Today closes off our last weekend at camp while the kids are still in school. The rush home to bathe everyone before bed so they’re clean for school will be over. We can embrace the kids smelling like campfire and bug spray, staying up later, and the ability to sleep in! At least for some of us 😆 Brady has a job now, so he has to be responsible still, hahahaha! 

Our last day here this weekend has been a bit bumpier. Wavy got positively MAULED by mosquitos and her legs are swollen to no end. Rowan got sick overnight and wasn’t quite himself during the day. Everyone got a ton of sun and a ton of sugar. It was both exhausting and incredible. 

We spent some good time with some great friends before abandoning our kids at their site and going back to our spot to pack up. We made quick work of it and are on our way home already 💜 A yummy, easy supper is on the books, and we should have time to unpack and bathe everyone who needs to go to school tomorrow. The others might wait. I don’t know yet. But we’re working on it. 

It’s almost summer holidays, friends. I know that doesn’t change a lot for some of you, and it changes a lot for others. Whatever your scene, I hope you find a way to enjoy the days and weeks of summer! I know we will be 💜

This is our first ever celebration weekend at the lake! We didn’t know what that meant or what it entailed, but we’re here, and we’re in it!

The kids were up late last night after a movie at a friends camper, and then some cookies and hot chocolate afterwards. We enjoyed treats in their lovely heated outdoor dining shelter. So many treats and it was only the first night! 

This morning, we all enjoyed a camp wide breakfast, and then the kids took off to their respective activities.

Our lovely friends signed everyone up for some fun stuff, so they went off together, and we sipped coffee at our fire. 

And by fire, I meant our smoke signal. 

Lol! Everything is wet. I tried. 

As the afternoon approached, we gathered for lunch, and then booked it back to our site in a violent, abrupt, albeit short, hail storm! Wavy was concerned. 

As we all wait out the weather, it seems far fetched that the rest of the days activities will play out as originally planned. But we have a warm camper, yummy snacks, music, books, and flashlights when the power flickers. What more could we need?? 

Yesssss! My favorite kind of road trip day! 😍 it’s grey and rainy and lovely. It sounds beautiful. Everyone is content. We have a van load of children staring out the windows. We have fresh coffee. We have some music going, but not loud enough that we can’t hear the rain past it! 

After a full day of counselling, packing, and grocery shopping, I am ready to sit for two hours, sip coffee, and watch the clouds burst. 

I hope you all have a peaceful, cozy Friday 💜

I know it seems small, but I LOVE my kids dots. Birth marks. Beauty marks. Freckles. Whatever you want to call them. I love them, and they know it. They’re always very eager to show me new ones their discover on their bodies. Half the time the “new dot” ends up being dirt, food, or a scab, but once in a while, its actually a dot! They are always SO excited, and we document it like the weirdos that we are.

Just the other day, I found TWO new dots on Laela’s face, and they are SO pretty!!

She loves them, too, thankfully!

See the little dot right at her tear duct? That was from the time she walked directly into a tree branch and started bleeding out of her face moments before we had our family pictures taken, lol! This tiny face has already been through a few things, poor girl, hahaha!

Anyway. The moral of the story. Dots are awesome. I love them! And I love her 💜

Its official. The school supplies are starting to make their way home. Yesterday, Solly brought home the first haul of things. Crayons, scissors, glue sticks, and markers.

I don’t know about everyone else, but out of all the options, I always preferred markers. ALWAYS. Somehow, our collection of markers has grown pretty significantly, and we almost never throw any away. I couldn’t help but think we had a mountain of dried up markers living in the bottom of the marker box, which was overflowing into the drawer. Now that four kids are going to bring home their used up markers, I thought it was an appropriate time to go through them and pitch the old ones.

But thats why we have children.

So I actually thought it was an appropriate time for them to go through them.

Them, to be specific.

These little turkeys tested SO MANY MARKERS for me this morning.

And then threw away less than ten. I thanked them for their help and accepted the reality of having to check them again later. Which is fine. There could definitely be bigger problems.

Cher came over in the afternoon and grabbed the job right away. She found a handful more to throw away, but for the most part, the kids were right on point with their judgement calls!

I have NO IDEA how so many markers have survived so long!! I LOVED markers WAY more than pencil crayons or crayons. And my kids color often. So I have no idea whats going on. Maybe markers are the one thing in the world that hasn’t gone drastically down in quality recently…

I’ll leave you with Wavy’s assessment.

“Aunties favorite color!”

*sniff*

“…Ew.”

Good luck, friends, with the upcoming haul of half used school supplies!!

Its been a little while since Wavy and I had the pleasure of walking the big kids to school, but today was that day! It was a very cute walk 💜 There was lots of chatter, chasing, playing, and more hand holding than usual. I loved it.

