Haha! Can you tell that naming blogs is the hardest part of blogging? 😅 Especially after almost eleven years. And when I’m talking about two vastly unrelated things in one post. Lol! Aaaaanyway. You guys aren’t here for the titles, so we’ll carry on.
Wavy had a really busy day yesterday. She went to a friends house first thing in the morning because I needed to take Solly to his appointment right when she needed to be at preschool. So I dropped her off, and she was shuttled off to a local farm for a field trip! Apparently she really didn’t want to get lost in the mix, because she dressed like a… construction worker? Safety officer? Highway patrol? Beats me. But she was a highlighter, which is just a further indicator that she is indeed my child 😆
When she was back from her field trip, she had lunch and then shipped off to a birthday party for another couple of hours! She was originally planning to switch to a dress for the party, but in the end, she opted to stick with the neon tshirt. She clearly knew she looked fly 😎
So, since the pictures from Waverly’s day yesterday were filled with other children, I can’t show you any. So I’ll show you supper lol! Breakfast sandwiches a la me!! Breakfast sandwiches used to be Brady’s thing, and his are likely much better, but they take more work. So I made them like this.
Bacon cooked and crumbled. Eggs cooked in bacon pan with bacon chunks. Looks ugly. Tastes delicious.
English muffins on a pan. Cheese on half of them. Broiled just a little bit past melted. Butter the non-cheesed halves.
Scoop some eggs in there and squish them good.
These went over SO WELL. Absolutely everyone ate at least one. Even Waverly finished a whole one without a struggle. Dekker had three. They were squishy and indulgent in all the right ways, and just a little crispy on the edges. No sog. They were absolutely delicious, and they will reappear. Maybe I’ll throw some shredded hashbrowns in there, if I’m feeling like adding a step. Maybe in a wrap. Sometimes simpler is better.
The end! Thats all I’ve got, folks! A highlighter child, and some breakfast for supper!! Hopefully there are more cohesive posts to come!
I took Solomon to a doctors appointment this morning.
I rarely get one on one time with Solly, so this was a pretty fun chance to be together! Thankfully, our doctor is absolutely awesome and Sol was not at all afraid of her. We had a funny appointment where we laughed a lot, and made some good decisions about Sollys health. He sat and stood and wiggled and did weird things, and Dr. Guselle just fell for him 💜 I watched it happen. It was SO cute. She was positively smitten. Which 🤷🏼♀️ I totally get.
He’s somewhat irresistible.
We left the appointment and I took him for a celebratory donut, because he earned it.
Then we did a quick Walmart run and were back to school!!
Its already been a busy morning, but I’m here for it! 💪 I’m so grateful that the sun is shining! Thank you Lord!
First thing yesterday morning, we loaded up the kids and got on the road to the lake! Everyone was really looking forward to getting out there on the first possible weekend!
It was the most satisfying game of tetris this season, getting so much into our vehicle, but it was completely successful! Everything and everyone fit in place, and off we went!!
New water bottles are part of our summer ritual over here! The kids love getting their new camp water bottle! Look how happy they all are!
They each got a mini magnadoodle keychain (thanks, Amazon) and we were off!
It felt like we were finally back home 💜
Our site felt a little worse for wear. The golf cart cover had come off over winter. And there were more things left out than I remembered. But, ah well. We got to it! The first move was the getting the bump out bumped out, lol! Too bad it upset our new friend :/
It took a few tries but we got the inside of the camper expanded! I emptied as much out of the camper as I could, plugged in the fridge, and it was time to unload the van!
Let’s do a quick run through here. We had two or three large bins/boxes of miscellaneous stuff – condiments, pantry food, toiletries, meds, bug spray, bags, lighters, paper dishes, fresh sand toys, and everything else. We had beach umbrellas. A lock box. A TON of linens, including sheets and blankets for six beds. We brought a few kitchen appliances. A case of coke. A shoe rack. Some lifejackets. A full badminton set. Six golf cart batteries. A cooler. A wheelchair and a Batec. Oh, and an entire 10′ kayak and 8′ paddle.
Laugh at our bus if you want to, but we have no regrets!
