I’m having SO much fun actually feeling positive these last few days, so I hope no one is annoyed at my positivity! And I also really, really hope that I’m not going to be dubbed as shallow on this post, but we went into the city just to run a few errands and just had a wildly successful shopping day! Successful enough to make into a photo post even, haha! So hopefully you can enjoy, because we really did. We feel great, and like today was so much more fun than we originally had planned.

The whole thing started with spring jackets. Stores are starting to sell out their winter stuff and bring in spring, and The Children’s Place is a store whose outerwear I really like, but thats about it. The little girls spring jackets were on sale online, I really liked two of them, but I figured I’d be responsible and see if I could find something cute at Value Village first. Her last denim jacket came from there, and it looked brand new. So right after breakfast, we all piled into the van and headed to Value Village first.

We did really well at our first stop! We got a little something for everyone. Brady got a couple of new work shirts. I got a cute coral spring jacket that currently cannot fit over my belly but likely will in time. Other than that, here’s what we got!

Tiny little measuring bowls!! Not the whole set, but I thought they were super cute, and I kind of have a weird affinity for tiny bowls. And a cow creamer!!! Because mooooo!

This shirt for Dekker 🙂 Its too big on him right now, but it was cheap and hilarious. I appreciate a good stick man joke.

These will also be too big on the new baby, but we thought they were super stylin’ and could not be passed up.

Yes, Laela got the most. She got a denim jacket that is actually brand new, as in it still has the Old Navy tag on it. The sweater beside it is actually fleece lined and beautifully soft, and was only $2! And the little yellow dress is lined and gorgeous and comes with the little yellow matching gitch. Big wins all around, I’d say!

After Value Village, we hit up Circle Mall. I figured, since we got the denim jacket for so cheap, we could justify going to The Children’s Place and getting the other jacket that I liked so much. I know, its twisted logic, don’t judge. But I was met with easily our best deal of the day! No little spring bomber jacket (totally over that now) BUT all their winter wear was on sale! I had seen that it was online but there was nothing for us in any of the kids sizes, so I had given up. But this store was stocked and ready! Everywhere, there were signs offering 50% off, so I jumped. I texted Brady, he agreed, and I went for it. Jackets ranged from $80-$90, and snow pants were around $50. I bought all THREE of the kids a new jacket and pair of snow pants, and instead of paying around $400, I paid $140!!!!! And guys, they are going to look sooooo good!

Dekker and Baby Jim’s new stuff for next winter…

And Laelas!

They will be sooo warm! I was momentarily disappointed when the boys jacket I liked the best wasn’t available in either kids size, but who can truly complain when the price is quite so good? I can’t! I bought 12-18 month for the baby. Hopefully it’ll be close. It might be huge, but he might be huge, so who knows! I think the gamble was worth it. If not, I’ll resell it. Not worried.

Superstore was next. We only needed a handful of things though. I went to pick up a prescription refill while Brady and the kids bought canned corn and cereal. I met them in the laundry detergent aisle to hunt down a new stain remover. Oxy Clean, let’s see what you can offer me. Before we left, we got the kids cookies, because we can’t leave without cookies! They were both pretty pleased and polite as they demolished their cookies. Cute cookie kids.

We went to Home Depot to look at paint chips, and came out with samples for what we hope to paint our house with! We actually found one sheet that carried three colors that we loved! I’m really looking forward to getting some swatches up and seeing how we feel about the colors. My one beef with that, though, was that each sample cost $5!! Definitely not the best deal we got today :/ But hopefully we’ll get our answer anyway, and then can get on with the process. I’m just excited to have them in my house!

Our last hit was Costco. We got there right before closing, and I went in for laundry detergent while Brady and the kids filled up with gas. Costco gas was sooo cheap, PS! Inside, I doddled through the clothing section and bought Dekker a new pair of swim shorts.

His are getting so small, and they’re so young looking. These are wicked trendy and I loved them. Then, I wandered around the back section of cleaners and paper products for about ten minutes, not trusting my brain but not finding the laundry detergent. I finally asked for help and she told me it was on sale so it had all sold out. Bummer. I perused the store a bit more than I should have apparently, and ended up stealing a lone cart (don’t judge!) and buying two kids sized recliners!! We’ve wanted those cute kids bucket chairs for a while now, but can’t seem to find any, so these were PERFECT! They were the first thing we accomplished upon arriving home, and went over very, very well!

