It has been a very big year for our family! I don’t think I can say it was bigger than 2021, because that was YUGE and life altering! Maybe 2021 changed our lives, and 2022 was our first year playing that out and finding out what it meant. So it felt absolutely just as huge. We were healthier, but busier!! Shall we discuss the highlights? 

We shall. 

January was VERY busy with SICKNESS. Man alive. The three little boys got covid, so with the quarantine rules, everyone had to stay home. For pretty much the entire month. It was unreal. Normally, we would’ve just all jumped in and got sick together, but with Brady still in the thick of chemo with next to no immune system, we worked hard to keep it contained! Masking in the house lost its charm really quickly, but we lived! January also kicked off advertising for Telemiracle, which was a completely hilarious whirlwind, as we had NO idea we would essentially be the face of the campaign this year. The highlight of the month was closing it off with a big winter fire in the backyard with mom and Cher. It was SUCH a beautiful event and really nice to finally see our people! 

February held a lot in terms of emotion, but not a lot for events. I will admit most of that was on me. I struggled hard in February. ALL the memories of Brady going into MRIs, surgery and rehab. It was all back, and my body knew it. There is a lot of trauma there, so the month was hard. That being said, Brady and I got to go out for our 13th anniversary, which was a treat! I got to attend a physio appointment back at City Hospital. One of our last. Rowan had his blood drawn, which was a BIG first, and he was a total CHAMP! The bloodwork also marked the beginning of us getting him some medical attention in hopes of making his life a little easier 💜 Still on that train, but I’m glad it started. Brady cut off his beautiful long hair, and Rowan also celebrated his seventh birthday!! It was a really full month. 

March had some fun in it 🙂 We joined the Telemiracle telethon via zoom, which was kind of exciting! The kids really enjoyed the hype of Telemiracle, and felt like celebrities, thanks to their teachers and friends at school. It was fun. We also had our one and only band gig in March, which was REALLY fun and REALLY well attended! It was a total win. Man I miss our band. Lastly, Spring started to show its face this month, and we started going for walks and dressing down a little. The Batec got a lot of good use starting in March! 

April was a pretty significant month for a lot of reasons! I began seeing my counsellor. Rowan got a concussion. We marked the one year anniversary of Brady being home from the hospital. Another stretch of emotional whirlwinds, even though that was a good thing. Brady finished his YEAR of chemotherapy in April, and we celebrated by getting covid a second time! 🥳 The four of us who didn’t get it in January got it in March. So be it. Lol!

May is when it got exciting! Camp opened!!! Brady and I were gifted the first weekend up at the camper just for ourselves. We had such a nice time! The kids joined the week after, and got in some good outside time. We finished building the awning above our deck, which was absolutely the right choice! May was the month where Brady locked down his new job at Zaks, and he began part time work for the first time since his surgery. His schedule really couldn’t have been more perfect than it was this summer. We wrapped the month off by celebrating Solly’s sixth birthday!!! 

June was the month where the kids were still in school but we all were really ready for summer. We got so much closer to the Dahlsjos already in June, and soaked in some lake time with our loved ones. Meanwhile, school activities continued, and the kids had the best track and field day ever! I spent the month fighting a malware attack on the blog, which sucked, but was eventually resolved, thanks to a helpful friend, and a tech savvy husband. And an expensive program that I bought to protect me every day, lol! Finally school was out, and summer could fully begin!! 

Julyyyyy! July held sooooo many fun things! It kicked off with Wavy’s fourth birthday, teetered on Cher’s birthday, and wrapped up on mine! Brady was able to paddle board and get on the water for the first time since his injury! I was not the only person crying on the beach, believe you me! The kids also got braver in the water. Solomon was the biggest improvement in that area, getting on the kayaks and paddle boards! Dekker went to camp on his own, for a WEEK! That was a huge milestone for him, and he LOVED it! July was also when I discovered mosaic crochet, which has become a very real love of mine since. And speaking of love, we even got to see some family, who came from far and wide to spend lake time with us! It was an awesome month! 

