As I sit in my living room, listening to the Encanto soundtrack with Waverly, I’m reminded of Laela’s depiction of the characters that she drew the other day, and I thought I’d share them!
In no particular order, here you have them! First is Abuela and Maribel’s mom, with her healing bread. Abuela is Wavy’s favorite character.
Then we have the dad who is deeply allergic to bees, and Maribel. I love the commentary Laela added, lol!
Then we have Maribel’s sisters. My absolutely favorite is Luisa with her big muscles and even bigger feelings.
Then we have some more secondary characters, some of whose names have escaped Laela and also me. The shapeshifter. The storm girl. Antonio. And the guy who married storm girl.
Lastly, we have Casita, and Bruno! Our kids loved speculating how Brady would fare in Casita in his wheelchair, whether or not he’d even use it, would the floors bumping around really hurt his butt, etc. Never a dull moment over here!
Laela loves to draw, and I love to celebrate it. If you’ve seen this movie and take the time to really look, she did really, really well on the details 💜 I’m proud of her for being so attentive and artsy. Well done, sweet Laela!
I won’t lie. Brady’s birthday was a bit all over the place. In the end, I’d call it a success 💜
It began with Brady opening a card from Cher and a gift from me. I gave him gitch with pineapples on them. He giggled like a little boy while he put them on. Lol! He is easy to please. Then he had some coffee and went to work.
The first chunk of his workday was pretty rough. As in, a total bust. But everyone rallied and Cher, Wavy, and I got to visit him at work and bring him a treat and a snuggle 💜
After work, my mom came over with supper for the kids, and Brady and I left for a date night out! We don’t get too many date nights, as many couples don’t, so we really really appreciated the willingness of my mom and the opportunity to be out together!
We hit Montanas for some of our favorite food.
I won.
Post-supper, we went to Old Navy to buy Brady some new jeans. Jeans are not as easy to buy as they used to be. Its hard to know if they fit nicely or are “comfortable” when you can’t feel your butt. Yet the stakes are higher, because sitting in bad, ill-fitting pants for an extended period of time when, unable to feel that they’re not right, will result in pressure sores. And that is a scary thing, as small as it sounds. It isn’t. Thankfully, Old Navy had nice fitting, soft, stretchy jeans that worked really well for Brady! At one point, from inside the change room, he realized he hadn’t been locking his door. He remarked “Oh well. Worst case scenario, someone sees my pineapples.” And we laughed like the tools we are.
We drove the fancy neighbourhoods in the city like we used to, and picked up some ice cream 💜 It was a very chill date, which we really needed after such a struggle in the morning. Its not fair to give over the power to ruin his day so easily. So we didn’t. And we really enjoyed it.
I’ll admit that we were EXTRA tired at the end of the day. But it was a success to end up beside each other, content, in love, and continuing to grow and change together.
I hope your birthday was happy, my love 💜 I loved being with you, and I look forward to MANY more birthdays together. As many as we can possible get.
We wanted to be productive today, but also not to spend the day working ourselves into the ground. We struck a beautiful happy medium by having a fire in the backyard – something we haven’t done since January – and burned a whole schwack of cardboard.
This summer, we hauled stuff to and from the lake in the flat, open boxes from Costco. They were easier for the kids to carry stuff around in, so we had a LOT of them. We also recently received a few boxes out of Ikea (I still haven’t posted about that! Ack! Sorry, folks! I will so soon!) that needed to be disposed of. Believe it or not, our family produces a decent amount of garbage and recycling, so our bins don’t have a ton of extra room in them at the end of their two week cycle. It would take forever to get rid of this stuff through those pickups. So today was the day to get rid of it!!
Also, our back yard is incredibly neglected, and full of tumbleweeds, haha! Sooooo we burned a bunch of that too. I’m embarrassed of our backyard. Be nice. We had quite a mess on our hands.