Dekker’s latest funny face is hysterical, hey?

Luckily, the kids are in bed now. A day without naps was actually brutally hard on both of them, and they both fell asleep a number of times and had to be woken up within minutes. It wasn’t ideal. They were pretty riled up when we put them down, but they’re definitely winding down and quieter now. Funny how exciting days get them that way 🙂 Super overtired but can’t shut down because it was just too fun!

Meanwhile, Brady is doing some tax stuff, and I’m blogging, obviously. We still haven’t eaten, but hopefully thats not far away. And a soak! My body is sooo ready for a soak! I wore my pelvic support belt thing all day, and I still feel like my right leg might just fall off at any moment. I hope it doesn’t, but as usual, I’ll keep you guys in the loop on that.

This was one heck of a way to celebrate being 33 weeks pregnant 🙂 What a fabulous day!

I think its fair to say we’re been both comfy and productive today. The kids didn’t lull until after 8:30 this morning, so Brady and I watched some Greys Anatomy in bed while they woke up a bit. We went and got them together, which we rarely get to do, changed them, and then Brady got them breakfast while I gathered up all the laundry and got it sorted and started downstairs. We had a few new things that just needed their first wash before wearing, like new work socks for Brady and some sweats for Dekker. I swear, we bought that kind some 3T sweats just a month or two ago and they fit beautifully, and now, if he bends at all, they are ridiculously short. Turns out he’s growing up!! The 4Ts looks massive, but maybe they’ll shrink up in the dryer. Anyway, it all needed to get done.

Once the kids were done breakfast, Brady made us some eggs and toast, and we all cuddled up in the basement for a movie and cuddles. And playing, because Laela is a total daredevil now. She’ll climb up onto the very top of a two-step stool and just stand there and clap her hands like crazy, while I throw up in my mouth, waiting for her to hit the deck. She has a couple of times, but recovers quickly. In fact, the other day I was on the phone when she took a dive. It was just a shorty so I didn’t go racing over. But Dekker observed the fall and raced to the end table, grabbed his water bottle, and rushed back to her. He sat in front of her and fed her water until she stopped crying. He’s an incredibly big brother.

After our movie, it was right around nap time. We told Dekker it was going to be rest time in about ten minutes, as we always do. Usually, he responds with “Ya, without whining!” A very good response, in our opinion. But today, he absolutely lost it. So it would appear that whining was in order. I tried to let him just be sad and that would be ok, but he started getting out of hand and I determined that nap time was, in fact, right that very moment. He was devastated, and screamed the whole way up the stairs, but he actually was asleep within just a few minutes of being tucked in, so he obviously needed the rest.

When the kids were freshly in bed, Brady and I dechristmasified our house. The tree still has to get thrown out, but we’re waiting for the kids to wake up first, since it’ll be loud. But the wreaths are down, the ornaments are packed up and moved downstairs, the bigger decorations and nativity scene are gone, and through the process of putting stuff away, I even purged a bit more crap from my basement. Mondo, ugly vases that I once thought were artsy and creative, but now just realize are ugly and take up way too much space. Once Christmas was down, we got all comfy in our room and Brady has started his last quarterly report for the year, which is the last info we need before we can put our tax information together! I’m definitely looking forward to that. I’ve been cutting some shelf liners and researching paint types and colors for when we paint our place. We’re very seriously thinking of blocking off our living room from the kids and just starting to putty the cracks and nicks. Its going to be a gradual process, whether we want it to be or not, so we may as well start soon! Time to go get our hands on some paint samples and play with swatches 🙂 Maybe I’ll learn to like painting through all of this!

I already hear the kids moving around, which is not the ideal solution to having a productive afternoon, but such is life. Hopefully they’ll go down really nicely at the end of the day then 🙂 Silver lining, all the way.

So while they’ve been small things, I’ve been trying to get a few odd jobs done around the house these days. its felt really good, and I’ve enjoyed seeing little parts of our home tidied up, or just slightly less scattered than before. I don’t have the highest of standards, haha, but I’ll take any improvements that I can get.

