If you’ve been following along for the last few days, you know we’re experiencing a solid wash of sickness over our home. Yesterday in particular was just a super rough day around here, with lots of illness, bad attitudes, tempers flaring, etc etc  etc. It. Was. Horrendous. I worked HARD to be patient and loving and slow to anger but my gosh, by the end of the day, my voice was completely gone, thanks to my progressing cold, my body shaking cough, and yes, yelling. What a day.

I was so tired last night, but was awake until 3:00am ish due to just general discomfort. You know that special part of a cold when your throat is so sore and swollen that, if you move your head even just a little, it pinches your neck/throat? Yup. That was me last night. Plus I couldn’t find a way to lay down with my runny nose, either. Thank the Lord for sheer exhaustion that finally did the trick!

Jerilee came over for the evening. She was SUCH welcomed company! We could blow past some of the days frustration, watch some trashy tv, and eat the Treatzza Pizza she brought for us!! 🤤 YUM! It was a lovely evening, and SO needed after such a ridiculous day! SO great to have a bestie that isn’t afraid of our colds or our grouchy attitudes!

After a rough night, my voice is 100% gone. Like GONE gone. I can’t speak above a whisper. Because of this, I gave the kids a very quiet pep talk asking them to cooperate through breakfast without a bunch of yelling and arguing. They did a pretty great job! However, my voice was not improving, so I bit the bullet and clicked a movie on for them. They were super excited to watch our fam favorite, Storks, again! And I’m thrilled to rest my voice and sip the magical lemon drink that Cher brought me. Lol! She Cher-ed with me 😉 Along with that, she brought me cozy socks, a snack, some meds, some movies, and just some general company. Once again, I’m SO grateful for the friendship, the company, the conversation, the distraction for the kids, etc.

I have the loveliest friends 💜

I actually have surprisingly high hopes for today. Not high expectations, but hope. The morning has been good, with the kids being so happy to watch a movie. I’m getting the blog up early! I hope naps go well, and that the kids actually rest. I hope my voice improves a little bit. I hope to have a soak once Brady gets home, which I hope won’t be super late. I hope for a somewhat normal day, but I’m not holding my breath for it, either. Just rolling with the punches. The throat punches, specifically.

Its amazing what effect a couple of good friends can have on a person! When someone doesn’t have to help chooses to, its a pretty humbling thing, and does something for my soul. I’m so grateful for my people. They are a good reminder of what kind of person I want to be.

More and more people have been saying Wavy and Dekker look alike, and you’re not wrong! She has similarities with each kid, except Solly, lol! They do NOT look the same!! She and Laela have some similarities that I think mostly just centre around the fact that they’re both feminine. She and Rowan have the same lips for sure. Their eyes are similar too, but not quite the same. Noses are different, too.  But Dekker – YES!

That head shape! Maaaybe the eyes. Their chubby little bodies!!! Eek!

Also, just a fun flashback, behold one of my favorite pictures of baby Dekker! Thank you, Facebook memories!

Its funny, because baby Dekker very much took after his dad’s mom’s side of the family, yet dare I say, I think Wavy takes after me more than anyone else! Agreed?

Either way, behold, my firstborn and my fifth born 💕

They’re SUCH a good pair, regardless of who looks like who!! I love them so much, as well as all the babies in between, and those to come.

I sat down to blog today during nap time, and I struggled pretty hard knowing what to write about. One of my goals that I set around my thirtieth birthday was to amp up my blog, and I feel like I’ve tanked. Its not worse than it was, but I don’t feel like its much better. I was being so intentional about being better, but its been hard to maintain for a number of reasons. Lots of it has to do with LOTS of wonderful things happening and me not making extra time to really pour over the blog. The BEST reasons to let the blog slide, but its hard getting back into it.

The last few days have been a bit tough on me, and my mind is super distracted. Today, as I sat on my bed, trying to figure out what to write about, all I could think about was my own issues. Wavy sat next to me on the bed and flapped, giggled, cooed, and pooped up a storm, which helped me get out of my head a little bit, but did not help me blog.