Its not over, so there is no big glorious “after” picture. But it was still a very cute morning 💜
Dekker was the first out to join me while I got things started and organized. He ran around and found me some gloves, tools, and a fresh lighter.
Eventually everyone joined! Even Cher came for a little!
We worked/burned/played until shortly after noon, and then we packed up the backyard. There will still be some work to do back there – blowing out the lines, covering up the AC, etc – but it was a really nice morning 💜 I’m so glad we got things done that definitely needed doing, but wasn’t back breaking. Now, with all the boxes gone, it’ll be easier to get the garage tidied up for the winter! We need to get a vehicle in there soon, and its been left to its own devices for months. Lots to catch up on 💜
Enjoy your Sunday, friends! We don’t know how many snow-free weekends we have left!
We got everyone out of bed nice and late this morning. When they were up and dressed and ready, we headed to one of local centres for the fire departments annual pancake breakfast fundraiser!
Maybe you remember, and maybe not, but a few years back, we had to call the fire department when our CO detectors went off and would not stop screaming. It was scary, and they were SO good to us. We are incredibly grateful for our fire fighters!
Specifically, we really love Tom. You may have picked up on that over time. Tom is an incredible grandpa to our children, and also a father figure. On top of that, he is one of our local fire fighters!
Rae came and met us at the door when we arrived. She helped everyone get their food cut up. She refilled cups and poured syrup and fulfilled every need she found.
Aaaaand then she got the kids out to play in the fire trucks! Thats such a cool touch – to let the kids check out the vehicles! It was cold out, too, so the warmth of the trucks was well received.
You know breakfast has been a success when everyone is sticky and smiling. Even Brady’s push rims are covered in syrup. It was a yummy, loud, friendly, loving morning 💜
Brady. I made a dorky thing for you. You’re welcome.
This year, you have complete ALL of your cancer treatments. You got covid. I actually think you got it twice. You got the long-awaited haircut. You got a job you love. You may be happier than I have ever seen you. And that alone says a lot about who you are 💜
My heart is absolutely not at its strongest today, but it is STRONG for YOU, sweet man.
I could not love you more than I do today.
But I felt that yesterday, and I expect to be proven wrong tomorrow, when I love you even more.
Cher brought pumpkins over yesterday for a crafternoon we had booked into her tight school schedule. We LOVE our crafternoons, so if we want them, we have to be intentional about them! Thankfully, this one was able to go ahead as planned, and it even began a little early so Waverly could join in!
She was amped to get to use the tools and help hack into the “punkins.” It was fun and I think she felt pretty important.
She took it pretty seriously, haha!
Then the scooping began. She was NOT a fan of how slimy it was, but when she was offered a spoon, she got right into it!
She actually did a really good job, though auntie helped quite a bit behind the scenes 😉 When the dirty work was done, they cut out their shapes together, which once again, Wavy really liked to help with!
Aaaaand from the day of punkins came two decorations for our front step!! A super silly face, and a silhouette of Snoopy laying on top of a pumpkin, backlit by the moon!
We’re not an especially spooky group, if you hadn’t noticed 😆 Though I’m still hoping a Stranger Things pumpkin graces our steps this season, haha! Either way, this is a very cute setup, and the day itself was VERY cute!!! I am so grateful to have an auntie close to home to love on our kids 💜💜💜 Thank you, Cher, for making time for our family in the midst of your busiest season of life 💜 We love you!
Behold! A shorty post about how each of the kids are doing, with some unrelated fun facts thrown in!
Dekker (11) is doing great 💜 He still reads constantly, and is getting into longer books for older kids. I asked him the other day how his book was he told me, wide eyed “Its a murder book, mom.” So. Crime. Beyond his reading, he is a bit more grumbly than he used to be, but he’s finding his feet in some of the aspects of growing up as the oldest of a larger group. He really values his alone time, and his freedom to do more things independently or later in the evening than the other.
