After I drove some loved ones into the city, the morsel and I hit Costco. For three things. I’m sure you already know where this is going…

The things I went for are as follows.

Milk. Obviously.

Butter, since the mountain of butter I bought at Christmas has finally run out.

And a mat for our entrance. The salt I’ve been laying down on our sidewalk is everything-friendly. That is except our hardwood flooring. It is not flooring friendly. Besides that, even without the salt, Brady needs a place to leave his wheelchair to drip dry when he comes home from work. So after a mountain of research, I reached out to my support group filled with women who have husbands in wheelchairs, and just about every last one of them said the rubber backed rugs from Costco were the cats pajamas.

I successfully got ALL three things.

Well.

Four milks.

Ten butters.

And a big mat, lol! Win!

However…

I also got Brady a fresh pair of sweatpants, and myself some sandals for summer.

I got the big pack of baking soda (Even I don’t need six! Ack!) and the double pack of baking powder.

I got a new onion salt and garlic salt. I left the Everything Bagel seasoning behind in an attempt to practice restraint.

I rabbit trailed and got dried mango and dried strawberries for the morsel, but also for meeeee! Because goodness they’re good! I’ve never had the strawberries before! YUM!

The highlight was definitely perusing the samples together, and watching my baby double fisting a veggie straw and some fruit by the foot. That seems trashy, I’m well aware, but you’ll have to take my word for it that, in our own way, its actually victorious 💜 I am SO proud of my morsel!

We made it home in time to unpack groceries before the kids got home! I’d call today a great success!

Now, to crochet a liiiiittle bit here before I start making supper!

Today looks a heck of a lot different from yesterday! For instance, I can see across the street! So right away, I’m pretty psyched.

Today, the streets have been cleared, and I was able to drive safely. I watched the town come with a plow, and then someone else following in a bobcat, doing their absolute best to clear the opening to our driveway. It was so intentional and so helpful. Thank you, lovely people, for taking such good care of us 💜

Today, I had coffee with Cher and put on real pants.

Today, the sun was out a little bit.

Yet.

Today is still cozy. As I warm up leftovers on the stove, I feel pretty content. In my “Indoorsy” sweatshirt, with my hair in a ponytail, I feel more awake and with it than yesterday, but still comfy and content.

I have more to go out for towards the end of the week, so I’m enjoying these quieter hours, taking advantage of the quiet times to crochet and relax.

I so appreciate the rest days I was forced to stay in and rest, lol! But I’m grateful for the days where its easier to go out as well 🙂 Thank you for all the days You’ve given us, Lord 💜

Today is a grey sweatsuit kind of day. Grey is the coziest color.

Today is a day where we listen to the wind instead of the High School Musical soundtrack.

Today is a hot drink and leftovers kind of day.

Today is a hair down kind of day.

Today is an online shopping kind of day. Oops.

Today is a crochet in a comfy chair kind of day, as the morsel allows, anyway.

Today is a day where I dream of summertime, but I appreciate the opportunity to not go out, because I literally cannot.

As for the rest of you, today is perhaps a risky driving, chilly, nerve wracking day. Stay safe and warm, friends 💜 An extra pair of socks and putting your hazards on never hurt anyone.

The week off as a whole has been nice 💜 Brady had Monday (the stat) off, as well as Friday off, in lieu of his shift on Saturday. It was nice to have him home a little bit more than usual, and to have some days where the kids just played and relaxed. We celebrated a birthday, and said a goodbye to one of our foster babes 💜 The weekend carried lots of fun special times as well, and some occasional moments of rest here and there.

Today was probably my first HARD day of this stretch. And I don’t mean it was a bit imperfect. It was kind of hugely challenging, and I know Brady and I are both feeling the fatigue in our bodies, brains, and hearts.

As we tread into the coming week of early mornings, I’m anticipating having our routine back in place. Kids at school, and kids in their extras. We’ll continue to work on the house. We have a few things that are climbing up to the top of the priority list, and they are looming over us pretty consistently. So we’ll do those things. Some more foster training, because, its never ending.

We’re closing off February, and I’m here for it. February is always huge in our home, and now, we’ve passed all the big days for our family, and the days are longer 💜 Thank you, Lord.

Yesterday was important and celebratory in multiple ways. Rowan had a birthday and with ALL the excitement and rowdiness and gifts and treats and overstimulation, he didn’t have a single breakdown!!! Thats a pretty huge accomplishment for any kid, in my opinion!

