Remember how Dekker tirelessly saved up for a kayak for this summer? He brought his beloved kayak home in March, but the sucker didn’t have a paddle with it! Which we should’ve known, really, because they don’t. But it was in the picture, so no one really thought about it. An oversight. Ah well. He continued to save, and yesterday, we went to pick it up from Zaks!

‘Twas a family affair, lol!

Dekker opted to save for the black paddle over the yellow one, even though it was a couple bucks more.

He brought his own cash, and chatted with the cashier about the price he was paying. She complimented his math skills. And then it was his! His guitar, to be more specific…

And then it was his comfort item, hahaha!

He was such a happy boy 💜 And very eager to hack into it the moment we got home.

Its YUGE!

Dekker is not finished saving up, however! He has one more item he plans to save up for to make his kayak adventures even better, and that is a personal music player! It will play solely off of our Spotify account, so it doesn’t require a phone or speaker with it. Its basically an iPod shuffle, but for Spotify. Anyway. If you’d like to donate your bottles or cans to his kayak cause, he would greatly appreciate it! He would even come to you locally to pick them up!

Thank you to those who have put into his thus far, especially my mom, taking him for Sarcan runs and searches for more. We couldn’t have done this without you 💜

It’s really fun to see the kids growing up attending the same school that I went to. I admit, I’m sad there isn’t more of a rollover with the teachers who taught me, but there are still a few familiar faces hanging around, which I am SO grateful for 💜 I hope there are still a couple floating around the high school as well!!

Something that remains the same, at least in some capacity, are the playgrounds. Some things have come and gone, of course, but some of the good old structures remain in place. And it is a lot of fun to see my kids gravitate towards certain things.

Specifically, my Laela. She loves the three bars. And I, too, loved the three bars.

I wasn’t particularly agile or brave as a kid, but I worked hard to get up onto that top bar and to sit there confidently.

I never got to where Laela is so quickly, and I am so impressed with her determination.

Her hands are blistered and sore, and she’s usually dirty from being in the sand, but she is SO awesome and driven, and I’m really impressed by her.

Laela has flourished in a lot of cool ways this year, and it’s a true pleasure to witness 💜

Yesterday afternoon was a bit of a struggle. Solly and Wavy could tell I was having a hard time, and took it completely upon themselves to boost morale. This is especially cool, because while Solly is happy to follow what everyone else is doing, he doesn’t care much for organized activities, and he definitely doesn’t want to LEAD. But yesterday, he did. And it was incredible.

Wavy was drawing peacefully at the table when Solly gave me a note. A note he had written. By himself.

“You mom are as sweet as a cherry pie.”

Oof. My heart is all full and crumbly at the same time. This was just SO cute.

What made it even better was his eager face asking if he could teach me this craft. He insisted, very seriously, “It is VERY creative.”

So while I felt 0% like crafting, I was absolutely not going to turn him down. So, to the table we went.

The craft involved cutting the corners off of a sheet of paper, writing a message inside, and taping it shut. But that level of complicated is something I can get behind. He set up the table for us, giving each of us a paper and a pencil, though we shared the tape. We also shared the scissors, and he made sure to move them away from me when I was done with them 😅 Safety first! So we got to it. Sol suggested we write messages to each other, so we did.

“You mom are well loved.” It sure feels like it 💜

I will treasure these messages for the rest of my life. They were just SO sweet and beautiful and very much what my heart needed in those moments. Solly does not prefer to take risks, which includes literally everything he doesn’t feel 100% confident about. Reading and writing are on that list, but he took the plunge because he felt he could fulfill a need.

I was, and am, and will continue to be, SO proud of Solomon.

Virtually none of these things are like one another, but they’re all worth noting, and they all come with pictures. So, here you have them!

Laela is a kitty. She likes to find a sunny spot and sit there ☀️

Some of us are enjoying the new warm, sunshiney weather more than others…

Have I talked about it on here lately? We’ve lost four teeth in what feels like just a few days?? Its probably been longer than that, but not by much. Anyway. Laela lost another one yesterday. Her second one in the very recent past.

Yesterday, Brady and I attended an appointment together in the worlds least accessible building ever 😅 Ok so its probably not the least accessible, but it can’t be far off, haha! A VERY old building with a VERY treacherous staircase, and absolutely no other way up to the second floor!

This particular event wasn’t as cute as the kids ones, but it was undeniably noteworthy!! It is INCREDIBLE that Brady managed his way up and down these staircases. Twice!

Last picture to share – we bought a printer today! A fancy pants one!

We’ve got some goals, and our printer just never ever works anymore. So its time to upgrade. We’ve been holding off, but not anymore!!! Our friends are officially off the hook for printing our things! Now WE can print our documents, music, colouring pages, etc. We’ve got this!

Whew! Lots going on these days, and no sign of slowing down! Access internet guy is coming back today in hopes of finally switching our internet!

Feels like a Monday today. Weird. Happy Monday Tuesday, friends.

Last weekend, Brady took Laela out to the driveway and taught her how to change tires. He has done this for a season or two now with Dekker, and he had done the minivan tires with Rowan the weekend before.

