My birthday supper was probably the best detail of the day 🤤 Brady bought a huge salmon filet and grilled it up slowly on our camp chef. To the side, we rocked some roasted broccoli. That was ALL we needed! Brady, Cher, and I ate like royalty!
My night could have been better but it also could absolutely have been worse! The three of us enjoyed the campfire and coffee before getting the kids up and getting on with the day. It because clear early on in the day that it needed to be a beachy one. Not because it was hot. Because it was grey.
Cher and the kids sculpted animals in the sand 🐙🐢
Some of the kids, that is. Others were overtired and opted to lay low 😆
I took a load off and continued to covet the boats on the dock.
We headed back to the site for some lunch and rest time. At that point, I was feeling quite fed up with my lack of voice (thanks for nothing, month long cold) and decided it would be nice to sneak another food treat once most kids were tucked away. So we picked up Asian at the local restaurant!
Ok, Brady got a burger. But Cher and I both chose shrimp chow mein. Because we know what a good thing is.
We ate, and took our time chatting and letting our food settled. It wasn’t long after lunch that Cher bid us adieu and headed home 💜 It was SO good to have her here! We miss you already, Cher!
We tried to head back to the beach for a little, but we got rained out and the kids were not fans. So it didn’t last, unfortunately. But it was beautiful while it lasted.
Now, the fire is going, the sun is out, and the kids are biking the loops and enjoying themselves. Everyone is content, so I am also.
Praise God!!! We are all feeling upswingy enough to get back to the lake!! And at JUST the right time! Our longest trip of the summer is scheduled for this coming week, and we didn’t have to call it off! We are SO excited!!
The van is LOADED. We did everything we could to bring ALL the food and ALL the clothes we would need, theoretically without having to duck out for groceries or laundry halfway through, but I’m sure things will change as our holiday plays out, and that’s so fine 😁 we are READY to be there!!!
It’s amazing how three days at home can feel like both not enough time while also an eternity 😆
The sun is HOT. Gas prices are slowly dipping. Iced coffee is flowing. Our friends are already at the lake. It’s a beautiful day to be going to camp!! 😎
At least I sure hope we got it the third time! Whew!
So. To recap, on Monday, Brady and Solly went to a doctor.
Then, yesterday morning, Brady took Solly, Rowan, and Laela into a nearby walk-in.
Yesterday afternoon, I took Dekker and Wavy into the same walk-in.
Absolutely everyone was seen by a doctor yesterday. ALL seven of us.
Oh my gosh what a day. Here is the Readers Digest version.
Brady has fluid in both ears and a double ear infection. He has a persistent cough caused by irritation and fluid draining in the wrong places.
Dekker has a double ear infection.
Laela has fluid in both ears, and an ear infection. She also has a persistent cough.
Rowan has fluid in both ears, and a persistent cough.
Solomon has fluid in both ears, and a persistent cough.
Waverly has a moderate to severe ear infection in her left ear.
I have a persistent cough and plugged eustachian tubes, which are part of the anatomy of the ear, but connect deeper in, closer to the sinuses. Think under your eyes.
ALL temperatures are perfect, and ALL lungs are clear!
The doctor Brady saw was VERY good to them, and very sympathetic to our situation of being sick for so long.
We saw a different doctor, but he was also VERY nice to us. He related, having four kids himself, and quickly charmed the kids into being fully comfortable with him. He convinced Wavy that he was checking our ears for potatoes, and she loved that. And would you believe the ONLY one of us with potatoes in our ears was mommy?!?!
I have to say, I felt SO warm and extra cared for there yesterday. When the kids and I were taken to the back for them to be weighed and measured, the staff was just mooning over them. They remembered the other kids from the morning and gushed about how sweet and beautiful they were. It felt really nice to hear good things, and to know they were cooperative and charming. Even to see Waverly take her shoes off, follow instructions, put the thermometer under her tongue and wait so patiently – it was awesome. I was very proud of my kids 💜
As we walked away from the clinic, both kids said they really liked the people there. That they were patient and really nice. It was all true. Legends in Warman, you have our stamp of approval 💜
After cleaning out our local pharmacy of a couple of different medications, we are now settled onto the path of betterment!
Three giant bottles of bubblegum amoxicillin.
One giant bottle of adult amoxicillin.
