So a while back, I was talking about going through a super difficult time with the kids, where they were just constantly breaking rules, getting in trouble, being super rude to one another, etc. In all honesty, it hasn’t improved a whole lot yet, but I’m SO bored of talking about it! And if I’m bored, very likely you are also bored. So I’m tried pretty hard to lay off that kind of talk and focus on other things.

Yesterday was another tricky one and I was really struggling to figure out what to write about that wasn’t focused around my kids misbehaving. Luckily, I hadn’t really had a chance to put up a photo post from that Edmonton weekend, and a photo post is always a fun post! At least yesterday’s sure was! I always love an opportunity to brag Brady up a bit 😉 And thank you for all the love on the bright new front door!! Honestly, I expected a bit more judgement on that! Hahaha! We all LOVE it!

I’m happy to say that today has felt a bit better. Its not been perfect, but I’m not going for “perfect,” so thats ok. Usually, the kids set the table for breakfast in the morning, and they’re all so eager to help that they end up fighting like cats and dogs over who gets to do what. So instead, I got up five minutes early and just did it all myself before they were up. I still want them to learn to help, and I know they still want to, but it was SO refreshing today to just avoid the fight. Breakfast was peaceful.

The kids and I took Dekker to school, and checked the mail. I’m anticipating a couple of parcels, but they keep not coming! I’m pretty sure the one at least is coming tomorrow! Woot! After the mail, we headed home and began our relaxed morning of playing and reading stories.

One thing we do as punishment over here is take away a toy that they’re being disobedient with. This isn’t an unheard of concept, haha! We used to put the toy on the island and they’d get it back the next day. But with the current state of their behavior, our island was COVERED by the end of the day, and the island was just a mess. So, now, the toys are put on top of the fridge, and they’re gone longer. Until we decide, basically. The stakes are higher.

About a week ago, Laela lost her stuffed Elsa when she was super angry and hucked it at one of her brothers. Boom. Gone. But she understood why, and accepted that it was gone. Over the last day or two, she’s been asking about it. Last night, she really wanted it to sleep with, and we told her we could have a talk about it the next day and see if she was ready to have it back. That was this morning.

Laela asked very politely if she could have her Elsa back now. I asked her if she remembered why she lost her toy in the first place, and she definitely did. She apologized, and I agreed to give her back her toy. The moment Elsa was in her arms, Laela closed her eyes and gave her a big, mushy hug. And the second that hug was over, she ran Elsa over to Solly. If you remember, Elsa is probably Solly’s favorite toy in our whole house. He squealed with delight and grabbed Elsa from Laela, and kissed her and kissed her and kissed her! It was a VERY happy reunion.

I need these moments. They are such wonderful reminders of how hard my children really do try, and that they have GOOD, BIG hearts, and that they really love each other. Even when they don’t really like each other every moment of every day 😉 I know this is normal sibling stuff, but I don’t like writing it off like that. I don’t think it makes it ok to be twerps to each other just because the mood strikes. Self control, folks! We ALL have it. We just have to use it! And today, I saw my little spitfire daughter graciously give her brother her sought after cuddly Elsa because she knew he loves her, maybe even more than Laela does.

Just another “its working” moment that relaxes my heart a little. YIKES I love these kids.

I have so many beautiful pictures, courtesy of my husband, from the weekend I was away in Edmonton, and I don’t think I ever really shared any! So, be prepared for a bit of a pic dump. It’ll be worth it. Brady is an EPIC dad, and I came home to a super happy family! I’m beyond grateful for them.

Jerilee and I left the Friday morning, so Brady took Dekker to school and the other kids to the city to get our tires fixed up. The other day, if you remember, I got stranded by the elementary school with a flat. Well that tire was completely shot, plus the tires all needed to be re-balanced and whatnot after that whole debacle, so he brought the three kids along and they hung out at the tire shop for a bit. Apparently Rowan even made a friend in the waiting room, and tried to tell her about Jesus before she took a phone call. I love them.

We are SO lucky to have such a great place to go, where everyone is honest and great at their job. Everything was shined up (literally) and they were good to go in no time! Thanks again, Faithfull Tire and Auto, for getting out bus in perfect order, and for tolerating our kids running circles around your waiting room.

On the same day, Brady began a project that I believe I hinted about but never fully told you guys about. Whoops! I’m so scatterbrained! When it started, anyway, it looked like this!

And then he set up our new stroller!

The ONLY bummer about this stroller is that our car seat isn’t compatible :/ I knew it very likely wasn’t and was expecting to buy an adapter thing for it, but I kind of hate how that even works. Anyone have a bucket seat that is compatible with the City Select that they aren’t using for the remainder of 2018 that they’d be willing to lend out/sell?

On Saturday, Brady, along with our lovely across the street neighbour, got our kids ready and took them out to the fire fighters pancake breakfast! I have to be pretty careful with posting pictures of that because there were SO many other kids in most of them, and I don’t want to mess with other people’s privacy :/ Which is unfortunate because there are SO many good ones!!! But here’s what I’ve got for now, anyway. Forgive me for having more of some kids than others! Its tricky when there are a handful of them!

Seriously, they’re SO cute! And they had SUCH a good time! I heard about it for days on end! The hats are still floating around the house.

The rest of the day was low key. Solly woke up from his nap first and hung out with Brady outside for a bit before everyone else woke up.

Then they ate hot dogs for supper…

…had baths, and watched some music videos to wind down before bed. I love them.