Dekker and Laela have become closer, recently. They go for walks together regularly. Just last night, Laela was behind in her dishes so she couldn’t go for a walk and she was sad. So while she got ready for bed, Dekker got into the kitchen and finished her dishes she they could go together 💜 I loved that.
Laela (9) is doing really well, too. She is coming into her own really beautifully, becoming a very strong little woman. She is struggling with her desire to control every activity and everyone around her, but after a very genuine heart to heart a week or so ago, she is working HARD to recognize what is her job and what is the job of an adult 💜 Her heart is to help, and to lead, and it is beautiful. We’re actively working to nurture the leader in her without her being rude or bossy. Its a big challenge for her, but when it goes smoothly, she’ll tell me how relieved she feels not to have to be responsible for xyz that went down. Unrelated fun fact – Laela almost never will wear a hoodie, but she loves a cozy flannel shirt. When its really really cold, she has a couple sweatshirts I can talk her into, but she has two cozy plaid flannel shirts and she wears them most days. I love her style.
Rowan (7) is doing really well these days 💜 There are absolutely still days of struggle, but they are much further between! Sometimes, this makes it easier to get discouraged because we are all less conditioned to them, and they seem HUGE. Rowan especially feels AWFUL when he has a breakdown. But we get through them quicker than we used to, and he is encouraged by that. He has regained some of our trust, and he has gained back a little bit of freedoms. Rowan loves to be loved by ways of physical affection. Closeness. Cuddling. Back and head scratches. Hugs and kisses. He loves to give love the same way, but also largely in acts of service. He will jump up faster than anyone to meet a need or offer his hand to help. In fact, he helped Dekker do dishes last night for the sake of the walk. Rowan didn’t get to join on the walk, but he still wanted to help 💜 He is a GREAT friend. Rowans heart is to care for people. It always has been, and in spite of his struggles, his heart remains the same!
Solly (6) is doing so well these days. School every day has been an adjustment for him. He is tired at the end of the day. But its really good! He goes to bed happy just about every single night. His understanding of the world around him is growing, and his language has expanded unbelievably. I’ll tell him something, and he’ll repeat it in a different way, and say “I understand why.” He is getting clearer and clearer, which is really fun to watch. Solly is a very content dude, and doesn’t always like to push himself, but he settles into change quite quickly and easily adapts. Oh and his hair is ALL him. He does not want a haircut. I’ve tried. I love the long hair, but he is a sweaty, sweaty boy. Aaaaall summer I offered him a haircut. Not having it. So shaggy he remains.
Wavy (4) is doing awesome. She LOVES playschool. She loves her friends. She loves the independence she gets having her thing away from the house. She is eating it up, and its a pleasure to witness these changes. Wavy plays lego every single day. She sings beautifully, knowing how to hit notes and picking up lots of lyrics. She is ALL the way in there. She runs fast. She does lots of jobs. She is a total package, and she is thriving this fall.
I am overwhelmingly proud of these children 💜 Thank you Lord for bringing them to our family.
This doesn’t look great, but you’re going to have to take my word for it – this was incredibly delicious. You need to try it with your leftovers from the weekend.
I saw this on Facebook the other day. Thats where it started.
It suggested putting stuffing in your waffle maker, and then drizzling it with gravy instead of syrup. I was VERY intrigued. Brady was equally as interested in this, as was Cher. She lovingly brought over some of their leftover potatoes and corn. She even whipped up some quick stovetop stuffing. I mixed up a pack or two of brown gravy. Brady started up the waffle maker. It took a few extra minutes, and we had to turn it up hotter than usual, but it came together!
The idea had grown past a stuffing waffle to a whole meal! Sooooo I got the idea in my head that it could be like a waffle sundae, the potatoes acting as the ice cream. And it just kind of spiralled.
Once the ice cream *cough cough* was scooped, we added the “sprinkles,” if you will.
The gravy was the hot fudge, because it melted the whole dang thing.