When Cher messaged that she was done work for the day, we made a quick plan for her to come over for the afternoon. Which. Was. Perfect.

I happily closed up the laptop and anticipated a visit with a human being other than my own brain.

We visited the afternoon away, which helped my mental health immensely. Waverly slept on her for a good couple of hours, but she eventually made her way back to meeeee!!

She is SO munchy!! Even though she’s sick, she’s such a delight!!!

I’m so thankful for my people. My husband, my kids, my friends. I really never realized how many people we had until recently, and I’m constantly overwhelmed by them and how loving they are. Today was a day where I did less giving and more getting, and while that feels kind of bad, I know there are days where it goes the other way, so I’m trying to shake that little bit of guilt off. THANK YOU, people of my life, for being in it!!! You are NEEDED and APPRECIATED and LOVED by meeeee! 💜

Yup. We’re there. Wavy is officially sick. She just has a cold, but she is feeling it!! She didn’t sleep very well last night, though in her case, a “bad” night is waking up twice, which really isn’t bad at all. But she was struggling to drink her milk or to find any comfort or peace. She is so snorty and weepy, poor dear.

So as you can picture, its not been her best day. The morning was spent holding her dozy self, and having her positive lose her mind the moment I’d set her down. I know, I know, then hold her! Right? These months where all she wants is to be held are such precious months! Don’t wish them away! I assure you I’m not!

But sometimes one has to set their baby down to keep someone else alive. Wavy just doesn’t seem to believe me. But thats cool. We rolled with it. The kids, in turn, have been in ultra-helpful modes, helping their siblings get food, find toys, etc. Dekker even knows hot to use our baby Keurig thing and can make bottles for Wavy. He and Rowan even tag teamed and unpacked the dishwasher for me without being asked. I love that kind of thing.

But eventually, some things had to get done. I got Wavy goooood and asleep first.

I did some dishes and got the other kids lunch going. Her sleep didn’t last long, though. She woke up pretty quickly and began pooping like a crazy person. She was crying a bit but I figured I’d let her finish that business up, then change her and feed her and she’d be all cozy and settled. When I went to do that, however, she peed on EVERYTHING. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with her decision, but she was even less impressed.

Yup, it was a “new jammies” kind of pee situation.

I sat with her and fed her for a bit, and she settled just fine. It was time to tuck her siblings down for naps, however, and I hesitantly set her back down. (I feel the need to clarify that I NEVER leave her unassisted here on the recliner. Its only if its going to be really fast or if someone is with her. In this case, Dekker stood with her.)

When I came back to her, she was wide awake and gorgeous!!! My gosh, I’m just taken aback by her constantly!

She was so bright eyed and happy, cooing away and responding to my voice. Her smiles have been getting more and more intentional over the last week or so, and there is just nothing like seeing that look on her face, when she sees me, and her eyes light up and she gives me a big, delicious smile!! She is just SO sweet! Even considering how much pee she soaked into my living room rug.

Very shortly after these pictures were taken, she started a biiig cry that could not be satisfied. She wouldn’t drink more milk, her diaper was dry (obviously) and no amount of patting and bouncing would quiet her. Finally, I burrito wrapped her and lay her down in her bed. She fussed (not cried) for maybe five minutes before cashing right out. This girly knows what she needs.

Now that thats taken care of, the littles are napping, and the big is legoing, I am going to put my feet up and rest a bit. My cold is out in full swing, and its pretty ruthless.

Here I was, hoping to make a drive in to the city for the inaugural pumpkin spice latte of the season, but there’s just no way. Maybe another day. Today is a “kleenex stuffed in your nose all day” kind of day.

It feels like fall today, for so many reasons. If you’re around where I am, some of them are probably pretty obvious.

Reason number one is that its grey and windy and rainy out. The temps and lights are low. It just looks like fall.

Reason number two is that we officially clicked the furnace on. I’m hoping we’ll look back at this and laugh in a week or two when its nice and hot and the AC is blasting again, but for today, the heat is on, and the long sleeved jammies are out in full swing. I’m pretty ok with this one, though. I like cozy.

Reason number three is the bummiest outtiest one, for sure. The cold is spreading. Waverly started coughing last night, and I legitimately developed a plugged nose just this afternoon.

