I’m SO grateful that Brady’s job allowed for him to have a flexible schedule, and attend school events. Today, he spent about an hour at school with Laela for their annual Father’s Day event. Together, they ate a special breakfast of muffins, fruit, yogurt, and juice. Laela was SO excited to serve him, she’s been talking about it for a few days now.
After breakfast, she colored a picture of Brady.
They then had the option to either play soccer, or play on the playground. In TRUE Laela form, she asked to hang on the playground together, so they did. Brady was an excellent specimen of a father and played on the equipment with her, even going down the tube slide! Unfortunately, no pictures of that 😉 But I have these!
I think they really enjoyed each other.
Laela gets SO excited to “host” someone at school, its really fun to be part of it. She’s so grown up these days, having just lost her third tooth last night!!!
I’m so proud of you, Laela! So is your dad. And I know we’re pretty proud of him, too.
We kept our Father’s Day celebration pretty casual this year. Casual but really enjoyable 🙂 It suited our family SO well! Brady and I both agreed afterwards that it had been a super lovely evening.
After naptime, we got everyone dressed and left for the city. Of course, we couldn’t just go for recreation, so we stopped for groceries first. Haha! We hit Costco and stocked up on ALL veggies and fruit, ALL milk, a box of diapers, and a whole bunch of other things.
While we were in line, I saw a woman looked very flustered, standing with her two kids and their cart. She was trying to flag down an employee, and her son was wailing. The moment an employee arrived at her cart, she said something quickly to her and took off with her son. When they were closer to me, I could tell her son had thrown up. Once she was just about ready to turn down the little hallway to the bathrooms, she seemed to have a realization and hesitated. Didn’t know whether to go to the bathroom or go back. And guys, I just felt for her. She seemed so frustrated, and so distraught. So I took a risk and ran over to her. I offered to take her son to the bathroom and wash him off. She said she didn’t know where her daughter was, and I know that fear of not having an eye on all of your kids! I told her I have five kids, and she can trust me. She hesitated hard, but did end up letting me take him. My heart was SO happy that she trusted me enough to let me help!! I walked him to the bathroom and tried to reassure him that I was going to help him. He was probably two years old and didn’t say much back. He was obviously upset, too, and feeling sick. The bathroom paper towel was out, so I found a loose roll of toilet paper and just went to down, wetting a ball and wiping him off a bit, over and over again. His mom was very close behind, and met us in the bathroom, but she was on the phone, relaying the events of her sons sickness to someone, and was still just SO flustered. I helped finish him up, and by the end of it all, he was giggling and playing with the hand dryer. Crisis averted!! It felt good to have another mom trust me and accept my help! Whew!
On our way out of the parking lot, we saw a man pushing a big orange flatbed cart lose, and a bunch of his groceries got away on him. Several flats of drinks and chips were on the ground, and he was in a bit of a high pressure area to be holding up vehicles. Brady quickly whipped our van to the side and rushed out to help him. Meanwhile, another vehicle pulled up in a way to shield them both from oncoming traffic while they reloaded his cart. Again, crisis averted.
I’ve got to say, it felt great to help people, and to have people willingly accept our help. Not telling these stories to toot my own horn, but to remember 🙂 Nice stories.
We were at Costco for longer than usual that shop, because I had decided, for our Father’s Day supper, we should have a picnic! A picnic with Costco hotdogs! If you’ve gotten a hotdog at Costco before, you know its a really yummy hotdog for super duper cheap, and its really easy. All the condiments are there and ready, you get a drink, and its just a simple process. I’ll tell you now, it is less simple when you’re a family of seven.
Hahahaha! My goodness… Brady took on the task of dressing the hotdogs, though to be fair, I thought he was just going to get some little cups of ketchup and mustard. He got the way harder job by opening up each hot dog and putting stuff on them. I filled the cups – pop for Brady and I, and water for the kids. It was a bit of an undertaking, but two boxes of supper later, we were set! (Spoiler alert: We ran out of food before we were all full. Ten hot dogs next time.)