We got to the school, and I figured we’d do a lap around the school so each kid could drop their backpack at their doors and then run to play. But every one of them opted to stick together until everything was dropped off. It was a really nice moment where I felt like a solid family unit. The first to break away turned out to be Solomon, who found one of his friends and eagerly ran off to go dig stuff up. Dekker was next, but he made a point to grab onto me for a hug and a kiss before he took off. Laela and Rowan were last. I got my hugs and kisses, and they took off, but Rowan was back at my side in seconds, walking me to the very edge of school property. It was very sweet. I loved it.

If you’re around here, you know there was mad rain yesterday in Saskatoon, and a ton of homes and businesses were flooded. Dalmeny got next to no rain, but the sky is dark and foreboding. Wavy still asked to go sit by the pond for a little while. She told me she was still happy if she got cold. So we did that.

We took our time getting home. Why rush? We arrived home to our warm cozy house, clicked on music, got some coffee going, and puzzled together. This girl could puzzle absolutely ALL day, and I’m much the same.

Its been a very peaceful morning 💜 but I sure miss having Brady home.

Here are a few cute pictures that I don’t believe made it to the blog this weekend! Nothing crazy, just some little stuff 🙂 Feels cute, definitely won’t delete later. Unless I get hacked..

The first one is a lesson we learned, lol! ANY sweat on your skin will hold onto the color from the marshmallow bag.

Also, the jet puffed marshmallows were cheaper than the no name, so we bought them, and they are annoyingly WAY better. So that might be a thing…

A good friend of ours went to a little local market and bought Wavy some adorable little water shoes! She was SO stoked!!! Those things will be a staple for the beach, I am absolutely sure of it!

Laela wasn’t with us this last weekend, and she is my most willing dish-doer. I set up to do the dishes at the end of the weekend, and Wavy insisted on drying dishes for me! And I have to say, she really surprised me with how much care she took! The bowls didn’t suction together at the end, they were so nicely dried 💜

Meanwhile, the boys did a bunch of the outside work, hauling some wood and dropping off the garbage. Rowan was an incredible big brother and kept it fun for the little ones.

The drive home was quiet and sleepy. But this one was still a total ham, as she is. That blue tank top only does this girl favors! Look at her eyes!

It was a very cute weekend, but not especially picture heavy. You’ll just have to take my word for it 💜

Our day was spent eating smores, sipping coffee, visiting with loved ones, sitting by the fire, and soaking up hours at the lake. The kids had made cards that they gave to Brady in the morning. They were adorable and hilarious. Made for some cute pictures too!

Laela wasn’t with us this weekend, but she celebrated Father’s Day with grandpa Tom, which was also pretty awesome and important.

I really couldn’t have asked for a better father for our children.

Over our thirteen years together, Brady has been building his arsenal of what kind of things a father should teach their kids, and what kind of father he wants to be. Its been beautiful to watch it all unfold. He has never made excuses, and that holds true still today, as he insists on pushing hard, working hands-on with and for his family, and being soft, affectionate, and loving. There is no favoritism between children or genders. Everyone is equally loved, included, and cared about. Brady will insist he is at the bottom of his list, where there are many others who view themselves as above the rest of their family.

My husband is humble and sweet. What an incredible man. Praise God.

Remember that time we got married having barely talked about having kids, and now we have five? I have no regrets 💜 I love you and the family we share. Thank you for being the ultimate father to them. You are building beauty into their generation. I am overwhelmingly grateful for you.

Today was our first day of true consistent sunny summer heat ☀️ 😎 it was GORGEOUS and sweaty and some might even say miserable, but I wouldn’t. I LOVE the heat. I would ALWAYS rather be too hot than too cold. Keep your beach umbrellas. I’ll be in my lawn chair, sweating up a storm. 

I even got my tan on today. 

I feel fresh and filthy. Content and renewed. I’m so ready for the summer days ahead. I hope the predictions are accurate in anticipating more storms than “average,” and if that happens, I’ll have been able to enjoy THIS hot day. 

I’m so grateful! It’s been beautiful 💜 Thank you Lord! 

We didn’t actually. But we’re off to the lake today with only four of the kids!! Laela is joining her grandparents at their camp spot, and she is STOKED. We couldn’t even get a hug. She yelled an unceremonious “byeeeee” into the entrance before taking off with Tom to gather her bike and booster seat. 

The rest of us left shortly thereafter, with a few more things and a few more people. I hope she has a FABULOUS time, and I hope the same for us and ours here 💜 

It’s SO warm and SO windy, and the promise of rain looms. Whatever comes, Lord, we’re here for it! 

Let’s just hope I don’t get hacked over the weekend again…..