August was also a huge month! The three middles went to camp for three nights, which was REALLY fun for them, and REALLY fun for us! We soaked up those days with the Dahlsjos as a group of seven rather than our usual thirteen! It was so fun! Wavy had her first ever sleepover that week, with Sadie 💜 Rowan had his drowning scare in August, and unfortunately, was a bit afraid of the water after that point. Meanwhile, our littlest littles got SO BRAVE on the paddle boards! I never would’ve thought I’d see them stand on them so young! Especially Wavy! She paddled herself around like a boss! We celebrated both my moms birthday and Dekker’s eleventh birthday as well. And we spent goooood times with the Dahlsjos. Gaga ball was the name of the game the kids would ALL play together! Lastly, Brady had a beautifully clear MRI. Praise God! 

September, the whole tone changed, but thats to be expected. School started. Playschool started. Full time work started. But fall camping remained! We went back to Kinasao, as well as hit up Tom and Rae’s camp spot! We managed to lock down a work vehicle for Brady this month, which felt like it took forever, and was such a relief! Cher and I went to see the Anne of Green Gables ballet for our friendaversary, which was a TOTAL treat!!! We wrapped the month up with Laela’s ninth birthday!

October began with our final days at camp! We were fortunate enough to spend that last stretch with our dear Dahlsjos 💜 The whole place was packed up in the beautiful fall weather, with a fire crackling the entire time. It was so beautiful. Once we were settled into the fall routine at home, we were able to get hand controls for the minivan! Brady was elated to finally have HIS van. We celebrated his birthday mid month, and celebrated Halloween at the end! It was pretty cute. 

November unfortunately was another month of sickness for us. Not covid, thank goodness, but some fevers and colds that seemed to cycle more than they really needed to. We got through, however, and by the grace of God, both Brady and I stayed healthy!!! November held the first real snow, among a few other real tastes of winter. We decorated for Christmas, broke a bunch of glass on our vehicles (ugh) and got to see our dear Dahlsjos for an early Christmas/Jaxon’s birthday date. What I feel was the most significant thing about November, however, was Solomon’s newfound love for letters! All of a sudden, he really cares about letters, reading, writing, etc. Some may feel he’s late to the game, and thats ok 🙂 This month, Solly sounded out words successfully for the first time ever, and it was SO exciting!! He has since been writing out his alphabet, practicing letter sounds, and asking how to spell things. He copies the titles of books he likes, just to practice how to write the words. It is a wonderful sight to behold, and I am SO thrilled! 

December was also really big. What month wasn’t crazy busy in its own way? We managed to get the side window repaired on the bus just in time for Christmas holidays! Brady and I got contacts. Dekker experienced being stage crew for the first time ever, and ran the spotlight for the school Christmas play. He was incredibly proud. Waverly also did her first Christmas play, which she rocked with a consistent foot stomp, singing the words, and doing the sign language. I loved it! The COOLEST thing about December was making some real headway in Rowan’s health, and he can FINALLY be his sweet, soft, squishy, loving, expressive, artistic, deep-thinking, charming, excellent little self. Thank you LORD!!! Christmas came and went beautifully, with Brady home for the entire week in between. What a blessing. 

This year was not gentle, but I am incredibly grateful for every day of it that we had. I fell hard for this particular song by Kings Kaleidoscope called Joy. It says “Every moment I play back, You live in it. I can feel every way that You’ve been in it.” And that about sums it up. God’s hand has undeniably been in every piece of our life, every single day. It has been a year of hard work, overcoming, listening closely to God, and even making some unpopular choices. But we feel God’s hand in absolutely ALL of it, and we praise Him for keeping our heads above water. 

We have high hopes for 2023. There is more beauty to come, and our faith has not been shaken. We trust you, Lord! Do Your thing! We’re here for it!! 💜

I don’t have any complaints about today. Not one.

We had a big breakfast with my mom and my sisters family. The kids played hard all morning and the adults visited at the table until it was time to split for quiet time.

We rested. I got to lay eyes on Cher for a few minutes 💜 I crocheted.

I made broccoli salad, and recruited Dekker to make the dressing. He was actually happy to help me, and we had a nice time!

Once quiet time was over, we went to play at the park for a bit. It was finally nice enough out to spend some good time out there! Lovely!

We came home after a stretch and made a delicious supper of some good hot mennonite food. I should be straight up – I did not cook this one. Besides the broccoli salad, I did jack all. But it was absolutely delicious.

