So, on Tuesday, Wavy came home from the park at bedtime with a fat lip.
She had not gotten hurt or cried at all, so we figured it was a bite. She’s always reacted big to bites. We gave her some Benadryl and put her to bed.
On Wednesday, she looked even crazier.
The morning…
And the afternoon, as you saw.
Thank goodness, that was the worst of it and it was significantly better the next day!
Aaaaand today, she’s back to her adorable chubby cheeked self!
Maybe a liiiiittle chubbier than average but she’s looking fly and happy and she’s not uncomfortable anymore!
Waverly, you’re going to give me grey hair with your bizarre reactions, rashes, and whatnot. But I really love you, so I’m just really happy you’re well 💜
Solly: Oh no!!! 😳 I ate a wish chip and forgot to make a wish!!
What could we possibly wish for?!
He’s such a goofball. Such a weirdo. But I’ve got to say, he is crazy social and is making friends up here so well! He’s brave and friendly and getting more independent by the day!!
We are over the moon grateful for this spot. We can only pray that we are always so fortunate to wind up here during the summer, hopefully rolling over weekends with our friends, old and new.
I have so many more pictures to show you, but there is visiting to do, food to eat, and about a hundred school emails to read 🙃
Wavy is storing food in her cheeks in preparation for hibernation. Wavy ate a pingpong ball. Wavy got elephantiasis. Wavy was recruited by the TMNT and got kicked in the face by a swamp rat. Wavys chubby cheeks are asymmetrical. Wavy slept wrong. Wavy tried to contour her cheekbones and failed miserably. Wavys hamburger wasn’t quite done and she got bit by the cow. Wavy was kissed on the cheek by Chuck Norris. Wavy blew a bubble with her gum and it inverted. Wavy resorbed her twin. Wavy is always ready to be a golf caddy. Wavy bit her lip. Wavy is packing lindor chocolates. Wavy ate a watermelon seed, and it’s starting…
Or Wavy got bit by a mosquito. It’s anyone’s guess.
In the last week or so, two ten year old boys have asked for my phone number. And I have thoroughly enjoyed watching them squirm when I’ve responded in surprise, asking “why??”
I can tell you why! Because my kids are making real, meaningful friendships and I can’t blame them for a second because these boys are SO sweet! Who wouldn’t want to stay in touch?!
Don’t get me wrong. They have amazing friends in town and that will only be more evident when school starts. But their friends here last from morning to night. They go on adventures together, eat treats together, snuggle in each other’s campers, and sit around each other’s fires.
The kids will miss their friends, and so will I. There are some immensely beautiful people up here, and they will be something our family mourns at the end of the season.
This also leaves me realizing how long it’s been since a boy asked me for my phone number 🤔 Pretty sure that was Brady, in 2007, asking for my dorms pay phone number. Over fifteen years ago 💜 No regrets.
Dekker had SUCH an amazing birthday. It was apparent to any and all of us around him! He was SO thrilled to choose food, thank do whatever HE wanted, and in his own words, he “kinda likes all the attention.” Which I thought was pretty cute 🥰
My mom came out for his day and brought decorations and gifts and thankfully, a few things I had forgotten. The decor was the best tho. He loves that stuff.
The day was a gooder. He requested baked oatmeal for breakfast, and lunch was just our usual snack stuff. He was disappointed because of his closest friends from here wasn’t out this weekend. However, a newer friend of his was around and they were so eager to spend time together! After much building, forts, and golf cart rides, Dekker was invited to join him in a canoe, adult free, to go fishing. So they did!
Dekker, his friend, as well as his friends older brother, went out for an afternoon fishing expedition. They were out there for HOURS. Dekker didn’t make an appearance back home for his birthday supper until well after 6:00, but as the guest of honour, he was elated, and we were happy to accommodate! Supper was breakfast. We had the pancakes, bacon, fruit salad, chocolate milk, and grandmas hashbrown casserole. I had forgotten that Dekker had requested fruit salad, but I found a tin of peaches which gave me enough variety to make one. I don’t think two floors of grapes counts as two different fruits 🤔
What I can tell you is that the day went LONG, but they were all SO happy! We cracked out the birthday cake after 8pm. If you know us, that is a LATE sugar shock, but it was q birthday so we threw caution to the wind and sugar at the kids.
