My birthday yesterday was actually a lot of fun. I truly expected the day to kind of skirt on by and to eat a nice supper with my family. The end. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of love showered down in the form of words, gifts, food, time spent and effort made 💜 Goodness, I am SO blessed.
With yesterday being a nice low key kind of day, today needed to be a bit more productive. But I had accomplices.
Me, Andy Bernard, and Beard Guy hit the ground running! While the babies slept in, the other kids went outside for a bit, and I made some plans for the day. I had a few things bothering me that needed doing, but there were parts of them that I needed my bedroom for. And that’s super challenging when you can only really work when the babies are asleep, and when two of them sleep in your room. *sigh*
The kids were done outside a lot sooner than I would’ve expected or preferred, so some of them became my helpers 😂 And while they helped me, we got some stuff cleaned up that’s been staring at me for a while! And when the babies woke up for the day, some of my kids hung with them while they had their breakfast so I could do some of the work in my room!!! Woohoo!! I dug through some big parcels from Amazon and dispersed things where they needed to go. Christmas gifts got boxed back up. School supplies got added to the huge box, waiting for the final items to arrive. Baby shoes went into the cubbies in the garage. And some current household items got set up in their homes. This was my favorite new setup 😍
Now, the water bottles and travel mugs won’t be pre-moistened by the Morsel for us! 🤣🤤
Its been an altogether productive but not chaotic day. I feel pretty good about it. I’m hopeful that we can do a bit more once Brady is home. After radiation. If he’s up for it. And the kids aren’t nuts. Lol! Lots of factors, I suppose! We’ll have to see. Maybe we’ll *gasp* rest!!!
Today Hailey turns thirty six years old. Thirty six years this girl, this lady, this beautiful creature has walked on this planet sharing her charm, loyalty, and love.
Beautiful Hailey,
You hear me say all the time that psychologists profess if a friendship lasts longer than seven years, it will last forever. Forever feels short to be honest. I wish I could slow time down. I am starting to understand why ageing isn’t your favourite thing. This last year went by faster than I expected. But wow, did you make this last year count.
You are consistently looking for the most efficient way to do things and get things done. From learning to bake for your family, to moving to an accessible home, to the fridges and freezers you purchased. You want everyone to have ease and access to everything they need. You are always on the go for everyone except yourself.
Emergencies, hospital stays, surgeries, scheduling, soothing fevers, wiping butts, taking hits, medical challenges, losing sleep, financial setbacks, daunting paperwork, accepting, protecting, loving….. Heartbreaks. You are always up for being down. Even if you’re not. There you are, endlessly, for those you love.
If I wrote this blog about anyone else, I would be giving lip service. With you, I don’t think I can describe the level of love and devotion you have for the people in your life because it surpasses my level of understanding. You love like Jesus, and it is astonishing that he chose someone so precious to be my best friend.
I could fall to my knees trying to express how thankful I am to God for your irrevocable love and support. You have changed my outlook on life and strengthened parts of me that I thought were permanently lost. It is your relationship with God (and stubborn loyalty) that has drawn me in and picked me up when I was barely hanging on.
Brady is four weeks down and two to go for radiation! ☢️ Today marked treatment 20/30! Thats a good long stretch!
Not a ton has changed in the way Brady feels. His attitude remains strong and well, while he legs feel a little bit less than way 😬 He gets the occasional headache which is managed with basic pain killers, and that works for now. If it becomes a consistent issue, it suggests the brain is experiencing some trauma and is a bit too swollen. Which is actually not some big concern, and can be treated with a steroid until treatment is over. Brady hates the steroid they default to, however, and he’ll do just about anything he can to not have to be on it. So for now, its managed, and thats working.
The biggest change in the last week has been his hair. Brady grew a little bald spot a while ago, and its started to become a bit more noticeable. He more so was bothered by the patchy look than the fact that was losing hair. So he started wearing a hat, which was logical but also, logically, started aiding the hair loss.
We talked about the plan to shave it all down a bit closer. When I went to touch it a little and see how sturdy his hair was, it just came out in pieces. It pulled out so easily. That spot was only going to get bigger and bigger.