Five steroid nasal sprays.
One bottle of codeine cough syrup.
And aaaaall the Tylenol and Advil to manage pain until the good stuff starts kicking in!
It would appear we may in fact live to see another day 😅
I am relieved that no one is actually contagious in any way anymore. Its ALL just leftover side effects from the longest running cold of our lives. I deeply anticipate the day when everyone starts to feel somewhat better, myself included.
That being said, Brady has been on antibiotics a day and a half longer than the rest of us, and he finally can see the light at the end of the tunnel! He is at work today a very happy man!
All of this being said, we all feel hopeful about being on the mend, so morale is up! But my ears are screaming so I’m going to put this away for now and get moving on other things!
Thank you, Cher, for grocery shopping for us today 💜 That is a GIGANTIC help to our family this week! We love you!
After Laela woke me up early this morning, we decided a few more of our kids needed to be seen. Alongside that, Brady needed to be seen again. His coughing was worse than ever this morning, and come to learn that the doctor (not our doctor) at his previous appointment hadn’t even addressed his month-long cough. Which obviously needed attention.
So Brady loaded up the three middle kids and took them to Warman.
Laela’s left ear hurt.
Rowan has been deaf for days.
Solomon’s ears are plugged as of this morning, but he’s been sick forever and a day.
It wasn’t long before they were in a room. They were paired with a doctor I saw when Dekker broke his collar bone. He had been SO good with him! Its always a relief to know the doctor you’re seeing is good with kids. Especially when you bring in three.
Brady covered ALL the bases in their appointment! I am SO impressed! I know those times sometimes feel really high pressure, and he got it ALL! 💜
Rowan and Solomon both have fluid plugging up both ears. No signs of infection! Just, plugged, leftover from the weeks of congestion. Anyone else with this endless cold???
Laela, too, has fluid plugging both of her ears. Her left ear is also infected.
Brady’s day and a half of antibiotics for his ear infection have already done some good. They cleared up his right ears outer infection enough to reveal that there was also lots of infection in the inner portion of his ear. His left ear was previously too full of wax to see into, but this doctor today offered to blast that wax out, and when he did, he found lots of redness and irritation which was likely also an ear infection before Brady started the antibiotics! So yay for already being on the right stuff for a triple ear infection! Hahahaha! For his throat, he expressed that he’s missing work now, and needs to find some way to suppress his cough. The doctor offered him a “big boy cough medicine” to try, and if it doesn’t make him too drowsy, he can absolutely use it and go back to work 🙂
Beyond that, nasal spray ALL around! Because that is our current best option to nip the congestion in the bud and finally clear out everyone’s ears!!
What a huge morning! I feel a lot more hopeful than I did yesterday, with directions to move in, treatments to provide, and betterment on the horizon!
Wish us luck! We REALLY want to go back to the lake if we can at all see some positive progress!
As I sat down to type this, I had a big gross coughing fit, to which Rowan responded “You ok over there, mom?” He followed up his inquiry with bringing a stuffy, in true Rowan style 💜 Goodness he’s a tenderheart.
Anywho, as you can imagine, we’re all battling some illness here. Brady went to work feeling hopeful, but came home after just a few short hours. He has reached that frustrating point in his illness where his throat is now just irritated beyond belief, and he’s basically coughing on his own throat. Nothing to actually see or fix in there. Just an angry throat. So he coughs and coughs and coughs. Its very discouraging. He was quite disappointed to have to leave work. That poor boy and his monster work ethic :/
Brady is used to a solid two day cold. Thats how it always was. Hopefully how it will be that way again someday. During covid, no one was allowed to be sick, and all of our immune systems got out of practice. That hasn’t been surprising. Then, chemo took what little of Brady’s immune system that he had left. I do believe it will regenerate over time, but it is certainly not all up to snuff just yet. And thats a hard pill to swallow for him. Amongst all the other pills he has to swallow.
If you’re the praying variety, please say a prayer for us here. For Brady. He is trying to quash an ear infection from the outside while preventing it from worsening from the inside. He is completely under water, with both ears plugged. He is managing an abscess draining, as well as leaky eyes, congestion, and a horrible uncontrollable cough. He is disoriented and frustrated. He has all the drops. All the drugs. All the grace. But he is fed up.