Today, however, I didn’t really accomplish anything. I did dishes this morning, but thats pretty much the extent of it. The kdis and I did lots of playing, cuddling, and snacking. They did lots of pooping, so I did lots of changing, and our house did a lot of stinking. It was eventful without being productive, and I think thats fine.

One thing I did accomplish without really lifting a finger was booking a few appointments. I’m pretty bad for constantly pushing things back. Laela is pretty far behind in her shots right now. Let’s not all get on the vaccines debate please! We do the vaccines recommended by the health region at the recommended times, but while they’ll vaccinate anyone that isn’t fevering, I don’t feel good about taking them in until they’re in almost perfect health. Call me paranoid, but the doctors came to the conclusion that Dekker’s eyes crossed because his immune system just took too big of a hit in a short period of time. I don’t want to live in fear, and if Laela’s eyes are going to cross, they’re going to. But I haven’t felt comfortable taking her in for her shots recently. Whether its been a rash, a cold, or teething, every time I plan to take her in for shots, something comes up and plans get cancelled. Well, we are FINALLY all past that gnarly cold (for the moment anyway) and I have booked an appointment for Laela’s one year shots. She’ll be closing in on 16 months by the time we get there, but I’m not concerned, and feel like it was a good move. So I booked that finally, as well as a meeting with a life/disability insurance advisor. I got lots of suggestions from people a while back, but have currently opted to meet with someone who will come to my house after my kids are in bed. Yay! We’ll see if her plan fits our needs, but its good to get the ball rolling anyway. Both of those appointments are about a week and a half away, but they just happened to be the times that worked, so I took the appointments.

I know that seems pretty small, but it feels good to me to finally have that stuff in my calendar. Plans always feel good.

As for plans, Brady and I have some big-ish plans for tomorrow, but I don’t want to say too terribly much in case none of it happens, because I’ll be super embarrassed, haha! But stay tuned for some potential productivity!

** Lastly, and completely off topic, I said a while back that baby Jim was wildly and completely breech. I don’t know much, but I haven’t felt those sharp, low, LOW kicks in a few days, and I’m feeling many more pokes and spanning motions on the top of my tummy. I’m really, really hoping this means he’s flipped. And REALLY hoping he’ll stay put. My kids have pretty significant noggins so gravity should aid us in this, but for those who have been praying, please don’t stop! We’ve gotta keep this baby head down!

As I quickly mentioned last night, we bought a couple of big binders from Walmart to reorganize our worship music into. This is the kind of task that I always mean to do but never get there. Any other time, those stupid binders would have sat in the the side table in our living room with the rest of our music books until our tiny, overstuffed music binder finally broke. Then I’d likely grumble a bit and finally put together all of the music from that binder, plus the huge stack that hasn’t fit into it ever, and get it all put together. BUT I rocked a better attitude and decided to get on it first thing this morning. This is a bit of what I was talking about in my “resolutions” post. Its not a huge job or anything at all, but its something that needs to get done, so why not do it if I have time! Its just sorting a binder. Its really just saying the alphabet over and over in my head and punching holes. Plus, doing it now will likely save me time in the future, as the pile of music just builds and builds. We were so good at putting the new music away immediately for a while, but as the binder got too full, it just stopped happening.

So I sorted and alphabetized and punched holes all morning. I got our whole old binder plus the huge stack reorganized and into a new, MUCH bigger binder. I also separated all of the Christmas out into its own, smaller binder. Everything thats a cover song or mainstream radio music is in its own place as well. Its all good to go! I feel very accomplished, having completed a decent sized task. However, I dont know if I sat funny or what exactly but my butt is killing me and my right leg feels as though it might fall off, so I’ve traded in my chores for my bed, and am taking a load off while Laela naps and Dekker talks quietly in his bed. Might update the laptop in a minute or two. That should be a riot and a half. This is literally as exciting as our day will get, I’m thinking. But its good. I already got something done anyway. Not a total loss 🙂

As the title suggests, we had a fabulous day today! I had plans to take the kids out in the afternoon/evening, and as the weather got seemingly colder and colder, I tried to keep a positive attitude and figured we’d work with it. I did not expect for it to go so smoothly!

