I have a few staple pieces of clothing from Lululemon. Not tons, but a couple. I have basic black capris, and then black and pants and another pair of capris, both of which are high waisted. They are SO comfy, hold in a bit of “extra,” they translate nicely to my pregnant body, and then back to my not-pregnant body, whichever shape that happens to be. It changes constantly. They are incredible bottoms. WELL worth the money.

However, I’m VERY gun shy to buy more. I’ve been wanting a grey pair for a couple of years, no lie, but haven’t bit the bullet, because its a lot of money!! But recently, I discovered PURPLE ones! I instantly wanted them. But that seemed pretty impulsive, so I talked myself out of it. However, I quickly realized that they would be a totally practical purchase for me! (Stay with me here.) Most of my sweaters, hoodies, tunics, etc. are grey or black. I could definitely wear black with grey leggings, but grey on grey is slightly less…acceptable? Its considerably more like a sweatsuit. You know what I mean. Sure, I have  sweater or two that will NOT go with purple leggings, but the majority of them would go very well with purple!! Woot!

Upon this discovery, I set out to find some. I’ll spare you all of the details but I actually jumped through a few hoops to get them, but in the end, I have a beautiful pair in my hands!

They are unreasonably comfortable! They are actually better than what I was considering ordering online. They are cotton, rather than luon. I’m totally happy with luon, my other pairs are luon, but these are softer.

I had already been in the city once today, but I drove in a second time to bring them in for hemming. They are now living at Lulu, and I miss them a little. I combatted my emotions by ducking into the mall and spending the last shred of my birthday money. I think I need to do a separate post on all of the fun purchases I’ve made recently, but for today, its just the pants 🙂 Any interest in that?

Now we save our pretty new leggings to anticipate fall, and put a positive spin on the cold weather to come.

I’ve found myself wanting more for this silly blogthing that I’ve started. I won’t get into too much detail on the subject, though, as I could go ON and ON. But I’ve been wracking my brain about whether to make some changes, which changes to make, how seriously I want to take it, and how much work I want to put into it, or if I should just call it. There is a LOT to think about!

I obviously don’t know enough about the internet, because I was under the impression that I could legally buy my website name, and the whole annual fee thing would be done. I would just own it. Apparently that’s not actually a thing, and I can’t do it unless I have my own server?? Which I clearly do not. When I learned this charming bit of information, I transitioned my blog from being hosted by WordPress to Bluehost. I was having to upgrade and upgrade some more with WordPress, as my allotted amount of space was filling quickly. Bluehost offered unlimited space for a slightly better price than my limited space at WordPress, so we jumped at it. If you’ve been around long enough to remember the whole debacle, it was a big mess switching over, and we’ve sort of had little issues all along the way.

Now this silly issue of the rotated pictures has been going on for several months. Not for everyone, but for a good group of people. It is virtually impossible for me to fix it, as the pictures show up properly for me. If they were askew on my screen, of course I would rotate them! Yesterday, I FINALLY found the developers contact information, and I emailed them. Lucky for me, I got a response today.

Unlucky for me, the theme that I’m using (the basic blue and white background/template) is retired. While it can still run and be active, there are no more updates or bug fixes. Therefore, basically, it is what it is. This is incredibly frustrating for me, as I sit here, dreaming about trying to make my blog be more. I can do so many things to make it better than what I do now, but I can’t walk away from a post knowing that the pictures are going to be awry and feel good about that!

With all of this new information, I’ve spent the better part of the last few hours perusing new templates. This blog is clearly in need of a facelift, but its up to me to decide just how drastic that needs to be, and I truly don’t know how far to take it yet. Just the template, but leave the content the same? Just an eye lift, but no botox? Just Patrick Dempsey, or full on Renee Zellweger? I don’t know how drastic to go here. And I don’t like ANY of the templates!!! I want something so simple and clean looking, but everything I see that matches that criteria just looks plain, and basic. I think there is a difference between simple and basic, don’t you? Can’t someone just design one for me?? Or teach me?! I have ideas, but know so little on the subject.

I wouldn’t be so frustrated, but I want to do well at this. I feel like, while I love writing, I don’t do it well enough. I’m sure a lot of you can see what I mean. I don’t even proofread! And I really should. Sometimes I read back and just cringe. But I can change that. I can proofread. I can make post layouts. I can pour more time into my posts to make them interesting. But I cannot guarantee that the pictures are going to come out the correct orientation, and that is driving me bonkers! I haven’t taken pride in my work, or at least not enough, and I want to change that. For you guys, and for me.

I don’t know if I’ll make changes tonight, or in a week, in a month, or never. But if something comes up looking super different, and very glitchy, be gentle and patient with me! I’m sure trying over here.

