An anecdote to share from our drive home on Sunday…
While we were driving through North Battleford, we stopped at a light next to a parking lot. Dekker was reading signs, and inquired…
“Why does that sign say “weed shop?”
At first I joked and told him they sold weeds there. But then I decided to be an adult, and we talked about it for real. I asked Dekker if he had ever heard of marijuana. He hadn’t, so I filled him in, in an age appropriate way. He accepted my answer, that weed is basically slang for marijuana. No big deal.
After the conversation bubbled out, Wavy quietly asked “Meryl?” If you’ve missed it or forgotten, Meryl is our robot vacuum. And Wavy hates Meryl, haha! I put together pretty quickly that she was hearing “Meryl” in the word “marijuana.”
I laughed, and said to her “Meryl wannaaaaa… get you!”
Wavy: 😳NOOOOOOO!!!
I shouldn’t laugh, but it was a little funny to see her get so nervous. It was ok, though. She trusts me, so when I laughed, she relaxed. All is well. Meryl hasn’t gotten her since, don’t worry.
A cute little laugh to avoid the heaviness in my heart this morning. I hope you laughed with me.
I’m back, friends. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and love over the last few days. I know I’ve been quiet online, and I haven’t responded to any comments and very few messages. But I’ve read every single one, and gone back to reread them a number of times. It is such a relief to know how many people we have in our corner, not judging us for wanting more children, but supporting us as we struggle and sorrow.
A couple of months ago, we made a plan to join our neighbours, Tom and Rae, at their camping spot for this weekend. I had been so looking forward to it, but I’ll admit, the timing seemed less than ideal. I can confidently tell you today that the timing was ALL God’s. It was perfect. I can’t believe how clear it is that His hand is in all things, even when we go away for a weekend with our friends.
Everything was just warm and relaxed there. We were accepted instantly by their friends. There were no expectations or requirements of us. We could just be part of their family, and breathe fresh air. And that was just the evening we got there! None of them had any idea we were miscarrying.
After our first comfy but short night, I posted the blog that told you all what was happening. Then I closed up the computer and put it away for the day. Rae came to our spot to bake up some cinnamon buns, but it wasn’t long before the kids took off on their bikes. Brady headed out with them, and Rae joined me outside on lawn chairs. She had read the blog, and let me talk about our losses and be sad. She has a great way of just listening, where I don’t feel judged or like I need to really explain/defend anything. We just talked. It was cleansing for me. I really appreciated that morning “date” with Rae.
We joined the group for a big breakfast, all together, cooked up on their big camp chef. Hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, etc. We all laughed a lot 🙂 Our group was at twelve, but we all fit just fine, and everyone was comfortable and included.
As breakfast petered out, the quad and golf cart came out. We had been tipped off ahead of time, so the kids donned their helmets and waited patiently fought for their turns.
Honorary Grandpa Tom with 4/5
The beauty of their spot was that its entirely private, so the kids could absolutely run free, and there was next to no danger to befall them. What a relief for everyone! Once the kids were all off, either on the quad, golf cart, or bikes, I had a nice visit with Tom on the deck. I haven’t had many men in my life actually talk about real things with me, and it was so refreshing for me when he started the conversation about loss and emotions and struggle. Man. I doubt he knew what that all meant to me. (Though he probably knows now! Hi, Tom! 👋) It was so good for my heart to be able to talk about our stuff, and for it not to be taboo at all. No one tiptoed around us or dodged the subject. It was an amazing, honest group of people.
All day Saturday was spent ripping around on vehicles, it seemed.
Tom and Rae’s nephew diligently took the kids around the property, let them climb on tractors, taught them things, took them on adventures, etc., all without complaining. He was SO pleasant. The kids loved him.
Meanwhile, Solly and Wavy pretended to drive the golf cart the entire time 😆 It was pretty cute, too.
I have to say, though, hands down, my ride was the best.
