The Daily Hailey

Once again, I got Brady a beer advent calendar as an early Christmas gift that kept on giving! This year, I found him a Saskatchewan craft beer advent calendar, which was a significant step up from the boxes over the past years.

It held different brands, different sizes, and a variety of types and flavours. It was a FUN one, and Brady says, with a good handful of 5/5 beers, it was a really good advent calendar!!
Onto the details, feelings, and ratings of each brew!

1. Cosmic Celebration IPA – Pile O’Bones Brewing Co. – Strong Beer – 6% – An excellent kickoff to the Beersmas season. A hoppy, citrusy IPA to really make a Dad happy and look forward to the beers to come. 1 outta 1 would recommend. That’s me. 😉 – 5/5
2. IPA – Black Bridge Brewery – Strong Beer – 6.5% – A much hoppier IPA than yesterday but still very welcome in my opinion. Bold and flavourful, this beer would go well with something like a big steak or a greasy burger. It’s one I’ve had before and I would have it again. – 4/5
3. Session IPA – Nokomis Craft Ales – Beer – 4.5% – Another solid IPA to kick off the festivities. A good middle ground between the fruity delight that was day one and the happy happiness of the day two. Good flavour, good beer, good times. – 4/5
4. Key Lime Pie – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Beer – 5% – This one’ll kick you in the tonsils. Liiiiiiiiimmmmeeee. And an indescribable aftertaste. Definitely one to try… once. I’ve never had key lime pie so… 🤷‍♂️ – 2/5.

5. Milk Stout – Black Bridge Brewery – Beer – 5.3% – Don’t let this one scare you like it scared me, it’s flavourful and sweet. Carmelly and rich, it’s a powerful beer that would go well with somethin’ greasy. A mans beer. Drink with pride! – 3/5
6. Raspberry Wheat Ale – Pile O’Bones Brewing Co. – Beer – 5% – Light and refreshing with a hint of raspy fruitiness, this beer is a pleasing, summertime beverage. Also for Christmas. This is definitely a girly beer and I am here for it, beard and all! – 4/5
7. Wheat Burst – Black Bridge Brewer – Beer – 5% – Another excellent brew thrown in the mix today, but I’m partial to the frothy, hoppy beers. The hops are strong with this one, and I love it! So full of flavour and punch! This was a fantastic addition! Good job Black Bridge Brewery! – 5/5
8. Pseudo Lager – Black Bridge Brewery – Beer – 5% – Sessionable, it’s printed right on the can and totally accurate. This is a beer that is unremarkable enough to drink lots of and not be upset. Its beer. – 2/5.

9. Bunny hug – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Malty German Amber – 4.8% – This is a very smooth beer. A little sweet, a little frothy, this is a beer you could drink all day. Mild in flavour but definitely not lacking, I’d drink this one again. – 3/5
10. Black IPA – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Strong Beer – 6.5% – This IPA is almost too IPA. It’s a very strong flavour, very bitter. I’m a lover of IPAs but this is a little on the heavy side. It’s good but I’d definitely only drink one per sitting. – 3/5
11. Modern IPA – Nokomis Craft Ales – Strong Beer – 6.5% – This was another light, citrusy delight of an IPA. Pretty much on par with day 1. I could’ve downed this in a minute or two, I had to hold myself back. It was delicious! I’d buy a case of this in a heart beat. – 5/5
12. Brown Ale – Nokomis Craft Ales – Beer – 5.5% – ‘Tis a beer of stature and fortitude, a beer to drink with friends and not be belittled or looked down upon. With good flavour and nothing weird about it, it’s a solid beer that won’t let you down. – 3.5/5

13. Hibiscus Lime Gose – Pile O’ Bones Brewing Co. – Beer – 4.5% – This is an incredibly light and fruity beverage. Not sure if you could even call it a beer, to me it was more like fruit punch but dang it was good! I would drink this again. Hopefully on a beach in 30°C heat. 😎 – 4/5
14. Pale Ale – Nokomis Craft Ales – Beer – 5.5% – This was really solid beer for me. Nothing to write home about but also nothing to shake your fist at. Sorry for the cliches. I quite enjoyed the ale today. Definitely one I’d buy again. – 3.5/5
15. Cold Brew Americano Stout – Pile O’ Bones Brewing Co. – Strong Beer – 6.5% – I’ll be honest, I was nervous for this one. Stouts always make me nervous, but I paired it with breakfast for supper, and it came through alright! Definitely has a strong coffee taste, I kinda went back and forth thinking I was drink coffee or I was drinking beer. But I think I was a fan in the end. Worth a try for sure! – 3/5
16. American Brown Ale – Black Bridge Brewery- Beer – 5% – It could be that this beer was just very well paired with my supper of… popcorn… but it was very smooth. An excellent mix of butter and sweet and smooth and brown. I would definitely drink this one again! – 4/5

