Cher here again!
It’s the most mundane activities and small moments that can bring memories to our hearts. Sometimes even in the middle of the night, when you reach the end of the toilet paper roll.

Last night I was so tired. I hobbled in the dark to the washroom and ended up using the last of the toilet paper. I checked the drawer for more. None. Bummer. I thought about leaving it until the next day when I wake up before the boys do. “They don’t use toilet paper to pee anyways” I thought at first. But then I remembered something that made me change my mind. 

When I first stayed here last year during COVID, there was a night I had come downstairs after hanging out with Hailey and Brady and headed to bed. I was carrying a small pack of toilet paper from the grocery shop earlier that day. (this was when toilet paper was apparently going extinct) I left the pack outside the bathroom door and went to bed, thinking I would deal with it in the morning. 

I remember waking up needing to pee a couple hours later but I could hear Dekker was in the washroom, and not only could I hear that he was just in there, but I heard him open the pack of toilet paper at 1am. I could hear that he opened the drawer as CAREFUL and quiet as he could, placing each toilet paper roll in there one by one, so he didn’t wake anyone. Then he slowly crumpled the bag and placed it in the trash bin beside the toilet. 

And I thought, if Dekker can do such a selfless thing in the middle of the night without being asked, then why can’t I? And it may seem like such a small thing. But I don’t know any eight year old boys who would have noticed the toilet paper outside the room, nor had the heart to do that in the middle of the night with no glasses on. 

I think we learn important things from kids just as much as they learn from us.

Cher here.

God knows things before we do, that’s all I know for sure in this life. He accounts for our stupidity before he makes plans and knows the struggles we will face. He knows our flaws and fears. But he also knows our strengths.

I was really lost when I became Hailey’s friend by accident. I was looking to do something nice for someone, but also for a project to keep me busy. A new friendship was the last thing on my list as I struggled with almost every close friendship I had.

The more she put into me, the more I wondered why. Over time, we just became part of each other in a way. It was so gradual that the foundation was strong and unshakeable. There was room for forgiveness and patience. I guess you could say, since there was no agenda or race to be best friends, that our friendship grew and bloomed organically.

Today when I look at my best friend, I am so glad she picked me. 

I am so glad she picked me because my life has improved so much since I met her. I put so much more into my circle, rather than friendships with no depth. I have learned the value of loyalty and what unconditional love in a friendship feels like. I stopped self sabotaging myself and started working harder on my goals. My relationship with Jesus is much closer than it’s ever been. 

I always thought that I had to do everything alone or in a relationship. I didn’t know friendship could have this amount of depth and forgiveness.. I didn’t know someone like Hailey existed. 

So, today while she is having a tough day and struggling with anxiety. I know she feels like she isn’t that person. She feels less than because she doesn’t have the same capacity as she did yesterday. But what she doesn’t always know is that it’s not her capacity that makes me happy she picked me. It’s not the movie nights, or the road trips, or the big gestures. It’s the space she has for me in her heart. A space I didn’t think I was worth to anyone, just a few years ago. And now, everyday I get to walk around knowing I have this incredible sister in my life that keeps me in check and loves me unconditionally. 

I’m glad she picked me. 

Another school year is done and gone! If I can be brutally honest, I have never felt more disconnected from the kids’ school experience as I have this year. Thats not to say ANYTHING bad about the teachers, because they’ve been AMAZING. It has to do with my brain being literally maxed out, paired with the inability to attend “easy” stuff, like assemblies, family reading lunches, etc. Not setting foot in the school even once this year has been so incredibly strange. Yet I am SO happy my children had amazing teachers, caring staff, lovely friends, and positive experiences.

Our family went to pick Dekker and Laela up after school today. Dekker had food on his face, and Laela had most of a popsicle in her mouth.

They were both super happy and bright. It was really good to see them like that. Before we had left the schoolyard, I heard Dekker say something about being SO excited for school to start again. I laughed and scolded him in the same breath. Let’s enjoy summer first, shall we?

I should throw in here that Rowan had his last day of school last Thursday, and I didn’t mention it. Whoops! He was super cute about it, though, and offered I could take a picture of him today, if I wanted. So I definitely did.

He’s got a pretty cute mug himself.

Next year, I will have kids in kindergarten, grade one, grade three, and grade five. Oof!!

Aaaaand one at home.

SO much change in our house these days. I can’t even imagine what’s still to come! God’s in control!

Remember when Brady added spindles and a railing to our deck stairs?

I think that was all the motivation he needed to get to work finishing the ramp at home!