Feels like a soup day, and an early to bed day. I was awake from 1:30am aaaaall the way until maybe 5:30 this morning :/ I’m sure thats not helping my weird, grey mood either. The afternoon spent with my mom was a high point, obviously!! Now, excuse my short post, but the baby is crying, and she always wins.

We had a lovely last day with our company today, though I admit it was yet another suuuper slow, uneventful day. Our sickies are still sick, and I hate to say it, but even Wavy has done her little share of coughing today. 😩 We need to keep praying! She’s just too little to be sick. She is NOT allowed to fever, either! Keep it together, Wavy! And sickies – keep it to yourselves!!

Bradys parents spent the day here, starting with waffle brunch.

The day was incredibly chill, with easy food and quiet conversation. I feel like you guys might think we didn’t have a good time, because we have virtually no stories, but we just rested in each other’s company and caught up on life. Going to the playground, biking, going for a drive in the bus, etc. will have to wait for our next visit! The weather and the sickies just weren’t having it this time.

They left shortly after supper, and the kids wound down for bedtime by watching a few music videos and snuggling on the couch. Everyone went to bed happy! Except Waverly, who has been twitching up a storm for the last several hours, and can’t seem to settle :/ Another sign that she might be feeling under the weather. Wish us luck! Hopefully she’s like her siblings and sleeps through her sicknesses. Her sleep closest resembles Dekker’s sleep patterns, and if you’ve been around that long, you know how amazing it would be if she took after him this way!

Sleep deep, all! The work week begins tomorrow!!!

Our two sickies are still sick, but thankfully, our company is Brady’s parents, and they’re willing to roll with some lazy days with us. Solly is a bit better off than yesterday, and Brady is a bit worse, but everyone was fine and moving on with the day.

Thankfully, everyone else is still sickness-free!! Stay that way, guys! 🤞

This little burrito slept pretty well, and we all woke up feeling rested, at least, which counts for a lot.

Brady’s parents showed up mid-morning and we spent a nice, quiet, relaxed day together. Some kids napped, some kids legoed, we all opened some presents and did LOTS of talking. It was nice to all just be low key together, mostly just watching the kids and their antics.

We brought in Pizza Hut for supper so no one had to cook (and also because $5 $5 $5) and everyone ate really well. I love not having to fight with the kids to make them eat. What a relief!

Everyone went to bed fairly happy, and none of us adults are too far behind. Is it this grey weather making us all so tired? Maybe its just general life stuff 🤷 Who knows, but we’re feeling pretty beat over here, and I don’t think we’re the only ones!

Tomorrow, we have one more day all together before our guests will head home once again. It will very likely be more of the same. I know everyone is itching to go outside and play, so we may try and sneak some of that in there, but we’ll have to see what our feverish toddler can handle. Would be a lovely way to close off the weekend ❤️

We’ve managed to get through the summer without much more than a sniffly nose here and there, and I am SO thankful for that! We’ve had a super busy summer, and its been truly great. I feel like we’ve been running the entire time, though I know we’ve had downtime in there, too. Sickness would’ve messed everything up. Can’t have that! Thank you, Lord!!

Over the last week or two, I’ve developed a pretty consistent sore throat, but it hasn’t turned into anything. I’m quite certain its the smoke in the air irritating it, which is a relief for me! When Brady started to develop a sore throat, too, we wrote it off as the same as mine, but sadly, it seems to be worse than mine. He’s living on cold meds, throwing back vitamins like there’s no tomorrow, and using that gross nose squirty thing to relieve sinus pressure. Suuuuucks.

Last night, Brady went down to the kitchen to get us a snack and Solly started crying for him. Brady ducked in on him, and the poor little dude was all hot and bothered. Brady gave him some meds for his fever and snuggled him calm. It helped for the moment, but it wasn’t our last visit with him in the night. Because of his choppy night, the others had a similarly choppy night. No one else is fevered or sick yet, but I imagine its coming :/ At least we’re getting it out of the way before school starts, I guess!