While we were still home in the morning, the kids ate their breakfast well and were eager to go downstairs and play toys afterwards. For the first time even, I kissed Laela on her head, said a prayer, and let her follow Dekker down the stairs without my assistance. I listened very closely, but let her be, and she made it down on her own easily. Go Laela!! Going down the stairs is something she just mastered over Christmas, so its a new thing. But she rocked it. While the kids played happily downstairs, I did dishes and took all the ornaments and lights off of the tree. Yes, our tree is still up, but it is brown. It dropped needles badly the entire time I fussed with it, so now Brady can throw it outside anytime he so desires.

I joined the kids downstairs for a bit and got them their snack/lunch. I put them down for their nap a half hour early in hopes that they’d get some sleep in before we had to be out the door around 3:00. Laela slept but Dekker did not at all, which is life and that is fine. Both kids were cute and very agreeable to get up and get dressed. I bundled them up pretty severely compared to our usual. We got out the door ten minutes late but I drove (ahem) efficiently and got us to the house Brady was working on in good time to pick him up and get to my chiro appointment on time. They waited in the car while I went in to see Dr. Mike.

I had a great appointment with him today. I’ve been making a really significant effort to follow the rules and because of that, I was in much better shape today! Its hard to sacrifice what feels comfortable now for the comfort of my body over the next few weeks. I hate sitting so straight and sleeping so specifically all the time, but its saving me in lots of ways, so I’ll keep doing my best. We also had a really fun chat, in my opinion. You know how we never get to see people, such as our doctors, in any setting other than their office? Its fun to get a look into their lives, as rare as that happens. But after telling Dr. Mike that our evening consisted of grocery shopping and Wendys, we got into just regular conversation about where to buy groceries and small things about it that make the kids happy. By the end, we had discussed what he bought his nephews for Christmas, and how the Sobey’s in Stonebridge is apparently the place to be. It was fun, and I felt very normal and less “doctor/patient.” I always like that.

Superstore was first, and the kids were ridiculously adorable. They sat great in the cart together and were very patient as we covered the entire store. Towards the end, we walked past the bakery section and Dekker casually leaned to look and said “Oh, there’s cookies in there?” Of course there were cookies in there, and we hadn’t forgotten. We waited patiently and someone came to give them cookies. Pleases and thank yous were exchanged and the kids went to town on their cookies.

We went to Wendys next. It all went very smoothly, as it tends to at Wendys, since the kids love their food. We also beat the supper rush so it was nice and quiet and the kids were very comfortable.

We drove to the nearby mall right after supper and I ducked in to Dollarama for a small handful of things. In that one store alone, I found summer stuff, Easter stuff, and Valentines Day stuff. Insane, right?!?! I actually only got a couple of the things I was hoping to get, but either way, it was nice and quick and we could get back on the road and onto the next place.

Walmart. I’m pretty sure we always hit Walmart when we’re in the city. But it works for us. Plus, we have certain things that we only buy at Walmart, and some things that we only like from Superstore, and so on. So we had a small list of stuff to get, and headed in as a group. I wish the Walmart carts help two kids in the front part, but they only hold one. Luckily, Dekker likes the novelty of riding on the back, so he doesn’t get too upset about being forced out of his comfy seat. I have to say, Walmart was a much bigger success than usual. We were being very good and just following our list, but things we’ve needed for a while kept popping off the shelves at us! We got some new binders to accommodate our growing collection of music that I play off of in church. We got Dekker a real pillow, as opposed to the kids one he’s been using since he started using a pillow. Its basically a flat stuffed animal, which has been great, but he loves big bedding when he sleeps away from home, so we now have a new pillow, blanket, and sheet set to try and convince him to sleep on megabed. Lastly, we got a new infant car seat!! I couldn’t be happier about this. Before you all think I’m frivolous, yes, our current car seat is still valid, but we have hated that thing since we purchased it for Dekker. Its heavy, and awkward, and not very soft. The straps are almost impossible to tighten and loosen, and the crotch clip pieces together like a puzzle instead of just clipping in, so its really hard to get it clipped up. When people have tried to buckle our kids into this seat in the past, they struggle and fuss with it, and often give up. Its dumb. This seat actually has the word “light” in the title, and for good reason. Carrying it with the base still attached is lighter than the last seat on its own. Its much plushier, and the straps are all waaay easier to alter and buckle. Best of all, it was only $100. Every other seat we’ve been considering is at least $180. And the last amazing thing about it is that its the same brand as our old one, so potentially we’ll have two bases! Maybe we could even leave one at my parents place, in case they ever need to take the baby somewhere 🙂 WIN! When we went to pay at Walmart, the cashier was sooo infatuated with Laela, and worked tirelessly to get a reaction from her. Sadly, Laela was whooped, and started blankly at her as she held her hand, cooed at her, and made faces. I’m pretty sure she would have taken Laela home had we let her. However, I’m a pretty big fan of my kids, so we happily brought her home with us instead. It was cute though. The kids just oozed adorability today.