Sunday was the day I came home. But before I did, there were things to do! Jerilee and I shopped, obviously, but Brady did other things! First, selfies, because he knows I’d be SO disappointed if he didn’t take any!! I LOVE them!!! This one is the best 🙂

Then he took what I like to call “sugar shots” of the kids before taking everyone outside for the morning.

They biked and played and helped Brady install the final project that he had been working on!!

Eeeeeeek!!! I LOVE it!

Then I’m told they went in for lunch, naps, quiet time, etc. and headed to my parents for the remainder of the afternoon and supper, where I met them at the end of the day.

I’m SO thankful for my husband, and his willingness to hang with the kids for a weekend while I am off galavanting with my bestie, spending some money and living selfishly for a few days. On one hand, I know Brady is one in a million, and SO full of love for his family, and I am incredibly fortunate to have him. And on another hand, a man watching his kids isn’t what make him one in a million. He does it with joy and excitement, and doesn’t just limp through his days when he’s outnumbered and tired. He makes the most of it, and works HARD to give everyone 100% of himself. He is NOT a selfish man. Not one bit.

What a fabulous weekend for all of us involved. I’m so grateful.

I’m just completely astonished every single week that we have actually made it through another week!! From the other side of that, I’m also shocked that the number of remaining weeks keeps going down. Seven weeks, folks. Seven. My gosh. Dekker asked me this morning how much longer it would be until Bambina was born. He said seven weeks still seemed like a long long time. When I told him many women are pregnant for forty weeks, he was completely blown away! Suddenly seven didn’t seem like many at all. I’m with him. It feels kind of long, but in the grand scheme of things, its not long at all!

Size Comparison: I aaalmost want to throw this category out the window, lol! Its been SO all over the place recently, but I’ve made it this far. Why stop here? Plus I really like one of the comparisons on my usual app 🙂 Remember those square plastic scooter boards from gym in the early grades at school? Apparently she’s the size of that. Go figure! Lol! Also, a naked armadillo. The biggest thing, I think, is that we’re at the stage of the game where I’m theoretically gaining a pound per week, and about half of that weight is going straight onto the baby! So I hear, anyway! 

Appointments: I had a prenatal appointment on Friday. Brady was going to join me, like he used to for every single appointment, but the kids were sick and snotty and unfriendly and it just wasn’t a good day for it :/ Too bad. I love having him in the appts if at all possible, and he hasn’t met my student doctor yet. But thats fine. I went in myself and had a decent appointment. If I remember right, I’ve never talked weight too specifically with you guys, but I believe at my last appointment a month ago, I had gained 9 lbs all together. Welp, as of Friday, I’ve gained 15 lbs! Oy! Lol! I’m not in any way suggesting that 15 lbs is too many, AT ALL, but 6 lbs in four weeks is a good amount 😉 This is how my pregnancies tend to finish off, though. I get so much bigger at the end! As do my kids, lol! There are always a couple of big months. I’m not worried 😉 The rest of the appointment was fine. I had changed my reflux medication dosage, and asked for a prescription for it. That felt like a bit of a failure but barfing up acid literally all day long just isn’t my idea of a good time. Nope nope nope. I asked a couple of questions about the iron I’ve started taking, and if there were any rules about how close to baby day I can go to physio. I admitted to him that my anxiety is weirdly going up these days, which I wouldn’t have expected, but turns out to be the case. We didn’t talk in too much detail about it, but we did when Dr. Guselle joined us at the end of the appointment. When she came into the room, he mentioned to her that I was having anxiety, and she right away tilted her head, sat herself up on the exam table, and said “Oh dear. Why are we anxious?” I sputtered my way through my somewhat pathetic, irrational fears about the baby dying, and how I KNOW I have no reason to believe she will, but that the closer it gets to her being born, the worse its going to hurt if she were to pass away. My wonderful doctor is SO understanding. She completely dismissed my dismissal of my own feelings (if you can follow that, lol) and reassured me that she knew exactly why I was feeling that way. She and my student doctor went over ALL the things they’ve observed through my pregnancy that should normally bring a person confidence. The growth of my uterus has been consistent and on track. I’m not swelling. My blood pressure is great. I have no signs of premature labor. Baby reacts to my exams, as is seen in her heart rate (which was between 135-150 bpm, by the way.) She’s even consistently head down! Everything looks right. They were totally understanding and sensitive about where I stand, but without asking directly, it seems like they are going to try to limp me through the end of my pregnancy, ultrasound-free. Which I understand and respect, completely. And I know I could just ask if I were really, truly suffering. But, for now, its ok, and I can make it. Its just a little longer. It was a good appointment.

How am I feeling emotionally: Huh. Kind of jumped the gun on this one. Read above, lol! 

How am I feeling physically: I’m doing pretty ok. My pelvis hurts a bit more than usual these days, with that wretched right leg pain back again, but I’ve also been so much busier and more active than usual over the last week and weekends that I think it makes sense. I need a chiro adjustment, and since Brady’s work is full but not unbearably full this week, that may even come in the next few days. I’ve been congested and had semi-plugged ears through most of this pregnancy, and that continues on, though I hoped it would at least lessen when spring rolled around. Not the case. I do tire out pretty quickly, and fall asleep earlier in the evenings than I used to. If I become a flaky friend over the next couple of months, please forgive me. I’m so so tired, haha! Its hard to find that middle ground of how hard to push myself and when to just let myself be comfortable and at rest. Another physical symptom thats hanging around is my reflux, and its craaazy. My prescription doesn’t even cut it some days. That being said, however, its an old bottle of capsules, so perhaps they’ve lost some potency. I’ll know soon enough when I inevitably cash in for a refill. And on the baby side of things, she is feeling pretty cramped in there! I can feel her try to stretch out ALL the way, and her feel will go aaaaall the way up between my ribs and poke my sternum, and she’ll so lovingly kick at my sternum while head-butting my cervix. Its not the most comfortable 😉 but I wouldn’t trade it. I love that she’s big enough for me to sometimes be able to identify which parts are what and how she’s laying. I love her. 