You know those errands that you just never get to? For one reason or another, there are places that just seem impossible to go to and accomplish goals at! In my life, if something isn’t readily available at Walmart, Superstore, or Costco, I’m probably not going to get there. Today was a day that we took a list of all of those places and got those things done! Or at least tried to. We were fairly successful.

First, however, we had to document the cute kids. Because they make everything better, and far more interesting.

***** I am SO frustrated with the pictures being rotated all of the time!! Last time this was an issue, it was browser specific, and now I’m hearing that everyone is seeing them askew. I have a message in to the theme developer, but if I don’t hear anything soon, the face of my blog will be changing soon to make this issue better. If it helps, I think that the pictures show up straight if you click on them. I don’t know for sure, since the pictures show up properly on my screen. I’m trying, guys, I promise.

Believe me, this was the most “normal” picture I got of Dekker! He is sooo cheesy in pictures right now, haha!

Great looking bug bite, hey? Yes, she’s taking Benadryl. And yes, its going down. Slowly. As she would say, “me eye ees buggin’ me.”

And yes, I’ll admit that this isn’t a picture from the morning, but I’m not sure where the one I took went, so this is his picture from Costco, covered in cookie.

And this kid. Seriously, Solly, could you be any cuter??

We hit up lots of places today. Some were our “easy” stops, like Costco and Walmart, but we did Carters for underwear, McQuarries for coffee syrup (can you believe that buying a pump for your bottle costs $8?!?!), and Lululemon for me to spend some birthday money. They didn’t have what I wanted, though, so back to the drawing board. I wanted to spend the rest of my birthday money at Sephora, so we all went to the mall and had New York Fries for lunch.

I should add in here that Solly puked on me while I wore him in the ergo, and then he fell asleep instantly. So there was no way I was taking him out to clean myself off. Thanks for that, Solly.

We got home before supper and had a relaxed evening, but the kids were pretty ready for bed early, as no one had napped really at all. So they’re in bed, and after this, Brady and I are back to painting!! We didn’t get as much done last night, as Brady sliced himself open with a screwdriver… Hopefully tonight will be slightly more successful! Wish us luck!

My mom and I made plans to spend a chunk of today together. I had invited her for lunch and the afternoon, but as she realized her schedule, we agreed to meet after lunch. As luck would have it, things happened quicker this morning than anticipated, and I got to have her over when I had originally invited her for! Eleven o’clock is a good time of the day 🙂

We had a truly lovely day together. I have missed my mom so much recently, as our schedules never seem to match up. Trust me, I know many people see their mom less than I see mine, but that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to want to see her more. We have a wonderful friendship, she and I. Our relationship has gone through its stages of change, from when I graduated, to when I was engaged, to now being married, and lots of stages in between. She will always be my mommy, and I will always be one of her babies, but we are friends. And I love that.

So much has changed even just around our house that she hasn’t seen, so I toured her around my en suite, showed her the few Ikea things we bought that are set up, and our garage FILLED with furniture and whatever else that is getting painted. We talked about this summer, recapped events that have happened, and planned a bit for those to come. I shared with her some ambitions I have, some that are new and some that are growing from ambition buds I’ve had for a while. Aw. That sounds cute. Ambition buds. I like those. They sound less ominous, somehow. Why is ambition so scary?? The buds aren’t!

We had a yummy lunch together, and visited while she rocked Solly to sleep. It was such a nice time together. Like really really good friends catching up.

I’m SO grateful for you, mom. Thank you for coming, and for being in my home with my family. We sure do love you around here ♥

Last night was a very special night for me. Dekker and I went on a date, just he and I. Those opportunities are few and far between, so we tried to make the most of it. As soon as Brady got home, I went upstairs to get ready, and then I helped Dekker get ready.

Laela couldn’t be left out of the pictures 🙂

As we began our drive, I asked Dekker if he wanted music or if we should just have quiet. He requested music, as is common on our drives. I made it really quiet, though, and asked him what he was hungry for. He kind of mumbled something back, but I couldn’t understand it. I asked him to speak up, and he got quieter, as usual. Within minutes, he was cashed out. So I turned the music up a little and enjoyed the drive.

I love my sleepy date <3 And yes, we were parked here.

I decided to take Dekker to Montanas. We so often to fast food, but this was an opportunity to go somewhere nicer. Plus, Montanas is loud and there is lots to watch. So I took this sleepy soul in to supper, just the two of us.