I was whisked away on a side by side, into the trees, and shown the property. It was so new to me, never having been on quads or anything like them really, and I really really enjoyed it. The fresh air did amazing things for my heart and mind. When it became clear that I was comfortable and happy, the pace changed! There were tree branches and mud and hills and speed and WOW! It was WILD! All the while, he just sat in his drivers seat with a coy smirk on his face, knowing exactly what he was doing, thoroughly enjoying my enjoyment. We took a break after I don’t know how long, and he showed me around a historical schoolhouse. My adrenaline was pumping, so the slow down was probably good for me, lol! We walked around and chatted about history and where he was from. It felt so extra special, like I hadn’t breathed in or out properly in weeks, which was pretty accurate. We eventually got back to the side by side and hit the road again. We toured around a bit, and ended up going down a long road that is meant to be maintained for firetrucks. Of course I forget what its called now, but we hit it hard. I was informed the amount of mud I ate and wore was nothing in comparison to what it could’ve been. Maybe next year 😉 But at one point we turned a corner and stopped short. There was a huge moose on the path just up ahead, staring at us. We were floored, and stared back. He called and called, but the moose just stared. We crept up on her, and at about 100 ft out, she walked back into the bush. We were seconds behind her, but she was completely gone. Crazy how something SO HUGE can just vanish!!! It was pretty incredible. What an experience.
I don’t know how long we were gone, but I’ll be honest. I could’ve cried. I held it back the entire time. I felt oddly refreshed and renewed on that ride. The fresh air felt so healing and cleansing in the moment, and when that paired with adrenaline, somehow I just felt like a human again. Once again, I doubt he knew the mark he made on me that day, but it was unlike just about anything else. It was crazy and exciting and a ton of fun, but it felt healing, too.
The day continued with rides and eating and visiting in the sun. I got all tanned and toasty again, which felt so great. We ate a gigantic feed of potatoes and veggies, smoked pork, and fresh bread. There was even dessert that included two kinds of cake, ice cream, and fresh raspberries. Goodness we ate SO good!!! Smores by the fire wrapped up the evening.
I loved the warmth of the people there. Everyone interacted with our children, whether it be tickles and wrestling or helping cook marshmallows. At one point, Laela was egging one of the adults on, and he came over to tickle her. She was squealing and playing, and he picked her up to toss her in the air a bit. In that moment, she had a flash of nerves cross her face, and within one second, someone spoke up and said “She’s afraid now” so he stopped immediately, and held her, reassuring her warmly. It was SO beautiful to watch this group of people just shower our children with love.
We woke up to rain on Sunday. It was a beautiful downpour. Tom and Rae and their nephew came and spent a chunk of the morning in our mobile. We chatted at the table while the kids did laps, pretended to be animals, fought over pillows, and kept busy in general. The moment the rain stopped, though, the requests for rides began. Their poor driver lovingly agreed and took a handful of the kids out to play. What a great kid! The rest of us joined in shortly thereafter, and the morning was, once again, spent with rides and lots of outside time! Some projects got started and others were planned and discussed. Wavy discovered a LOVE for the quad rides, and would chase the quad down, calling “Quad! Quad! My turn!”
Could not get enough.
We snacked our way through lunch, and then Rae offered to keep an eye on everyone so Brady and I could go start packing our stuff up.
It was a quick turnaround, as we didn’t have to bring a ton of stuff. We were SO well set up in the mobile already, there was very little for us to do.
It was sad to leave. A couple of the kids cried. They had SO much fun. So did I. We could just let loose there. I could breathe. I wish I could think of a word that was bigger than “refreshing” but thats all my vocabulary can handle right now. Release, maybe? I’m not sure.
It was a quiet ride home.
I know we have our own lake spot now, and I am SO grateful for it! But I really hope we can join Tom and Rae and their friends again someday. There was freedom and healing there that I was not expecting, but desperately needed. We are their people, and they are ours. Its an honour.
Thank you, Lord. Your timing is always perfect. Help me to remember that.
As Hailey, Brady and the kids travel back from their jam-packed weekend of forest fun, I, (Cher) offered to write another blog for Hailey. She has been very busy lately, so it’s a good excuse for me to dodge studying and do something I actually want to.
I’m kind of a dreamer, but I don’t really get my hopes up too high. Life has thrown me a few curveballs and it has helped me stay grounded when it comes to future expectations. However, today I wanted to write about my hypothetical birthday list for my 90th birthday.
Some of you may have read the GENEROUS, but very loving and kind blog that Hailey had written for my 30th birthday last month. Hitting 30 was a huge milestone for me. I have wanted to be thirty for a very long time. I am so thrilled to be in this decade and out of my twenties. I know most people feel old or whatever, but I feel like I finally have some brain cells worth using, and I’ll be taken more seriously. Maybe that’s just a myth. Oh well, I choose to believe it.
Fun fact about me by association: All my grandparents live in heaven.. BUT, my mom had a husband before my dad. He passed away from cancer in his 20’s. His name was David and he was adopted. His parents were from Dalmeny and attended the Dalmeny Bible Church. Today, one of those parent’s is still alive. She will be 103 this december. I call her grandma, and she calls me grand-daughter. She is such an inspiring, feisty lady.