It took a little longer than it might have last year, but it got done beautifully!! Brady worked SO hard and felt SO accomplished! As he should have!

I’m so happy to have this finally done! It looks complete, and we can start putting some of the tools that have been lurking in our garage away where they belong!

There is never a shortage of projects to do, and I know both Brady and I are relieved when we can do some of the work.

*packs more screws to do yet more work at the lake this weekend*

I used to buck trends pretty hard. I rocked flares looong into the skinny jean moment, and I’m hanging onto them tight as flares resurface. I fought bands that other people thought were cool. And frankly, I was far too poor to even consider a LOT of different trends, as they seem to come and go with the wind.

But I’ll admit, once the fuss wears off a little, I tend to dip my toe in. So in the last few days, I finally tried whipped coffee!!!

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Guys. Oh my gosh.

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So. These are ridiculous. Like RIDICULOUSLY GOOD!

Here is how we do it!

2 tbsp instant coffee
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp hot water

Mix.

I’m not even kidding. Don’t ask me how it gets so creamy. I don’t know. Thats ALL it takes.

We put a handful of ice in a glass, fill it with milk, blob the coffee on top, take pictures (or it didn’t happen) and then stir it all together.

Be warned. The coffee whip will be STRONG! You’ll want to dunk your finger into it like its icing, but you’ll be surprised. It is NOT icing. Still, I want to stir it into everything, and I want to tweak the recipe in ALL the ways!

For round two, I mixed some up the night before to see if it would hold.

It did!! It had settled a liiiiittle bit in the bottom of the bowl but very very little. It worked great! We added some whipped topping to be fancy. The middle coffee wasn’t into it…

Haven’t laughed that hard in a WHILE!!

There has been talk of adding Baileys. Cher suggested drizzling something yummy overtop, too.

Basically, this can only get better and yummier. I’ll keep you in the loop. I’m on the hunt for a little immersion hand blender to be able to make it at the lake, because I might already be a tad attached to this new concept.

This might be the bougiest thing about me.

You guys know how I feel about extra, right? Right.

So we haven’t done much in the evenings over here. They’re pretty low key. Yesterday was specifically a really hard end of the day with the kids, and something had to give. So, we had our first home fire! 🔥 We’ve been having SUCH beautiful fires at the lake, but having one in our backyard was pretty excellent as well.

We were gifted a load of firewood a few weeks ago, which was totally unexpected and very much appreciated. It burned beautifully, and snapped, crackled, and popped. It gave off really nice heat, too, which wasn’t suuuper necessary on such a warm night, but it didn’t hurt either.

It was a really, really nice time with Brady and Cher, like we used to do last year 💜

Not the best picture, but you get the idea 😘

I am so grateful for all we have, and who we have. For friends. A quiet backyard. Good music. Firewood. Drinks. Sun. Peace. Rest.

Today is a peaceful day. I can’t say that every day. But I can today. Today is not a perfect day, but I feel peaceful today. So far.

No one woke me up last night. No sleepwalking. No nightmares. No interruptions. I slept through.

Laela, who is working off a punishment right now, completed her work this morning without complaining. She has not complained yet, and for that I am so grateful. Lesson landed.

Brady is working on a building project. Not only will the result be worth the work, but the fact that Brady can complete projects such as this is a beautiful confidence boost for him. He is SO happy to be able to work still, even if it looks a little different.

The three older kids are at school, and I’m down to two. Waverly and Solomon are playing outside together, seamlessly. They do so great, just the two of them together. No fighting. Just pretending together.

The sun is out, but not TOO hot. No wind. Even the weather is peaceful.

I’ve been able to crochet this morning. I have so many projects in my mind recently, and crocheting has turned into something therapeutic. It keeps my brain busy, but not overloaded, and it keeps my hands busy so I don’t get too pick-y. I’m able to be occupied without being too busy or overwhelmed. I wish I could make a living crocheting somehow, haha!

Today is the day that our dear friend shops for us, and we will receive a giant Costco haul at the end of the day. I am so relieved to not have to fit that shop into my life right now. One day I will again. But, not this week, and thats ok.

As I sit, peacefully, I fight the urge to jump up and be frightfully productive. My brain runs over the list of things I have to do. Have to pack. Have to prepare. But rather, I’m going to take deep breaths, and enjoy my peaceful time. I will be more accomplishmenty later. Maybe. Maybe not.

First – peace.

As if the title needed any clarification, I’m here to share pictures from the weekend with you! I don’t have AS many this weekend, but trust that I was just occupied with enjoying my time with my people 💜

We kicked off with honey chicken we had made the day before and warmed up once we arrived. It was delicious and went over well.