17. Prairie Pils – Pile O’ Bones Brewing Co. – Beer – 5% – Pilsner… why? Who chooses to drink these? This is the epitome of carbonated pee in a can. No shade on the company who made it, but… gross. Pilsner. Gross. – 1/5
18. Buckle Up – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Beer – 4.2% – This one definitely lived up to its name, so smooth, so easy to drink. This is one you could drink a couple of and not realize it. Perhaps… sessionable. Solid beer. – 3.5/5
19. He Can’t Even Have Just One – Black Bridge Brewery – Strong Beer – 8% – … it’s true. He can’t. What an excellent beer! It’s called a ‘Double NEIPA’ which I had never heard of before but I will be seeking out again. It stands for New England India Pale Ale and my friends the republic of New England India definitely got this one right. A big win for me! Wow! – 5.5/5
20. Dry Hopped Kettle Sour – Nokomis Craft Ales – Beer – 4.5% – I love me a good sour, and this was a good sour! Very fruity and light, this was a beer I could drink on a hot day at the beach! It even comes in a pink can, girly yet manish at the same time! I’d buy a case o’ that! – 4/5

21. Classic IPA – Nokomis Craft Ales – Strong Beer – 6.5% – This was a very average IPA. Perhaps below average. Very bitter with nothing to distract you from it, ‘twas mediocre at best. – 2/5
22. White IPA – Pile O’ Bones Brewing Co. – Beer – 5% – This was another excellent IPA in a long line of excellent IPAs this year. Very light and fruity, I’d definitely drink this one again. An absolute must win! I loved this one! – 5/5
23. Cats Got The Cream – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Beer – 5.5% – This beer was a little odd. A desert beer of sorts. I had it with a supper of chicken spaghetti and it did not pair well. It went ok with the cookies at the end though. Meh. – 2.5/5
24. Amber Ale – Rebellion Brewing Co. – Beer – 5% – I feel pretty meh about amber beers, and this one fits the bill. It’s mostly ok and I drank the whole thing but I wouldn’t drink another. Nothing stood out to me except the lingering after taste. I wish that this beer advent calendar had ended on something better than this. Meh… again. – 2.5/5

It was definitely too bad to end on such a “meh” beer, but Brady has reassured me he really enjoyed this round of beer, and I have witnessed it to be true!

Through doing these beer advent calendars each year, Brady has learned that he really likes IPAs, and really likes the hoppy flavor. Me, not so much, but I love the sours! Who would’ve thought??

Its been fun! And it’ll be fun again next year, too!! T-11 months!

Anyone else rock the beer advent??

Beyond the four categories of gifts, some other pictures really turned out, and some other gifts were fun, so I want to show you that as well 🙂 Plus, I want you to see how some of the gifts are going over since they were received on Christmas Day.

First, the gifts from Cher! This year, everyone got Scooby snacks and a stuffy, and they were STOKED!! She chose each stuffy really well for each kid! Plus, our kids developed a real affinity for Scooby Do this summer from watching with the Dahlsjos, so the Scooby snacks went over very well.

Rowan got a moose, and his name changes regularly. Moosey. Christmoose. Snugs. Once he accidentally called him Guts.

Apparently Dekker just says Oooooh Christmas Tree in place of it being named, lol!

Laela’s candy cane is named either Minty or Holly. I don’t think its nailed down yet.

I believe Wavy’s hot chocolate cup is named Ice Creamy. Go figure, lol!

Solly’s little guy is named Ninjabread Man 🙂

They have already been snuggled for the night! As you can see, the new fleece sheet sets are also out in full force 🙂 Five stars 🖐

Wavy was oddly uninvested in her Barbie at first, but once she watched Laela play with it for a bit, she saw how fun it was, and now she loves it! Thats Dekker reading his fart book in the background, also.

