It took me a while to figure out why today felt like a Sunday, but I think I’ve got it! We got the kids up, fed them, dressed them, and we rushed out the door to get to my parents house. Granted, if it had been Sunday, we would have been uncharacteristically late, but it was a crazy, choppy night, and it took a long time to get up. Either way, we headed to my parents to hang out with my mom for a couple of hours. Its so hard to see each other these days with the busy schedules we both keep up, so we arranged for a bike ride and lunch. Dekker biked the longest bike ride he’s ever done, and he did beautifully! He was really tiring out by the end, which made perfect sense, but he was pleased. Its SO much nicer to bike in a town that is paved, especially when he’s just learning.
We did lunch with my mom after our outside time, and ate very well, as always. The kids promptly trashed her living room moments before we needed to leave. She needed to get ready for her company, and we had lots to do over the course of the day. The kids are always sad to tidy toys and leave, but with the promise of Walmart and Costco to come, they were quick to tidy up and ask for help with their shoes. My mom helped them get ready, and walked us out to the van. She gave each Dekker and Laela a Cars fruit snack for the road, and passed some hugs and kisses around too. Rowan is in a big boy seat now…
… because he’s too tall for his bucket. Most baby seats go up to 22 lbs, and we knew he was 19 lbs, so he was approaching the weight limit, but suddenly we realized that he was just WAY too tall for it! We ordered his new seat recently, which turned out to be super convenient, as he weighed in at 22 lbs today!!! Thats a beefy 6 month old 🙂 I love it. (As a side note, Laela weighed in at 24 lbs. Unreal. And Dekker, 38 lbs. ) In case you were wondering, his seat is in there as tight as it could possibly be. I made sure.
We got to Walmart first with a special idea in mind. Now that Ro isn’t in a bucket anymore, and he is definitely not sitting up in a cart yet, and I don’t have a carrier, we weren’t sure how we would actually rock three kids in a grocery store! Walmart only has one seat in the cart itself, so Laela sits there, and Dekker stands on the end and rides, or he walks. But even if there are two spots to sit in the cart, Ro isn’t strong enough AT ALL for that. So we toyed with an idea, and it worked!!!!! It resulted in this…
Dekker LOVED pushing Rowan in this little umbrella stroller!! He did SO well, and honestly, it helped a lot! Once he really gets the hang of it, this could actually make it possible for me to take them all shopping on my own, just for this short time before Rowan can sit up. The only thing Dekker did that wasn’t ideal was he moved a bit slower than people in Costco tend to move. The few times I gently tried to encourage him to move faster, he’d say “If I go too fast, Ro might fall out. I’ll just go slow.” Hey, rather that than the alternative, right? Thankfully, practically all of the people we held up didn’t seem to be in a rush, and more so just seemed to think Dekker was the best thing since sliced bread. They all looked fondly at him and told him he was doing a great job. It was so sweet <3 I loved it, and thankfully, so did he! I mentioned to Brady that it was so relaxed for a Sunday. Turns out its Thursday. Who knew.
Post-Costco, we grabbed some coffees from Tims, and I chatted with my sister, Caitlin, on the drive home. I’ve had a kind of brutalish last week, and it was nice to be able to hash some of it out with her. God sure knew to let Brady have this week at home with me. Its been a huge help and support, but having my sisters and friends at the ready as well has been EXACTLY what I needed. Thank you, Caity, for the call.
Upon arriving home, we unloaded the van and brought everyone in. We began the race to do laundry and get organized. Our evening has consisted of packing, folding, hanging, and organizing. Kids are bathed and brushed and in bed, and Brady and I have been trying to get the bulk of our packing done tonight. We’re heading out to be with Bradys parents and siblings and their kids this weekend. It won’t be an exceptionally long visit (two days there, and two in the van :/ ) but I think its supposed to be kind of chilly and unpredictable, so we’re choosing to overpack and be as prepared as possible!
Now, its time for supper and a soak before bed. I’m sleepy, and hungry, and I want poutine, so I think thats the plan! Fries and gravy and cheese and maybe some of my secret sauce on the side. SO. READY. FOR. SUPPER.