We picked up coffee and headed home after that. It was sad to have to drive separately, with Brady in his work van, but Dekker seemed to think we were racing, and he was sooo proud of his daddy. Both kids fell asleep in pretty good time, as it was already past their bedtime, and considering the short/non-existent naps. Upon arriving home, they didn’t even lull when I shut the van off and turned the lights on. It was so sweet.

We brought them in and got them all tucked in right away. Laela seemed refreshed, but went down no problem. Dekker, however, was dead to the world, and from being removed from the van through his change and to climbing into his bed, he sobbed his exhaustion. It was kind of endearing, though. He was so tired. Not sad, or sick, but pooped after a really good day.

Once the kids were down, Brady carried the groceries and stuff in from the van and we gradually put stuff away. The second that was done, Brady ripped into the car seat box so we could check it all over. Yup, turns out it was just as awesome as we thought it was! We even put the car seat cover that we ordered forever ago on it. Yes, it needs a wash first, but we just wanted to see how it would all come together. Its going to be so soft and nice, and super cute when there’s finally a baby in it!

I looove me some chevron!

So it was pretty much a ridiculously great evening. I’m so pleased with how it all went. I felt very productive in the morning already, and then the afternoon and evening were a big success as well, as we crossed almost everything off of our list. The only things we didn’t get are things that Brady will pick up from Costco on his way home tomorrow. Easy peasy. So rarely do we actually get almost everything on our list! But my goodness, we have earned our soak in the tub this evening!

I hope you guys all had great days like I did. What a wonderful boost of a day 🙂 Sleep deep, all!

I know everyone is just itching to file their taxes, right?! Just jokes, I know this is very few people’s favorite time of the year. And its not even quite that time! I learned a bit about taxes today and figured I’d share.

The curse of our taxes is that we no longer get a return. Since we have no employer to tax us all year, we save diligently from each cheque and pay out thousands of dollars each tax season. While its annoying, I’m very pleased that we’re in a good groove with it and after over four years of being self employed, we’ve always managed to save enough. So I’m not too choked about the amount we pay out every year. Its been what we expect to pay. A good thing about tax time for us is that Brady is still a small enough business that we can file for taxes on our own. If my numbers are right (and they very possibly might NOT be) I believe that as soon as a company becomes incorporated, they HAVE to pay to have their taxes done. And paying for tax filing for a business is a lot more than personal taxes, right? So it adds up very quickly! We can still buy a program for $25 and send our stuff in on our own. Our first year as a business, we drew up all of our tax stuff on a program, and then went to an accountant to see if we got the same final numbers. We learned a number of things from that and have been able to file on our own ever since. Yay!

As I mentioned a while back, Brady and I have been working towards moving for quite some time, and we are hoping and praying that this is our year to BUILD!! Without getting into too much personal financial information, we are VERY eager to file our taxes this year. As soon as they’re filed, we will have our final numbers needed to give to our mortgage guy and learn what we qualify for, how much equity we need to squeeze out of this house, etc. BUT according to the government websites, the codes needed to actually officially file for taxes don’t become available until February 10th or so. Keep in mind here that I’m due to deliver our third child early March. If we get good news and solid numbers, this leaves an incredibly small window of time to complete a lot of things, like meeting with builders, getting the house ready, listing it, whether with a realtor or privately, and lots of others. Would we even list before baby comes?! I feel like trying to show our place with a newborn could get a bit hairy. I don’t know! Lots to think about! We’re hoping to be able to put all of our tax info together and that our mortgage guy will be happy with that information on its own before its actually officially filed, so we can get the ball rolling sooner than later. LOTS to think about.