Rowan is loving his projection light! LOVING it. He already is opting to take some little breaks with it in his room when he’s feeling overwhelmed. Yesterday, he took a shorty nap during quiet time, all on his own.

The kids made us lots of super cute (and some hilarious) ornaments and art!

I bought Brady a water bottle. Which sounds super lame, I know. It was more for me. His nice Swell bottle dropped this summer and the base of it cracked. It still holds water but it sits sideways and rattles ALL LIFE SUCKING DAY. So now, it doesn’t, lol! Don’t worry, he also got a beer advent calendar all month long, which is the bulk of his Christmas gift. I’ll talk about that in the next day or two!

I received this beautiful mug as my homemade gift exchange gift! I LOVE it! Brady was super creative and got me a heated Milwaukee hoodie! It lights up, which is SO funny, and it has a battery pack, which also makes me laugh. But its warm and toasty and I really, really love it!!

It has been a LOT of fun these last couple of days. Lots of playing. Lots of lightness. Lots of good food and low expectations for ambition. Just being together.

It has been a strange season in some ways, and a very peaceful season in others. We are really looking forward to spending some time with some more family again very soon 💜 Just a couple more days!!

Now if it would just stop snowing so we could go drive around and look at the lights!

Ok guys, if you’ve been here long enough, you know my system! From Brady and I, the kids get four gifts. Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. We strayed a teeeeensy bit from that this year, but not in some crazy way. I’ll tell you about it right away here. 

I tweak things a little bit. The “want” isn’t always what they’ve asked for, but its a toy or a game or something they can build and play with. The “need” is just something more practical. The “wear” can be clothing but it can also be jewelry or hair stuff. And the “read” is pretty straight forward. One year I did magazine subscriptions 🙂 That was a fun one. 

I think I say it every year, but this is not a weird flaunty post in ANY way. Its mostly just to give ideas for ages, suggestions of what they like, and what could be used in each category if you want to try it this way sometime 🙂 

Oldest to youngest work for everyone? Deal. 

Dekker first! Dekkers want was Meccano. He is SUCH a meticulous builder, and he got a really big set with a motor for whatever car he builds. His need was a super cozy fleece sheet set. Its crazy soft and I definitely want one. His thing to wear is jammies. Two festive pairs, and then a pair of fleece jammie pants. And also socks. See what I mean? The socks are also needs. But goodness. Who cares. You get the idea, hahaha! His thing to read is a three book series called Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder. Don’t ask me anything about it. I don’t know. But I am confident he will LOVE them.

Laela is next! Her want is a rainbow loom bracelet making set. She likes to make things for her friends and siblings, and I think this will be a fun addition to all her little gifty things. Her need is also fleece sheets. Her something to wear is also jammies, and socks. And her thing to read is some Elizabeth Gail books I found on an online thrift store. She LOVES Elizabeth Gail! 

Ok. If its unclear, everyone got sheets, socks, and matching jammies, socks being the most important. Tip. Get ONE good kind of socks per kid. Then you always know whose is whose. Until they all fit the same size. Oh how I anticipate a girl sock bin and a boy sock bin someday. Anyway. Onto the next. 

Rowan is smack dab in the middle! His want is less playful but will make playing a lot more fun. He got a starry projection light! Sheets. Socks. Jammies. And then for books, he got the first three Cat Kid books. They are great for him when he’s actually reading, and when he doesn’t have the headspace to actually read but just look at the pictures. He is the most fun kid to give presents to because he is SO excited and appreciative of each one!

Solomon is always hard to buy for. His want is a cool little set with a drill and plastic pieces, and plans to build cool stuff! Sheetssocksjammies. And then he got the book “Construction Site on Christmas Night.” I’ve had it in hand a couple of different times, so this year, I bit the bullet, finally. 

Waverly is last but not least! Her want a super cute Barbie with a kayak! Sheetssocksjammies. And her book is called Little Blue Truck Makes a Friend. Hear me out. I know she is not a girl who is super into trucks, but those books are SO CUTE. They are so rhythmic and fun to read! I can safely recommend the entire series to anyone with young kids! They just read SO well. 

I didn’t add their jammies into the pictures because they all got the exact same ones, and the pictures didn’t really turn out, lol! They were cute, though!

It sounds small and simple, but it suits us just perfectly. The kids are positively flooded with love and gifts. There is no shortage of gifts over here, but also no shortage of love and closeness and softness and music and treats and memories built. 

