We’ve been really enjoying our backyard through this season of life and Covid. Goodness, can you imagine if we didn’t have our basement done when it started?? In winter, when its not even close to as easy to go outside?? We’d have all eaten each other alive! Thankfully, the basement is in good shape and we were able to put up a fence and a shed, throw in a garden, and even secure a swingset and a little trampoline. I’ll admit I’m pretty tired of a teeny tiny rain leaving us with pure mud in the backyard, but we’ll get to grass in the fall, or maybe in Spring, considering our new camper project. We shall see.
The big highlight of the backyard, at least for Brady, Cher, and t, is the fire pit! We are LOVING the fire pit! We regularly go outside in the evenings, just to burn wood. If that sounds silly, hear it from my perspective.
My life is built around function. I don’t remember the last time I made a purchase or spent time on a project that wasn’t directly for function. Function always wins with all of these children, and the fire pit has a function. But its also SO fun to just sit around it, with no agenda other than to watch it burn. Somehow, fires have become my letdown. My frivolous enjoyment. My clear headspace.
It was SO fun to share the news of our new summer vibe with you guys! We are pretty stoked ourselves to get the RV ready for us and out to the lake. I believe we have until August 21 to get the job done, so the six week series starts on Friday. I can already tell you it wont be a flawless series because August 21 happens to be Dekker’s birthday! I’ll likely write a bday blog for him that day, and you’ll get the “finale” the next day. Ooooor maybe we’ll be done early 😳 Who knows! Not me!
A quick list of what needs work! A quicker list of what works!
The electricity works! The fridge works! The toilet is new in box! The bump out works! The awning works! The batteries work!
🤔
Yup. Thats about it! Our little home away from home needs a LOT of fixing, down to the light covers, but we’re up for the task! I’m excited to show you where its at on Friday!! Thank you for joining us in our excitement!
You may notice in the coming weeks that there is a new home being built beside ours! But by “built,” I mean renovated, and by “home,” I mean RV! Ours!
Thank you, Landry, for driving it here for us!
So. We did a thing! We were recently fortunate enough to secure a permanent spot at Christopher Lake, and our latest big project arrived in the empty lot beside our house just yesterday. After careful consideration, Northridge agreed to grant us six weeks to complete our project in their lot. It is a tight timeline, but I’m excited to have a fire lit under us!
The camper is essentially a shell. It was bought to be gutted and turned into a bunkhouse, and the job was never completed. In our research, just about anything we’d buy second hand would need to be rebuilt to a degree anyway, so we decided to go for this shell of an RV for a fraction of the cost, and build it from the ground up.
A series dedicated to the remodel of our camper starts on Friday! If thats your thing, please feel free to follow along! We are SO excited! July might be one of the busiest months of our lives, but we’re completely stoked! The whole thing still feels a little surreal but its going to get really very quickly. I can’t wait!
It was lovely and odd being back at church today. Odd with everyone so separate, but lovely because I miss the people and I truly miss leading music and worshipping in a group.
Brady, Carrie, and I met at the church before things were meant to start, and got our sound checked and our things in order. It felt normal, which I welcomed. We were done practicing pretty early, and lingered on stage, visiting, until it was time to start.
I’ll be honest. It was strange. No one in the congregation was allowed to sing unless they wore a mask. There were masks available for the taking, but so few people had picked them up and elected to sing. It made me a little bit sad, but I know not everyone worships in the same way, so I had to make a conscious effort to understand that and consider more my worship for God.
And it worked out! Some people sang. Some stood and swayed. Some sat and paid attention and others didn’t. To each their own, always. Some people danced a little and lots of people did actions to a song or two. We got some good feedback at the end and it seemed like, one way or another, people reached a point of worship, and our job was done.
I’m sad to say we likely won’t be back at church for a while now. We have some things on the horizon over here where our time will be FULL and we’ll be away here and there, too. It was good to get there this time; to dip our toes in; to see what church is going to look like for the summer.
I hope you’re all enjoying your Sundays, and getting in some Jesus one way or another. And maybe finding Him on the other days too.
I know, the title really makes this sound like an exciting post 😆 We have some exciting stuff on the horizon but I’ll share that with you guys on Monday, probably. (No, not a baby announcement. I wish!)
Yesterday was a nice normal Friday. Cher, Dekker, and I went for a walk, which was a pretty cute gig.
We also spent a bit of time outside, trying to plant my kitchen lettuce in the garden. But the bulk of our time was spent inside with Waverly, since we’re trying to keep her from getting too warm. The other kids, however, played outside in the pool and on the trampoline. It was a really nice day.
Today held a morning walk and planning sesh with my mom, which was SO nice! I love her. I’ve also done a bit of crocheting and tidying, and some YouTube watching. I’ve been sipping iced coffee, and I ate nachos for lunch. Cannot complain!