Wish Lish/Purchases: This is a big one this week!! For Mothers Day, I received the beautiful diaper bag I’ve been pining over!! YES! I’m SO excited to load it up with her little stuff! I’ve owned a similar bag in the past, and its been improved since then, in lots of ways! It has a few more pockets that look actually very convenient for holding bottles, and it also has a crossbody strap on it for my husband who often carries the bag and doesn’t love the shoulder strap. So everybody wins! I’m SO thankful for it!! Yesterday, my mom and I put in a few solid hours of shopping for the baby party, so all kinds of things have been acquired for that, which feels SO real and SO exciting!! Lastly, the one little thing we get every kid that isn’t really a necessity but more of a tradition is a single little toy for in their car seat. Now, let me remember… I THINK Dekker had an owl that jingled. Laela had a flat little bunny that made a crunchy sound. Rowan had an elephant with a wooden ring on the end. Sadly, I cannot remember for the life of me what Solly’s car seat toy was! And being that he’s the most recent kid, I should remember!! I’ve scoured the blog from his birth to him being in a convertible seat, and it appears I wore him in a carrier so much more than the other kids, and have WAY less pictures of him in a car seat than I do of the other kids. Shoot. Sorry, Solly! Hopefully a lack of car seat toy never did any psychological damage! That ALL being said, we bought Bambina a little coral colored teething toy in the shape of a pineapple. I ordered it yesterday, thanks to a free shipping promo for Mother’s Day. LOTS of fun purchases in preparation for her homecoming! We even got the cradle out of the garage finally! 

Pictures: Todays bumpity bump!! Look at her go!

Isn’t it funny how round bellies look, but from different angles, they’re actually suuuper lumpy? Lol! My babies almost always hang out on the right side of my body, so its much more stretched out and bulbous. Meanwhile the left side of my body, mainly my ribcage, take a serious beating! Lol! But I’m SO big this week! And SO PINK! Lol!

How are the kids feeling: The kids are just the cutest. This morning, as I was getting the kids up, I was on my knees, giving them good morning hugs, Rowan approached me with his belly sticking right out. He walked right up to be and bumped bellies with me. He just stood there and we looked at our bellies. He smiled up at me and said he wanted to hug the baby. He and Dekker both got nice and low down, and hugged my belly warmly, and wished their little sister a good day. It was adorable and exciting. I can just picture how our reality will change with another little one, and how our current four kids will be amazing siblings to the new addition. Dekker actually made a sign the other day, ALL on his own, inviting people to the baby party! I’d post a picture on here, but I think I’m actually going to save it and hang it on the door on the day of the party 🙂 As per his request, of course 😉 The anticipation is thick around here. We’re all more than ready. 

Getting to know the baby: My little miss seems easily calmed. When she is really giving ‘er and kicking like a crazy person, I often just put my hand on her and rub her a little, and she slows right down. She still moves and shifts, but she is much more gentle and calm. I love that. I look forward SO MUCH to our first snuggles in person. The first time I can calm her from crying. The first time we doze together. The first time I feed her milk and wipe the little drips off her sleeping face. The first swaddle in her special homemade blankets. All of it. Don’t get me wrong. There is NOTHING like carrying a baby in your body. But I’m ready to have her in my arms.

The BEST part of being pregnant: I think the best part of being pregnant right now is nesting. I’ve been able to find a bit of extra energy here and there, and have begun gutting and purging different places in our house in preparation for Bambina. I struggled hard with nesting when I was pregnant with Jamin because it hit so early, and I didn’t know if I was jus super eager to have him, or if I was naturally nesting off of my pregnancy with Theo, since the two overlapped so quickly. I admit, after two consecutive losses, nesting feels scary in some ways. I’ve been hesitant to really get ready for her to arrive, because how awful would it be if she didn’t?? BUT! I just cannot and WILL NOT live that way. So these days, actually physically preparing for her arrival feels awesome. I sorted out some weird old stuff from my cupboard of bottles. We DID get a second fridge (Thank you, Cher, for hear my desperate cries in my last series post!) which is ready and waiting to be filled with baby party food! I have a little section in a closet with some of Bambina’s things hung up, though I will definitely wash them all up before the time comes. I cleaned out cabinets and part of the pantry. My room is tidied and the cradle just needs a wipe down before it can move up to its precious spot beside my bed. There is still lots to do, but the occasional burst of energy to make the things happen has been wonderful!

Favourite thing: My favorite thing of the week is probably the song “Classic” by the band MKTO. Its cute and catchy and I love it 🙂 I’m linking the video ONLY BECAUSE I want you to hear the song, but I really don’t care for the video or watching the guy sing it. So, sorry not sorry. 

Its so cute and catchy and I love the song! So does the rest of my family. It was a quick, natural favorite.

Its been such a crazy busy time over the last few weeks! While its made time move super quick, and we’ve made some good progress, Brady’s work is relaxing just a little this coming week, and I’m hoping that means some extra energy for all of us! Hopefully we’ll be even more productive and get some real work done around here! Because, guys. Seven weeks left. SEVEN. I hope they whip by and Bambina is in our arms before we know it! I’m sure we’ll have no trouble filling that time.