So it was time for Laela to learn, which really warmed my heart. She was SO gung ho.

They went outside and Brady talked her through the entire thing. He helped where she actually needed help, but otherwise, he let her do everything she possibly could. She loved the sound of the impact, and putting the lug nuts back into place. 

Her confidence grew fast.

She was fully capable, and fully happy to be working outside on the van. She stopped regularly to look at pretty rocks on the driveway or make mention of something totally unrelated. But she still really enjoyed herself! 

She finished the job in good time, and both she and Brady came back into the house HAPPY. And DIRTY.

I saw SO much of myself in her that day. The excitement to learn. To work on the vehicle. To do a good job. To collect the pretty rocks, haha! I positively ached to learn these skills as a kid, but was unable to actually be part of vehicle maintenance until I had graduated. I LOVE mechanics, but even if I didn’t, it’s important to know, and both Brady and I want the kids to at least have an idea of how to do it. 

It helps that they are happy to join in and learn, and that Brady is happy to teach. 

I am SO happy my boys and girls are learning these life skills at their young ages. And I am SO happy that Brady is patient and loving and so willing to teach them.

Thank you, Lord, for my family 💜

Yesterday was a completely loaded day. Brady was at work, and the rest of us worked at home, too! The kids did their work in the morning, and I did much of mine in the afternoon.

Rowan sorted and started the laundry.
Dekker reorganized the big shelf downstairs that holds all the toys and games.
Laela cleaned the bathrooms.
Dekker helped me move a dresser into Rowans room, finally! I moved his clothing into his dresser, and he moved his possessions into his closet. This has been a LONG time coming, and he was incredibly excited!
Wavy and Solly pitched in where they could, and stayed out of the way otherwise. It was a decently smooth morning!

During nap time, there was a little lull, and Laela made chokers for herself, Wavy, and a couple of stuffies.

Laela and Rowan went to the park, and Dekker offered to help me with my work! So he came upstairs with me and helped me rearrange some of my crocheting stuff to make room for some more officey things, and we moved some other furniture around, too. It helps that he is so strong and willing to haul heavy things.

He also lovingly sampled my meringues for me. Approved.

And then he pulled out a tooth that had just started wiggling. I heard it come out 🤮 He’s a monster.

Brady’s day was the first Saturday with an open garden centre, so his work was SLAMMED. He finally took a lunch break around 3pm, and modelled a life jacket for me, lol!

Once nap time was over, it was bath time!!

Four out of five got clean, anyway. One is doing that now. Hooray for more of my kids being self-cleaning now! Lol! Its a convenient feature.

After our full day of work, we went to a partaaaaay!!! 🥳 Our dear Rae retired 💜 We were so pleased to be included in the celebration, meet some more of their people, and reacquaint ourselves with some of their people again. Brady joined in as soon as he got home from work! What a beautiful family we all have together! 😍

SUCH beautiful grandmas here!! We are SO fortunate! 💜

We got home at 8pm, which is when our oldest kids usually hit the sack! So everyone very happily and willingly climbed into bed. Brady and I felt the same level of wiped out, and also climbed into bed around that time, but rather than going to sleep, we cracked into some pop, and did homework for two hours! 😅 No shortage of things to do around here!

Happy Sunday, friends! Off to church we gooooo!! And some rest to come this afternoon. Maybe 😆

I had a different blog planned for today, but then Dekker came home from a birthday party yesterday evening just positively beaming, and I felt like I couldn’t resist posting a picture of him on the blog. Loooook at that adorable mug!! 😍

He is SO cute, and SO grown up all of a sudden!! Ack!!

And then, because my blog plan was already blown, the kids had to be so darn cute this morning, too!! Because why not, right?!

The girls were super extra soft and snuggly 💜 They’re always nice to get up in the mornings.

Dekker and Rowan were feeling super summery today, which we have absolutely ached for!! Rowan is back in last summers uniform, and Dekker almost never rocks a muscle shirt, so it just feels very fresh and warm when he does.

And then Solly is still sporting a full fleece onesie, as he does, pouring milk at breakfast like a boss. Those teeth keep changing his entire face!!

We have worked worked worked this morning!! Bathrooms are being cleaned. Laundry is getting done. Closets are being organized. Dishes are being done. Nap time will hold good rest and recovery so we can be strong and ready to pop in on a party tonight!

No shying away from busy days for this group!! Lots of good things on the go over here!

A few days ago, we had planned to take the kids into the city for a shop that was going to be really fun. It may have just seemed like a Walmart run to anyone else, but to us, it was going to be a special shop while our family prepares for some fun things on the horizon. Staying up late. Fun purchases. Some ice cream. It was going to be a fun outing. A rainy one!

Unfortunately, plans had to change last minute, and we stayed home for those few hours before the young kids went to bed. I was very discouraged, but Cher offered to come lurk at our place after the young ones were down so Brady and I could go. I hesitated for a solid three seconds before I accepted. 

And then, since he was easily the saddest about the trip being cancelled, we decided to bring Dekker. 

And that was the BEST choice we could’ve made! 