Sooooo we buzzed it down aaaaall the way. The spot still visible, but much more subtle in terms of the bald stop, and Brady is so much happier.
So maybe you can tell from the picture, but right where the tumour was is the most prominent patch. It is thinning in a line towards the back of his head, where there is another balder chunk of scalp.
Absolutely NO good looks have been lost, I can confirm that! 😍
People we know who work in medicine, or specifically in the cancer centre, have commented a number of times how Brady does not look like a guy with grade four brain cancer, and we have to agree! While things are not picture perfect by any means, Brady continues to carry God’s strength and keep worries off of his heart 💜
Last night, many things fell apart and our family packed up late in the night and headed home. It was a hard and also correct choice. It had been quite a beautiful day, it was hard to head home so unceremoniously. But sometimes, things are difficult, and thats ok.
Everyone slept in good and proper, and Brady and I have had more than our share of coffee. It has been a strange day, as we’re not usually home on Sunday mornings anymore. There was NO way we were going to church, we were all total messes from camping. Plus EXHAUSTED. We were greeted with the rare opportunity to have some time to get some jobs done at home. But again – exhausted. Like, SO exhausted. The babies struggled pretty hard. All three have colds, as do I. One is still sleeping from the night! Kids have unpacked their bags from camp and one kid has set their laundry going. Most of the kdis took baths. I finally got my butt up, hands washed, and headed into the kitchen to bake, as we are virtually out of any and all breakfast or lunch baking. And while baking isn’t a priority for many people, justifiably so, but for our kids, it helps their bodies poop!! Heyooo! So, we do it consistently.
I started pulling out ingredients, and within thirty seconds, I had a sidekick. Laela. When I inquired if she was coming to help me, she looked surprised and said “Of course I am!” So we got into it. We worked together for the first batch, and we discussed everything we were doing. And then, she took the reins on the second big batch and I just stepped in here and there, moving clutter away from her, putting ingredients away, giving her little tips about the mixer, etc. And when it came to scooping the muffins, she was in it! I actually went and sat with a coffee.
I got up to help her take the paddles and bowl scraper off, and she completed the job. I assured her I will be her oven lady for a while, so I’ll put them in for her when the oven is free, but otherwise, that gig was all HER. She killed it.
Since I sat down to type this, Dekker got up and willingly headed out to mow, even though he was practically stumbling through the house earlier. Goodness we are one tired bunch. But the things that NEED doing are getting done, and we will all do some resting while we’re at it.
Remember that summer blanket I mentioned I got from Value Village the other day? This one?
Well as I sat by the fire at the lake today, grateful for the ban to have lifted thanks to the cold, damp weather, I pulled out this blanket to snuggle with in my lawn chair.
I caught a random glance of the seaming and noticed some designs that weren’t as straight or even as the others. And I realized something SO BEAUTIFUL!!!
1978
To Shirley
From Mother
😍 Isn’t it amazing?? The date on it makes me think it’s possible Shirley passed? Or maybe she didn’t. I really don’t know, but I care! I love that I have it 💜 Sometimes, I love to peruse the aisles for homemade things that shouldn’t have been donated. So in this case, it feels like an honour to have it in my possession 🥰
We’re back at camp and the wind is notable! It feels VERY much like fall.
While it is definitely too early to give up on summer heat, at least in my opinion, the weather today does not disappoint.
The smoke, however, it still tough. My little morsel doesn’t fair well in the lung and respiratory department, so little is easy for that one these days. But! Along we plod, still grateful for all the gifts we’ve been given. We cannot complain that not EVERYTHING comes with ease. That’s life for absolutely everyone! And we thank the Lord for providing absolutely everything we need, so very much of what we want, and an abundance of things we haven’t even thought to ask for 💜
Her birthday was on the 22nd and mine is coming up on the 30th, so we decided to make one good outing out of both days, and go out together somewhere in the middle there. And that was tonight! It is a very rare occurrence to get out and about without any kids, so this was a very special treat 💜 Thank you, Brady, for managing everyone for those hours. We really appreciated the time!
