Yesterday I said my three goals were expenses, the calendar, and to bake. Not in that order. The order was irrelevant. But this is how it went.

The day began with coffee. As it should.

A GHOST!

I worked on expenses as long as I could but they definitely still need work. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t keep especially diligent records of all the help I needed and requested in and around Bradys surgery, and then through his radiation. So I have to dig back (all I see is dick bag lol!) and I’m hoping to be able to get it at least close to accurate! It’ll just take a bit more digging in.

The calendar I got about half of the month done. There is SO much to add to it and I don’t have all the schedules in hand yet. I need to get more of that done but I’m definitely done enough for the first couple of weeks of school.

And baking! I baked four loaves of banana bread! And when I went to make another batch, I realized I didn’t have enough bananas, and added some pumpkin puree to the mix. I threw a crumble on top and got them baked up beautifully!

Kids had already snuck pieces when I took this picture, haha! Apparently the banana pumpkin loaves pass the test! Win!

As an aside, I baked 4.5 dozen oatmeal bites today as well.

And I made a small overnight oats to try with the babies tomorrow.

And and I made a homemade creamer alternative to try.

Aaaaanyway, yesterday ended with Rowan going to his firrrrrrrst (drumroll, please) parkour class!!!

Its very hard to take pictures with other kids in the group, but Brady got a couple when Rowan was the last kid in the line. Win! Ro had a blast 💜 I really, really hope its a good fit!

Today, my meeting cancelled, so Cher and I made a mad dash in to Walmart for some groceries, pens, and a couple of clothing items for the girls. We were in there for less than an hour but we had a really really nice time 💜 I made it home just in time to get babies having snacks and down for naps before the big kids got home from school! Whew!!

There have been some good successes, and at the very least, progress made 💜 Thank you, Lord, for every minute you give us!

Today is the kids second day of school, and now that they all know what to do and where to go, I have hopes for today being my first day to actually DO things!!

The big goals are as follows:

BAKE. I would’ve loved to start the school year off with all the baking I’d need to easily manage breakfasts and lunches, but as it happens, I ran out of time. So I hope I can do that today! 🤞 Eggs are on the counter, and butter is thawing. I’m ready!

CALENDAR. I haven’t filled in the calendar for the month yet, in part because I didn’t know all of the details yet, and also because (say it with me) I ran out of time. So hopefully I can do that today!

EXPENSES. Ugh. You hear about how foster care has a ton of paperwork, and so far, I’d say its actually really manageable, except that I am SO behind. Like SO SO behind. I started into fostering with such a complex case and was instantly behind, haha! It was not an easy kick off to learn on, thats for sure. So I have months to catch up on. I have a new system I know will be really good to implement, but I want to catch up before I start using it. So. I hope I can do some of that today. A social worker is coming out tomorrow, so I’d love to be able to put some forms in her hands.

This is aaaaall assuming the babies let me be productive today 😬 Wish me luck, guys!! Ack!!

The kids are back at it!!! School kicked off this morning, and we were ready for it! As in ALL of us here. Not just me. Also them!! It was time! Brady stayed home for the extra hour or so and we all went together to drop kids off, find boot room doors, etc. I had goals to take doorway pictures like everyone does every single year, but I’ve sort of tried to keep our location slightly more locked down since we moved. Of course, privacy has already been lost so it probably doesn’t matter, but 🤷🏼‍♀️ here we are.

After school, I asked the kids their highs and lows of the day.

In no particular order…

Wavy started grade one today! Full time school for this munchkin!! She said her high points were outside recess, inside recess (thanks to the air quality worsening throughout the day), and making a new friend at school with a new kid. She couldn’t tell me a low point.

Laela is in grade six! The oldest kids in the school! She couldn’t stop telling me her news. She got to pick her locker. She gets a kindergarten care buddy. She gets to chew gum in class. She loved being back with her friends, and she LOVED that they already did WORK!!! Hahahaha! Her low point was leaving for the day 🤣

Solly is in grade three! His high point of the day was not doing work, hahaha! He also loved the assembly. He kept saying the day just felt super exciting and everyone seemed really happy. Also no low point.

Dekker was really happy to be back in high school. Grade eight this year!! His immediate answer to his high point was taking industrial arts this semester! He was hoping for it all last year, and now he finally gets to take it. And he really likes the teacher, too. He signed back up with the school concession, and he joined a club over lunch. His low point was the new rules about gaming on phones and computers. He used to go to school early to game with a couple of his friends, and now thats out. That was their time to just hang out and be guys, doing guy things. So he’s sad to lose it. Don’t get me wrong, I am ALL for no more gaming at school! But I can understand the disappointment, also.