** If I haven’t added you to the baby party event yet, speak up! I’m sorry! I wanted to add SO many more people to the list but I didn’t want to add like hundreds of people who have no interest, lol! There is still time but if you have any interest, let me know!! Open to ALL! Men, women, and children! Come on, come all! If you’re anticipating this girl a fraction as much as we are, we want to see you there! **

Today was a full Mother’s Day, and I truly enjoyed it! After a full day of garage sale shopping and celebrating Mother’s Day with my husband and kids, today promised to be just as full and just as nice.

We woke up pretty early to get ready to head to church early for music practice. When I was in process of brushing my teeth, the kids rushed my en suite and smothered me with hugs and kisses and gave me a present that Brady had secretly bought me a while ago. It was a really lovely little visit. I got somewhat ready, but lost a lot of time to picking out my clothes since I’m actively getting bigger, and less and less feels flattering. Lol! Its ok, I rolled with it. I’m THRILLED to be getting bigger! Grow, baby, grow!

My parents showed up around 8:20 and we were out the door a few minutes later to pick up our third worship team member, Carrie, to head to church. We practiced for about an hour, and then went on to participate in a special Sunday school morning with the youth group! We all just sat in a circle and played some worship songs together. Sometimes people would mention scripture that they felt went with the song, or they’d grab some kind of instrument and join in that way. We all worship in different ways, and it was nice to have the opportunity to just do it however we wanted to. It was a really nice morning.

With us being at church through that entire stretch before the service actually began, my parents were at our house, orchestrating the whole morning. Kids were fed, dressed, brushed, loaded up, buckled in, and brought to church, all thanks to them! When we finished up with Sunday school and actually came into the sanctuary, our little bench was filled with our family. It was really nice.

Church worship leading was SO cute! We chose the first set of songs based on what our kids loved to sing, and invited them up to join us on stage! Carrie’s two girls came up, and Dekker and Rowan did, too. Laela didn’t want to, which was fine. And Solly REALLY wanted to, but it just wasn’t a good fit 😉 So we got some ADORABLE videos of that! We invited the kids up again for the closing song, and this time Rowan declined but Laela joined us up at the front. I wonder if anyone noticed. I hear those two are somewhat interchangeable 😉 All things considered, it was a VERY cute morning.

As soon as church was over, we tried to make as quick of an exit as possible. I changed into something a bit more weather appropriate (it was SO nice out today!) and wore my pretty new sparkle ball earrings for the first time, as well! My mom texted when she was ready to go, and off we went on our Mother’s Day date!!

I took my mom out for lunch at Tony Roma’s, which is our favorite place to eat lunch together. We always get the same thing. We split a starter of the kickin’ shrimp (no green onions, please,) and then we split an order of riblings. She eats the coleslaw side and I eat the mashed potato side. Boom. YUM! While we ate, we made some plans for our summer holiday at the lake. She and my dad are joining us for the last three days of our big lake trip, so we planned out the food and kind of just got excited about it all! I can’t WAIT for summer! July is going to be the best month!

We spent the rest of our afternoon shopping for Bambina’s party. It was SO fun to just finally get my hands on the things we actually need for it. I bought all the disposable dishes, more fake flowers, a couple of platters, drink dispensers, etc. Its starting to come together! I’m SO excited!

We shopped hard for those few hours and got a lot done. We didn’t get everything, but now I know what is left to look for, and lots of it I may just find online! We’ll see! I have a bit of time still. But really, not much! We were so nice and tired after shopping, and the boys had made us supper upon getting home. We ate together for pretty much the rest of the day, haha! The kids ate great, as in lots. But we are now all completely bushed, and ready for bed.

First a bath, as usual, and then bed. Another big week coming tomorrow! Tho its not as crammed as the past couple of weeks. Brady’s work is a little bit more levelled out, and we don’t have quite as many commitments! I’m looking forward to it!

Series post to come tomorrow! Can you believe time is still moving forward??? The baby is going to come SOON!

I LOVE garage sale day!! Those of you who have followed long enough know this 😉 Shopping is always fun, but I love the social aspect. I love walking in the sun all morning. I love eating the little treats that people make. And I love second hand shopping, obviously. The whole tradition is just too good.

Last year, it was considerably less fun. The year before hadn’t been much better, if I remember correctly. For a whole host of reasons, I ended up angrily sending my family home, and did some angst shopping on my own. I was hurt and annoyed and the whole thing kind of sucked. Yes, I was being a bit of a baby, but Brady and I had a long chat about it afterwards and no love was lost.

This year, he was determined that it would be better for me. He and I talked in detail about what bugged me in the previous years, and how he could make it better. We pep talked the kids about how fun of a day garage sale day is, and how it was one of my favorite days of the year. They all seemed to pick up on it.

And guys, it was GREAT! According to the health app on Brady’s phone, we walked about 4 kms this morning, with two kids in the stroller and two on foot. They didn’t whine and cry for every single toy. They wandered around the sales happily and left willingly when it was time. They didn’t even whine about all the walking!! About halfway through our trek, Dekker mentioned that his legs were getting tired, but we were conveniently at the sale where we ALWAYS stop for donuts! Sooooo we stopped for donuts.

Hellooooooo, energy!

We made our way back home from there, stopping to visit with a handful of good friends that we only ever seem to see on garage sale day. Its funny how that always works that way 🙂

Our purchases are as follows:

A second trike! WOW how we’ve needed another one of these! $10.

This is the cutest dominos game I’ve ever seen! The dots are all so bright and colourful. Virtually untouched! $1.

Just a little cozy pair of shorts for Laela, who only has denim shorts so far this year. $0.50.

A FABULOUS kids sized life jacket! $5.

Skates for Laela. $5.