But friends, this did NOT disappoint. Not. For. A. Second. The stuffing was crispy and flavourful, and the perfect addition to the rest of the soft, hot, comfort food on the plate.
This will absolutely be a reoccurring meal. I may just have to start keeping some stovetop stuffing in my pantry so we can do this anytime we feel so inclined. Goodness. Guys. You need to try this, and tell me what you think.
I posted about our friendaversary a little while ago, when Cher and I went to see the Anne of Green Gables ballet. It was a really good celebration 💜 Not only because the event was awesome and a fun first for both of us, but because the five years of being friends has also been really really wonderful.
I don’t know many friends who have survived as many bumps in the road as we have, and come through it better than ever. By the grace of God, we have been protected, and we are stronger and closer friends than we’ve ever been. Cher is my sister 💜 There is no denying that. Anyone who knows either of us knows this.
There is continued effort pouring into positive changes, individually and together. Our friendship is a committed familial unconditionally loving relationship, and while there is a LOT of work that goes into it, that is where our depth comes from. Praise the Lord for likeminded, equally yoked people finding one another and sticking together!
Happy Friendaversary, sweet girl! My beautiful best friend! I love you and I like you 💜 Thank you for joining our family the way you have. It was good to have breakfast all together this morning 💜
So many breakfasts, whipped coffees, snugs, walks, chats, crafternoons, bees, raspberries, and years to come 😘😘😘
After my moaning and groaning on the blog yesterday, Brady and I decided to make an attempt to get the desk out of our room. As I said yesterday, Brady isn’t exactly capable of heaving a solid wood desk down our stairs anymore. But I figured *shrug* maybe I could? Not on my own, obviously. But rather than him doing all the heavy lifting and me more so spotting and balancing for him, we traded spots.
And guys. We GOT it!!!!! We took the drawers out, and evvvvver so slowly walked it down our three flights of stairs into our spare room. And then, of course, the thing wouldn’t fit through the door, so we had to take the desktop and the door off. Ah well. We’ll know that for next time, haha! Dekker was eager to help where he could.
We worked SO hard yesterday, and were completely bushed, so we ended the day with a HUGE treat for our family – a movie night!!
Our kids have virtually no screen time. Please don’t get me wrong, it is NOT some bug official stance against tv! Not at all! We just cut it out for a time and everyone did better than we thought, so we never really reopened that door! I carry ZERO judgement for families who watch more tv than we do!
That being said, Brady made several batches of popcorn and we hacked up some apples, and everyone sat happily and watched Encanto. Our beautiful kids were probably most excited that Brady and I were there, since we weren’t there the first they watched it this summer with grandma and auntie. Every time something funny would happen, they would look at us for our reactions. Wavy would chuckle and say “You LOVE that.”
After a HUGE day yesterday, you’d think we’d rest today. But you would be wrong. In fact, we figured that if we could move a solid wood desk down three flights of stairs, we could probably move a couple dressers around, just up and down one flight of stairs.
And we were right! We gave the girls our purple dresser that is solid and cute and a little bit narrower than their previous dresser…
And we took their bigger Ikea dresser up to our room!
In this case, everybody won!
You can see we do still have another purple dresser up there. Hopefully not for long! We have to clean it out, but if someone is in the market for a nice sturdy wooden long dresser (six drawers) painted purple and grey, you know who to call!
Nothing is perfect yet. Everything is still pretty messy. But things are getting so beautifully organized, and I am feeling the weight lift off of my body and brain and we get things to their better suited homes.
I think I’ve done all I can do for the moment! I will give myself a little rest and then it’s time to keep going! I hope the bulk of the list of craziness is wiped off before snow flies, but at least for now – for our first weekend all home from the lake – we have been productive and feeling good!
I’d like to end todays post by giving our kids a HUGE attaboy! They played lego and built forts ALL MORNING with virtually NO fighting or need to intervene. They did incredibly well while Brady and I were bustling around, working hard and not taking too many moments of pause. These kids are absolute rockstars!
