Cher here!
Today’s post as you may have already figured out is about Dekker and Laela! Monday, I asked if it would be all right to take them to the park on Wednesday since the weather was going to be so nice. One thing about Dekker and Laela is they are the two oldest, so they don’t nap. Taking them out doesn’t make me feel SUPER guilty because the nappers nap. I got to the Born’s at 12:25 right as a surprise showed up. Not sure if I can say. So, we got the seats set up and got a block away… then realized no masks! So Lala ran home and grabbed some and came back. I kept them in the dark until we pulled up to Warman Dollarama. On the trip there, I showed them everything I love about driving on powerline rd. The old barns, black houses, boats in ditches, beaver damns. It was a fun drive. We had the windows down, music up, and the sunroof cracked.
Once we got to Dollarama, I handed the kids 5-dollar bills. They were SO EXCITED! I remember as a kid when I got to pay for my own stuff, I would be SO excited. I wanted to see them experience that too. What a treat that was. I let them pick whatever they wanted with their 5 dollars. The first thing that happened was Laela wanting to get flowers for Hailey. Man that girl ADORES her mamma SO MUCH. It’s near heart-breaking. Then, she picked a few girly things for the lake, but as always, Dekker looked for something he truly wanted. Usually, it’s something WAY TOO practical. He is only 9, but there is a reason why we call him Dave. He is SUCH a dad. He chose a digital alarm clock. I wasn’t surprised. I also wasn’t surprised that Laela wanted the same thing LOL. So, we put her stuff back and went through the line-up. I let them choose a candy and a drink. They both chose mint gum and lemonade. They paid for their clocks and away we went.
Tim’s drive thru was a success. A bagel and coffee for me, Tim bits for my Born bits. We got to Prairie Oasis Park, and the kids WERE STOKED!
They played for about an hour after devouring their Timbits. Dekker CHUGGED his lemonade and Laela, very much like her sweet, adorable mom, took tiny sips that LOOKED huge. It’s okay, Hailey, you are dearly loved.
Everyone had to pee, so we went to Co-op. I made Dekker take his empty lemonade bottle and fill it with water. Laela was afraid of the toilet so I went in the stall with her and showed her a trick. Sometimes when you close the lid and then flush it, the loud sound isn’t as scary. She was very cute. We found each other after that, and I let the kids choose whatever chips they wanted. Dekker chose popcorn twists, because there are NO kernels, and he now loves Old Dutch… when he didn’t before because it wasn’t as good. But.. it’s better now. ( apparently ) Laela and I chose cheezies because we are very smart ladies.
We went to Lion park after that. Dekker totally DEVOURED his twists. I think he came back every couple minutes to shove his face. I didn’t stop him. I felt like he deserved to be free today. I took some pictures of the kids climbing this weird rope thing. Do they name playground equipment? I dunno. I watched them play for over an hour while I went through school notes.
On the way back I played some 80s fun music. ALL windows down. Kids were happy. Laela finished her cheezies and was totally orange by the time we got home. Only a few mins later, my sweet best friend came home, and we got to talk for a few mins. I loved that. In case you didn’t know. I am a HUGE fan of my best friend.
A couple hours later, I get a photo from Hailey of a sticky note Laela had written. SO SWEET.
When I arrived to get them, she gave me gum. And as I left, she gave me a candy cane. That girl has SUCH a big heart. She is very tender, generous, and loving. I am so excited I get to watch all of them grow up. I am a proud auntie.