So, without getting too far into it, a lot of things flopped hard, and it was not the smooth, productive day we had hoped for. But! Laela was a complete and utter rockstar!!!!! She worked her butt off! She swept the whole camper out, took all the tubs and boxes out of the bunks, swept them out, opened up mattresses, put on sheets, pillowcases, and made set everything up for everyone 💜 She KILLED it!!!
In a small space, this is quite the accomplishment! And of ALL the children, she had the right to be the most exhausted. But she worked the hardest, hands down!
Meanwhile, I got the kitchen set up, all the toiletries and medical stuff put away, and our bed set up. Doesn’t it look cozy??
As the day didn’t go the way we had hoped, I don’t have anything in the way of fun pictures of everyone on the beach :/ But I can show you I was briefly there, at least. No ice left! I imagine docks will be in very soon!
We left early. It was really too bad. There will be significantly more work to do next weekend that really needed doing this weekend, but it just wasn’t working. The bump out isn’t quite right, and the fridge doesn’t open all the way. Maybe the ground shifted? I’m not sure. We have to figure that out. And the golf cart, with all new batteries and cables, will not start. Thats the biggest one. We NEED that to work for Brady to get around, and it just absolutely will not. So, we left it plugged in, and will have to try to figure it out next weekend. If we had time to do all the tests yesterday, we could’ve at least known what we needed to bring next time to fix it. But 🤷🏼♀️ we can only do so much. So that’ll have to be sorted out next time.
On the drive home, we wanted to reward the ONE child who worked. Miss Laela Hazel. She chose a McFlurry. Confetti cookie dough. Behold 🙌 the progression of her tasting it.
She was one happy camper!! She earned every spoonful of that treat!
We got home and unloaded the few things that came home – empty tubs and hampers, the wheelchair and Batec, and a few duplicate items. Nothing crazy. They had an easy supper and everyone went to bed on time.
And then I celebrated mothers day, lol! Because it just wasn’t a smooth one with the kids, which is unfortunate, but happens. Brady made me salmon and potatoes, and we ate in our bed, with zero interruptions. It was nice and peaceful.
I have no regrets. I’m glad we went, and did all we could. I wish it was smoother, but I’m still glad we went. And I’m glad I have such nice pictures from when we left. And I’m SO glad Laela got the opportunity to shine the way she did 💜 I think she needed to see and feel how that goes – to do SO well even when others bail or decide not to work. I was SO stinking proud of her. I still am.
Everyone is off to school, and today, there is no Frozen ❄️ And I’m good with that. Onto the next!
Well, friends, that is a wrap for Frozen Jr!!! The kids put on three performances – Thursday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening.
A large crew of us attended on opening night. By our “crew” I mean Brady and I and our kids. Cher. Tom and Rae. And the Dahlsjos, who drove two hours to see it 💜
We REALLY missed my mom, and I know she was very sad to miss this all, as well 💜 No bad feelings, mama. You’ll catch the next one 😘
Opening night was positively incredible. My Laela girl had been nervous as she left the house. Not bad nervous. Excited nervous. But still nervous, haha!
I reassured her that she would likely feel nervous until she was actually on the stage, in front of the crowd, and the play has begun. At that point, it just flows.
And it did 🥰 Laela scored a place in the very first scene, singing the opener. She stood tall and faces the audience with confidence. I saw her see me. She smiled and then averted her gaze and focused on the job at hand.
So naturally, I cried. I was overwhelmed with pride for her! She either had shed her nerves, or she just faked it and made it!!!
Laela played a few smaller roles in this production. She was in Oakens family. She was part of the hidden folk. And she was a guest at the coronation. She was granted two solo lines in her songs, which she was both completely thrilled about, but equally as nervous.
Her first line, was was given a mic to wear, and she aced her like. The key, the timing, the confidence. Her second line, she didn’t have a mic, and she stepped forward and sang loudly and confidently, again, crushing the music part of it. I just cried. It was unreal how natural she was at being on stage!