Speaking of delicious, so is the boozey egg nog from Costco. It is delicious.

The time came to wrap up the evening, and pots were washed up super fast as the kids tidied and the cousins got their jackets and boots on. Out the door they went, and to bed ours went very shortly thereafter.

And now, we rest. Last night was a total bust for me. I woke up shortly after midnight and that was it for me. So I’m very much hoping for a tad more sleep before we spend our last morning with my sisters family! Pancakes and bfast sausage are on the menuuuuu!!!

Sleep well, friends!

Merrrrry Christmas, friends!! We are fortunate enough to spend today and tomorrow with my mom, as well as my sister and her family! We congregated at my moms this morning for visiting, coffee, playing, and presents! After a rowd and loudy (you heard me) morning, we split for lunch and quiet time.

First, a bit of snow clearing…

Yes, she’s in a dress. There was also another shovel and snow blower going shortly thereafter.

The afternoon holds more hanging out with family aaaaand turkey dinner!!! I am SO looking forward to an evening with loved ones and food drowned in gravy!

Once again, I got Brady a beer advent calendar as an early Christmas gift that kept on giving! This year, I found him a Saskatchewan craft beer advent calendar, which was a significant step up from the boxes over the past years.

It held different brands, different sizes, and a variety of types and flavours. It was a FUN one, and Brady says, with a good handful of 5/5 beers, it was a really good advent calendar!!
Onto the details, feelings, and ratings of each brew!

1. Cosmic Celebration IPA – Pile O’Bones Brewing Co. – Strong Beer – 6% – An excellent kickoff to the Beersmas season. A hoppy, citrusy IPA to really make a Dad happy and look forward to the beers to come. 1 outta 1 would recommend. That’s me. 😉 – 5/5
2. IPA – Black Bridge Brewery – Strong Beer – 6.5% – A much hoppier IPA than yesterday but still very welcome in my opinion. Bold and flavourful, this beer would go well with something like a big steak or a greasy burger. It’s one I’ve had before and I would have it again. – 4/5
3. Session IPA – Nokomis Craft Ales – Beer – 4.5% – Another solid IPA to kick off the festivities. A good middle ground between the fruity delight that was day one and the happy happiness of the day two. Good flavour, good beer, good times. – 4/5
4. Key Lime Pie – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Beer – 5% – This one’ll kick you in the tonsils. Liiiiiiiiimmmmeeee. And an indescribable aftertaste. Definitely one to try… once. I’ve never had key lime pie so… 🤷‍♂️ – 2/5.

5. Milk Stout – Black Bridge Brewery – Beer – 5.3% – Don’t let this one scare you like it scared me, it’s flavourful and sweet. Carmelly and rich, it’s a powerful beer that would go well with somethin’ greasy. A mans beer. Drink with pride! – 3/5
6. Raspberry Wheat Ale – Pile O’Bones Brewing Co. – Beer – 5% – Light and refreshing with a hint of raspy fruitiness, this beer is a pleasing, summertime beverage. Also for Christmas. This is definitely a girly beer and I am here for it, beard and all! – 4/5
7. Wheat Burst – Black Bridge Brewer – Beer – 5% – Another excellent brew thrown in the mix today, but I’m partial to the frothy, hoppy beers. The hops are strong with this one, and I love it! So full of flavour and punch! This was a fantastic addition! Good job Black Bridge Brewery! – 5/5
8. Pseudo Lager – Black Bridge Brewery – Beer – 5% – Sessionable, it’s printed right on the can and totally accurate. This is a beer that is unremarkable enough to drink lots of and not be upset. Its beer. – 2/5.