It was also a really important day for our Spoonful, who passed on from our home. I can say SO LITTLE on here, which is super hard. What I can tell you is that everyone felt peace with the situation, and it wasn’t a heartbreaking goodbye 💜 We LOVE that little spoonful of sunshine, don’t get me wrong. We would be thrilled and honoured to be connected with that baby forever, if thats how it goes. And if it isn’t, then we will be forever grateful for the time we had together! Our love is certainly not dependent on those details.

It was interesting to watch our kids navigate the situation, going back and forth a bit between feelings of loss and understanding, and a balance of both. Our investment in fostering these children is a family affair, without a doubt. Everyone cares. Every. Last. One.

While we waited to drop off our Spoonful, everyone came to the baby’s car seat in the van and got in their last kisses, snuggles, hair strokes, and cheek pinches.

The drive home was a bit quieter. Thinky, I’d call it. Though we had a giggle at our favorite graffiti on 20th.

Be alert!! 🚨 Penis Gang!

This particular change was actually quite well done, in my opinion. It was gradual and everyone had time to prepare. The house is definitely a little quieter, but likely not for long!

A rough couple of sleeps in a row now. I blame the moon. Aiming for a restful Saturday here at home, and I hope the same for you, friends 💜

Today is a big day for a handful of reasons, but the biggest more IMPORTANT one is ROWAN’S BIRTHDAY!!! He is officially NINE today!! 🥳 🥳 🥳 🥳 🥳 🥳 🥳 🥳 🥳

Its been a HUGE year for Rowan. He got his contact almost a year ago, and has been patching for an entire year!! He may have his struggles, as we all do, but this boy has endured some HARD things, and he is working SO hard 💪 I am consistently impressed with him.

In the past year, he has connected better with his younger siblings, reading to them, playing with them, and being close to them.

He’s become more of a big kid, where he helps out and tries to guide the younger ones 💜

Rowan is an amazing reader, athlete, puzzler, artist, and snuggler 💜

Today, we celebrate Rowan, exactly as he is, exactly where he is. We thank God for giving us Rowan nine entire years ago!! His was the BEST birth experience, and after a very scary birth before his, he brought so much peace and softness into our family 💜 His heart remains the same, and I LOVE that heart.

I absolutely treasure you, Rowan Toby. Your heart is SO beautiful, and I carry it in my heart 💜 I cannot wait to see how you grow this next year and who you become. I love you, sweetie pie! I hope you feel loved and celebrated and like a total rockstar today! 😎

Today turned out to be SO much fuller than I thought it would be! I had a really lovely hour coffee in the morning with Cher while the kids played well 💜 It was pretty peaceful, and as always, it was really nice to be together 💜 She had to head out to an appointment mid morning, and right around that time I needed to feed the babies. So I did that, and once they were done, I hauled 6/7 kids over to Rae’s for the bulk of the day! What a huge blessing that was to all of us, in more ways than I can really explain on here 💜 It is just REALLY amazing having such beautiful people willingly putting into our family.

Kids were delivered, save for the one that I brought home to nap, and then I got to work! I warmed up some leftovers for lunch around 10:30am, which is bonkers, but also, I just never know when I’ll have time to eat next, hahaha! So while I did that, I did a bunch of computer work that absolutely HAD to be done today. And it was! Win!

Time did catch up to me, however, and soon enough I found myself scrambling to get out the door and to the city in time for an appointment. I made it to the appointment on time, and then began a wild goose chase for an item or two that I had NO IDEA were basically obsolete now! Crazy how things change!! Anyway, I was in the city until around 3:00 when I headed to Warman to continue the chase. I finally found the main thing I was looking for, and then made a quick stop at Coop. And they didn’t have what I needed! Ack! So I HAD to go to Martensville to check their Coop, but I also had to fill up with gas. Whew! I felt like the energizer bunny, and I did not care for it 🙅‍♀️🐇

I finally made it back to town and brought the first load of my children home, hahaha! I went back for the second round, and once everyone was home, they helped me get the babies and my purchases into the house.

I worked hard, and fast, until Brady got home. He, too, was dragging with exhaustion. We were quite the pair. Once he was home, of course, I realized something I had missed, so I bailed on him and ran down to the grocery store for another thing or two. *sigh* My brain…

We ate, a little later, so the evening was short, which worked out.

I still had computer work I had to get done, and I am happy to say its FINISHED! But I have scrambled from thing to thing absolutely all day long and I am TIRED. It is indeed bedtime.

Tomorrow will also be a big one! A good one in so very many ways 💜 But I can’t think too much about that yet. First, we SLEEP.

