After over an entire year of collecting bottles and cans, and of grandma going back and forth to Sarcan with him, organizing and separating, Dekker bought, paid for, and transported his kayak to the lake. And this weekend, he had his first real ride on the lake.

But before he got it out on the water, Dekker unwrapped his kayak in our campsite, and got familiar with all of its features.

Once he was acclimated, he invited me in for a tour.

I thought that was very sweet

It wasn’t long after my “tour” that I was casually invited to help him carry it down to the water, haha! I happily obliged. He was SO excited. He had been invited to join some of his friends on an evening paddle, and we got to the water first. Its possible he was eager…

When it came time to finally get into it, our resident safety officer helped load his kayak into the water.

The group kayaked for about a half hour before they called it for the evening. Dekker was on cloud nine. I helped him pack up his kayak and get it set up and out of the way before we headed back up to our site. He was very happy. In one of the videos I got, he gushed that the kayak was SO worth the work

The next day happened to be warm enough to spend on the beach, and he connected the two kayaks to take Wavy on some rides It was beautiful.

I anticipate so many more jaunts out on the lake throughout the season. Its been such a pleasure watching Dekker grow and mature and get more independent each year. And he’s still just a kid! Its moving quickly. Too quickly. But perfectly quickly. He is such fun. I am so grateful

As I sit in my living room, the van unloaded, kids bathed and tucked in for the night, I am overwhelmed with gratefulness. Its raining out, which I have been anticipating for a good while now. Had you all heard that I LOVE the rain? Its so nice to hear it, and smell it, and know all the good its bringing. Thank you Lord! It felt like a welcome home after our weekend away

We closed our camp weekend off on the beach with our friends. The BEACH. Guys, it was warm enough to be at the beach! And some of the craziest children figured it was nice enough to SWIM!! They’re bananas.

Yes. That kind.

But for real…

I can’t share pictures of everyone here, because Dekker’s need to come on a different day. Guys, SO MUCH happened this weekend, it was just so awesome

Rowan was the one who was IN the water the moment he got down to the beach. He was all over it, cold and all. And yes. We do feed him. He is crazy active. Promise.

Laela is very dainty, rocking her neon bathing suit like the star she is!

And then she’s also less dainty, and even cooler!

Solly did not hit the water, but he hit the sand HARD. This was his face all weekend. This kid gets SO dirty, its just bonkers. As Cher said, you can smell this picture of him.

And Miss Wavy, who played in the water and on the sand alike, getting into everyone elses stuff and conversations.

It was a really nice way to wrap up the weekend. Vastly more successful than the last one, thats for sure. And to come home to the low rumble of thunder is just incredible. I am so grateful

Thank you Lord for everything you have given us. You are in everything.

It’s been a good day. A cold day. But a good day. 

Rowan invited me to join him for a walk, so we did that after breakfast, just the two of us. 

We crashed the Dahlsjo’s site because they weren’t there yet  

We came back, and Brady was reconnecting the water heater. 

Then we took our first family golf cart ride and toured the loops to see how was around! It was nice! And cold  

Dekker has freckles. Summer JUST started. And Dekker has freckles  

We spent the afternoon watching people put the docks in. 

Good thing the safety officer came!

We shared supper with friends  which really rung it in as the new season!

I am so overwhelmingly grateful for our spot and our people and all we’ve been given. Praise God! 

Two-ish weeks ago, Brady raked up our front yard dirt and laid grass seed. Ya. I’m not even kidding. HE did it. Disabled my butt. He did it all one morning earlier this month, and set our sprinklers on a timer to maintain it all. And then we waited. 

Within a couple of days, someone lovingly did a three point turn onto our front yard and put a biiiiig ole hole in it. So Brady went out and begrudgingly put stakes and rope around our yard. Accidents happen, of course, but ideally, someone could drive on our lawn once it was established. So, for now, a yellow fence is in place. 

I left it alone and mostly forgot about it for at least a week. Who cares, right? Its been dirt for years now. At least its less weeds. I didn’t really think about looking for change. But then, as it took a bit longer, I started to check. And there was one morning where there were no grass to be seen, and by the end of the day, it was there! Crazy!!!!! 

Now, we’re here. 

Its not perfect. Its patchy. It has weeds. All that we are very aware of. But look how greeeeen it is!!! Doesn’t it look soft and pretty?? Flowers are courtesy of our dear Rae

As soon as we’re allowed, we’re going to put more seed down and try to get things even better, but its fun to see it so different and hopeful! Progress always feels good to see.