It was around 8:30 when cake was done; and there was absolutely NO way we could just send them off to bed, so we made a deal that they’d get twenty solid minutes to run it all off, and then off to bed. They agreed and went running.
And just as they took off, some of their BEST friends drove up for the night. So they partied longer than twenty minutes 😆 because you can’t not.
Once all was said and done, it was finally time to wind down. And then Dekker asks innocently,
“Could we take a dip in the golf cart really quick?”
So they did 💜 just Dekker and Brady.
I can confirm is was a total success of a day. He loved it, and even though he was away from us for HOURS, it was just the best the day could’ve ever gone. He was so happy. They all were.
I know I should be telling you all about Dekkers birthday yesterday. And I want to! I will! But the day has gotten away from me and I’m not mad about it at all. Rather, I’ll introduce to a favorite food of ours, as of late. behold 🙌 the hot chickie!
You’ve heard me say it before, but I’ll say it again. Everything is better on a hotdog bun. In this case, we put Mississippi chicken on a hotdog bun and guys, I would HIGHLY recommend it! If you haven’t had it, Mississippi chicken, this is how I make it. It’s just chicken breasts in a crock pot with two packets of brown gravy and two packets of ranch seasoning and a bunch of butter. That’s it. Then we just shred it up and eat it on potatoes or a bun. Or 🙌 a hotdog bun. 🤤 You’re welcome
I cannot believe my firstborn is ten 🥺😭 What a huge year it’s been! I am honestly somewhat devastated to say I don’t have pictures of Dekker from every month of the last year but please take my word for it that I am enamoured beyond belief with this boy. 😍
Dekker is really coming into his own, which I think I say every year. He is open and honest about wanting/needing his alone time, though he thrives in a confident friend group where he finds belonging. He has found some of those beautiful solid friends this summer at the lake, and I know he will feel that hit when the campsite closes for the season. He built a very exclusive fort in the trees for he and his friends. Sometimes it’s full of little boys, and other times, he wants to hang out in there alone. It’s cute either way.
Dekker has excellent humour too. It’s dry when sarcastic. I wonder where he got that from 🤔 Regardless, he’s just on the edge of being a little bit snarky, so we’re reining in the sarcasm lately and trying to be funny whilst being totally polite. Lol! As you can imagine, it’s a delicate balance.
I am SO anticipating this next school year for Dekker. Not because I want him out of the house, but GRADE FIVE!!! He is SUCH a big kid!!! He’ll be old enough to do some of the actual work they have students do in elementary school, like setting up chairs or supervising things. Crazy. But they’re lucky to have him. Dekker loves enforcing rules 😆 #bossypants #notasbossyaslaela
Dekker has had some fun opportunities that he’ll never forget. He played the claw machine with Cher and brought home studies just for his sisters 😘 He went to Ruckers with Tom and Rae and won a slinky that everyone was sooooo jealous of. He’s tried and loved a lot of new foods, and in general, really seems to be coming out of his shell.
For this, I credit a handful of people and things. Firstly, and most importantly, all glory goes to God for this beautiful boy to even exist! Also, to his siblings, who challenge him (you know they do) and teach him some excellent skills in patience and consideration. Through Bradys sickness and time away, Dekker has learned more responsibility and compassion. Through his dad, he has learned IMPORTANT lessons about being a man, loving his people properly, when to stand up and when to take a backseat. From his teacher he learned how better to cope with stressful situations, and how to handle some of his big feelings. That was something we worked so hard at here, but somehow, she hit the nail on the head better than we could. For his auntie, who brings him along for things because she genuinely wants to spend time with him one on one. He feels SO special. This boy is dearly loved by all those around him.
Dekker is an AMAZING boy, and is actively changing into an AMAZING man before my eyes. We even had to send deodorant in his backpack this year 🥺 Where has time gone?!
Dekker, I am overwhelmed with pride for you. Thank you, Lord, for giving us beautiful Dekker Thomas. There could not be a better fit for our family ❤️
How long do I wait before I get my hair done again? I’ve been waiting to see if Bradys is going to fall out. We’re three cycles in. You know the moment I get mine redone, his will fall out and I’ll shave mine. How long do I wait?
How can I order a DLM over the McDonald’s app? Does anyone know?
Speaking of McDonald’s, is their iced coffee leftover hot coffee? I’m not mad at it, but sometimes mine is suspiciously warm.