My goal had been to take the kids to the bandshell by the river for supper. Not super picnicky, but contained and in a way that I could see them all the whole time. (Yes, I’m a tad overprotective since our shakedown at the lake. Please don’t judge me!) There were people on the stairs of the bandshell when we drove by, but once we had parked and headed in that direction, it was no longer occupied.
It was virtually impossible to get a good picture of everyone, lol! I tried individuals, rather.
Solly didn’t want his picture taken…
But he rallied 🙂
Marginally better, lol!
Everyone ate super happily, and drank a TON of water. What is it about a new cup that makes it more fun?? Lol! Seriously though, they enjoyed themselves SO much. After they finished eating, they raced around in circles, played tag, and made games around which section of the concrete was lava and where you could and couldn’t be tagged. They could’ve stayed out there forever, but it eventually had to end. Bedtime was drawing near, and since it hadn’t been a smooth day for napping, we knew the risk of everyone sleeping on the drive home was pretty real. But NO ONE DID!! Thanks to that, bedtime was pretty smooth and everyone went to bed happy, and slept easily. It was awesome.
Seriously, what a cute little picnic with a cute little family. We had a great evening, just hanging out together. We kept it low pressure, and very much our style. We loved it. We’ll have to make this a bit more of a common occurrence. It was WAY more fun than usual fast food, and cheaper, too, which never hurts.
Brady and I were young and dumb when we got married. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have NO regret! Not one. We made a great choice to be together 🙂 But that doesn’t mean we were well prepared! Being that its Father’s Day, I figured it would be worth sharing the story about how we “prepared” for starting our family.
Brady and I had barely discussed having children when we got married. I know. Its kind of a big, important topic. But we just kind of never went there! I remember one conversation that went something like this.
Hailey: How many kids do you want? Brady: Two. Hailey: I want three or four, at least. Brady: ….. Hailey: We’ll probably start with two then and see where we end up. Brady: Maybe.
🤷 That was that! We could’ve been headed for some serious heartache, wanting our families to look so different. Thankfully, God knew! Phew!
We were still in the delivery room with our firstborn finally delivered, and Brady and I both said the same thing. “We’re going to do this SO many more times!” Thank you, Lord, for putting he and I on the same page.
Brady dove into dad mode in the hospital. He changed most of the hospital diapers, helped me in every way he could to try and breastfeed, did all the burping and rocking, and got up any time he could do something instead of me. He. Dove. In. And I knew we were going to be fine. I had a partner.
Its hard for me to picture the other side of the coin, where men are less hands-on with their kids, because this is ALL I’ve seen from Brady. He chose us above himself. I’ve definitely witnessed less involved parenting, but never in my own home, from my own husband. For that, I am SO grateful! We couldn’t have the family we have, and do life the way we do, without Brady’s selfless nature, his tireless work ethic, and his loving heart.
This man somehow manages to juggle everything. He is an amazing father, but alongside that, he is a follower of Christ, a husband, a man, a good friend, a carpenter, a musician, and a hottie with a body. 👌 I’m a fan of this man.
Really, a cleaning bug is the BEST kind of bug to be bit by, right?
For one reason or another, I finally kicked into gear yesterday and got some serious tidying done around my house! Our room has been driving me crazy, and the ensuite, too.
Maybe some of you can relate, but stuff just gets dumped in our room if it doesn’t have somewhere else to go. Or if someone is coming over, we just hide whatever is a mess in our bedroom and close the door. Or, mostly the issue, we just clean up less in there because we don’t have to, because no one else really goes up there.
However, going upstairs to a mess of a room every single day isn’t so relaxing, and its been starting to get to me. And then the ensuite is SUCH a mess, it doesn’t really feel like one can adequately clean themselves when the whole place is covered in products and gunge.
I’ve been saying for a while now, one of these days, its just going to hit me. And folks, that was yesterday.
I tidied the ensuite pretty seamlessly. Everything in there has a home, for the most part. My yummy lotion that I keep at the sink was at that frustrating point where there’s about half an inch left in the bottom but it just won’t pump anymore. I took the time to empty it out and actually washed out the bottle and filled it from a new lotion that I like more but that didn’t come in a pump. Win! I emptied my overflowing garbage, and even threw away some stupid little bathmats that we got to use at the sink but just make a mess. It looks SO much better in there!!