9. Bunny hug – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Malty German Amber – 4.8% – This is a very smooth beer. A little sweet, a little frothy, this is a beer you could drink all day. Mild in flavour but definitely not lacking, I’d drink this one again. – 3/5
10. Black IPA – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Strong Beer – 6.5% – This IPA is almost too IPA. It’s a very strong flavour, very bitter. I’m a lover of IPAs but this is a little on the heavy side. It’s good but I’d definitely only drink one per sitting. – 3/5
11. Modern IPA – Nokomis Craft Ales – Strong Beer – 6.5% – This was another light, citrusy delight of an IPA. Pretty much on par with day 1. I could’ve downed this in a minute or two, I had to hold myself back. It was delicious! I’d buy a case of this in a heart beat. – 5/5
12. Brown Ale – Nokomis Craft Ales – Beer – 5.5% – ‘Tis a beer of stature and fortitude, a beer to drink with friends and not be belittled or looked down upon. With good flavour and nothing weird about it, it’s a solid beer that won’t let you down. – 3.5/5

13. Hibiscus Lime Gose – Pile O’ Bones Brewing Co. – Beer – 4.5% – This is an incredibly light and fruity beverage. Not sure if you could even call it a beer, to me it was more like fruit punch but dang it was good! I would drink this again. Hopefully on a beach in 30°C heat. 😎 – 4/5
14. Pale Ale – Nokomis Craft Ales – Beer – 5.5% – This was really solid beer for me. Nothing to write home about but also nothing to shake your fist at. Sorry for the cliches. I quite enjoyed the ale today. Definitely one I’d buy again. – 3.5/5
15. Cold Brew Americano Stout – Pile O’ Bones Brewing Co. – Strong Beer – 6.5% – I’ll be honest, I was nervous for this one. Stouts always make me nervous, but I paired it with breakfast for supper, and it came through alright! Definitely has a strong coffee taste, I kinda went back and forth thinking I was drink coffee or I was drinking beer. But I think I was a fan in the end. Worth a try for sure! – 3/5
16. American Brown Ale – Black Bridge Brewery- Beer – 5% – It could be that this beer was just very well paired with my supper of… popcorn… but it was very smooth. An excellent mix of butter and sweet and smooth and brown. I would definitely drink this one again! – 4/5

17. Prairie Pils – Pile O’ Bones Brewing Co. – Beer – 5% – Pilsner… why? Who chooses to drink these? This is the epitome of carbonated pee in a can. No shade on the company who made it, but… gross. Pilsner. Gross. – 1/5
18. Buckle Up – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Beer – 4.2% – This one definitely lived up to its name, so smooth, so easy to drink. This is one you could drink a couple of and not realize it. Perhaps… sessionable. Solid beer. – 3.5/5
19. He Can’t Even Have Just One – Black Bridge Brewery – Strong Beer – 8% – … it’s true. He can’t. What an excellent beer! It’s called a ‘Double NEIPA’ which I had never heard of before but I will be seeking out again. It stands for New England India Pale Ale and my friends the republic of New England India definitely got this one right. A big win for me! Wow! – 5.5/5
20. Dry Hopped Kettle Sour – Nokomis Craft Ales – Beer – 4.5% – I love me a good sour, and this was a good sour! Very fruity and light, this was a beer I could drink on a hot day at the beach! It even comes in a pink can, girly yet manish at the same time! I’d buy a case o’ that! – 4/5

21. Classic IPA – Nokomis Craft Ales – Strong Beer – 6.5% – This was a very average IPA. Perhaps below average. Very bitter with nothing to distract you from it, ‘twas mediocre at best. – 2/5
22. White IPA – Pile O’ Bones Brewing Co. – Beer – 5% – This was another excellent IPA in a long line of excellent IPAs this year. Very light and fruity, I’d definitely drink this one again. An absolute must win! I loved this one! – 5/5
23. Cats Got The Cream – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Beer – 5.5% – This beer was a little odd. A desert beer of sorts. I had it with a supper of chicken spaghetti and it did not pair well. It went ok with the cookies at the end though. Meh. – 2.5/5
24. Amber Ale – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Beer – 5% – I feel pretty meh about amber beers, and this one fits the bill. It’s mostly ok and I drank the whole thing but I wouldn’t drink another. Nothing stood out to me except the lingering after taste. I wish that this beer advent calendar had ended on something better than this. Meh… again. – 2.5/5

It was definitely too bad to end on such a “meh” beer, but Brady has reassured me he really enjoyed this round of beer, and I have witnessed it to be true!

Through doing these beer advent calendars each year, Brady has learned that he really likes IPAs, and really likes the hoppy flavor. Me, not so much, but I love the sours! Who would’ve thought??