🥱🌙

Theres a heck of a lot I can’t show you about this week so far, which is disappointing. Thats been a weird part of blogging since we started fostering. There’s so much I can’t share. I know I could share more on social media, but the blog is so so public. I don’t even like to use the baby’s pronouns if I can help it. I’m just doing my best. Thats all. Yet it feels so strange to just casually leave such a huge thing out of our records. Its strange. Anyway.

The last few days have been pretty relaxed. We’ve tried to get some work done around here, as you’ve seen. Got the sink installed. Got the pantry mapped out, though not built yet. Picked up a new island top. Got some laundry shelves and closet shelves up. Got the video doorbell hooked up. Front door keypad and garage door keypad. Not to mention all the regular life stuff that goes on over here.

With all that busyness, we did enjoy some restful moments.

Laela colouring in the sun ☀️

Watching trash tv while crocheting a hammock for the girls’ stuffies 💜

And breakfast, a la Dekker. And yes, I WILL eat a bowl full of pickles when my kid insists on finding me some food in the morning. Even if my tummy is not ready for vinegar that early.

It has been a good few days off. Not without bumps, of course 💜 But whats a ride without some bumps in the road?

The next few days promise to be equally as full, but just as rewarding I’m sure.

One more job done and off the list! Thank you, Brady, for your efforts to get this place running as smoothly as humanly possible!

A quick refresh! Our previous sink was fine, but really only fine. It was a double basin stainless steel sink. Likely original to the house. The faucet for sure was original. One side had a disposal, and the other side did not plug. Like I said. It was fine. It definitely wasn’t good. So I started looking, and I quickly found a really good deal online at Costco for a much deeper stainless sink with a faucet included. And a little soap pump! Win! So yesterday, Brady got into it!

First, he assembled as much of the sink as was humanly possible before actually installing it. Good thing our place is still a mess and we haven’t moved this little freezer out of here yet, lol!

Then we pulled out the other sink. That seal was OLD.

Brady cut the hole for the sink a bit larger, though his multitool coughed its last breath halfway through. Still, he made it work and got it dropped in place. Then the plumbing stuff actually began.

Its pretty!! 😍

I only just drenched him the one time 😬 He definitely mentioned to me that he was going to look for the flow restrictor, and I definitely heard him and acknowledged him. And then I definitely came to the sink and attempted to fill a pot with water, turning the tap on full blast. Which definitely gave him a face full of water. 😳😩 Lucky he still loves meeeee! Sorry Brady 💜

Aaaaand when the time came to do dishes, the sink was usable!

Silicone still needs trimming and such, but everything is back to where it belongs. The garburator works. The sink plugs. We are very very happy!

One more big job crossed off the list ✅ Its not over, but we’re moving forward!

Everyone keeps eating. I don’t know what thats all about but man. That doesn’t slow down as they age, hey? Noted. Duly noted.

Yesterday, the morsel woke quiet early, and while the baby was quite the peach, it was evident that the time we’d normally be at church would be the time the morsel would need to be sleeping. So, I decided to stay home with aforementioned morsel, and Brady attended church with our five.

As expected, the morsel easily went down once the house was quieter. This was my cue to click on some true crime and use my time for good. Thus began my bake day. Possibly my biggest bake day to date! And I really really enjoyed it.

I sipped coffee.

I licked my fingers.

I listened to true crime.

The oven whirred and whirred.

It smelled amazing.

I felt accomplished.

Of course, my couple of quiet hours ended abruptly and the day moved forward. I still baked, but it was less zen and more messy. It was still crazy productive. It was around 4pm when I clicked the oven off for the day. I abandoned all the baking at that point and went on with the rest of the day.

The haul is as follows:

2 gigantic batches (about 150) pumpkin bran muffins
42 oatmeal-to-go cups
2 pans granola bars
4 loaves of banana bread with crumble on top

Once most of the kids were down for night, I got to wrapping each item to be a grab and go breakfast or lunch item. That is definitely my least favorite part, but Brady pitched in and helped get things done quicker 💜 I wrap the pumpkin muffins in twos. Everything else is individual. Its annoying, and yes, its a lot of wasted saran wrap. But it works so well for us at this time.

While I’m definitely missing my giant island from the other house, and the space is afforded me on my bake days, that is a small price to pay to be settling into this home 💜 We’ll get those details worked out in time, but for now, I’m just grateful we have this giant table, and kids who don’t stick their fingers all over everything 😅 This absolutely works. We are so fortunate.