Lastly, tomorrow is Sunday, and we’re leading worship at church 😳 Sooooo thats been a while! We won’t bring the kids this time, just to get a feel for the expectations on the kids. So, that’ll be “normal.” Aaaaand I already know the meals I’m making for Sunday so that’s always a relief for me. Sunday should be a fun day, but as I said, I’ll tell you all about it in the next day or two 😉
Have a lovely weekend, friends! I hope its normal and comfortable.
Its been a super crazy week since we got home from the lake. I’ll share all kinds of details and stories with you soon enough, but the last couple of days specifically have been centred around Miss Waverly and her banaaaaanas new rash she’s rocking! I’m actually going to refrain from posting pictures to avoid the mad guessing game, but I’d happily send some in private messages to anyone who wants to help or wager a guess.
Wavy presented something of a heat rash while we were at the lake. It was a very small problem, and didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. It lessened in a day or two, and save for a couple of lingering dots on her tummy, she seemed completely fine.
While I was in Edmonton, her rash exploded. It covered her whole belly and rode up into her armpits and neck. All the hot spots. She started scratching like a crazy person. Pimply spots formed all down her legs and her face, and some filled with fluid. Her hands and feet like by far the weirdest, with ringworm-looking spots and lines. She never. Stops. Scratching.
Yesterday, it had only worsened, so I called my doctor for a consult. She was booked, but they put us in the “urgent queue” to speak to a physician before the end of the day. As I’ve come to expect, Dr. Guselle noticed her name in the queue and snagged her out of there to call us herself. We talked in detail about Wavy’s rash and she gave me the office email to send pictures to. I sent her a long email with progress pictures, starting with the heat rash at the lake.
She called back shortly thereafter and figured, unfortunately, we’re probably looking at a couple of viral rashes mixed together that need to run their course. She could’ve picked something up at the lake, plus she’s teething, plus she’s prone to eczema. The perfect storm, lol! However, her symptoms needed help fast, so Dr. Guselle prescribed a special cream for her hands and other hot spots, like her armpits and leg folds. The bigger areas, like her tummy and the back of her neck, I’m treating with basic topical antihistamine, and she’s taking regular Benadryl. Today, finally, there is improvement worth noting!
There is more skin color on her belly between the spots. Her knee “hives” are waaay down. She’s not as puffy and swollen. Her hand markings are still pronounced but they’re lighter and less pronounced. I am SO relieved.
Cher and I decided Monday to go to Edmonton on Wednesday! Woot! It was a last minute decision, but she let it slip that she was thinking of taking me to Ikea as a birthday gift, and with July filling up the way it is, we decided to go sooner than later! And that happened yesterday!
We left at 5:30am, which was both gross and strategic. We hoped to avoid lunch traffic in Edmonton, and we did! We grabbed coffee and bagels on the way in, and listened to good music. The rain came as we drove, which we were eagerly anticipating, but it got a little too heavy, and made getting around big scary, spraying semis a bit more difficult than we’d have liked. But we made it!
We got to Ikea in good time, and only waited about five minutes to get in. Its worth noting that she and I both wore black leggings, grey leggings, and a blue button down. Of course its not well documented at all, but, great minds thing alike!
The weather was overcast but not cold. It was a pretty perfect setup actually! We scrambled a little to find a cart, but when we finally did, the shop began!
We spent a good three and a half hours in Ikea, and while it was sparser than usual, thanks to Covid, we both got quite the haul. I came out with new dishes, kids cutlery, bookends, a waterproof outdoor blanket, a yellow cactus and a planter, a big pot, a corkscrew, a cheese grater and container, sandwich bags, a kids duvet cover, drawer organizers, and plenty more than I’m confident I’m missing. It was an excellent haul!
Post-Ikea, we hit up Olive Garden. It was only mid-afternoon, so we basically had the place to ourselves.
And MAN the food was ridiculously good!
We ate far too much, packed the rest up, and headed out for a quick Winners break. Cher found one item, bought it, and we headed home!
We listened to good music, good stand-up comedy, and had a lot of good conversation the whole way home. It was such a special birthday celebration for me, and such a special trip for us 💜Here we were, thinking we wouldn’t get a chance to go on a trip together this year, and look at us go!
It was SO nice to be away together, but it is always SO nice to come home!
I feel like I’ve been talking a lot about Wavy recently. She’s pretty excellent, so I don’t feel too jerky about it, but its been more than usual, for sure. Usually, I talk about my kid on their birthday, and then I talk about their party the next day. I had the luxury of Cher offering to take some pictures of Wavy on her birthday, and they are SO beautiful, they get their own post!!
We got Waverly up after her nap, and she wasn’t feeling photos right away. I put her in her new little romper and her birthday crown so she could get excited about being all dressed up and ready.
It helped. But more so, playing with her blanket and my slippers was what did it.
Once she was happy, I just slipped those items away from her and we got into it. These photos need no captions, really. She is SO loved. SO LOVED.
Love by her mommy.
Always playingAaaaand again, please!
Loved by her daddy.
Loved by her parents, together.
She is a silly little goof, and has enough personality for ten children. She has found the magical balance between being delicate and sweet and a super weirdo. How did she do that??