Its been fun! And it’ll be fun again next year, too!! T-11 months!

Anyone else rock the beer advent??

Beyond the four categories of gifts, some other pictures really turned out, and some other gifts were fun, so I want to show you that as well 🙂 Plus, I want you to see how some of the gifts are going over since they were received on Christmas Day.

First, the gifts from Cher! This year, everyone got Scooby snacks and a stuffy, and they were STOKED!! She chose each stuffy really well for each kid! Plus, our kids developed a real affinity for Scooby Do this summer from watching with the Dahlsjos, so the Scooby snacks went over very well.

Rowan got a moose, and his name changes regularly. Moosey. Christmoose. Snugs. Once he accidentally called him Guts.

Apparently Dekker just says Oooooh Christmas Tree in place of it being named, lol!

Laela’s candy cane is named either Minty or Holly. I don’t think its nailed down yet.

I believe Wavy’s hot chocolate cup is named Ice Creamy. Go figure, lol!

Solly’s little guy is named Ninjabread Man 🙂

They have already been snuggled for the night! As you can see, the new fleece sheet sets are also out in full force 🙂 Five stars 🖐

Wavy was oddly uninvested in her Barbie at first, but once she watched Laela play with it for a bit, she saw how fun it was, and now she loves it! Thats Dekker reading his fart book in the background, also.

Rowan is loving his projection light! LOVING it. He already is opting to take some little breaks with it in his room when he’s feeling overwhelmed. Yesterday, he took a shorty nap during quiet time, all on his own.

The kids made us lots of super cute (and some hilarious) ornaments and art!

I bought Brady a water bottle. Which sounds super lame, I know. It was more for me. His nice Swell bottle dropped this summer and the base of it cracked. It still holds water but it sits sideways and rattles ALL LIFE SUCKING DAY. So now, it doesn’t, lol! Don’t worry, he also got a beer advent calendar all month long, which is the bulk of his Christmas gift. I’ll talk about that in the next day or two!

I received this beautiful mug as my homemade gift exchange gift! I LOVE it! Brady was super creative and got me a heated Milwaukee hoodie! It lights up, which is SO funny, and it has a battery pack, which also makes me laugh. But its warm and toasty and I really, really love it!!

It has been a LOT of fun these last couple of days. Lots of playing. Lots of lightness. Lots of good food and low expectations for ambition. Just being together.

It has been a strange season in some ways, and a very peaceful season in others. We are really looking forward to spending some time with some more family again very soon 💜 Just a couple more days!!

Now if it would just stop snowing so we could go drive around and look at the lights!

Ok guys, if you’ve been here long enough, you know my system! From Brady and I, the kids get four gifts. Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. We strayed a teeeeensy bit from that this year, but not in some crazy way. I’ll tell you about it right away here. 

I tweak things a little bit. The “want” isn’t always what they’ve asked for, but its a toy or a game or something they can build and play with. The “need” is just something more practical. The “wear” can be clothing but it can also be jewelry or hair stuff. And the “read” is pretty straight forward. One year I did magazine subscriptions 🙂 That was a fun one. 

I think I say it every year, but this is not a weird flaunty post in ANY way. Its mostly just to give ideas for ages, suggestions of what they like, and what could be used in each category if you want to try it this way sometime 🙂 

Oldest to youngest work for everyone? Deal. 

Dekker first! Dekkers want was Meccano. He is SUCH a meticulous builder, and he got a really big set with a motor for whatever car he builds. His need was a super cozy fleece sheet set. Its crazy soft and I definitely want one. His thing to wear is jammies. Two festive pairs, and then a pair of fleece jammie pants. And also socks. See what I mean? The socks are also needs. But goodness. Who cares. You get the idea, hahaha! His thing to read is a three book series called Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder. Don’t ask me anything about it. I don’t know. But I am confident he will LOVE them.

Laela is next! Her want is a rainbow loom bracelet making set. She likes to make things for her friends and siblings, and I think this will be a fun addition to all her little gifty things. Her need is also fleece sheets. Her something to wear is also jammies, and socks. And her thing to read is some Elizabeth Gail books I found on an online thrift store. She LOVES Elizabeth Gail! 

