles. So, prepare for a couple throwback photos, and a current today post.

This is very little Hailey. Circa 1990-ish. I got my first pair of glasses at one and a half years old. I had the same eye surgery as Dekker when I was only nine months old, with complete success. That is, until I turned eighteen months old and fevered hard enough for my eyes to cross again. C’est la vie. Therefore, I was given the smallest glasses my parents could find across two provinces.

This is a throwback for both Brady and I! We’ve certainly come a long way! These are the last pair of glasses I wore. This was taken in April 2007, when Brady and I were newly dating. It was in November of the same year that I took my glasses off when I went in to have my appendix removed, and just never put them back again.

Six and a half years later…

So, in all honesty, if I have to wear glasses again, these are the coolest ones. I love them. But I’m struggling a little bit getting past the fact that my break from glasses is over. Probably forever. Too bad! It was quite a shocker to put these on today. I didn’t feel safe on my feet. Everything bends and seems to be in the wrong place. However, my prescription is lower than it was when I stopped wearing glasses, so I’m happy about that, and confident that the numbers on these lenses are right. It’ll just take a few days to adjust. No headaches yet, so thats a bonus!

While I’m bummed that I’m back in glass, its ok. Its not an uncommon thing, and I can’t do anything to make it different! Now, we just keep praying that Laela’s eyes are in good health. I am weirdly anxious about that appointment, and its still over a month away.

Enough about that. Yay for throwback Thursday and hipster glasses?!

We’re here. And sooo tired. I don’t have a whole lot of energy to share on here, but I’ll tell you about last night, because it was ridiculous. Riiiiiiidiculous! (Said in a Judge Judy voice. Anyone? Anyone?!)

We put the kids down at the hotel with Dekker in a queen bed and Laela in her playpen. Since she’s so grabby, and the scratching on the side of the playpen is so loud, we swaddled her with her arms in. She wasn’t super impressed and did quite a bit of whining while falling asleep. Dekker was also fairly unimpressed with having to go to bed after a long trip, and then finally getting out to play and go swimming, which he loved. So we put them both to bed, grabbed the monitor, and hung out in Phil and Elvira’s room for a little while. They weren’t very settled, but they did ok. When we did go in, they were nice and quiet, so we got into bed and turned on Netflix. We took out our headphones and cuddled in to watch a show. We watched for a bit, and Dekker was moving around like crazy. He was sooo loud, we started to wonder if he was even in bed anymore. I asked Brady to just turn the laptop towards the bed and see where he was.

And horrifyingly enough, we were met with the shadow of Dekker, standing tall at the side of his bed closest to us, unmoving. I’m pretty sure both mine and Brady’s lives flashed before our eyes, as we prepared for Dekker’s eyes to start glowing, or his mouth to start foaming. I was the brave one who got up and walked over to him. I gave him a little hug and he eagerly asked to get off the bed and play. I told him it was nighttime, and he whipped himself down onto this belly and cried. It was then that I smelled his rank post-bedtime poop. So just minutes later, he was tucked back in with his clean bum, and Brady and I cuddled back in. It wasn’t long before we could tell the laptop was distracting Dekker too much, so we called it a night.

I night of loud beeping outside the window, a loud motor of some kind, and talkative kids.All night. Don’t get me wrong! The things Dekker says in the night are pretty random and funny! Out of nowhere, “Oh, trains.” Or “Detter boy, and La girl! Dad boy, and mummy…boy.” Sooo close! Laela didn’t have any big breakdowns, which was great, but we all slept super lightly, which made for a very sensitive group of littles in the morning. We did our best, but I know we weren’t tons of fun.

Its good to be home though. I’m hoping they’ll both sleep really well. Maybe even all night! C’mon, Laela bean! This is the part where you all root for her. We’ve had a number of good nights in a row. Yes, they end a little early, but I prefer the early morning to the 3am wake up.

Time for me to drag my grumpy bones into the tub for a soak. Maybe a snack. I feel a little bit like garbage, but I think I’m just tired. Trying reeeaaaly hard not to just hate on everything right now. Hahaha, sounds like an appropriate time to stop writing..