At least Wavy slept well! I’ll take an eight hour stretch from the baby any day!!! Wavy for the win!

Solly had a rocky start to the morning, refusing breakfast and crying pretty constantly. Thats a tricky thing when you’ve got a baby, too! But we made it through, and once his siblings stepped in, all was well.

Of all times for sickness to come, we have company coming this weekend. So what was going to be a decently chill weekend anyway has become a suuuper low key weekend, haha!

If you think of us, please pray that sickness stays with those who currently have it, without spreading. Not that anyone is more important than anyone else, but Waverly can’t have a fever just yet. Wish us luck!

At my last doctors appointment, we talked a bit about my mood and mental health, and it was advised that I make time for myself once in a while. This isn’t a foreign thing in our home already, and I’m SO grateful for my husband who gives me little breaks as often as I want/need them. I hesitate so much to write about these types of things because I NEVER want to sound like I’m not over the moon level thankful for my kids! But some days, wooooowee! A breather is just needed!

These days have been wonderful for so many reasons – birthdays, family gatherings, balloons, suppers out, etc – but I am SO wiped out! I forget that, while I feel completely normal, I did have a baby somewhat recently, and there are parts of me that aren’t fully “back to normal.” Sometimes, things catch up to me.

Yesterday, I needed a break. Brady took the kids out to play for a bit so I could lay in bed and watch some YouTube. Wavy, however, wasn’t having it that afternoon, and I had finally gotten her settled. She was sleeping on my bed. So, what the heck, a break with the baby still counted.

But within minutes of going outside, Laela completely lost it and was fighting and screaming and just generally struggling. She is going through such a tough stage right now, poor little dear. So after ample warnings and effort made on Brady’s part, he sent her inside. Which made send for her, but as you’d expect, she brought her tearful self upstairs to me and Wavy. She was so shaken up, but was also very understanding of why she was inside. I invited her to come up on the bed and watch with me. I was just watching makeup tutorials anyway. So, a break with the girlies was still a good break.

You guessed it. It wasn’t long before the whole group piled back into the house and pretty much immediately came up the stairs to see where the girls were. There was no other way to spin it. This was no longer a break. It was a party of six!

Maybe I should take that back. One can have a break with people around, right? Especially when its their favorite people. And they were SO chill, just laying on the bed, watching makeup videos, followed by some family vloggers. We kind of accidentally phased out tv for the kids over the last year, so they were somewhat mesmerized.

I love my break breakers SO much 💕 Might just have to stick with breaks out of the house for when I really need them 😉

Last night, we took the fam to Montana’s. Being that it was Tuesday, the balloon man was there, and it was “kids eat free” night. You guys know about that, right? If you watch the balloon man’s Facebook page, it tells you which location he’s going to be at each week. It was a bit of a last minute plan, but we made a couple of quick calls and coerced my mom and Jerilee to join us.

Unfortunately, we had a pretty big oops and I had to drive home to retrieve the diaper bag. By the time I got back to the restaurant, the balloons had already been made. The kids were SO happy and having SO much fun.

The group had waited for me, so we ordered right away and food came out pretty fast. The servers were calling Dekker by name, and I picked up on the fact that they knew it was his birthday. Now you guys probably know, but Montana’s puts on a big to-do with birthdays, with the monstrous hat and cowbell and all that. We’ve had birthdays at Montana’s before, but with Dekker struggling so hard with loud noises and overstimulation in the past, we’ve never tipped the staff off to the birthdays. True story, when I found out they knew this time around, I felt pretty nervous. Yet my Dekker is SO much different than my Dekker two years ago. So I rolled with it. And it happened.

And he survived!! No one cried or panicked. Not even the baby! They sang and clapped and whooped and he sat very still with a big smile on his face. We took pictures and videos and made a big fuss over him. And he liked it! I NEVER would’ve thought he’d be able to handle such a situation, but of course, he’s grown and changed and is a totally different guy!

At his first birthday, we couldn’t even sing him “Happy Birthday” without him crying and panicking.

What a long way he’s come <3

I couldn’t be more proud of this little guy.

I know, I know, two birthday posts in a row. I can’t help it! He just amazes me.