Ok. If its unclear, everyone got sheets, socks, and matching jammies, socks being the most important. Tip. Get ONE good kind of socks per kid. Then you always know whose is whose. Until they all fit the same size. Oh how I anticipate a girl sock bin and a boy sock bin someday. Anyway. Onto the next. 

Rowan is smack dab in the middle! His want is less playful but will make playing a lot more fun. He got a starry projection light! Sheets. Socks. Jammies. And then for books, he got the first three Cat Kid books. They are great for him when he’s actually reading, and when he doesn’t have the headspace to actually read but just look at the pictures. He is the most fun kid to give presents to because he is SO excited and appreciative of each one!

Solomon is always hard to buy for. His want is a cool little set with a drill and plastic pieces, and plans to build cool stuff! Sheetssocksjammies. And then he got the book “Construction Site on Christmas Night.” I’ve had it in hand a couple of different times, so this year, I bit the bullet, finally. 

Waverly is last but not least! Her want a super cute Barbie with a kayak! Sheetssocksjammies. And her book is called Little Blue Truck Makes a Friend. Hear me out. I know she is not a girl who is super into trucks, but those books are SO CUTE. They are so rhythmic and fun to read! I can safely recommend the entire series to anyone with young kids! They just read SO well. 

I didn’t add their jammies into the pictures because they all got the exact same ones, and the pictures didn’t really turn out, lol! They were cute, though!

It sounds small and simple, but it suits us just perfectly. The kids are positively flooded with love and gifts. There is no shortage of gifts over here, but also no shortage of love and closeness and softness and music and treats and memories built. 

I am overwhelmingly grateful 💜 These are not the only gifts that were exchanged in our home yesterday, but they are the ones that go in the “want, need, wear, and read” category. I will probably show you the rest tomorrow, because the pictures are good and the kids are happy!

As Rowan and I said to each other this morning in flawless unison, Merry Boxing Day!! I hope you’re still cozy and tucked in somewhere warm 💜 Talk more tomorrow, friends.

Merry Christmas, dear friends 💜

If you’re from around here, you know we got a good dump of snow last night. Our town guys are already diligently out, clearing the roads. On Christmas Day. If thats not a very real gift to every local citizen, I don’t know what is. Thank you, town guys!!

As it continued to snow this morning, we got up late, and got all the Christmas lights on. The kids asked yesterday, somewhat unceremoniously, if we could just skip breakfast and go right to presents. I wanted them to survive the morning, so I said they could pick breakfast. Everyone grabbed a peach cup out of the pantry and called it a day! They were eager to get to the fun stuff!

I’ll show you presents and such in a different post, but they were a great success 💜 Everyone was totally happy, and eager to dig into their stuff! You might remember that we go light on the gifts, with four main presents, one of which is something to actually play with. Thankfully, they were ALL a hit and everyone was very excited to get into it! First, though, we opened up our new Bible!

Dekker found the Christmas story, and Laela volunteered to read it to everyone.

I’ve never seen this Bible before, and I really like it!!

Once we read our story and talked about it with the kids, it was time to get into the gifts!!

As the kids are cracking into their stuff, and we’re helping them assemble, read up on, and set up their gifts, everyone is happy and busy and content 💜 They’re even sharing and playing together, as opposed to some days when everyone really feels protective over their things. Its just going really well. Its peaceful here, and I am so grateful.

No one wants lunch. They just want to play. So we’ll throw some snacks at them soon enough, but this is too good to break off.

Merry Christmas, friends. I hope you find yourselves at peace, wherever you are, whoever you’re with, whatever your day may hold 💜

Merry Christmas Eve, friends!! 💜 I hope you’re all tucked in at home, or if you’re stranded somewhere else, I hope its somewhere good! I know a handful of people who are stranded in beautiful places! While the timing is funny, I hope you are all really enjoying your holiday.

Normally, we like to give the kids their first present – a pair of jammies – on Christmas Eve. However, we’ve been invited out this evening, and we know it’ll be a later bedtime. We wanted them to be awake and happy when they got their jammies, so we gave them to them yesterday!

They went over really well 💜 I haven’t always been successful in finding them matching, or even coordinating jammies, so this was a really fun win!