We went to The Great Buffet of China, which is a HUGE deal! We both absolutely love it there, and not only has the price gone up SO much, but again, my social calendar is basically shut down for the time being. So, out we went. We ate like monsterskings hungry people, going back for seconds. Neither of us had room for dessert.
We read some funny things to each other on our phones while our tummies settled.
We had our own section of the restaurant, which was ideal for everyone, as we weren’t a particularly quiet table. We had a lot of fun, and are unashamed doofuses.
Post-suppertime, we limped out to the car and drove to the river, where we parked in the very short rainstorm, and opened up gifts from one another. I was showered in beautiful, thoughtful gifts that have been compiled over the previous months. So many perfect things for camping, summer, etc. as well as the fall to come. Such intentional gifts, and all very me. Thank you, Cher, for all your thoughtfulness and love!
We went to Value Village afterwards, just to be out a little bit more together. We love Value Village, had you heard? So we went and perused all the areas we both really like. This letter board was particularly eye catching 🤣😳
We both found a handful of things that needed to come home with us, which I’ll admit felt a little wrong, considering we both just received gifts. But! Some things were just meant to be!
We drove home and Cher dropped me off. We had a good squeeze before I got out with my two bags of things. My tummy is still so full. My heart is happy. We had a LOT of fun 💜 I am very blessed to have all that I have. All the beautiful people around me. Good food. The ability to make purchases. To be free of work or responsibilities for a few hours. Thank you, Lord, for all you’ve given me.
I had a little bit of time to kill ALONE in the city the other day. This. Never. Happens. I decided to actually do things I didn’t have to do, because I always do. Plus I knew I was going in the next day for groceries anyway 😆 I could justify actual downtime! So I got an iced coffee and went to Value Village to scope for Christmas gifts, haha! I never ever get to shop while holding a coffee. Like. No exaggeration. It never happens anymore.
While I did not surface with Christmas gifts as I had hoped, I did come out with a crazy awesome haul that I felt really good about. Some of it was specific for the babies and maybe held a few too many details, so I’ll leave that stuff out, but I’ll show you what I did find that I’m excited about!
Probably most exciting for me was this summer quilt. I love finding these handmade quilts, they are such treasures! This picture doesn’t do the blanket justice, but the flowers on the white squares are neon!!! It is SUCH a fun blanket, and a nice twin size.
An infant life jacket! I have some old ones from garage sales and such, but they’re not this nice. I really like these ones but they’re SO expensive! Not only was it a fraction of the full price I’d have paid in a store, but its also BRIGHT, which is important this summer, as I have mischievous babies this summer who I am doing all I can not to leash, hahaha! So we’re going with bright colors for now!
Mugs. My vice. This mug drinks SO nicely. The handle is nice and big. Its a really really nice mug.
Just, summer. Festive. Popsicles. I love it.
This one reminds me of the pottery I only dream of making. I want these for bathroom glasses. So this one is for me. I love the little thumb squish.
Another little summery quilt, but baby style! I snag these from time to time when I come across them for future babies that come into my care. This one was $2.50, and it has mermaids and tie dye. It does not deserve to die in a thrift store.
Ok. Hear me out. This wallet is also neon. Its VERY bright in person. And its also worn in the corners. Its not perfect by any means. However, its a wallet made my 31 Gifts that I’ve been curious about for years but couldn’t justify the $80 🤮 pricetag. This one, however, was considerably less, so I jumped! It has SO many card pockets but still has nice zipper pouches and space for other items. I like it!
Old school Tupperware shape sorter. The best shape sorters, in my opinion. Cheap. With all the shapes. A great score.
I got these shoes for Laela. She got some new-to-her shoes recently for summer, but she’ll need indoors for school as well, so I found these for only a few bucks. They fit her great! She loves them.
And shoes for ME!! These are the cutest, weirdest flats I’ve ever seen. I love them. They’re Puma. The kids think they’re water shoes. I think they’re adorable and hilarious.