She is SO gorgeous. I don’t understand where she even came from…
I love this girl. Yes, I love her pretty hair and her striking eyes. Her soft skin and her little teeth. I love her understanding and comprehension, and I love the fun we have together.
But my goodness, her heart SHINES!!! You can see her heart in these pictures. Its undeniable. I understand that, on the internet, we all put our best foot forward, but what you see is what you get with this girl. She is sweet.
This is a pretty jumbled, directionless post but the pictures are cute! Haha! So, enjoy!
The kids have been pretty tired but pretty adorable since we got home from the lake. Yesterday would’ve been our catch-up day, and it kinda was, but we also spent the biggest chunk of that day outside in the blasting heat! We did, however, find Waverly had tucked herself into Laela’s bed halfway through the morning.
That little girl knows what she needs more than any other toddler I’ve known.
We weeded the garden and they played in the pool and on the swings, trampoline, and in the pile of leftover topsoil. It was dirty and productive and HOT. So everyone is still beat today.
Rowan was SO proud of his swinging skills, he requested I come take a picture of him.
He knows how to pump, but always wants a push to get started. And I get that, because its easier, and more fun. But we’re not always immediately available to give him a push, and yesterday he got aaaaall the way up high on his swing just by pumping! Good job, Rowan!!
Side note: Waverly calls pushed “Booses.” Its adorable.
We closed off yesterday evening with a fire and a slushy drink. It was SO hot in the day, and nice and cool in the evening.
Unrelated to being outside, I watered my succulents and noticed the one Laela had given me for Mother’s Day had grown like CRAZY!
Isn’t that amazing?? I can barely fit it all into the picture! Maybe time to put the long ones into a hanging planter.
So, onto today. This morning, we made some exciting, albeit small-seeming, strides with Solomon! We’ve been seeing lately that he has some catching up to do in some of his life and play skills. We’ve made some small shifts over the last couple of weeks and have seen some really positive improvement! Today, he initiated play with Waverly, invited her to play downstairs with him, helped her take off my slippers, and led her by hand down the stairs.
A month ago, not only would Solly not have invited someone else to play, but he wouldn’t have gone downstairs without Brady or I. He wouldn’t have considered her safety the way he did, and he wouldn’t have been so soft with her the way he was. He did SO WELL!!! Claps for Solly!!
Pinterest showed me this today. I want one. That is all.
And lastly, we went on a little morning outing today, and Waverly was being a super patient little goof, posing for pictures and being a dork in general, just like her family.
She’s bananas. They all are. Its been a cute couple of days 🙂 The pictures simply cannot be missed.
As you know, Waverly celebrated her second birthday on July 2nd, which isn’t only special because its her birthday and we love her, but also because its her magic birthday!! We keep bdays pretty simple over here, but we tried to dress it up a little extra this time around, as she only has ONE magic birthday and we wanted her to feel really extra special. Here is the photo play by play of her birthday party, mostly taken and all edited by Cher! Thank you for all your hard work 😘
We decorated the night before 🙂
The day began with a BIG breakfast!!
We served pancakes, bacon, and peaches. It was super delicious, and the birthday girl was the life of the party. Sticky and hyper and the life of the party!
Belly bacon!
She opened presents after breakfast!
She got a really thought out, lovely card…
A couple of little toys…
A bunch of clothes, specifically tank tops, which she really needed…
And from us, she got new bedding! A pillow and a nice fluffy duvet.
She was SO happy! And its fair to say she napped extra comfortably after lunch 🙂
Everyone played the afternoon away. It was relaxed and fun for all. Once Waverly was awake, we snuck her upstairs for a birthday photo shoot. I’ll share those photos with you tomorrow! Too many pictures on this post already 😆 We ordered Pizza Hut for supper, and had chips and chocolate milk with it. There were NO objections. And then dessert came out!
Again, no objections. We had homemade Oreos with light pink cream cheese icing. Waverly was elated. And again, goofy.
Once dessert was over, my mom and I packed up some cookies into bags…
And we made our way around town to share them with our friends!
People have been big on the birthday parades during Covid, and I think they’re really lovely. We decided to put a different spin on it, though, and take the party around rather. We stopped by a good handful of houses and shared our treats with our friends. It was so so nice. Wavy was exhausted by the end. Upon getting home, though, I remembered the ONE thing she had asked to do that day.
“Jumpaline?”
So I took her to the backyard to jump on the trampoline while the other kids got tucked in for bed.
It was beautiful. She was beautiful.
She IS beautiful in all of the ways. Sometimes it sounds cliche to say someone is beautiful inside and out, but it’s just the truth. She has been completely stunning since the day she was born. A stand-out beautiful little girl, but her personality and heart are overflowing with beauty. She is as light and airy and sweet as she looks in pictures. She lights up a room and adds SO much joy to our lives and our family.
Waverly Violet, you melt my heart, and the hearts of your entire family 💜 We love you! Thank you for inviting us to your party.