Production one ended with bows, including all the background workers running out front as well. Dekker was on the stage crew team, and though it was not the role he had hoped for, he was beaming, and clearly having SUCH a good time!!!
Pictures during the play with strictly prohibited, but the fast came into the crowd afterwards to greet their guests. It was AWESOME.
I couldn’t not go again 😅 Brady and I worked super hard Saturday afternoon, and all the packing was done in enough time for me to go to the finale!
The dynamic between the premiere and the finale was evident. The kids were so much more comfortable on the stage. They were louder, and projected their voices stronger. Some of the bugs that come along with a first performance were worked out. And some kids just couldn’t control their giggles, which was terribly cute 💜 it was such a good performance!!!
Again, Laela found me right away. It helped that I got a front row seat!! Ack!!!
I got a little sneak peek at Dekker once also! Not all the backstage kids were so strict to the rules like Dekker is, and some of them were getting pretty visible. Or as Dekker would say, they were “stage happy.” At one point, I saw a member of stage crew step too far out onto the stage, and I saw half of Dekkers body as he reached around the kids waist and hauled him back behind the curtain 😅 It was such a Dekker move! Hahaha!
Needless to say, the children earned and received a big fat standing ovation. Rightfully so. They worked SO HARD, as did all the staff, parents, community members, etc. It was a giant group effort, and I am so so proud of my children for being part of it. I’m proud of all the children in it, don’t get me wrong. But it was a new stretch for my kids, and they chose to be involved in something big and new.
Dekker has grown through this experience by learning better how to work in a team, which is not his preferred method of getting things done. He had fun, and it showed. None of his friends signed up for the play, and he still did it, even though it was new and different. I loved that so much.
Laela has grown, as well, through doing Frozen. She learned a difference endurance than she had before. But most notably, she has come out of her shell and become a goofier, louder, singsongier, funnier little girl. She sings out loud and makes jokes and faces. She teases. It’s so so fun to watch her open up this way!
I’m very curious to see what happens in the years to come, but for now, I’m just terribly grateful for this experience for our kids. I loved theatre as a child, and while I had no intention of pushing anyone into anything just based on what I enjoyed as a kid, it does thrill my heart to see my two oldest testing the waters 💜
Usually, todays post includes all of the items we scored for crazy good deals. This year, as we shopped through other people’s treasures, we got very little, for which I am very happy. The kids found some little toys and such that they bought with their few dollars each. I bought a $1 sweatshirt to be a warm fireside thing that I’m not worried about keeping nice. Oh! And we stopped for donuts and iced coffee, because that’s what you do on garage sale day in town! But that was really it.
I do have some cute pictures to show you from yesterday, however. Cher came over in the afternoon, during quiet time, and showed one of her dear little kitties to my dear little kiddies!
Goodness he is SUCH a sweetie!
Once quiet time was over, the kids requested to go to the park. I had promised them an outing earlier that day that had been cancelled, so it only seemed fair that I take them to the park! Dekker was at a friends house, but I took the other four to the school park for a couple of hours.
It was actually super fun because other kids were there, and the little guys grouped off with them! There was some very imaginative pretending going on, and it was just absolutely SO sweet. Meanwhile, the big kids had some mad skills.
These two are SUCH natural athletes, its just bananas.
We played hard until it was time to go home and make supper. It was really good to be out in the sun, getting dirty and making memories. So much more of that in the weeks and months to come!!
A couple of weeks ago, we sorted through all the kids clothes and got a good look at what we still need for the upcoming season! Most of our kids rock hand-me-downs from the siblings, but the big kids sometimes need things, or even the younger ones, if the seasons and sizes don’t line up as well. This time around, the greatest need lay for Laela, which was without most bottoms. She’s also a little short on tops, but bottoms were the main need.
Yesterday, Cher and I hit Value Village at warp speed while Waverly was in preschool. We found a few pairs of shorts, a tank top, and a few other items. This morning, Laela tried it all on after breakfast. The shirt is roomie but she loves it 🙂 Its all wrappy and open in the back. Very fancy.
But the 80s shorts are the biggest win for sure!!! Hellooooo track and field day!