The bedroom was a bigger job. I went on a craft retreat last fall, and one earlier this year, and ALL of my craft stuff is still up in our room! Yup. Big lime green rubbermaid tubs, just hanging out in what is supposed to be our little haven. I also have little white plastic basins floating around with half finished projects inside, some confiscated toys, pictures the kids have drawn that they insist live upstairs, etc. Just stuff, everywhere. Balls of yarn, everywhere! ALL my fault, obviously. So I went to work, and cleared up the stuff that was easy first. Laundry where it belonged, garbage where it belonged, etc. All pens, pencils and notebooks went into my desk drawers. I made some executive decisions and threw some stuff out. Made our bed. The big part was my crafty stuff. I decided – three tubs. Two for yarn (that is WAY less than I used to have, by the way!) and one for projects I’m not currently working on but actually will eventually complete. I dug through the tubs and sorted them in a way that made sense. I rolled up balls of yarn that were tangled and messy, and combined a few that were the exact same color and brand, but were separate for some reason. The big goal here was to fit the tubs into a storage closet. And they did!! Woot! Meanwhile, the few craft projects I’m finished and am hanging onto live in a pretty little basket on my desk. The floor is WAY clearer, and it just feels brighter.
That was all yesterday, and today I’m feeling a bit itchy and twitchy to keep going. I’ve got the dishes all caught up, and I’m about halfway through laundry. I’m doing a bit of research online, and while I’m not swimming in money, I’m excited to have found a few affordable pieces that will help me get my kitchen and pantry and bit more organized! Maybe it sounds a bit silly to be excited about things like that, but you’d have to know me a few years ago to fully grasp why. We used to live SUCH a cluttered life. I think we had WAY more stuff before we had kids! Our house in Radisson was always a mess, dining table stacked with junk – dry goods groceries, jackets, bags, books, etc. Our floors and countertops were covered, and our furnace room was overflowing! Do you know, when I went to gut that room in preparation for listing the house, I found upwards of 75 EMPTY BOXES???? Just MESS! So yes, I get excited about cute little storage solutions that help things run a bit smoother around here. I want everything here to have a home, and if it doesn’t, maybe it doesn’t belong here.
I guess this whole post is basically a brag that I did things that normal people do everyday?? Hahaha! I don’t know. I think its important for me to write it out because I don’t always have that satisfying, rewarding feeling after I work hard. But sometimes I do! And for whatever reason, this has felt really good 🙂
Now to find my way to Ikea to snag a few lifesaving storage accessories…
First of all, huuuugely misleading title, haha! Very clickbaity. I witnessed a thing once, though, so I figured I’d milk it hard for a blog post. Basically, I am the police. 😎 You’re welcome.
*****
Back in the day of confed mall having its own Walmart, my mom and I stopped in for a shop. We rarely went to that location, and I have no idea why we did that day. But, we did. I was in my teens, but I choose to believe I was in my young teens because this story is based on how annoying I was.
We were leaving Walmart, and like the mature human being I was, I pressed the button that opened the door. The door opened sooooooo slooooowly. I stood like a statue until the door had opened completely. I thought this was hilarious, but people were trying to leave and I had held them up with my own fun. So being the considerate woman I was raised to be, I walked through the little holding cell area (ironic foreshadowing) and hit the next button to open the next door. And again, I stood there like a statue, blocking everyone’s way. Could I have been a bigger turd?? There was a man behind my mom and I who was laughing good-naturedly at me, but there were now a handful of other people behind him. I was officially affecting/annoying a decent group now.
It was when we FINALLY left Walmart that we learned the friendly man behind us must have been screaming on the inside the entire time he was blocked by me and my idiotic game. The moment his foot hit the sidewalk, he was tackled by the plain-clothed security guards that were following him out of the building. It appeared he had stolen merchandise tucked inside his jacket.
🤷
I know. I’m amazing. The bravery I exhibited is astounding. I deserve a medal, really. All these things I know.