All of the number games aside, we still have a lot to do, whether we can get answers tomorrow or in a month. We need to paint the house. Badly! The only spare time we’ve had to do it since we actually figured out that we needed to was over our Vegas week, and obviously something much more exciting was planned, haha! So while I was hoping for a mad painting bee over a few days, Brady is booked quite solidly with work and it will just have to end up being something we do slowly in evenings and on weekends. Anyone who feels like painting, pleeeaaase let us know! I know some people really like painting, and we are not those people, lol! If anyone would like to help make this whole thing come true for us, let us know! We shamelessly accept all the help we can get!

I suppose I should have added this as a goal for this year 🙂 Be in our next house by Christmas!!!

People have very specific but seemingly very different views on new years resolutions. Some people make strict guidelines of many things they hope to do everyday. Some people “theme” their year. And everyone has an opinion about which is right, wrong, or dumb. And some people don’t make any, because if you have a goal, why wait until the new year? I see merit in pretty much all of the sides of the coin. If your goal is to keep a cleaner house, for instance, and you feel this way in November, why wait?! I get that. BUT I do tend to evaluate my year as a whole in January, and try to see where I could improve. So I’m more of a theme person, I suppose. I’ve been pondering the last few days/weeks how my 2014 has been, and how I can make 2015 even better. I was feeling annoyed that I couldn’t seem to verbalize what I wanted, but over the last week or so, I think I’ve come to a few different conclusions.

I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten lazy. While my kids love their routine of our quiet days (and I really do too!) I’ve had an unbeatable cabin fever for the last year and a half, and I think thats something that is well within my control. Yes, errand days are a bigger challenge with two (soon to be three) kids, and they are made much easier when I have company along, but that doesn’t mean I can’t push myself and go anyway. I’ll accomplish less, likely, but who cares! I think to help with my laziness, I need to plan outings a bit more often, whether it be playdates, shopping trips, or blowing bubbles by the river in the spring. It can also be combatted at home, with playing outside, baking, and maybe even coming up with some regular chores that we do. I’m not going to put a timeframe on it, or even a “once a week” label. I think its just important for me to keep in my mind that these are things well within my control, and I can’t mope around waiting for someone to come add excitement to our lives. It starts with me.

Another vague goal that I have coming into this year is to be more generous. Not long ago, someone from our church gave us a gift for the kids. It was a few hand me downs from their granddaughter for Laela, as well as a pair of brand new jeans and a hoodie for Dekker. The gift was from a lovely woman that we rarely run into and sort of know from a distance. The gift was not motivated by a baby shower, a sickness, or a real need as much as it was just a gift. She thought of us, and gave us a gift. Unbelievable!!! Why don’t we do stuff like that?! Why do we wait until something is organized before giving a gift? I’m not saying the gift has to be something purchased. It could be a card, or a call to someone you wouldn’t normally call, or a meal, or running an errand, or something else completely! I think I need to do more of that. I’ve actually been very slowly compiling a tub of gifts that I see and cannot pass up, but that aren’t for my kids. Hopefully, there will be opportunities to give these unexpectedly. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m sure it won’t take long.

Lastly, I forget where I actually heard this idea, but I think it was from a movie. Someone asked someone else what they would do if they had no fear. I don’t mean adrenaline-wise, unless thats your thing, I guess, but what would you pursue, or whats something that is really important to you that you’re kind of scared/intimidated of. I’ve touched on this subject just a bit, but its a bit ominous for me to just share, so bare with me if I fail miserably or back pedal a ton. I am incredibly interested in makeup, and learning about it and playing with it, and potentially doing it on other people. It goes against my grain to be so interested in something based around vanity, but I feel like its a form of art and learning a new skill and I’m wasting my time by denying it. I really, really want to learn about makeup application and products. A lot. Now that thats out in the open, I have to start trying, right? I’m not sure what that means yet exactly, but its something I’m not going to overshadow anymore, and I’ll be on the lookout for opportunities, whether they come in the form of buying new products, watching YouTube videos, or actually taking classes somewhere. I’m excited to hopefully break out of my comfort zone and give it a go!!