Sitting at the table, coloring on the brown paper and talking about school, made me think back to how relationship two-ish years ago. Things were SO different. I would NEVER have taken him out by myself. Not because I didn’t love his desperately, but because he was struggling SO hard post surgery, and could not be in public without screaming in terror (I kid you not) if anyone even looked in his direction, or Heaven forbid, greeted him. That uncontrollable, fearful scream, and the look that went with it are still fresh in my mind. You don’t know until you’ve had a kid who has been traumatized. I’ve had some people suggest that I am depressed, and that if I got some help, maybe that situation wouldn’t have been so hard for me. Let me tell you all that I am no stranger to counselling, and I will NEVER be ashamed to ask for help. THIS was devastating, beyond me being embarrassed that my kid was screaming in a store. It was just awful, for him, mostly. I was just so sad for him. But now, this boy is warm and funny and finding himself. Its amazing to see him so comfortable in his own skin, and figuring himself out. I was SO proud to walk into Montanas with him, hand in hand.

After supper, we drove to Walmart and completed the exciting task of picking out all of his school supplies! I liked letting him be involved, and getting a say in small things, like the color of his scissors, indoor shoes, a water bottle for his lunch, etc. We also snagged a bag of pull ups for Laela, but that was our only non-kindergarten related purchase. Everything else was centred around him starting school. And SOON!

We got home around 8:00 and he went right to bed, but very happily. My heart was and continues to be very full. I sure do love that boy.

Today has been a fun day of celebrating birthdays! My mom and my sister in law, Grace, share a birthday, and that is today! Brady and I made cakes yesterday evening, so I frosted them this morning, with the help of these fine little specimens.

While the morning rolled on, we kept on the potty training train (huh…) and had one good successful pee on the potty! Woot! This is my favorite part of potty training so far. Dekker has designated himself as the supervisor of Laela’s underwear choice.

Dekker: So. Laela. We haaaave stripes and Olaf and Elsa and I don’t know who that girl is and…

Ack! I love them!

We threw a pull up on her for the afternoon, and headed over to my parents for birthday supper! We had pizza and chips and cucumber salad and cake! While it didn’t look even close to as pretty as I had hoped for, I’ll be tacky and say that it tasted pretty good! The kids played hard and got to stay out a bit later than usual, but when we got them home, they were definitely ready for bed.

Brady and I have been setting up some furniture to paint in the garage for a couple of days, and last night we got the first coat on almost all of it. Better get my butt out there and help him with the second one!! Just you wait, guys. Its all going to look SO good!

This morning, being the scattered person that I am, I forgot to change Laela’s diaper. After breakfast, I realized it and took her to her room to change her. Normally, I change her wherever we are, but I thought the carpet in her room would be a bit nicer to lay on. I pulled off her dirty diaper and commented “Another diaper.”

“Uuuuuh…no,” she replied.
“Oh? What about underwear?”
“Uuuuuh…no.”

I proceeded to pull the stack of underwear that we’ve kept stashed for her in one of her dresser drawers in anticipation for potty training. She’s seen them all before, but this time it was totally different. She LOVED them. She chose purple stripes, and off we went!

Those purple underwear were quickly swapped out for pink princess ones, thanks to her first accident. And then her second wound her up in some blue and white Olaf underwear.

And in those she STAYS! Two successful pees on the potty makes for a VERY proud mommy, an equally proud Laela, an incredibly supportive Dekker, and four less wafer cookies to our name. Yes, she gets a cookie for a pee. I know, I’ve been told my incentives are big. They’re also short lived. ALSO, I almost never bribe my kids, so I’m fine with the “go big or go home” method 😉 No judging!

I WISH I could post pictures of Laela in her little underwear on here. Her wedgie is just hilarious, and its in every single picture. But the internet is a creepy place, and I also know a handful of people who would be offended. By baby bums. Which is ridiculous, in my opinion, but to each their own. Anyway, since I can’t post those pictures on here, I’ll leave you with this picture.

THAT is one excited little girl! THAT is the face of someone who just peed on the toilet!!!

Let’s all celebrate Laela’s amazing success! Way to go, Laela! Keep up the good work!!! I love you so much!

I had a lovely afternoon with Kim and her kids, visiting, eating yummy food, watching the Olympics, playing toys, and listening to Solly doze nearby. It was comfortable, as always. Rowan, Solly, and her youngest slept for a good chunk of our play date, but it made it easier for the four older ones to play on their own, I think. Once the littles started waking up, I started hauling mine out to the van. They had had a nice time as well, but didn’t made a big fuss about leaving like they have done other times. We headed out around 3:30.

I picked up the mail, and headed home. Right where our street starts, there is a sign displaying all of the lots on our street, as it is still in development. It shows which lots are sold and which are available. As its a very new development, there are only a few houses on it. I never look at the sign. Ever. But today, it caught me eye, and I actually drove back to look at it closer.