A medal for immaturity at least. 😉 We all know I was winning at that! Jokes on that guy for getting stuck behind me that day…
While I was preparing supper yesterday, Waverly was already ready to eat. She fussed and whined on the floor like a puppy. Brady picked her up, and she just reached for the food I was chopping. So I took a risk and handed her a whole yellow pepper. Her eyes widened as she took it from me. Wavy loves peppers. I pulled out my phone, anticipating her taking a whole bite out of the thing, but instead, she went for the stem.
And aaaaall I could see was this:
A beach bum with a bevy!
It probably doesn’t help that we’ve dug through her clothes recently and pulled out some seasonally appropriate clothing in her current size. That includes little shorts, tank tops, and swimwear!! 🤩
Goodness, she is SO sweet!! The palm tree pony doesn’t hurt, either.
I’m so excited to see what summer will hold for this little nugget. We’ll definitely have our hands full on the beach, as she is very eager to join her siblings in whatever they’re doing. She’ll be crawling all over the place, destroying our beach blankets and eating sand. I wonder when she’ll start walking. With the way she pulls up with only one hand, I can’t imagine its too far off. But as I’ve said before, she’s our earliest mover by far, so I don’t want to count my chickens.
Either way, I’ll take it! I’m ready for it, and so is she! And so is the rest of the family, really. We’re halfway through June! Summer is aaaaalmost here!
Guys. We made it to June 12th – almost the entire school year – without a flu. Until today.
Sigh.
Wavy woke up for milk around 5:30am and Brady got up to make a bottle. He lulled me awake and said Laela was sitting on the bottom of our stairs, and that she said she had thrown up. I took over with Wavy and he helped Laela. He changed her bedding and held her while she heaved and lost some more. Then he tucked her back in and she went back to sleep.
She’s spent the morning on the loveseat.
She insists she doesn’t want or need anything. She’s taking tiny sips of water here and there, and is gagging most of it up after a while. I’ve told her I wish I could help her, and she assures me she’s fine.
Pssst! Hey Laela!
How does she manage to look so soft and beautiful when she’s been barfing all morning??? Whats your trick, Laela? We ALL want to know!
So please say a prayer for my Laela Hazel today, if you think of it. She has a field trip on Friday that she would be completely devastated to miss!
I’ve set a few books beside my little sickie pants and she propped herself up to read them almost immediately. Hopefully that adds some enjoyment to her day 🙂 Wish us luck!
I walked to meet the big kids on their way home from school yesterday. I was a bit nervous, with Dekker being SO upset after his last event, that he wouldn’t be the most fun walking buddy, and wanted to join he and Laela in an effort to boost morale, basically. But they were both SO happy to see me, and spirits seemed high. Dekker even pointed out that he had been mad before, but being out of the sun seemed to have helped him feel better. Yay!
The big kids surprised me by being in much better shape for the remainder of the day than I had anticipated. They read books and played and lasted pretty easily to supper time. We fed them fries and chicken for supper, which was super easy and made them really happy. A very dip-heavy meal, lol, but it was a good day for food that no one had to argue about.
I was feeling a little heatstrokey myself so Brady offered to take the kids for a quick even walk around the pond. After such an active, outdoor day, they didn’t need it, but they always love it. The sky was CRAZY!!!
But no one got rained on 🙂
A rainbow and everything 🌈❤️
The kids went to be happy and exhausted. Once they were down, Carrie came over for band practice! Another gig next weeeeek!!
This morning, Brady went to work in a house that is already lived in. Since he obviously couldn’t start at 6:00am like usual, he woke me up gently at my normal wakeup time, and he even set the table with breakfast for the kids ❤️ He had to leave before they got up, though.
Everyone was ready and eager to get up, except for – you guessed it – Dekker. The poor boy was still completely cashed out. He didn’t even flinch when I went into his room to retrieve Rowan for breakfast. I got the morning moving anyway, and just left Dekker to sleep. It was about fifteen or twenty minutes later that he stumbled into the dining room, half dressed and bleary-eyed, and just started eating without saying anything. A little peek into what teenaged Dekker might be like, haha!