How long is it socially acceptable to wear a bikini top rather than a bra? I have yet to find a bra that fits my newly narrowed ribcage, but my swim tops from this year are PERFECT. Bathing suits all winter then?
Another question. Who wants to join the homemade thriftmas gift exchange?
How long does it take to form a habit? I’ve heard people say 30 days, 45, 60, and 90. What is it, folks?
What new music have you found this summer? We’ve been enjoying WILD, The Band Camino, and the new AJR album is great, tho I’m disappointed with how much profanity is in it :/ can’t really listen to it around the kids.
What are legitimate jobs that Brady and I could start to pick away at? He’s a master woodworker and I’m a decently capable crocheter. Can a person make a living out of those things? Say yes.
Is there anywhere to go for a walk in eye appointment? Brady and I both need them but it’s hard committing to scheduled things sometimes these days. Does that exist anywhere?
As you guys know, the other day Brady was finally able to drive our van with our new hand controls!! It was such an open door of independence and we were all VERY excited for him.
Unfortunately, I HATED the hand controls. Which I couldn’t really talk about, because they are a big part of Brady’s freedom and I didn’t want anyone to be discouraged or make Brady feel bad for needing them. But truth be told, I really didn’t like having them in the van. The mechanisms are big, and they make it hard to put the keys in. The parts underneath the steering column are close to the knees. But the WORST part is that they installed the hand controls with the steering wheel locked up as high as it could go. Not only did it suddenly feel like I was driving a bus, but I couldn’t see my entire dashboard anymore. If I raised the seat to be able to see everything, I would constantly bang my knees on the mechanisms.
I say again, I HATED the hand controls. But I kept quiet about it.
I can’t tell you how grateful I was when Brady finally got to drive it and expressed his distaste of the hand control setup too! I was SO relieved. He called Golden Mobility right away and we scheduled an appointment to get the controls adjusted more to our liking.
That day came today. They pulled the van into their shop and loosened up the system before asking Brady to climb in and move the steering wheel where we wanted it. The tech said it would be totally doable, especially since we told them they could notch out the trim in the van.
We left, grabbed coffee and a bagel, and were back within a half hour. And it was done!!!!!
We both sat in it and made sure it felt right, and Brady drove it home. It is worlds apart better! What a huge relief!!! Only a teeny tiny part of the trim was notched, and you wouldn’t see it if you weren’t looking for it. The steering wheel is where it belongs, which was the biggest issue. The mechanism is still close to the knees, but now that we don’t have to raise the seat, it doesn’t matter as much. And the keys are still tricky to get in there, but again, such small potatoes in the big picture. We are both just SO relieved to have the steering wheel back where it belongs. Now we can both see all of the guages, and Brady’s actual controls are closer to the wheel. It is SO much better!
Just in time for us to go back to the lake for one last hurrah!
How long have you followed? Lots and lots of readers are new this year, so you may not know.
Four years ago, I had the devastation and pleasure of delivering a teeny tiny baby boy in the hospital. I was 16.5 weeks pregnant, and his heartbeat could not be found at a routine prenatal appointment. I felt such confidence as I booked the ultrasound that everything was well on the inside, but that the baby was just positioned further back. I had high hopes that I might even be lucky enough to learn the gender so early in the game.
Instead, I experienced the highest level of grief I knew at that point. Our baby had passed away.
The baby measured too large to safely induce miscarriage at home, so I was sent to the hospital for a D&C.
I will never forget the person registering me asking me to repeat myself over and over why I was there, trying to convince me I didn’t belong there.
“I’m here for a D&C. I’m here for a D&C. I’M HERE FOR A D&C!” I’m not exaggerating when I say that was actually one of the most traumatizing parts of the whole thing for me. Finally someone who knew I was coming cut it off and whisked me away.
Then I was told that my baby also measured too large for a safe D&C. So I set up to deliver.
Shortly after 7:00am, our baby was born.
It’s a boy 💙 We named him Jamin.
Its pronounced “JAY-min.”
Jamin means “at the right hand of God.”
And that is exactly where we believe him to be.
I will never forget those couple of hours I was able to spend with him in person. God made it clear to Brady and I when it was time to let him go. Jamin simply wasn’t made for earth. And that is ok. Experiencing that grief was an opportunity for us in many ways. I will always be grateful for the journey we took with Jamin, and I deeply anticipate seeing him again someday in Heaven, at the right hand of God.
You are dearly loved, sweet boy. Happy birthday, Jamin.