Now to someday get the backyard going!! Whew!

After last weekends one BAD lake day, I figured I’d kick off this lake weekend with a counselling appointment!! Lol! I’m kidding. Not about the counselling appointment, that definitely happened, but it wasn’t because of last weekend. It was just a routine one. But it was a gooder. I really like my counsellor. I’ll be sad when she’s through her residency shortly, but I am very grateful to have seen her all this time.

When I left my appointment, I actually ducked my head into the gift shop for a second, which I never do. But a travel mug was calling my name Did you guys know I have a thing for mugs?

I can’t decide if its leopard print or flowers, but I think thats the point. I LOVE it. However, I do NOT love it $70 worth!!! Sooooo forward we go!

I drove back towards home, but stopped off in Warman to switch vehicles with Brady. It was also popcorn day, so, I did that, too. I parked the minivan in his reserved spot and went to bring the bus home so I could pack it for camp. But lo and behold, someone took a shed in our van!!! Lol! Poop joke.

But also, there’s a shed in our van.

Sooooo yup. Last weekend, we brought a kayak. This weekend, we’re bringing a shed. And a wheelchair and batec, in case we can’t get the golf cart working. Whew!!

Its home now, and I have to see if I can actually pack the van around this monstrosity, with the wheelchair and batec in mind still. I may just have to wait for Brady on this one Otherwise, everything is ready. Packed up. Cooler items on a list. Everything is organized to a tee. We’re ready for the long weekend!!!

*checks “blogging” off the list*

Dekker participated in the high school track meet and managed to advance to districts in the 400m run. So today, he took the bus to a sporting complex in the city and spent the day there with a small group of grade six kids to made it.

You may remember, but Dekker doesn’t care much for track. Its not his jam. He was very surprised when he advanced, and he seemed to feel pretty important, being one of the young ones! Only ten kids from elementary school got to go. He was looking forward to going.

After a full morning, Wavy and I drove to Saskatoon and navigated our way through the place until we found Dekker and a spot to sit. We visited with another spectator while we waited the half hour or so for Dekkers race.

Dekker was pretty over it even before it started. He was a good sport, don’t get me wrong! But he was good to wrap it up after a day wandering around new environment, weathering both winter and summer temperatures. When it was time to race, he was less than invested, lol! He ran it all, and came in last, as the youngest, smallest guy in the heat. And that was SO fine with me. I approached him as he heaved and gasped, and finally spat out “Can I go home now??” The teacher who was in charge of everyone in attendance was right nearby and confirmed that I could indeed take Dekker home. So we did.

He was a much happier guy once we got to the van. I could tell him I was so unbelievably proud of him for doing something hard even though he wasn’t excited about it. He was receptive and warm and relaxed.

All in all, I am very very proud of my Dekker and how the day wound up. I love that he worked hard and saw it through.

And I’m glad to be home so I can do other things now! Because there is simply no shortage!

Haha! Can you tell that naming blogs is the hardest part of blogging? Especially after almost eleven years. And when I’m talking about two vastly unrelated things in one post. Lol! Aaaaanyway. You guys aren’t here for the titles, so we’ll carry on.

Wavy had a really busy day yesterday. She went to a friends house first thing in the morning because I needed to take Solly to his appointment right when she needed to be at preschool. So I dropped her off, and she was shuttled off to a local farm for a field trip! Apparently she really didn’t want to get lost in the mix, because she dressed like a… construction worker? Safety officer? Highway patrol? Beats me. But she was a highlighter, which is just a further indicator that she is indeed my child

When she was back from her field trip, she had lunch and then shipped off to a birthday party for another couple of hours! She was originally planning to switch to a dress for the party, but in the end, she opted to stick with the neon tshirt. She clearly knew she looked fly

So, since the pictures from Waverly’s day yesterday were filled with other children, I can’t show you any. So I’ll show you supper lol! Breakfast sandwiches a la me!! Breakfast sandwiches used to be Brady’s thing, and his are likely much better, but they take more work. So I made them like this.

Bacon cooked and crumbled. Eggs cooked in bacon pan with bacon chunks. Looks ugly. Tastes delicious.

English muffins on a pan. Cheese on half of them. Broiled just a little bit past melted. Butter the non-cheesed halves.