So today I am inspired by age, and I wanted to share what I think I would want for my 90th birthday, given I make it 60 more years without a new plague harshing my vibe.
Probably marbles. I think that’s a prerequisite for aging.
A new perm.
Vintage Starbucks mug from 2020.
Socks with pockets so I can hide beige candy.
T-shirt that says “89 and holding”
To have regular visitors who come because they want to, and not because they feel bad for me and my wrinkly self.
To know that I never gave up putting into the relationships that have helped keep me above water during the hardest times in my life.
To remember the sound of my brother’s voice.
Jenna Marbles to be back on youtube with a microwaving show, because no one will cook anymore. Especially not at my age.
An inner peace about my dad who struggled his whole life to stay sober, and remember the good times.
A new kitten. I would name him Ron Swanson, and he would be a jerk.
No more teenage boy bands.
To still be best friends with Hailey and live in the same senior home. And if we forget who we are because we are so old, we will be like “50 First Roommates”. We will be the cutest.
To have raised a really kind, gentle, loving family who makes life better for others.
You’ll be seeing this on Saturday, when I’m away from home and preoccupied. A day where I’m up and about, rather than holed up at home, staring at my phone. It seems like a fitting time to let you all know we are navigating our way through yet another miscarriage. It was an earlier one this time, but after trying for so so long, it feels like a real blow.
July 29 – Positive pregnancy test after five consecutive days of spotting.
July 31 – First HCG draw. Got that mean nurse again. I watched a beetle walk across my room while she took my blood. Gag me.
August 1 – HCG results aren’t great. 56. The range of “normal” is HUGE at this point, but what I wouldn’t have given for a couple hundred rather than a measly 56.
August 2 – Second blood draw today. They ALWAYS use the same vein. How long before that vein isn’t my “good” vein anymore? Before this pregnancy, I hadn’t had bloodwork since October, yet that spot in my elbow always aches just a little. I’ve gotta speak up and stop them from using that stupid vein…
August 3 – Man, I’m getting more sensitive. SCENTsitive. This morning, my bedroom smelled like coffee, deep cold, and farts. Now I feel sick. Ugh.
August 4 – Third blood draw. Got a really nice nurse who took time, and even unwrapped and chose different equipment to make it more comfortable for me. My one big fat vein is SO overused, he willingly gave it a break and used a smaller, harder to find, one. All of that being said, Dr. Guselle called me on my drive home about Sunday’s result. It went from 56 to 65. It doesn’t take a genius to know that is not enough. If it keeps going up slowly, it could be a pregnancy in my tubes.
She called this afternoon. HCG at 28. We’re losing the baby. Its not in my tubes, which is “better,” I suppose. But I can’t believe it. Another miscarriage.
August 5 – I’m already spotting.
We are weary and uncertain. We are SO tired of losing babies. Five at home, and four losses. Man. Thats a lot of pregnancies.
Please, Lord, direct our path. We don’t understand.
After a weeks time cut short by general life busyness, we made up for lost time this week!! Lots to talk about!
To refresh what happened right at the end of last weeks post, Brady FINISHED the lower cabinets!
Aren’t they pretty?? Or, going to be pretty!! Haha! Brady was also able to tuck the breaker box up above where the fridge will be.
It is WAY nicer than having to build out a wall spot, or even to lose our regular cabinet space to it. This is definitely better.
Brady also closed in some holes in the floor that we don’t need, tucked wires and outlets into walls, and redid some plumbing.
Later in the week, Brady built the upper cabinets!!
It was SO windy that day! I’m so grateful to Northridge for letting us park the RV in the lot next to us for a time, because it makes things like this possible. Brady parked his van as a wind block and made it happen!! He managed to tackle the shelves and doors in ONE morning!!!
The only reason they’re not all put together yet is for ease of painting. We’ll get there! Oh, and sanding, of course! So. Much. Sanding.
Brady managed to get the broken AC unit exchanged for another one at the auto wrecker, and he brought the broken window, along with the frame, back to the glass place to have them recut the piece, and install it. The glass place gave us a deal, probably a little out of pity, and didn’t charge us for the installation after all. Thank you, glass place!! And the AC unit came home later in the week, as well, but has yet to be installed. Those things are huge, and Brady’s back can’t hack it at this point. Hopefully next week!