Ok, all done. I’m sweating a bit after writing this post. I’m excited to see where this new year takes me 🙂

After what feels like months, we finally spent some time with Jerilee today! We barely saw each other in December, so we did our Christmas today. it wasn’t exactly a traditional Christmas celebration, but I don’t necessarily think we scream “tradition” around every corner, so we rocked it out.

The “festivities” began when Jerilee arrived around 3:00pm. The kids were still napping, so we just visited a bit in the kitchen and caught up. We soon realized that we actually had to get supper on the move. Once again, not a traditional meal at all, but it took a bit longer than a quick, casual thing we’d throw together. We made these delicious cheese potatoes, fish, and broccoli salad, and if I can be so bold, it was sooo yummy! The potatoes are a guilty pleasure dish my mom used to make once in a while but rarely anymore. They’re just boiled up cubed potatoes with a special cheese sauce poured overtop, and then they’re baked for the better part of an hour. So not super fancy, but delicious, and time-sucking. While the potatoes cooked and the fish thawed, we opened presents, just the three of us. We bought Jerilee wine and a nice set of stemless wine glasses, and the kids bought her a Starbucks card and some makeup. She graced us with iTunes money from Brady (always the most perfect gift for him, fyi) and I received a jewelry holder that I had specifically asked for, and a beautiful wooden sign that basically says that I’m fabulous 🙂 Love you too, sweets.

Once the kids woke up, we had a very dramatic supper where Dekker wailed over the thought of eating the potatoes while I could not feed them to Laela fast enough. It was pretty loud but, as I so tactlessly say again, it was super yummy and worth the volume in my opinion. I may or may not make those potatoes every day of my life from here on out. After supper, the kids got their presents from Auntie Jerry, which was probably the biggest hit of the day. Dekker was given a plane that shoots plastic balls at flames, which he would not let out of his sight for the rest of the evening, as well as a book that is written by the same author who wrote Grumpy Bird. Grumpy Bird is a heavy favorite around here, and I’m thinking Boo Hoo Bird will be in the running as well. Laela got a book about Olaf from Frozen, as well as a Little People Cinderella set with a horse and carriage. Both of the kids were completely thrilled with their presents and spent lots of time checking out their gifts, and each others. Auntie Jerry chose well. She knows us too well.

We ventured into the basement for our regular evening stuff, and the kids went to bed on time. Then Brady snuck away and did a whole shwack ton of chores, unbeknownst to me, while Jerilee and I played with all her new Mary Kay stuff. I soon discovered that while I shopped and perused the catalogue, my dishes had been done and the humidifier was cleaned. Brady had made his lunch and breakfast for the next day as well. Pretty lucky over here.

We spent the last chunk of time all visiting together over hot drinks and dipped pretzels. However, it was eventually just about midnight, and reality strikes tomorrow. Well, it strikes Brady anyway. Jerilee has the day off and I stay home, so just the hubs is back to the grindstone in the morning. But frankly, we’re all old, and midnight is late. But what a great day it was!!!

So hopefully this story justifies the late post. It was a great day. One I’ve really needed for quite some time. I’m curious where tomorrow will take me. Its time to make some plans for the year! Did any of you make resolutions? Mine have been so vague the last few years, and I’ve loved it. I think its time for this years game plan to be solidified!! You??

Last nights post was pretty complainy, in case you didn’t notice. All evening, I was in decent pain. But I learned early on into the evening that I was quite tired, and was sleeping by 10:30. Since I’m not sleeping through anymore, what with pee breaks and just mild discomfort, I woke up to roll over a lot. Each and every time, I made a point to note the position I was laying in, and made sure I was doing it right. I asked Dr. Mike about how I sleep and he gave me a few things to keep in mind about sleeping in sort of twisty positions. I was very aware of it, and woke up feeling amazingly well! As in not a full 180, but I’d say a solid 165 😀 What a difference it made listening to instructions! I will continue to do so for the next two months. Must survive the next two months!!