Duplo! Our kids use it ALL THE TIME! $5.

A set of forstner bits for Brady. He bought ONE bit a while back for $35. This whole set was $35. Win!

The only other purchases we made were when Brady let each kid pick a toy out of a $0.25 bin. Thats how we ended up with a toy that we donated to that garage sale just days before. Super glad to have that back. *insert passive aggressive face here*

Aaaaand our best family picture from the day! Lol!

It barely includes Solly, but he’s the star of just about every other picture, so what can you do?

All in all, this morning was VERY cute! I’m so grateful to have a husband who makes the things I love a priority, and for kids who are amazing sports and bright lights!! What a perfect kick off to Mother’s Day weekend!

I had kind of a funny day yesterday. It was a really lovely kick off, with my mom coming to hang with the littles so I could take Dekker to school without everyone else. Normally we spend the rest of that one morning together, but it was my day to help at the preschool, which was completely fine, but I missed hanging out with her. She stuck around through lunch but had other things up that afternoon. Which, again, was fine. I hung out in bed and rested a little. I was feeling a bit emotional yesterday and needed the reprieve just as much as the kids did. But a certain child was bucking the system hard and ruined naps for the whole bunch. Keep in mind that all of the kids have colds. So a nap was pretty stinking necessary. But, cool. *sigh* I picked Dekker up from school, and thankfully he seemed happy. But once we were outside, he slipped on some grass. He aaalmost didn’t even go down, but in his general upset, he plunked down on the ground, and wailed like a crazy person. He couldn’t even really point to a spot that hurt. He was just wounded, somehow. And guys, he WAILED. Like, other parents came over to make sure he was ok and hadn’t broken anything. And he hadn’t. He had aggressively sat in grass. And I even say “aggressively” lightly. There is no bruise. No grass stain. No nothing. Nothing happened. After naps had been such a bust, and everyone was already wrecked enough for the end of the day, I had a pretty low level of patience. But, as always, I tried my best to roll with it. I kissed his leg and we walked to the van, him limping dramatically the whole way.

Because of the afternoon’s disobedience, the kids lost any tv privileges. Its been DAYS without any tv, and while I know lots of people’s kids don’t watch any tv, ours do. Its so handy for a little rest, to give their brains a rest and to slow everyone down. No one is running laps around my feet while the tv is on. No one is fighting when the tv is on. Its a nice calm time. This entire week, we’ve been without that nice, quiet stretch of entertainment.

The house grew chaotic once everyone was back in it, and I needed to do something. I’ve been trying to picture the house decorated for the baby party, but its always such a mess that I just can’t see past it. I TRY, but its just hard. Especially the kitchen! Yikes! WHAT a mess! Even with the dishes all done and put away, too many things live on my counter, or on the fridge, or on the island. Not to mention how dirty the cabinets are! Yikes! So I went on a rampage, which is logical, right? I got all the dirty dishes tidied and put away, and made an easy, practical plan for where things that have to live on the counter can go during the party. I went to put a couple of things in a cupboard, and that grew into a HUGE project of gutting the cabinets and deciding what actually needs to stay and what can really go because we never ever use it. We’re donating a ton of stuff to our friends’ garage sale, and this random purge added so much to that load!

When Brady got home, I was up on a chair, digging random pumpkin carving tools out of the back of a cupboard. I greeted him and then spouted off a hundred different things about what I wanted to get rid of and where things had moved that we were keeping. I had a list of other things that had popped into mind that I wanted to get rid of but hadn’t gathered up yet. I started talking party stuff and plans and he very politely listened and responded as he went around and hugged and kissed his whole family. Once my rant was over, he excused himself upstairs to go wash up and change, and my annoying, needy self followed him up moments later. I was SO ready for him to be home. The moment I plunked down on the bed to talk to him, I was finished. He lovingly told me that was fine, and encouraged me to take a rest. I couldn’t wind down, and kept spouting. I admitted how hard the afternoon had been and that I was struggling. He sat and listened and understood. He is truly the best man for me.

As we chatted, I heard the clinking of dishes. Real dishes. I thought about it. I wouldn’t put it past my kids to do the dishes on their own, honestly, but I had just done them, and there were only a few dirty ones in the dishwasher. Less than a minute later, Dekker showed up at our room and knocked on the door. He presented me with a bowl of Cheerios.

Now, to clarify, I hadn’t been crying, or yelling, or really showing any signs of struggle. I was in business mode, but that was the worst of it. So this was less of a “save mom’s life” move and more just a love move! I thanked him and kissed him and he scampered off, very happy with himself, as he should’ve been!

I stayed upstairs and ate my Cheerios while I watched some YouTube and made a list of things that I can buy in advance for the baby party. Basically all the non-food stuff. While I did that, Brady informed me through text that Dekker had tried to bring me a second bowl of Cheerios. He also insisted on taking our carpet sweeper to the living room rug. He showed up at my bedroom door one more time to bring me a cozy blanket from the couch. It was SO sweet.

Thankfully, after kind of a strange, overwhelming afternoon, Dekker really softened the blow. He will make an excellent husband one day. But until then, I’m VERY grateful to have him as my little man. I hope he does these loving things for everyone in his life. And with that, I hope I start liking cereal along the way…

I was waiting to take pictures of everything I bought in Edmonton to post them here, but I’ve done that in the past and they’re sometimes just long and boring. So rather, I thought a list would work too 🙂 Hope that works and isn’t even more boring… I make no promises. I’ve already put some of it to use so hopefully I don’t forget anything!!!