Yet he is still soft and loving and doing all he can to care for his people 💜 I’m proud of you, Brady. I’m sorry you couldn’t stay at work. We all love you, and we’re happy to have you home.
It felt like a sad end to our lovely weekend. Our little fam hauled out early in order to get our sickies home, resting, medicated, and comfortable. We need them better. We are all SO tired of having sickness in our home. And I mean really, it’s a wonder how they all keep cycling through sickness 🙄
The prettiest nose picker there ever was 🙌
So the morning played out with the kids getting up, getting meds, and then rallying long enough to help pack the place up before we hauled out and grabbed a late breakfast agt Tims in PA. No one is hungry when they’re sick anyway. We made it home, napped three, bathed two, and then Brady and Solly hit up a clinic.
It was worth the trek, and Brady came out of it with some good meds and hope that the craziest of this mess is over! Thank goodness!
Cher stayed with us and made soup and toast for supper, which was absolutely a perfect supper for sickies! Now, bedtime approaches and I’m more than ready for the day to be done 😅 Not because it didn’t have it’s good moments. But because I want everyone to feel better and a YUGE part of that is rest!!! Wish us luck, folks!!
Our family is unfortunately coming down with some more bummer illness. We are so tired of being sick, especially when we have loved ones out to visit 💔ugh. Could timing be any worse?!
Regardless of that, we had a really beautiful day. We ate a giant breakfast by the fire…
And then headed to the beach!
We played games, kayaked, dug in the sand, and really really enjoyed each other’s company 💜 It was really special to see our family and our lake family come together. Oof. My heart was very happy to see my nieces, and my sister and brother in law make friends with the Dahlsjo’s while reconnecting with lots of other people they haven’t seen in years. Thank you Lord for giving us this beautiful meeting place!
The beach day ended ominously, and beautifully!! 😍 The sky got dark and we decided to pack it in before the storm!
We had supper and cake together in honour of everyone’s birthdays, near and far. It was yummy and fun and so good to be together! 💜 But our sick bunch faded quickly and we headed back for bed. Both Solomon and Rowan expressed how ready for bed they were, which was absolutely out of character for them. But bedtime was smooth and everyone is tucked away, falling asleep to the rain sounds.
It was a beautiful overcast day of food, fires, friends, family, and all the playground playing that could be mustered.
As we enjoyed some actual in-person visiting with my sister and her family, and my mom! I really enjoyed the mix of having them here alongside our friends and loved ones here at our lake. What a beautiful mix of people we truly love.
Tomorrow forecasts more sun than clouds, and warmer temperatures, so we have high hopes for a beach day with the cousins!
But first – sleep. Coffee. Breakfast. Coffee. Then we can talk beach 😎
C is for courageous. Not to be deterred by fear. Brave. This is a constant effort that Cher makes, and it pays off! Vulnerability is brutal, but its beautiful, and describes Cher perfectly.
H is for hardworking. Or helpful. Either way, Cher has a heart to put in all she can to assist those she loves and who love her. If there is job she can take off my list, she will.
E is for empowered. And while self empowerment sounds great, she is empowered by Christ alone, which is a huge gift, but also a lot of work. And she puts that work in to fill herself with the right stuff! With God, Cher is capable of absolutely anything!
R is for receptive. Even in the thick of struggle, she will consider angles and ideas she may not have before. She is open and willing! This is a beautiful sign of humility!
I is for important!!! I know this doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of this list, but I really want it in here. Cher is valuable and worthy of all the love and affection and care! She is an incredibly important person in the world, and I am honoured to call her my best friend!
C is for creative. Cher is an artist in SO many avenues that likely many of you don’t even know. I’m sure there are ways I don’t even know! She is creative with different tangible or digital mediums. In picture or word. In household or food. She has an incredible brain.
E is for empath. My beautiful Cher feels so deeply, and carries very real feelings for those around her. Almost to a fault, she shoulders much that does not belong to her, but it is part of how she loves and how she was created by God. It is not an easy job, but she was made for it, and she does it beautifully.
As my sweet Cherice celebrates another year around the sun, I thank the Lord for her existence in this world, and in my family.
Dear girl, you are my sweet lady. My best friend. My sister 💜 I love you, and I miss you! I can’t wait to see you in a couple of days and give you 32 smacks on the butt. And one for good luck, like Mrs. Lepp would do.