Something else notable from this morning – I am a lobster. Like I buuuuurned yesterday, ho boy! My shoulders are tender, and my nose and forehead hurt if I touch my face. But my legs and feet take the cake.
I know, its sooooo good looking. Its definitely a look. And suntans tend to continue developing the next day, so we’ll look forward to that.
So the sleepy big kids are off to school. The sleepy little kids are playing duplo at the island. The sleepy baby is sleeping. The sleepy mom is reclined in her chair, trying to ignore her sore shoulders against the fabric. Hopefully the sleepy dad has a short workday and is home before too long.
Much love from our sleepy family to your sleepy family! You track families earned an extra coffee today!
It was our first experience having two children’s events to follow on track and field day! It was a whole other dynamic, but thankfully, Brady could come along, so we were able to split up when necessary.
We all began at the high school track for the dash. Its the 100m dash if you’re older, and some little bitty version of the dash if you’re in kindergarten 😉 It was an interesting – though not surprising – dynamic for me to watch both of my children do their activities. The reality of the situation is that Dekker hasn’t stretched yet, and doesn’t keep up the same way. His big feelings come out hard when he doesn’t place where he wants, which was hard to watch. But he did well at the dash 🙂 I was very proud of how he ran! Laela ran her first dash this year as well, and as many people pointed out to me after the fact, that girl is a runner!! She wore a HUGE smile the whole time, and kept up well! She placed high up in her group, and even got to run a second heat. She was just beaming. It was awesome 🙂
From there, Rowan and I followed Laela’s group to running long jump, and Brady kept Solly and Waverly at the track for Dekker’s 400m. While I wasn’t there, I hear he finished his race, which is more than can be said for me, I’m sure! Laela was nervous of running long jump, having told me this morning that it was hard for her to coordinate where to land. But she ran it, and she did an excellent job!
Brady and the others came and caught the end of Laela’s long jump, and then we split off again! Laela had ball throw, and specifically requested I join her. So I took Solly and Wavy this time, and Brady took Rowan to watch Dekker do shuttle runs. Dekker had been the most excited about shuttle runs, and he excelled at it! Yay Dekker!!! Laela maintained a happy face through ball throw as well, but she was probably least excited about it.
Then the kids schedules alternated, so we were able to go to Dekker’s standing broad jump all together. He was doing well, making good strides, but it became clear the the little kids needed to call it for the morning. Brady took them home, so I could stay and finish out the day. Last year, I had been the one to take the kids home, so I didn’t feel too bad about it. Dekker finished up his jumps very well, and then I headed over to catch Laela’s standing broad jump at a different area of the school yard. She also did really well!
Laela headed in for the rest of the day. I visited with some friends while the kids ate lunch, and then I followed Dekker around to his last couple of events. Unfortunately, things were a bit difficult after that. Dekker was SO overtired, and while he enjoyed the ball throwing event to its fullest, he was very discouraged with where he placed. He cried and waved his green ribbon at me from the side :/ It was sad. But there was a break between that event and his final event, so he rallied and played on the playground and perked up a bit.
His final event was running long jump, and he did awesome! He didn’t fall or slip. His first run, he noticed his shoe had come open, and he stopped to fix it and ran back to the beginning without any pause or disappointment. He just rolled with it. It was awesome 🙂 I did, however, leave him in tears. He was mad that he would have to walk home after school, and promised me he’d be super angry for the rest of the day. His poor overdone self just hates disappointment 🙁 So I gave him a hug and a kiss and headed home, even though he was sad. Because sometimes we do hard things.
My little track stars did SUCH a beautiful job today! It was really a happy day of accomplishment and excitement! I feel so grateful to be able to be at these school events, and that Brady has the flexibility to come along as well! I really loved today.
I always look forward to this one, so while it probably matters to no one else but me, its my blog! Hahaha! So I’m recording it!
Waverly started finding her reflection in the kitchen appliances yesterday. 😂 Specifically, the fridge.
And then she found me in it, too!
I love these funny little things so much. I remember when Solly discovered the dishwasher. He’d stare at himself, and back at us, and back at himself. And then he discovered he could drag his hand along it for a satisfying squeaky sound. I’m looking forward to that 🙂