In no particular order…

We hit Old Navy twice. I bought myself a striped sweatshirt with a pineapple on it. Laela got a dress that I have yet to try on her, but I bought a size up, so 🤞 we’ll see! I also bought Bambina a romper with happy lemons on it, as well as some denim ruffle bum “bloomers.” I do not like the word “bloomers” at all, but I wanted to find her some real denim shorts and this was the closest I could find. They’re cute! I bought Brady a nice new pair of chambray shorts, as he wore last years pair into the ground, and a grey tshirt. Nothing too crazy.

We also went to H&M twice, but I had some things on my list there. I got two maternity tshirts, and one maternity long sleeved shirts. All will translate to post-baby clothes also. Win! But Laela needed a few things from there, and she got them! A new hoodie, a couple of dresses, and some other little cheap dresses that I buy her each year to use for nighties. Bambina also got a little set of soft spaghetti strap tank tops.

I bought a pair of distressed dark jeans out of Motherhood for only $20! They’re the super duper low rise cut rather than the full belly panel, which I’m SO happy about! The belly panel can eat me. I’m just not a fan.

The Gap was good and bad. I LOVE their maternity stuff but its almost never actually in stores :/ Regardless, Laela got a tshirt and a romper off the clearance rack, and a new pack of underwear that I wish I could show you because they’re SO cute, but I’m pretty sure there are rules against that, so nope. I got myself a pair of floral stretchy pants that are just way too cute!

We tried out a new store called Cloud Nine Pajamas, and before I even saw the pajamas, I saw a wall of those ultra-absorbant underwear that I’ve been thinking about getting for my postpartum “fun” to come this summer. They weren’t quite the brand I had my eye on, (they were more spandexy and less soft) but they are a completely reputable brand, and they were on sale. Since they weren’t exactly what I was looking for, I decided to buy one pair and try them out. So we’ll see how that goes.

I could have spent a FORTUNE at Bye Bye Baby! Everything was SO cute, but SO stinking expensive. I just can’t justify a romper for $40. Just can’t. But I bought Bambina a headband. It has bananas on it. I love it.

I bought the Modern Renaissance palette out of Sephora! I’ve been drooling over that thing for a while now!

Also, I bought my first ever pair of sparkle balls out of Hillberg & Berk. I chose the Amethyst color, because surprise surprise! Purple is my favorite.

A quick stop in an Indigo for Starbucks reminded me I have a book I wanted to buy for the baby party. I’m hoping everyone will write something inside of it for her. Its called “I Prayed for You.” And boy, did I ever! I think many of us did.

Last but not least, I hit IKEA, and did WAY better than I thought I would! My best, biggest purchase from there was my third (and final, I promise, Brady!) white drawer unit that I use to hold my makeup. I’m SO stoked to have this last one to really store everything I need it to. No more boxes of things living under my vanity table or just randomly stashed throughout my room. All the extras can live in these things! Its perfect!! Besides that, I bought Brady a new lamp, because the one on his side of the bed is pretty ripped up. I bought a little runner to put on our piano so people can feel more comfortable to set food and drinks up there. I bought a ton more kids sized hangers. I bought napkins for the baby party, as well as two little lanterns to add to the decor for the party. Oh, and a whisk. Also that.

But really, guys, thats it!! I feel like I’ve been WAY more impulsive in the past, but was considerably more calculated and careful this time. I love EVERYTHING I brought home. I think its safe to say I made pretty good choices. *pats herself on the back*

Whew! NOW I can put it all away!! Yay for a tidy bedroom once again!

Today already feels WAY better than yesterday, though in some ways that makes no sense. Dekker and Laela have been a bit snotty the last couple of days, and today, the little boys have joined the fun, with an added dry cough. Ugh. Poor kids. Thankfully, though, two loving friends of our family came by this morning to help out! This goes SUCH a long way, because I can get a few things done without a snot monster clinging to my ankle, and/or actually SIT while drinking a hot coffee.

This morning, I did a bit of both. I took Dekker to school without having to bring everyone else along. I finished up some dishes and made my bed, as well as the kids beds. The job of chopping enough vegetables for an army was done for me. I boiled a bunch of eggs up for Brady’s lunches.

Yesterday, I made a few of the appointments on my list, but not all. The ones I still haven’t done are only waiting because I’m not entirely sure when to book them for. I did a handful of other things off of the list yesterday, and it feels WAY less ominous now! I still have some things to look up and make decisions about.

One big thing is that I really want to get invitations made for the baby party, mostly so I can hand them out at church, as I don’t have my entire church family on Facebook. I have a prototype made up already, and I think it would be worth it to have them on hand early so I can literally drop them in mailboxes the day we get home. Would be best for us, anyway, as the party will be less than two weeks after that. But!! Brady and I are suddenly less confident on her middle name, and obviously her name is on the invite!! Ack! So that waits, but hopefully not for long. I’d love to have that nailed down as soon as possible!

As tends to happen (hopefully not just for me) as I’ve been crossing stuff off my list, I’m adding more. The list will NEVER quit, haha! But most of the added items are things I need to purchase, so thats easier to swing in any regular errand day. Those things don’t freak me out as much as things I have to do. Hopefully the to-dos are wiped off the list soon enough!

I thank you SO MUCH, my friends who lovingly come over expecting to lend a hand!! Help looks different to lots of different people, and it is legitimately helpful to come and do jobs, read to my kids, visit with me, etc. There is ALWAYS work to be done. My kids will ALWAYS ask for a story. I will ALWAYS welcome adult conversation. These things all go SUCH a long way!