The biggest excitement of the week, for me anyway, was the wall panels!! Our plan for the walls originally was a huge misunderstanding. Brady had mentioned the cost of replacing the RV wall panels, and I had researched and found out that beadboard was the same size as the panels and was actually cheaper! I immediately made plans to do beadboard all over. Later, I learned Brady only planned to replace two wall panels, and my plan that was going to make the RV beautiful while saving us money was actually going to cost us :/ All of that being said, a lot of conversation later, we decided that replacing two panels would pretty much look horrible, as they would be obviously fresher than the faded, slightly stained and dinged up panels. We did decide to go forward with the beadboard, and I am SO happy with how its looking!
It still needs a paint, like everything else, but it looks more like a home. It feels stronger, too.
Today couldn’t be as productive of a day, because Brady recently hurt his back and the twinges refuse to quit! He headed in for a chiropractic adjustment this morning, as well as a quick Home Depot shop! There, he was able to get pictures of some items we need, so we can compare prices around, and he also picked up our countertop!!! Eek!! I’d show you, but I’d rather show you when its installed! 🤩 He also grabbed a stack of paint chips for me to play with! Yay!!! Decisions will be made early next week!
Its been a really productive week, which feels really really good. Our deadline is looming, which is exciting and nerve wracking. We flip flop a lot between “I hope we get it done in time” and “we’re going to be out here early!” Sooooo please wish us luck and continue to follow along!
No pressure or anything 😳
Next week will be exceptionally productive, too! We have BIG things to wrap up! We’re on our way!
Its been a really crazy time over here in our household, and I’m looking forward to a weekend away with friends. A couple of months ago already, Tom and Rae invited us away for a weekend at their camping spot, and we felt SO loved just to be invited. That chosen weekend has come up, and we’re slowly working to prepare. Laundry is going, and food plans are being discussed. I’m looking forward not only to getting away, but to learning how to plan for weekends away. I am very much anticipating our upcoming seasons of weekend camping, and this feels like a bit of a dry run 🙂 But with the buffer of having dear friends there with us, helping us navigate things and likely help us out if we mess something up.
In the back of my mind, there is some weight. Theo’s due date is tomorrow. Funny how losing each baby pops up twice in my calendar – their due date and they day they were actually born. Theo’s due date is tomorrow. I have other grief. Other big changes in our life that I haven’t shared yet. My heart is heavy but its also strong. I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!
Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about the progress we’ve made on the RV over the week 🙂 Its been productive, and I’m optimistic we’ll get it all done! Because we super need to, lol! Our deadline is fast approaching! But first, a weekend of fun with friends 💜
Cher here for a special on things Hailey and Brady say to their kids. Things I have picked up and documented whilst sitting on the couch, lurking in the upstairs bedroom, or just observing. Sometimes you just can’t help but laugh, especially when you hear it out of context. I have written down some of my favorite things I’ve heard this year.
“I am far too busy to be pampered in an upright position. I need to be pampered in a reclined position” -Hailey to me
“Don’t play with your nipples if you’re going to apologize to me.” -Hailey to Rowan
“Waverly, stop licking the island.” -Brady to Waverly
“Don’t lick the mirror, weirdo!” -Hailey to Waverly
“Take your hands out of your butt, man! Gross!” -Hailey to Dekker
“Let’s make sure our attitudes are good and that you leave your nipples alone and then maybe you can have dessert.” -Brady to Solly
I wish there was more to share, but I just chose my top favorites. I thought it was pretty funny. It’s nice to see Hailey and Brady be such a team with their kids and laugh later about how ridiculous some of the stuff is that kids do and say. I guess sometimes that’s all you can do.
I have been wanting to write this for a while. It’s me, Cher. Hailey’s little vocab pest.
The truth about Hailey’s vocabulary is that it is much larger than mine. I don’t know if it’s because she writes everyday, watches more TV than me, or secretly reads a thesaurus in her bathtub everyday, but I DO know that she is not learning her words from her children. Not only does Hailey’s vocab exceed mine by a lot, but even her kids say things like “rotate” and “adequate”; words that kids under 5 probably don’t normally use.
The first thing I want you all to know is that my mom is an english teacher, so I have been cocky before about knowing things that other people don’t, simply because of my time spent in her classrooms, time spent around other teachers, and the random bits of trivia my mom shares on occasion.
Hanging out in the Born household has helped me sharpen my googling skills. I remember leaving their house and going home and just looking up terms so I could understand what they were even talking about. What is congealed? And how can something be that way? It’s a semisolid.. Like that layer that sits on top of gravy as it cools off. Who would have known there was a term for that? I called it skin. It’s gravy skin.