I threw on my support belt right away in the morning and got on laundry while Brady got breakfast for the kids. We had lots of laundry, as in around seven loads, so I got us all super organized and sorted out, and we did laundry all day. It goes without saying that I, obviously, got sore again very quickly. So I had a soak while the kids napped in the afternoon, which helped! More laundry and stuff up in the afternoon justifies another soak, right? Because its running right now…

It was an incredibly successful day! Now that everyone is considerably less sick, all the sick bedding has been removed and washed, as well as towels, guest bedding, all of the clothes we brought to and from both sets of our parents houses, and all the new clothes the kids acquired. I even handwashed my lulu stretchy pants. I’m on fire over here!

Once the kids went to bed, Brady and I FINALLY dipped pretzels in chocolate! I know its not Christmas, but I bought Christmas sprinkles and red chocolate and it needed to happen. Plus, we’re having Christmas with Jerilee tomorrow 🙂 It certainly won’t be fancy but it will be really fun! We miss her so much around here. All five of us 😀

Can’t wait to meet this boy!!

I know some people scoff when I talk about my kids sleeping patterns. We have been incredibly spoiled to have been blessed with such wonderful sleepers! So yes, you guys may be able to function well on the four hours per night that you get, but short nights are a big challenge for me because I am just straight up not used to them. So that being said, last night made the list of the top five worst nights we’ve had since having babies. Laela was up on and off (considerably more on than off) from the time we were planning to go to bed until 2:30am-ish. We were trying to take special interest in keeping the kids quiet, and my goodness, she made us work for it! It took milk, water, goldfish, swaddling, bouncing, rocking, and medicine to finally get her to sleep. Of course, as soon as she was settled, Dekker dropped his blanket off of his bed, and woke up confused and furious, so he started wailing. I rushed in to help him out and tuck him back in, which in turn, woke Laela, but she did fall back to sleep by herself before I had to go get her. But we didn’t hear the kids until 7:45, which was nice. We did get some sleep. It just felt like a rough start to the day.

The rest of it worked out considerably smoother, thankfully! The kids sat at the table and ate muffins for breakfast. It always helps when the muffins that were made special for Christmas have icing on top. I use the term “muffins” loosely, and lovingly, because they’re delicious!!

We packed up our vehicles, and stalled a bit, the boys with video games and the girls visiting in one of the back bedrooms. It was nice to get some separate, quality time in separately. Maybe vids doesn’t sound like quality time to you guys, but Brady and Stefan have such a good thing going, and we see each other so rarely, that it makes the gamers very happy to game together. They’re great brothers to each other.

When it was time to go, we headed to lunch in the city. We did Wendys, which we specifically appreciate, since its really kid-friendly. We all took our time eating and Laela flirted with random strangers at other tables, which was completely adorable. We had timed our schedule so that we could bring Caity and Stef to the airport after lunch, and hang out for a bit before their plane took off, but thanks to winter weather, their flight was delayed. And then delayed again. And it kept getting delayed, so the plans all changed. Brady, the kids, and I broke off from the group to go get a few things done, their group went to accomplish a few things as well, and we met back up at the airport for coffee before the plane finally took off. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked out I think.

Our errand in between lunch was going to see Dr. Mike. I’ve tried pretty hard to focus on positives this season, but I am most definitely in the worst pain I’ve been in thus far in my pregnancy. I was holding up quite well up until the last weekish, and it seems like everything broke at once. I was going to wait until next week to call for an appointment but decided to see if I could get in today, since we were already in the city, and I got in right away! After even just a very quick check over me, Dr. Mike agreed that my body was, in fact, a huge mess, and proceeded to do his part to fix it. I think this was my first treatment where I kind of whined throughout. He is so gentle, but my gosh it hurt! My legs weren’t even close to lining up, my right leg was virtually useless and dead to me, my neck was awful, and my pubic bone was incredibly out. And guys, that thing really hurts to put back in its place! Up until now, I’ve been holding strong and and easily able to go a few weeks between visits to the chiropractor, but after this tune up, he confirmed with me that I needed to book in with him again within the week.

He wasn’t kidding. I greatly anticipate our next visit. This was easily the most productive and most painful appointment with him. I’ve pretty much been wearing my support belt since the appointment and I’m still limping. My right leg is unbelievably achy, all the way down, and my pelvis is not happy sitting or standing. It is definitely time for a hot soak in the tub, Tylenol, and some snacks. Or just sleeping. I’ll weigh my options. Carefully. I fear putting any extra weight to one side of me. It seems to piss off my whole body.