Scoop some eggs in there and squish them good.

These went over SO WELL. Absolutely everyone ate at least one. Even Waverly finished a whole one without a struggle. Dekker had three. They were squishy and indulgent in all the right ways, and just a little crispy on the edges. No sog. They were absolutely delicious, and they will reappear. Maybe I’ll throw some shredded hashbrowns in there, if I’m feeling like adding a step. Maybe in a wrap. Sometimes simpler is better.

The end! Thats all I’ve got, folks! A highlighter child, and some breakfast for supper!! Hopefully there are more cohesive posts to come!

I took Solomon to a doctors appointment this morning.

I rarely get one on one time with Solly, so this was a pretty fun chance to be together! Thankfully, our doctor is absolutely awesome and Sol was not at all afraid of her. We had a funny appointment where we laughed a lot, and made some good decisions about Sollys health. He sat and stood and wiggled and did weird things, and Dr. Guselle just fell for him I watched it happen. It was SO cute. She was positively smitten. Which I totally get.

He’s somewhat irresistible.

We left the appointment and I took him for a celebratory donut, because he earned it.

Then we did a quick Walmart run and were back to school!!

Its already been a busy morning, but I’m here for it! I’m so grateful that the sun is shining! Thank you Lord!

First thing yesterday morning, we loaded up the kids and got on the road to the lake! Everyone was really looking forward to getting out there on the first possible weekend!

It was the most satisfying game of tetris this season, getting so much into our vehicle, but it was completely successful! Everything and everyone fit in place, and off we went!!

New water bottles are part of our summer ritual over here! The kids love getting their new camp water bottle! Look how happy they all are!

They each got a mini magnadoodle keychain (thanks, Amazon) and we were off!

It felt like we were finally back home

Our site felt a little worse for wear. The golf cart cover had come off over winter. And there were more things left out than I remembered. But, ah well. We got to it! The first move was the getting the bump out bumped out, lol! Too bad it upset our new friend :/

It took a few tries but we got the inside of the camper expanded! I emptied as much out of the camper as I could, plugged in the fridge, and it was time to unload the van!

Let’s do a quick run through here. We had two or three large bins/boxes of miscellaneous stuff – condiments, pantry food, toiletries, meds, bug spray, bags, lighters, paper dishes, fresh sand toys, and everything else. We had beach umbrellas. A lock box. A TON of linens, including sheets and blankets for six beds. We brought a few kitchen appliances. A case of coke. A shoe rack. Some lifejackets. A full badminton set. Six golf cart batteries. A cooler. A wheelchair and a Batec. Oh, and an entire 10′ kayak and 8′ paddle.

Laugh at our bus if you want to, but we have no regrets!

So, without getting too far into it, a lot of things flopped hard, and it was not the smooth, productive day we had hoped for. But! Laela was a complete and utter rockstar!!!!! She worked her butt off! She swept the whole camper out, took all the tubs and boxes out of the bunks, swept them out, opened up mattresses, put on sheets, pillowcases, and made set everything up for everyone She KILLED it!!!

In a small space, this is quite the accomplishment! And of ALL the children, she had the right to be the most exhausted. But she worked the hardest, hands down!

Meanwhile, I got the kitchen set up, all the toiletries and medical stuff put away, and our bed set up. Doesn’t it look cozy??

As the day didn’t go the way we had hoped, I don’t have anything in the way of fun pictures of everyone on the beach :/ But I can show you I was briefly there, at least. No ice left! I imagine docks will be in very soon!

We left early. It was really too bad. There will be significantly more work to do next weekend that really needed doing this weekend, but it just wasn’t working. The bump out isn’t quite right, and the fridge doesn’t open all the way. Maybe the ground shifted? I’m not sure. We have to figure that out. And the golf cart, with all new batteries and cables, will not start. Thats the biggest one. We NEED that to work for Brady to get around, and it just absolutely will not. So, we left it plugged in, and will have to try to figure it out next weekend. If we had time to do all the tests yesterday, we could’ve at least known what we needed to bring next time to fix it. But we can only do so much. So that’ll have to be sorted out next time.

On the drive home, we wanted to reward the ONE child who worked. Miss Laela Hazel. She chose a McFlurry. Confetti cookie dough. Behold the progression of her tasting it.

She was one happy camper!! She earned every spoonful of that treat!