A friend is now on her way over to talk some baby party details with me! Eek! If you hadn’t picked up on it, I could talk about that party ALL day! I anticipate I’ll go through some withdrawal when its over and done with. Don’t forget to let me know if you’re AT ALL interested in coming! I may just keep randomly inviting people but I’d hate to miss anyone! It is NOT a “ladies only” event, either. Think less “baby shower” and more “brunch party.” Everyone is welcome! There will be men, there will be women, and there will be kids! I’m so excited!!!

I have an ominous list of things to do starting at me. Some of it was done yesterday, and I’d like to finish the rest asap. Some of it really doesn’t have to happen this week, but its written down so I don’t completely forget about it.

Today, I have to boil up a dozen eggs, do dishes, fold three hampers of laundry, and ideally I’d unpacked and organize my bags/purchases from this weekends trip.

I have a ton of things I’ve put off getting done that I should call and make appointments for, but what is it about making phone calls that just feels ominous? And thats the ONE job you can’t really call people in to help you with. No one can make my calls but me!

I need to book a pre-delivery physio appointment.

I’d like to book my nails/wax appointment for right before baby comes, as well, so I don’t forget and then get stuck without because of grad season.

I need to call Dr. Guselle and see if she’ll agree to remove Brady’s stitches at our prenatal this week, or if she doesn’t have time, to book with someone else, or just ask Brady to hit up a walk-in.

I was thinking I should book Dekker and Solly haircuts for the end of June, but maybe mid-July would be better. I’m not sure yet. And that one CAN wait. I just don’t want to forget.

On top of these things, I need to pick up a few more things for the baby party. I know its still a good ways off, but the things I CAN do in advance, I want to. So I have to gather up some more fake flowers and a TON of hot glue sticks, haha!

This is also the week leading up to garage sale day, and we’ve been talking about purging a haul out of our garage and donating it to one sale or another. But that’ll take time in the evening, which is our only real chance to actually spend time together. So we’ll see if we get there.

Oh, right. I’m helping at preschool on Thursday. Thats another thing.

And picking up fundraiser stuff after school today. Shoot. Don’t forget that, Hailey!

I just thought of something else as I was finishing that sentence, but now I forgot it…

Prenatal on Friday! Maybe Brady’s stitches removal. We’ll still have to see about that.

Just ALL kinds of things to remember, and I have to buckle down and do them!! I read something the other day that basically said forget waiting for motivation and just rock self discipline! It was written considerably more gently than that, but this is my version 😉 Maybe everyone thinks that way, but it resonated with me. I can’t count on being motivated all the time, because when that stuff doesn’t get done, its still on me! I have the gift of self discipline, as we ALL do! Not everything is going to come easy. Sometimes we have to make it!

Time to go get Laela from preschool, and then get a few things done while everyone is contained and eating lunch! Wish me luck!

My goodness!! That weekend FLEW by and that means another week of pregnancy down!! With Edmonton done, that means one more thing off the list of whats happening before baby comes! Eight weeks left! While I was in no way anticipating Edmonton being over, it does signify time moving forward! I cannot believe this whole thing is coming closer and closer.

Size Comparison: So I hear the baby is the size of a romaine lettuce heart, but I also read baby is the size of a coconut. So maybe she’s as long as a romaine lettuce heart but as heavy as a coconut? Guys, I really wish I knew more about her :/ But these weird comparisons are all I have to go on!

Appointments: I have a prenatal on Friday, so I’m anticipating that. I have a few questions I want to ask, and some anxiety I need to get a handle on. Hopefully they can help with a few things, anyway. I’m looking forward to the appointment, because this was my last one that I would have to wait a month for! Smaller stretches from here on out!

How am I feeling emotionally: I think my mental health isn’t quite acing it recently. I didn’t realize that I was having a drop that way until recently. I haven’t seen my baby girl in an ultrasound for ten weeks, and while I know thats completely normal, and that I was totally spoiled in the beginning stretch of my pregnancy, seeing her so often, I’ve found myself in fear that something has changed, and we’ll miss it. I have no reason to actually think anything is wrong, but I do waste some time wondering. I don’t even know what I’m specifically worried that we’d “miss,” but I’m worried. Sigh. I’ve been entering a contest for the last few weeks to win a free 3D ultrasound. I had in 15 entries before they made the draw. There were only about 110 entries total. I was so hopeful, but of course, I didn’t win. That felt weirdly like a bigger hit than it should have been. I was kind of counting on that being my chance to see her again :/ But frankly, now, at 31 weeks, its likely to be a bit too late anyway. With Ro, I believe we had a 3D scan around 32 weeks and could barely see anything. So sadly, I think my chance to see my beautiful little miss has passed. Until she’s born, anyway. I’m bummed, and a little worried, but it’ll be ok. If you remember, the last time we had an ultrasound was around 21.5 weeks, and the printer was down. We finally went and asked for the pictures the other day. The tech and receptionist gushed and said they missed us so much. ❤ I miss them too. And seeing my baby. Here are the best pictures from the batch they gave us.

First is that glorious profile shot!

If you can see it, this is her little nose and mouth.

And a strong little leg!

Sigh. She is SO beautiful!

How am I feeling physically: Honestly, I feel good considering how far in I am. Sore and tired, but thats to be expected. Dare I say, I feel “normal?” I think I feel how I’m supposed to, anyway. My feet and legs get quite tired after a lot of walking, I have a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions when I move around too much (or at all.) I sleep hard but wake up to pee a lot. All the normal stuff. Nothing too crazy just yet. 