I am SO EXCITED!! One of the lots beside us sold!!! It is marked on the big display, but the sign actually physically on the lot isn’t marked as “sold” yet. But it will be soon, I’m sure. I’m sooo happy to know that we’ll have neighbours! Of course, now the town busybody comes out of me, and I want to know who bought it, and who is building, and how soon its supposed to start, etc etc etc.

Our streets sixth house. Wow. I’m so looking forward to more people moving in!

I know, its still August. Early August, even! I went into this week feeling like it was a very relaxed month, but after cracking out the planner and writing down a few things, I’m realizing just how full this month is! Its full of really great things, don’t get me wrong, but lots and lots of things.

We have some family coming over for a chunk of the month, and those days will be filled with celebrating birthdays, as many of them fall in the summer months. Our family has a handful of appointments to attend this month – shots for two of the kids, an eye appointment, two physio appointments, and likely chiro at some point. We have some house goals around here, which I’ll go into in more detail in a separate post, but we have some furniture to paint and some to assemble, which will basically complete the kids rooms for the time being, and help out the master bedroom a lot. And I have been hoping to do a bit of an overhaul and/or make some decisions about this blog. Again, that will all be a separate post, but I’m thinking about making some changes, and it could be a lot of work. I really had hoped to get that all in order before September.

This is my current list. I’ve already scratched some big things off of my list. They are things that drive me CRAZY but I just know that the timeline isn’t as tight on them, and they can be moved, whether I want them to sit and stare at me for another month or not. But its all good. I’m really anticipating August, and all that comes with it! I just didn’t realize it was so full until I actually sat down to schedule it!!

Bring it on, August! And then bring on September, so I can maaaybe actually sneak a lake day in somewhere! Oh Waskesiu, I miss you…

Brady and I were thinking of going to church this morning, and our method of decision making on the weekends is pretty much always based on Solly and how well he sleeps. Last night, Solly woke up once or twice, but he was generous enough to let Brady and I sleep in until 9:00! We decided then to stay home and do waffle brunch. It was a VERY good decision! Breakfast was delicious, the kids were happy, we all felt very relaxed.

We decided to make our way into the city fairly quickly afterwards to buy some birthday gifts, and some paint supplies for a handful of projects we have around here. Unfortunately, the kids weren’t in the best shape they’ve ever been in, and while we got lots accomplished, I’m feeling pretty drained out and grouchy :/ So I’m taking a bit of a reprieve right now in bed while the kids watch a bit of tv. Whew! I’m just a little bit wiped for some reason. Plus, it doesn’t help that we got a NEW headboard with NEW pillows and NEW sheets and a NEW duvet cover. It is SO comfy in this bed, I never want to leave. Its actually a really good problem to have.

This evening calls for making plans for the week, and perogies. Should be good!

Today, Kim and I celebrated our birthdays together! My birthday was just on the 30th, and hers is on the 28th. And we’re both 25, got it?? 😉 She was away on holidays over her birthday, and I was at a family gathering on mine, and then headed to Edmonton the next day. Weeks ago, we booked this day as our birthdate.

She came over around 1:30, and we got ready together. This was easily the BEST part of the date. We holed up in the en suite and played makeup for about three hours. Brady brought us iced lattes and nachos, We had music going in the background, and we did our makeup and visited the afternoon away. We took a break partway through to exchange gifts, and then primped over our hair a bit. (Mine looked like it always does. Whoops.) We got dressed and ready, and headed out!

 

We drove to the city and shared a few dishes of asian food for supper. It was all delicious, and over far too quickly. In our true form, we left the restaurant and hit the nearby Starbucks right away. We took our coffee and headed to the Safeway in the mall to find some dessert.

Once we had chosen our desserts (eclairs and cream puffs) and bought Brady deodorant (not because he’s naturally stinky, but because he ran out) we grabbed a double double for hubs and headed back home.

Brady was feeding Solly, and the big kids had been down for about fifteen minutes only. I ducked in and got my hugs and kisses, as they were still all awake. Then the three of us planted ourselves in the living room with dessert and coffee, and visited until shortly after 10:00 when Kim headed home.

It had been such a nice day, and evening. I love our friends. I feel like we can just be us with our friends, and they can safely be themselves. Kim and I literally hung out in the bathroom almost all afternoon, and then we celebrated our birthdays in my living room, with yummy treats from the grocery store. It was so relaxed, and it felt like home.

Happy 25th birthday, Kim 😉 I hope we have many more years of celebrating together ahead!