PHILTRUM. Have you heard this word?? No? I wonder why not. It’s the indentation area of the upper lip. There is a WORD for that.
Rescind. Okay, I know this word is probably well known, but it means to revoke, cancel, or repeal. I usually just say cancel, or no. So… I’m not sure why or HOW I missed the memo on the fancier ways of saying I shall revoke my appeal.
Balaclava is a word for those face masks you wear in winter that have the eye and mouth holes. I always just called it a robber’s mask, or a face mask. Never heard this word in my whole adult life.
Obliterate. To destroy utterly; wipe out. Okay, I understand why she knows this one. They have boys.
Monotonous means dull and tedious; lacking in variety and interest. For example: Cher has a low, monotonous vocabulary.
There are so many other words on my list, but I am actually embarrassed to share them because I’m sure that everyone else knows them. As a University student, I must say it is very humbling to hang out with Hailey. She is very intelligent, although she would follow that statement with an eye roll and a “pfft, chh”. She really is. And her memory is absolutely amazing.
Join me next time for Brady’s vocabulary: Evocative, Antithesis…. etc.
A few days ago, I ended up with a ton of cute pictures of Waverly, and it would be SUCH a shame not to share them. Sometimes, I wait for a specific reason to share them, and they end up getting lost in the shuffle, so today, the reason for sharing is that they’re cute, and I want to. Boom.
The first group of photos highlights a new little sweater that I made for Wavy! I’ve never successfully made clothes, but I got some nice yarn that I wanted to attempt it with, and I found a cute free pattern to go along with it. While its not perfect, and I’d do a few things different next time, I think she’ll actually wear this! It worked out!!
That model pose, though. She’s crazy gorgeous.
Later in the day, she was over being outside, and I just had her in her diaper, running around the house. She made a “bed” on the stairs, and informed me she was sleeping. It was terribly cute. She looks SO much like one of my nieces in these pictures, its crazy!
She’s SUCH a ham. And look how blonde she is now!! I’m curious if she’s actually going to be that blonde, or if the sun bleached her out, or if it just looks blonder because she’s so tan! Who knows!
Lastly, Wavy has always been a big fan of dressing up. And more than dress up clothes, she loves some good abandoned laundry! So this particular day, it was a pair of Dekker’s underwear. She waddled over to me, both legs in the leg holes, unable to pull them over her bum.
“Helping me, my shorts, mommy?”
Sure, babe.
Her little tan just gets me!
She wore them for the rest of the day. It. Was. Awesome.
She’s bananas. A total bright light in our family. And, I mean, they all are, obviously. But she has that delightful toddler freedom that is all her own.
I was pretty stoked to have a blog about pickling today! My mom and I got up early to run a couple of errands. We ate some breakfast by the river, hit a quick appointment, and headed to Walmart for vinegar, pickling salt, spice, garlic, bay leaves, and lids. We had everything else at home.
Except pickling cucumbers. Spoiler alert: thats where the debacle began.
We went to the farmers market. We found nice close parking. Oddly close parking. No one was there. No patrons or customers. I checked their website, and the hours were correct. But yes, the address was wrong. I completely missed the memo that the entire farmers market moved!!! To the AIRPORT?!?!
Sooooo we drove all the way there, and there were only just a few tents set up. We walked in, and there were only two stands with veggies. The first guy had little bags in a row of what he was selling, and he had pickling cucumbers! But we could tell by his signs and claims that his stuff was going to be way more money than we had originally expected. Mom approached him and said politely “I’m looking for 50 lbs of pickling cucumbers” and before she could even finish her question, he cut her off and said “Good luck!” He lifted his bag up and said he only had the one bag left. Ok, fine, no problem.
We went and asked at the other veggie stand, but they only had the large english cucumbers. We passed the first stand on our way out and he called out that he was the only one with pickling cucumbers today. Good job, guy. 🤷♀️ Whatever, lol!
We sat somewhat stunned in the car for a few minutes. For all the jar washing and little prep we had done, there were NO pickles to be made!! We tried to call a nearby colony but no one answered, because, Sunday. We decided we’d try to call them in the afternoon.
We tried to check a veggie place in Martensville on the way home, but no dice. None at standard grocery stores either. We were officially going home empty handed!
My mom did call the colony again, and was able to get through. And they informed her that they were still two weeks out!! So it would appear we did NOT miss pickling season after all!!! YAY!!
While today is not a pickle day post, there will be one to come!! And you’re all gonna be sooooo jealous! Because Jeanne’s pickles are THE pickles!!