I feel like our spontaneous road trips often take us to Edmonton. This time, we are here sharing a short visit with Bradys parents, who are here on some personal business. We met up with them at our hotel in the early evening and visited while we fed Laela. Once the littlest Miss was content, we took a quick walk across the parking lot to Denny’s for supper. My fish and chips really hit the spot! Laela was less impressed with the setting but she actually did pretty well considering her nap-free day of travel.

After we ate, we rushed over to the nearby Canadian Tire for some water toys and then hit the pool. Luckily, there were very few other guests in the pool area, and the only others hung out in the hot tub, so we took over the cold pool and threw balls and splashed and tickled and played. Dekker loved watching Brady and Phil go down the waterslide, and it wasn’t long before he agreed to go down with Brady.

The slide was a tunnel all the way down, so we were all a little worried Dekker would lose it, but it was worth a try! Brady did everything in his power to slow them down and to keep Dekker feeling secure, but he lost control coming around the last corner and both boys went all the way under the water at the end of the slide. Dekker has never been in a similar circumstance, minus his nine month stay in my uterus, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember that stage of life, so this was very new. It had the potential to be a HUGE setback in his fear of water.

But it wasn’t 🙂 He had a short cry, and then recovered and resumed ball throwing. He bragged and talked animatedly about his trip down the slide. We asked if he wanted to go again, to which he replied “Ya! …no.” So I think he actually really really enjoyed it, even with the dunk in the end. We’re hoping to find time to go again tomorrow morning, so maybe we’ll give the slide another go.

I’m so proud of Dekker for being so brave and going down the tunnel waterslide!! Such an accomplishment for our shy little boy.

We spent the day with Jerilee in our chilly little house. Brady made us brunch and left for a dental appointment soon afterwards. The rest of us played toys in the basement and cuddled in blankets. Its such weird weather, and our house gets so confused about how warm or cold to keep itself. It was nice to cozy up, though, and play with the kidlets. They eventually went down for naps, and Brady returned home with frapps for the three of us. But after supper, Jerilee became too popular for us and went back to the city for the evening. Its ok, Jerilee, I still love you 😉

The kids are happy to he up and around and fed, but neither napped especially well, so I’m anticipating an easy bedtime for them! Once they’re down, Brady and I will do a quick pack for tomorrow! Did I mention that we’re spontaneously going to Edmonton tomorrow? Yup! We’re going to meet up with Bradys parents for Tuesday evening, hopefully do a liiiiittle bit of shopping, and then head home Wednesday afternoon. Just a shorty little trip, but we see each other so rarely, and our kids are just growing up sooo fast! Its pretty necessary, haha! Plus, less important, but the house is relatively tidy, and we’re caught up on laundry and dishes, so it feels like the perfect time to leave for a couple of days. We so often come home to a mess, and this will be so much nicer.

Tomorrows trip is why this is a quick and early post. One wakeful hour left with the kids, and then getting ready for tomorrow!! Anyone else spontaneously road tripping this week?

Literally.

Dekker was having a hard time sitting through the church service today, so he and Brady ended up downstairs in the playroom with the other little kids. He’s tried it out down there a couple of times before, but has always been very shy of the other kids. If you’ve ever met Dekker, or perhaps if you’ve followed here long enough, this won’t come as a surprise to you. Brady ended up having to stay down there with him the whole time, but he did get up and braver and play with other kids, so yay!

When church was over, and we were back at my parents for the afternoon, he could not stop talking about one little girl in particular, and his concern for her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBIOwCT9f7o

“Lucy fall down the slide.” Over and over and over again. Sometimes, in the story, she was sad, or needed a hug, but he was quite concerned. I texted Lucys mom, and told her about Dekker telling us her tale of woes over lunch, and she said Lucy hadn’t even mentioned it to her. Lucy is a very adventurous little one, and I’m thinking a little topple off the slide probably didn’t bring her down too hard. However, Dekker couldn’t seem to get past it. Until Lucy helped him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTkUNjFLWvk

“Hey Dekker, I’m fine. I’m ok.”