Dekker LOVES time spent, and everything that comes with it. He is one of the most grateful children I’ve ever known. I couldn’t tell you how many times he thanked us for bringing him. It was SO nice. 

Very quickly, he took over pushing the cart, made suggestions, and offered opinions. It was really lovely to see him wanting to put in that way and be part of our things. He warmed my heart. 

We killed an hour or two, and made our purchases. He sat on Brady’s lap while we waited in line, and I pulled their butts up to the till. Dekker helped me load load up the cart. 

And then we got him a treat. Because he absolutely earned it. 

While Brady and I ate our supper (at 9pm) the little big man chose an Oreo McFlurry, and then we shared some of our fries with him. 

Once again, Dekker’s level of gratefulness was unbelievably sweet. He is our messiest eater, especially with ice cream. He was positively SO into it, and just very much enjoyed his food. It was fun to watch. 

It was approaching late o’clock, and it was time to go home. I may or may not have harassed Dekker just a touch on the drive home. Because he had it coming. Because he was there. 

Don’t worry. He liked it. 

Not as much the second time…

But I really liked it 😏

It was really, really fun taking Dekker in with us. My beautiful boy. How I love him. 

Get ready for a dump of random unrelated questions! Here’s a picture so the blog appears extra enticing!

My brain is swirly, and I need some help and input from you guys! I only know as much as I know, so I’m ready to be educated! Please help me!

1. Where could I properly dispose of an old bed, an expired car seat, and some old culligan jugs that are too stained to return? Can I do this all in one place that isn’t Loraas, or not so much? 
2. How does a person get the glass globe off of their light fixture to change the bulb?? I can get the smallest ones, but thats where it ends. I’m trying to replace ALL the bulbs with the ones that last forever, so I never have to do it again, but in order to never do it again, I have to do it once. And I can’t. 
3. We need to redo our camper bathroom as early in the season as possible. Any good tricks for plumbing into a new tank and getting that seal really good and proper? 
4. And with that last one, if the seal inside your toilet sucks, can you replace it on its own, or do you have to buy a new toilet altogether? 
5. Have you bought a tank printer? Where? What do I look for?
6. What about a trencher? Does anyone have a trencher? Our loving neighbour and friend, Tom, dug ALL of our sprinklers into our front yard last year, which was incredibly helpful! However, the backyard is a MUCH bigger job, and we only just learned about trenchers! Anyone have anything like that on hand before we rent one?? 
7. Does anyone want an old beater, smallish backyard trampoline? No nets, no nothing. Just a tramp with some pool noodles around the springs. Anyone? We’re done with ours and it was a “free off of someones yard” type of trampoline.
8. Where. Do we put. The exercise bike. It needs to leave our room, but where then? We’re definitely keeping it, but it needs a new home within the home. Not the main floor. But it will positively never be used in the basement. Don’t worry, this one is rhetorical. I’m just annoyed lol! 

So I’m perfectly aware that this blog is jumbled, but please, if you have any input, my brain is buzzing and I would welcome your thoughts!! Because my thoughts could use some friends.

Unrelated – be like Laela.

‘Tis the season to turn the whole house into a mess and switch up everyone’s closet up one size! It is secretly not my favorite thing, because it is SUCH a huge mess to clean up, so many tubs have to come out and back in to storage, we have to wash everything thats come back into circulation, and then I have to try and relearn what belongs to who. Thats a challenge most specifically in the case of Rowan and Solly, since they could wear the same size if need be.

The fun part of it all is how much the kids enjoy getting new (to them) clothes. This particular round was fun 🙂

I mean, Wavy hit the real jackpot.

She cashed in on some of Solly’s rejects, and was VERY happy to tell the tale! I bought this hilarious shirt for Solly a while back from Value Village, and he laughed and laughed, and then hung it up and refused to go near it. Never. Ever. But Wavy LOVES it. So, more power to her.

Rowan didn’t wear any of his new stuff today, but he inherited much of Dekker’s old stuff. He has some cute new camouflage pants from Walmart that he loves, but those aren’t part of this. He was more excited for Wavy than himself.

Dekker got a ton of shorts and such, but a handful of nice tshirts that were gifted to us over the winter. I wanted to get a good picture of him, and asked him to just relax a little. This is what I got 😅

Cool, Dekker. Not at all awkward.

Solly took in a bunch of Rowan’s stuff, which is fun and also a bit tricky. Solly is oddly specific about what he wears, as you may have noticed by his well-loved small handful of tiny long sleeved shirts he has worn into the ground all winter. But he found some cute things he insists he really likes, and will wear, so they’re allowed to live in his closet, haha!

Blue is just SO poppin’ for this boy and those eyes!

Miss Laela is the last in the post becaaaaause she didn’t get anything new, haha!

She did, however, gut her closet good and proper, so I know what holes need filling and what she actually has for the upcoming season 🙂 She still has a good chunk, but I’ll find her a few things in the coming weeks, I imagine. Most of the kids are well prepared for the upcoming season, save for maybe some swim shorts here and there, and a few tank tops maybe. We are not lacking, and for that, I am so thankful!