Rowan is in grade four, but is placed in a grade 4/5 split. Being in an older split is such a good fit for him! His favorite parts of the day were finding an old computer to play on during inside recess, as well as putting all of his supplies away. He liked feeling organized, I think. And guys, when I asked him his low point, he didn’t have one. NO low points for Rowan. That is pretty YUGE potatoes, if you ask me!

Of course after school got all messed up for all of us, and definitely not how I would’ve preferred it went on the first day of school, but such is life 🤣 We ate KD and popcorn chicken and called it a night. Tomorrow is fresh, and we are all so ready for the routine!

I hope your children had a really beautiful first day of school 💜 I feel so fortunate that mine did. Thank you, Lord.

We packed up from camp fairly quickly today around lunch time in order to get some food in PA and make it home in good time to get everyone unpacked and cleaned up for the night. As carried on with the theme of the weekend, in the first twenty minutes of the drive, we were alerted to the presence of a wasp in the van. Brady started to pull over, and without missing a beat, Dekker asked for my sandal and climbed back there in search of the wasp. It really surprised me!! He whacked it and it fell behind some stuff in the back. No one could confirm or deny its official death, but Solly – our child most afraid of wasps – was not concerned about it at all. So we pulled back on the highway and continued on.

Five minutes later, we had a similar scene. Pulled over, Dekker crawled back there, no wasp to be found that time. Back on the road.

Until we entered PA and someone started announcing “Wasp! Wasp! WASP!” So we did it again, and Dekker hammered that thing with my sandal over and over and over. He told us he had trapped it between the window and the plastic trim. I asked if he wanted a handful of kleenex to give it a really good squish, and as he scoffed at me, Laela giggled and said the wasp was definitely good and dead.

We stopped for fries and milkshakes (classy) and Dekker was granted a LARGE milkshake while the rest got smalls. But he earned it by, and I quote, WHOLE DEADIFYING the wasp!

I never would’ve expected him to go wasp hunting in the back of the van with all the other kids back there, but I was very pleasantly surprised 💜 I can’t believe he’s so grown up.

School starts tomorrow. I’m ready. And not in a “I can’t wait to be away from everyone” kind of way. I’m excited for routine and balance and a few things to slow down and a few new things to come into our life. The new season will be a good one, I am confident. But the one we’re in is beautiful, too 💜

Sleep well, all 💜

After a couple of chillier, windier days, we were able to enjoy the beach for the afternoon ☀️ 

The beach was full!! Kids paddle boarded, swam, kayaked, and played in the sand for a good while. 

However, after not too long at all, we were four wasp stings in and decided to call it. The fire was a helpful deterrent in terms of the wasps specifically. 

As the day cooled off a bit, we joined the Dahlsjos at the camps wing night, which we have eagerly anticipated all summer! It was delicious!! 

I spent some really nice time with my sweet Sadie this evening, and then we called it a night! 

Kids are being tucked away and no one is fighting. Time for a few snacks, maybe a chunk of an episode of Stranger Things, and then to bed we go!! Tomorrow will be a short day at camp before we take everyone home for baths, buzzes, and some quick double checking before the first day of school 💜 

Sleep tight, all! We only had one wakeup last night! Let’s hope for a repeat! 🤞 

It just feels more and more like fall, and I’m actually not mad at it. 

Sadie bought me chai ice cream at the farmers market. 

I ate it by the fire, dressed in leggings and a plaid jacket. The wind was too cold to be at the beach. I loom knitted. Babies napped and we did some sitting and visiting and just resting. It was lovely and peaceful. Supper was bonkers, as it almost always is when Stacy cooks 🤤 

The day ended with the kids in the hot tub, making new friends while we listen to the big band play at the wedding up at the camp. And now, it’s time to wrap the day up. 

Thank you Lord for always providing for us 💜

After a fairly successful night, we’ve had a super extra beautiful day. We enjoyed the fire all morning, and split for lunch. The Dahlsjos went for their sandwiches, and we stayed for our sandwiches 😅 we are SUCH fancy people, hahahah! 

After lunch, we got ready to go to the beach! It was grey out, but still pretty nice and warm and still. But that was all very deceiving because down by the water was COLD and WINDY and it even rained a little! Which normally I’m totally down for, except that wind was brutal and made it so so much colder! It was gorgeous tho, so, no regrets! 

Supper was chunky chicken salad with our Dahlsjos  🥗 It had been a while, and we all LOVED it! 

But alas, the day wrapped up not long after we ate. Our babies were so extra loud and it was just so clearly time. But that’s ok because it’s still later than we’re up at home, so it makes total sense! 

Have good sleeps, guys 💜 happy long weekend! The LAST one before school kicks off next week!!  