They slept in their jammies – even the kids who usually sleep in their gitch – and came to breakfast in them! And by breakfast, I do mean cookie breakfast!! A fun Christmas tradition for us! Probably similar to our summer s’more breakfasts.

Rowan opted to wear his summer clothes, because he is loving wearing his shorts and muscle shirts recently. But he was really cute, and asked if it would hurt my feelings 💜 I assured him it would not, and he dove for his shorts.

Cher joined us for a quick coffee date before she got ready for her afternoon of plans! She and Brady were eager to exchange the gifts they had for each other, so that was a pretty sweet interaction. They know each other really well, it seems!

Once Cher went home, and Brady and I were idle for a very short period of time before I got to building our next little project!

You might remember that we have had a yellow table that lives in this spot. We got it for Wavy’s baby party, and its lived there ever since. Its main job has been to hold ALL the junk that enters our house, but that doesn’t have a final resting place. Basically, its an eyesore, and its the first thing that people see upon entering our house. Yet, its been valuable, especially since Brady became paralyzed, because it holds the stuff he needs to bring to work, or have easier access to. But again. Ugly. Open. Messy. So just yesterday, I decided on this instead!

This is one of those little shoe cabinets,, so its not very deep, and it fits perfectly at the end of the island. It holds Brady’s backpack, water bottle, our key turkey, and whatever small things need to be there temporarily. Best of all, its small, and doesn’t have much room to hold a bunch of garbage. So if something comes to live there, we have to put it away.

I’m so excited for this, lol! Its like Christmas has come early!

Ok! Whew! That work is done. Dekker is making lunch. Brady and I have a lot to do still, but nap time is right around the corner! I can’t wait to rest a little, hahaha!

Have a lovely evening, family and friends 💜

Read this blog with Christmas music going 💜

This is ALL we’re doing.

Reading. Crafting. Drawing. Playing Lego. Eating treats. Listening to music. Taking it SUPER easy.

These is still laundry to do, but everyone has underwear and socks, so we’re leaving it until next week. Everyone will be fine. We are only does the bare minimum in terms of jobs.

Today, the “jobs” include maintaining dishes, and making puppy chow. If you’ve made puppy chow before, you know its a VERY quick job with an exceptional payoff, hahaha! Other jobs simply include keeping everyone alive. I do that job every day, so believe it or not, its kind of routine at this point…

I want to see as many of these smiles today as I possibly can!

One day we’ll surface, but that day is not today.

Except for Brady. Whoops. He’s at work. But its his last day before he has TEN DAYS OFF!!! Ack!! I can’t wait!! We can wait for one more day for him 💜

Today is the LAST DAY before Christmas holidays are in full swing! So Wavy and I made the most of it and were productive!

Once the other kids were out the door, Wavy and I put together some party mix for the upcoming season!

It is the BEST party mix I’ve ever had, so I hope everyone likes it again this season, because I bought a lot of crackers.

We had a coffee break with Cher before she had to head in for errands, and Wavy and I headed in for our own errands. Specifically, Costco.

Wavy was hit at the grocery store, as she tends to be. She wanted to do as much of the work as she was allowed, so that left her throwing butter into the cart, and hauling boxes of cereal and granola bars off the shelves. Every time she would tip a box off its shelf, it would come down and bonk her forehead. Everyone near her would gasp, and she would giggle, loving the attention. It was VERY cute. But by the end of the shop, she was fading quick.

$650 later 🤮 we headed home! Unfortunately, I had no boxes, so loading and and unloading the van was an incredible undertaking. But Wavy ate while I worked, and it all got done! We are very well stocked for the next couple of weeks!

Once all was said and done, I put Wavy down for a little rest and heated some lunch up for myself. But the reminder went off all too soon that nap time was over and it was time to go get the kids from school! The littlest monkey was less inclined to go get them. I managed to startle her awake and get a quick punch in the eye. Its ok, though. She’s super cute. I’ll let it go.

Christmas holidays are officially upon us! For the kids, anyway. Brady still has a day ahead, but then he gets some holiday time, too! 💜

Music is pumping. Kids are opening gifts from teachers. Homework has been put away until the new year. Treats are out in full swing. Everything is lighter. I am so glad this day has finally come and we can all let down together.

Merry Christmas holidays, friends!!! 💜