Our first night was relaxed, and was not photographed. We just hung out, got set up, and eventually got everyone to bed.

Day two was extra special because Cher came out!! She has WAY better pictures than I do, but I’ll tell you we had a lovely time with her there! I took her on a golf cart tour, and we crocheted by the fire. Brady began working on the stairs, and the kids ran all over the place, playing with friends and exploring.

Dekker found a little clearing and decided to make a fort/clubhouse out of it. Braden even helped him get a pallet in there for a floor.

I brought along some bacon wrapped steak skewers that I found in the freezer from a while ago, and Brady grilled them up. They were DELICIOUS.

Meanwhile, Rowan built cool structures out of Brady’s cutoffs.

It was SUCH a lovely day! Maybe Cher will Cher her pictures with you one of these days 😉

The next day began with a morning fire and s’mores for breakfast, which may or may not become a new tradition.

Check it out! Brady can still chop wood! On his new itty bitty little chopping block! Lol!

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Something that was awesome about this last weekend was the fires! Sometimes, the wood at our spot is really wet, and even though we try to keep some covered at our site, its just hard to get a good blazing fire. But this weekend, it was PERFECT, and we kept fires going ALL day!

Brady got some Fathers Day cards and gifts from the kids, as well as some Saxx from me. Aaaaand pep and cheds, because YUM.

The day warmed up, the fire crackled, the kids played, I crocheted, and the man napped.

I’m ready to go back. Aaaaany minute now. But I need smaller projects to crochet. Everything I’m making is too big to work on in my lap, hahaha! If thats the biggest problem I’ve got, I’m pretty fortunate. Thank you, Lord.

Short answer:
Everything.
Except those high shelves in the kitchen.
And he can’t actually get into the pantry.
But everything else!!

Long answer:
Brady can literally do just about anything he could do before. That doesn’t mean he does all of those things regularly, because some of them take WAY more concentration and energy than they did before, but he does a lot more than many people might realize. I’ve been realizing a handful of people have asked the same questions, and they’re pretty basic so I thought I’d catch everyone up!

Brady can do stairs! Which is SUPER handy, considering we live in a modified bi-level and we have three short flights of stairs. (No one plans for tumours and paraplegia, am I right??) When he moved home, he would either use a railing and a crutch, or a railing on either side. Recently, he’s gotten stronger and braver, and often just uses the one railing. To be clear, though, it still takes a good amount of concentration and effort, so if you talk to him while he’s on the stairs, he’ll probably have to stop to answer. Walking is still VERY visual for him, so he has to look at his feet while he does the stairs. Otherwise he doesn’t know where they are.

Brady can walk without crutches. Its happened. Its not smooth or graceful, but it can be done. His legs are SO strong, and his balance is improving! He’s also gaining confidence and trusting his muscles a little bit more. Its pretty exciting to watch. On this subject, you may have noticed in pictures recently that he more often walks with even just one crutch! Then he can carry things with him easier, and can be even more independent.

Brady still wheels around the house mostly but he stands from his chair all the time to reach things. He cooks at the stove, standing at his chair, and he preps stuff on a stool at the island. He barbecues like always. Our house was not built for wheelchair accessibility, and while we think that may have to change one day, he has found excellent ways to get around, reach everything, and accomplish everything that needs doing.

I truly can’t think of a whole lot that you might want to know about his abilities. He reinstalled a dishwasher and new flooring. He built a bunch of the deck at the lake, and built the stairs. He built his exercise bike. He chops wood. And there are more projects on the books that we still discuss regularly and plan for. Our dreams are not taken away. If anything, there are more of them! They make take longer to get to, or take a few more hands, but its not over. Not even close. Its just begun.

While much has changed, Brady is still a builder. I am so grateful for that, and I know for a fact he is too. This weekend, I watched him flourish yet again while building the landing, stairs, and railing for the deck at the lake. He sat on the chopping block, or the temporary stairs, or a 5 gallon pail, or whatever else. He balanced holding onto the side of the camper, or the structure he was building, or a crutch, or he just shuffled on his own. He CRUSHED it!

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The landing looks so beautiful, and is SO sturdy! We pushed some temporary stairs up to it, but they didn’t last long. Brady made some itty bitty stringers and made some really strong, sturdy stairs!!

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The railing finished up the next day!

I know I’m not sharing a ton of details, but I think his face says everything. He was SO happy to be able to build this unit. I think it boosted his confidence like crazy, and reassured him that all of his talents and skills are not lost.

“Disability.” Psh.

We cannot wait to go back to the lake!!!