Welp. Today was absolutely gigantic. Going into the day, I felt confident that as long as I kept moving at a good clip, I’d get all the things done in a reasonable amount of time, and I’d feel that good rewarding fatigue that we all love to have at the end of the day. 

Whew. The day, however, did not deliver. Unfortunately it was just a largely struggly day. I really love posting as positive as possible but yikes. Today was a tough one. But I really do think it’s a culmination of the amount of work I’ve put into the last two weeks. I’ve overdone it, without a doubt, lol! And while I really don’t regret it, because aaaaall that work was super worth it, I have hit a wall, and I feel quite finished. 

Of course now that I’ve said that, God will press me further, so we’ll anticipate that 😂 

Conveniently, we have taken any extra long long weekend, and are back at the lake tonight 💜 We may have gotten here hours later than planned or preferred, but we made it. And guess what. Tomorrow holds NO meetings. NO visits. NO shopping. NO business. Just hanging out around a fire or on a beach with our friends who are actually our family. 

Tomorrow, anyway. First, we sleep 😴 At least I sure hope we do!! 🤞 cmon, Lemon Drop! I know you can do it!! 

Brady and I use a list app between our phones called “To Do” where we can list about whatever we want. This is right up my alley considering the way my life is and how many things I simply cannot remember on my own. List are the name of the game!

There is one list simply called “Today.” It used to hold a list for a specific city trip, or perhaps a short list of errands for Brady to run after work. Things like that. But I believe it was coming into summer when I made that a list of things that needed doing in the house. As if by some miracle we would have all kinds of extra time, I figured I’d have a list of jobs or priorities to look at and be able to decide where to invest my time. 😂 Anyway, it didn’t take, and I completely forgot about that list of things that felt so so important.

Yesterday I went into that list to make a specific list for while we were in the city, and I was met with this long list of all these daunting tasks. And then I went through it and checked the bulk of them off!!

Finish garage outerwear ✔️
Baby proof kitchen ✔️
Small dresser for baby room ✔️
Move the Spoonful in with the Morsel ✔️
Mail Caitlin coffee (Ok, I didn’t mail it but I gave it to her this weekend so its still done!) ✔️
Buy buckets for cube shelves Went with different storage system ✔️
Order laundry machines (lol) ✔️
School supplies order ✔️
School supplies clean up ✔️
Hang mug shelf ✔️

ALL OF THOSE were done without me overthinking them, and it was absolutely such a relief! The list is not gone but it is much smaller. This was such a pleasant surprise to me, and while the last two weeks have been a total whirlwind, and the last couple of days carrying some downers, I welcomed the pick me up of being more productive than I thought I had been!

Anyway. Tomorrow we leave for camp. But first, a meeting with a social worker, two visits for the babies, and a school event! Whew! Somewhere in there, I’ll pack. Wish me luck!!! 🤞

Laela and Rowan are commonly referred to as the twins around here, because they have so many similarities! They used to be the same height and same weight, with similar hair color and expressions. Of course, they’re older, look different, act somewhat different, and Rowan has quickly surpassed her in size, haha! But they remain my twins, because it just works.

Today I had an opportunity to have one on one time with each of them! This week is nuts for appointments, meetings, responsibilities, and everything else, so I find myself in the city a lot. Today, we took a baby in for a visit, and Brady came to meet us in the Walmart parking lot after work. We got there around the same time. We tried to go in for a shop as a family but it was clear that one of the babies was not having it. So we decided to split up. Brady was going to take the group to pick up supper, and I would stay and do the shop. Laela asked to stay with me, so we did Walmart together. It was really really nice 💜 We got groceries for camp this weekend, and then worked hard to put together a present for someone we love! We finally found five nice items, a gift bag, and a card. We sat outside and put it all together while we waited for the gang to pick us up.

We ate our supper in the van, and went to pick up after the visit. At that point, we went to retrieve Brady’s minivan, and Rowan and I split off from the group to hit Costco quickly. Bradys idea, which was SO nice. Some one on one time with Rowan doesn’t happen too often, but it was a nice opportunity for it, and we also needed to get a few things there. Nothing big. Just a little. Just us. He was stoked to be singled out 💜 I get how that feels.

We shopped and got just about everything on our list! Though they haven’t had the good bacon bits in a while :/ Whats that all about?! Lame. Anyway. We did see…

A GHOST!!

We did pretty good and got through in what felt like decent time. But wow has the season changed! We got there in the sun and left in the dark.

We came home and I unloaded and put away our purchases, and Rowan settled in for a short 15 minutes of wind down before it was bedtime. I can’t believe its already after 10pm. I am positively dragging, and the next days have FOUR commitments EACH! 😵 Wish me luuuuuck!