Wish Lish/Purchases: The most EXCITING purchase in the recent past is our new-to-us stroller!! I was dreaming of getting a nicer double stroller, but the ones that are SO nice are also SO expensive. Even if I had the money to fork over and buy a one new, I just couldn’t imagine doing it. (No burn on those who do, though! A good stroller counts for a LOT!) I’ve been watching Kijiji closely for a while now and I saw the exact stroller I was dreaming of! It was out of our budget, but it was the closest I had seen! I messaged the seller and poured over a very careful message that said I didn’t want to low-ball her, and I knew how expensive those strollers were, but if she decided to drop her price, I asked that she’d contact me first, please, before posting it online with a lower price. She responded how I secretly hoped she would, by giving me her lowest price, which we took! We are now the embarrassingly excited owners of a City Select double stroller!! Woot! I can’t wait to push my little ones around in a stroller that doesn’t feel like a shopping cart!! Still remaining on our wish list are some small things. I’m hoping to get my hands on a few soft, cloth headbands, with the twist in front, or something like that. Just soft little headbands. Also, a liner type thing to stretch over her car seat to make it a bit softer. I have a SUPER bright one that I don’t love, and my other grey one is beat up and threadbare. Lastly, I am in the market for a beater old garage fridge!! It seems like a dumb thing to include in the wish list of baby things, but I’m thinking ahead to the baby party and I need a fridge to store things in! We’ve needed a second fridge for quite a while, but we will need it for this summer! If anyone has an old second fridge they’re thinking of getting rid of, please get rid of it over here at our house! Or if you know of someone selling one for super cheap on garage sale day this weekend, please tip me off! That would make the baby party prep SO much easier than having to ask people to store stuff for us, and then running all over town to gather it all up on the day of. 

Pictures: Bumpity bumpity bump bump bump…

These were just taken freshly today by my girl, Cher. So they’re totally current! As is my cute shirt from H&M!

How are the kids feeling: Rowan (singing): My God is so BIG! He’s so STRONG and so MIGHTY! There’s nothing my God cannot do! Foooooor… (runs over to me and pokes my belly) YOU! 😭 Amen to that, Rowan! He’s totally right!

Getting to know the baby: I feel less and less like I know anything about her. I just want to confirm all of my suspicions with the real her when she’s born and here with us. I know that, often when I’m relaxed, she is relaxed. She slept through the drive home from Edmonton, just like I almost did. She only really got peppy once we tried to wake ourselves up with more upbeat music. Maybe she’ll be just like me. 

The BEST part of being pregnant: This weekend, I had a lot of fun ducking into a bunch of maternity stores and seeing what I could find. I think what I’m enjoying about being pregnant these days is that I’m somewhat “seasoned” at it, and things that might’ve bugged me in the past don’t bug me at all anymore. More so they make me laugh. In one Thyme Maternity location this weekend, I had an employee ask me how much longer I had left in my pregnancy. “Two months” I told her. She bugged her eyes out a bit and commented that I was already quite large. I wasn’t offended, and offered my usual “Oh, I know, but I’ve done this a few times before” answer, and we had a brief conversation about how a body remembers, and blah blah blah. I moved on and kept shopping. But thinking about it after the fact, I may have been pretty choked had someone said that to me in my first pregnancy. Also, from a totally shallow standpoint, I don’t look full term yet. Not at all. I do feel big, because my belly is big, as it should be. But not at all “full term” big yet. Nope. Just you wait until the end!! I had a good laugh with Jerilee later, realized juuust how off color her comment was, and how, as an employee at a maternity store, she should probably have known better than to comment on my size. But hey! At least she just said it to me! Hopefully she learns before she genuinely offends someone!!

Favourite thing: My favorite things is probably my U pillow. I own this beast of a pillow that is the shape of a long “U.” I’d take a picture, but I’ll admit that its yellowed a little and looks kinda nasty, and I’m embarrassed, lol! The bottom of the U works as my normal head pillow, and the sides run down around me. Its basically the length of a full body pillow on each side of me. The U pillow and I have a love/hate relationship because it is SO comfy and helps my body SO much. It makes rolling over so much easier because I don’t have to haul a pillow with me to arrange in between my legs, because there just happens to be one there already! I do not love how hot it gets in my pillow, and I also feel kind of isolated in it, haha! It sounds stupid, but its true. Its kind of limiting. But the fact that I get SO much more sleep when I use it cancels out the cons easily. I love that stinking thing! I highly recommend it!

Being that baby day is starting to feel like its actually going to come, and that the time crunch is on, I’ve begun the fun job of gathering a few things together for Bambina’s party! Mostly just decor so far. While I’ve tried to be as relaxed about the whole thing as possible, and keep it as simple as possible, I’m realizing that I at least need a ballpark idea of how many people are interested in coming! Not even committed, but interested. I know summer is a hard time to nail down schedules, and I know asking people to come out on a Saturday might be tricky, BUT I literally have no idea if we’ll have ten guests or a hundred guests. No clue. And I need to know a bit more specifically than that! I know some of you prefer to be quiet participants and don’t want me to know you read, and that is 100% your business! BUT! If you want to come, I need to know! Today, I’ll begin work on (and hopefully finish up) a Facebook event for her party. That way, you can know the dates and I can give you all my address without literally putting it out on the public blog. I don’t want to just add my entire friends list, so if you are even considering coming, PLEASE reach out to me somehow!! Like the post, comment here or on fb, message me, whatever you’d like to do! I need to start getting things together and some of them require rough numbers! Help me! And please help me celebrate my daughter when she comes. She is one anticipated little monkey and I just can’t wait for everyone else who loves her and is eagerly awaiting her arrival to come snuggle her at her party!!! PLEASE reach out, even if you’re just curious!