Also these shoes for me. I’ve had the same beater pair of runners for absolute YEARS and they are so sad and dirty and messy now, covered in spark holes and muck. They can remain for the season, and go to and from the lake with me. But these are for non-sandal days around here. I wore them yesterday and loved them. A total win.
And I had a whole iced coffee to boot!!
I could’ve done more damage, but I left some AWESOME things behind. A huge box of K’NEX. Hilarious signage for the home. A wood burning stove lamp. Awesome thing. But this was great as it was 💜 I’m so grateful to have gotten some good time away by myself. Things have been wildly bumpy over here for a bit now, and this was a nice little break for my brain.
While I can’t say retail therapy is always a healthy coping mechanism, or really ever the ideal thing to reach for, this timed out really nicely, and I felt extra grateful for the items, the coffee, and the time away.
Thank you, Lord, for providing in all kinds of strange ways! 💜
Brady is three weeks deep into radiation, and I firmly believe that the prayers from those near and far are a huge contributing factor to why he is doing so well 💜 So THANK YOU for praying and thank you, LORD, for consistently providing!
So week three actually wrapped up yesterday, but Cher’s birthday was more important, obviously. Cancer doesn’t get to take anything else from us 🙅♀️ So we’ll talk about it today.
Week one brought about very little change.
Week two we noticed Brady’s legs had weakened significantly, more likely from the chemo than the radiation.
Week three isn’t altogether different. I remember noticing that Brady’s hair was holding up quite wekk towards the end of last week. However, yesterday he and I both noticed a much balder spot on the side of his head that is being treated directly with the radiation. I imagine his last shower claimed that patch of hair.
With this, we’ll be buzzing the sides down significantly shorter next time. No one is disappointed by that 🙂 Brady is loving this hairstyle, and I’m definitely not mad at it either!! 😍
That’s the main difference from last week to this week. He is managing well 💜 He has less than a week left on the ugly ani-seizure medication that messed him up so badly, and the lift is unmistakable. I’m SO happy for him 💜 We are working hard to avoid extra stresses or chaos, as that is proven to complicate healing and wellness. Those of us around us who consistently back us with love, consideration, and help are instrumental in Brady’s health and well-being, and for you, we are abundantly grateful.
Three weeks down, three weeks to go. We have crossed the halfway point! In radiation, that is. That is not the end of treatment, but being halfway done the first leg of it still feels like something worthy of praising the Lord. So let’s do exactly that.
My dear sister, Cher, turns 34 today!! 🥳 Her last year has been whirlwindy, and I know that because I love her more than most, and I am thrilled to be actively involved in her life! 💜
This year has been a GIANT year of change in both of our lives, and because we are so stinking close, our changes affect each others lives as well! I know our crazy has turned her scene upside down more than once or twice, but the consistent effort to show up for us and to be helpful and loving is unmistakable.
Cher has challenged herself more than I’ve ever seen in the past year. With 75 hard. With school. With physical and mental health. With her spiritual growth. She has sought help and put 👏 in 👏 the 👏 work!!!
In the last year, to really sum it up a bit too much, in my own life, we have added children and become MUCH busier with many things. And she has worked intentionally to roll with the punches and accept the big changes with grace, even though they definitely have not all been easy or without stress. Instead, she has become an even MORE invested auntie, if that’s even possible. She has spent so much intentional time with my kids, whether its having Wavy on one of her days of school, or Dekker for a movie on a Friday, she is connecting to each of them individually, and it is SUCH a special gift to all of us 💜 And if that’s not enough, she has bonded with our babies beautifully. I only wish I could show you those pictures, but I think you get the gist…
Cher is beautiful. Soft. Warm. Thoughtful. Funny. Helpful. Empathetic. Compassionate. Determined. She has all the things you want to find in your best friend. In your family. In your close people. And how fortunate am I to have found all of these things in Cherice – my best friend. My sister. My close person. It is such a pleasure to know her and love her 💜
Sweet Cherice, I love you deeply, my sister. My BEST friend. 💜💚🧡 You are worthy of ALL the love and celebration a day like today should hold, and I hope you feel it abounding! I love you I love you I love you!!!! 😘 All the way, in all the way!