She just has so much life in her, this one 💜 She’s a little wilder these days, and its REALLY fun to witness. I also really enjoy buying her the things I would have LOVED to own as a kid!! 😍 Like shirts that open in the back, and shorts just like this! SUCH fun things these days!!!
Today is the day, folks! Lots and lots going on over here, and out of here, for that matter. I was out this morning, I ate and got myself semi-decently put together, and now I’m heading out again! And then I’ll come home, and very shortly after that, I’ll have a houseful of people! And THEN we’ll go see the opening show of Frozen Jr!!! Ack!! I’m SO excited!!
I’ll leave you with this embarrassing picture of Brady and I from yesterday. (Jim Halpert was also there.)
We managed to both cut ourselves while making bagels with cheese. Yup. Very gourmet, I know. I cut my thumb slicing the bagels, and Brady got his thumb with the cheese slicer. So. We fail. Hahaha!
Have a great afternoon in this beautiful weather, friends!! 💜
As has been our theme of 2023, there is a lot on the go over here!
Today is a bit more of a restful day, which I don’t think I’ve said or felt in a while! I’ve already recruited Dekker to help me replace batteries in the smoke detectors after school, and I have to make a concrete list of groceries for Brady to pick up after work at Coop. Oh and I have to get the barbecue up onto the deck from down in the yard. Somehow.
Tomorrow I have almost no minutes. NO minutes. It’ll be busy in a really good way, don’t get me wrong! All the events are good and/or important! But there are LOTS, from morning to night! Ack! Preschool. An outing. A meeting. Company. Frozen! Bah! So I’ve got to get ready!
Today will hold some rest, and hopefully some good solid organization for the next few days. Oh! And I very much hope to finish the body of a HUGE blanket I’ve been testing for a designer! I have a good handful of rows left, and then the border is going to be a beast. But I’d love to finish the body rows up today!!
After I snuggle itty bitty kitties for a little bit this morning, of course… Because priorities.
Yesterday marked the longest rehearsal the kids have had for their involvement in Frozen Jr. They stayed after school, and I went to pick them up shortly before 9pm. If you’ve been around us, you know that is past everyones bedtime over here, so this was a pretty huge deal! But it was really really nice to see how bright and beautiful it still was outside! I love this season!
I waited by the front doors for a while, but suddenly the kids were behind me, feeling pretty good about their workaround, haha! It was cute. They were cute 💜
We headed home in the wind, but they seemed untouchable. They were HAPPY.
And HYPER. WOW! Specifically this one.
The adrenaline from performing, plus the popsicle, plus the late bedtime had her absolutely jazzed! They chattered nonstop the entire walk home, and I basically interviewed them all the way home. It had been SUCH an exciting day, albeit a BUSY day of working at their play!
We got home, and Brady and I tucked them in. Both kids absolutely crashed in their beds, exhausted!! But still – happy!
The countdown is on! They are SO excited! So am I 😍
Well. It has been almost eleven years of blogging, and I officially – for the first time ever – forgot to post yesterday. My goodness.
I know its pretty insignificant in the big picture, but its offering me quite a mix of emotions.
On one hand, really truly, who cares? One day where I didn’t note how the day had gone or post pictures of the kids. This shakes absolutely no one up, except for me.
On another hand, how is it that I have rocked ALL the things we’ve gone through in the last year without missing a single day, only to have me totally miss the memo yesterday? Out of nowhere.
I’m going to resist the urge to feel like I have hugely failed, and rather see this as a first. The end of June will mark eleven years of daily blogging, and I can’t help but feel that alone is a bigger success than missing yesterday is a failure. Aaaaand I’m not defined by little baby mistakes such as this.
Today holds some preparation for the big week ahead. Frozen is coming. Lake season is shortly thereafter. We have a home repair coming up, and an appointment or two. The last few months have been some of the busiest of our lives, but they’ve been crazy productive also, and I’m very grateful. If something had to get skipped over, I suppose the blog was the right thing. Yesterday was important all on its own, with a mix of productivity, struggle, outings, and relaxation. You’ll have to take my word for it 💜
Nothing is broken here. I’m back in the game today.