We got home and unloaded the few things that came home – empty tubs and hampers, the wheelchair and Batec, and a few duplicate items. Nothing crazy. They had an easy supper and everyone went to bed on time.

And then I celebrated mothers day, lol! Because it just wasn’t a smooth one with the kids, which is unfortunate, but happens. Brady made me salmon and potatoes, and we ate in our bed, with zero interruptions. It was nice and peaceful.

I have no regrets. I’m glad we went, and did all we could. I wish it was smoother, but I’m still glad we went. And I’m glad I have such nice pictures from when we left. And I’m SO glad Laela got the opportunity to shine the way she did I think she needed to see and feel how that goes – to do SO well even when others bail or decide not to work. I was SO stinking proud of her. I still am.

Everyone is off to school, and today, there is no Frozen And I’m good with that. Onto the next!

Well, friends, that is a wrap for Frozen Jr!!!
The kids put on three performances – Thursday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening.

A large crew of us attended on opening night. By our “crew” I mean Brady and I and our kids. Cher. Tom and Rae. And the Dahlsjos, who drove two hours to see it

We REALLY missed my mom, and I know she was very sad to miss this all, as well No bad feelings, mama. You’ll catch the next one

Opening night was positively incredible. My Laela girl had been nervous as she left the house. Not bad nervous. Excited nervous. But still nervous, haha!

I reassured her that she would likely feel nervous until she was actually on the stage, in front of the crowd, and the play has begun. At that point, it just flows.

And it did Laela scored a place in the very first scene, singing the opener. She stood tall and faces the audience with confidence. I saw her see me. She smiled and then averted her gaze and focused on the job at hand.

So naturally, I cried. I was overwhelmed with pride for her! She either had shed her nerves, or she just faked it and made it!!!

Laela played a few smaller roles in this production. She was in Oakens family. She was part of the hidden folk. And she was a guest at the coronation. She was granted two solo lines in her songs, which she was both completely thrilled about, but equally as nervous.

Her first line, was was given a mic to wear, and she aced her like. The key, the timing, the confidence. Her second line, she didn’t have a mic, and she stepped forward and sang loudly and confidently, again, crushing the music part of it. I just cried. It was unreal how natural she was at being on stage!

Production one ended with bows, including all the background workers running out front as well. Dekker was on the stage crew team, and though it was not the role he had hoped for, he was beaming, and clearly having SUCH a good time!!!

Pictures during the play with strictly prohibited, but the fast came into the crowd afterwards to greet their guests. It was AWESOME.

I couldn’t not go again Brady and I worked super hard Saturday afternoon, and all the packing was done in enough time for me to go to the finale!

The dynamic between the premiere and the finale was evident. The kids were so much more comfortable on the stage. They were louder, and projected their voices stronger. Some of the bugs that come along with a first performance were worked out. And some kids just couldn’t control their giggles, which was terribly cute it was such a good performance!!!

Again, Laela found me right away. It helped that I got a front row seat!! Ack!!!

I got a little sneak peek at Dekker once also! Not all the backstage kids were so strict to the rules like Dekker is, and some of them were getting pretty visible. Or as Dekker would say, they were “stage happy.” At one point, I saw a member of stage crew step too far out onto the stage, and I saw half of Dekkers body as he reached around the kids waist and hauled him back behind the curtain It was such a Dekker move! Hahaha!

Needless to say, the children earned and received a big fat standing ovation. Rightfully so. They worked SO HARD, as did all the staff, parents, community members, etc. It was a giant group effort, and I am so so proud of my children for being part of it. I’m proud of all the children in it, don’t get me wrong. But it was a new stretch for my kids, and they chose to be involved in something big and new.

Dekker has grown through this experience by learning better how to work in a team, which is not his preferred method of getting things done. He had fun, and it showed. None of his friends signed up for the play, and he still did it, even though it was new and different. I loved that so much.

Laela has grown, as well, through doing Frozen. She learned a difference endurance than she had before. But most notably, she has come out of her shell and become a goofier, louder, singsongier, funnier little girl. She sings out loud and makes jokes and faces. She teases. It’s so so fun to watch her open up this way!

I’m very curious to see what happens in the years to come, but for now, I’m just terribly grateful for this experience for our kids. I loved theatre as a child, and while I had no intention of pushing anyone into anything just based on what I enjoyed as a kid, it does thrill my heart to see my two oldest testing the waters

Thank you Lord for the opportunities You give us.