Probably the most adorable video text I’ve ever received. Dekker loved it, and watched it a few times before he grew a big giggly smile and went about his afternoon. I’m not sure we heard about the perilous fall again, so Dekker seemed satisfied hearing from Lucy herself that she was ok.

Yes, my little boy is very sensitive, but in the most beautiful way!

The plan was to have a cozy Saturday inside.

I did some online shopping and put my self control into practice and didn’t buy Laela this incredible hat.

The weather has been beautiful, but today, it wasn’t as warm or welcoming. We had nothing really pressing coming up, either. So it made sense. Not to Dekker.

In the early afternoon, Dekker requested to get dressed. “Pants and shirt!,” was his specific request. So I brought him upstairs and offered him a pair of pants. They’re fleece, but aren’t jammies, so I figured he could still be comfy but not feel like he was still in a sleeper. He declined, and specified that he wanted to wear jeans. Ok, sure, jeans it is. Then he picked a shirt and a sweater. Once he was dressed, he wanted Laela dressed.

Once all four of us were dressed, he lead us all to the door and asked to go in the van. Brady and I had a good laugh and quickly went over possible errands we could run. We only really had a couple of things we needed but we could easily get them tomorrow afternoon. But once we did a big of figuring, we discovered there was lots we could do, so off we went. And we proceeded to have the BEST city trip we’ve had in a really, really long time!!! Not once did Dekker melt down publicly. We didn’t have to haul him out of anywhere. No one pooped out of their clothing, or threw up on anyone.

Moments into the drive…

But seriously, it was awesome. Brady ran into Costco for a couple of things, and I got rockstar parking while I waited. Rockstar parking. At Costco. On Saturday!!! I know you’re impressed.

After that, I ran into Starbucks for frappuccinos. For those who don’t know, they’re offering frapps half off between 3-5pm for the next week. So Brady and I both got huge frapps and yes, we got a small strawberry one for Dekker. I know, they’re loaded with sugar. Don’t judge. At least I got it half sweet with no whip! He destroyed it. It was a very special treat.

We spent the rest of our trip in the Preston Crossing area of the city. We hit Old Navy and got both kids new jeans, and Laela some little tank top diaper shirts. They were on for 2/$10, so I couldn’t resist. And their jeans were also down to $8 each. So we did well. We ran across the street to Walmart for a couple of little things, including a new BB cream for me. Then we settled into the McDonalds for supper. It was yummy, and we were all feeling great. Would anyone like to see a picture of my son eating chicken? I’m all over that.

I left the table for a moment to go buy one more thing, and when I came back, Dekker was excited to show me he had been drawing. “Dekker draw!” he announced upon my arrival. And I heard someone behind me quietly say “Did you hear him, mom? He’s amazing!” I couldn’t help but turn around and see who was admiring my son. It was a family of three, and the 12(?) year old daughter was just enthralled with him. I was so touched and thanked them. The mother commented on his BIG blue eyes and how beautiful he was. And Dekker just milked it for all it was worth, giving them big coy smiles and giggles. It was wonderful to see him so happy towards strangers after a busy day with little sleep. My mommy heart just wept for joy.

On our drive home, Dekker asked if we could stop at grandmas house. We actually debated driving through there, just for a quick kiss, but that is sooo hard for him to leave so quickly. So we gently told him that we’d see her tomorrow, and he just accepted it. We had a nice drive home, with a napping Laela and Dekker playing cars.

It was too bad that we had to bathe them after such a great day. Laela didn’t fuss at all, but Dekker really wasn’t into it. I don’t want to focus on that though! See my happy baby?!

We read some stories in Dekkers room before bedtime, and then tucked him away for the night. After two almost full nights sleeps, Laela is seemingly a bottomless pit right now, so here’s hoping we have another one coming! I have never seen her drink this much in one day, without a night feeding!!

What a beautiful day! I don’t have to do very much digging to find something to be thankful for today!

What are you thankful for?