I am overwhelmingly grateful 💜 These are not the only gifts that were exchanged in our home yesterday, but they are the ones that go in the “want, need, wear, and read” category. I will probably show you the rest tomorrow, because the pictures are good and the kids are happy!

As Rowan and I said to each other this morning in flawless unison, Merry Boxing Day!! I hope you’re still cozy and tucked in somewhere warm 💜 Talk more tomorrow, friends.

Merry Christmas, dear friends 💜

If you’re from around here, you know we got a good dump of snow last night. Our town guys are already diligently out, clearing the roads. On Christmas Day. If thats not a very real gift to every local citizen, I don’t know what is. Thank you, town guys!!

As it continued to snow this morning, we got up late, and got all the Christmas lights on. The kids asked yesterday, somewhat unceremoniously, if we could just skip breakfast and go right to presents. I wanted them to survive the morning, so I said they could pick breakfast. Everyone grabbed a peach cup out of the pantry and called it a day! They were eager to get to the fun stuff!

I’ll show you presents and such in a different post, but they were a great success 💜 Everyone was totally happy, and eager to dig into their stuff! You might remember that we go light on the gifts, with four main presents, one of which is something to actually play with. Thankfully, they were ALL a hit and everyone was very excited to get into it! First, though, we opened up our new Bible!

Dekker found the Christmas story, and Laela volunteered to read it to everyone.

I’ve never seen this Bible before, and I really like it!!

Once we read our story and talked about it with the kids, it was time to get into the gifts!!

As the kids are cracking into their stuff, and we’re helping them assemble, read up on, and set up their gifts, everyone is happy and busy and content 💜 They’re even sharing and playing together, as opposed to some days when everyone really feels protective over their things. Its just going really well. Its peaceful here, and I am so grateful.

No one wants lunch. They just want to play. So we’ll throw some snacks at them soon enough, but this is too good to break off.

Merry Christmas, friends. I hope you find yourselves at peace, wherever you are, whoever you’re with, whatever your day may hold 💜

Merry Christmas Eve, friends!! 💜 I hope you’re all tucked in at home, or if you’re stranded somewhere else, I hope its somewhere good! I know a handful of people who are stranded in beautiful places! While the timing is funny, I hope you are all really enjoying your holiday.

Normally, we like to give the kids their first present – a pair of jammies – on Christmas Eve. However, we’ve been invited out this evening, and we know it’ll be a later bedtime. We wanted them to be awake and happy when they got their jammies, so we gave them to them yesterday!

They went over really well 💜 I haven’t always been successful in finding them matching, or even coordinating jammies, so this was a really fun win!

They slept in their jammies – even the kids who usually sleep in their gitch – and came to breakfast in them! And by breakfast, I do mean cookie breakfast!! A fun Christmas tradition for us! Probably similar to our summer s’more breakfasts.

Rowan opted to wear his summer clothes, because he is loving wearing his shorts and muscle shirts recently. But he was really cute, and asked if it would hurt my feelings 💜 I assured him it would not, and he dove for his shorts.

Cher joined us for a quick coffee date before she got ready for her afternoon of plans! She and Brady were eager to exchange the gifts they had for each other, so that was a pretty sweet interaction. They know each other really well, it seems!

Once Cher went home, and Brady and I were idle for a very short period of time before I got to building our next little project!

You might remember that we have had a yellow table that lives in this spot. We got it for Wavy’s baby party, and its lived there ever since. Its main job has been to hold ALL the junk that enters our house, but that doesn’t have a final resting place. Basically, its an eyesore, and its the first thing that people see upon entering our house. Yet, its been valuable, especially since Brady became paralyzed, because it holds the stuff he needs to bring to work, or have easier access to. But again. Ugly. Open. Messy. So just yesterday, I decided on this instead!

This is one of those little shoe cabinets,, so its not very deep, and it fits perfectly at the end of the island. It holds Brady’s backpack, water bottle, our key turkey, and whatever small things need to be there temporarily. Best of all, its small, and doesn’t have much room to hold a bunch of garbage. So if something comes to live there, we have to put it away.

I’m so excited for this, lol! Its like Christmas has come early!

Ok! Whew! That work is done. Dekker is making lunch. Brady and I have a lot to do still, but nap time is right around the corner! I can’t wait to rest a little, hahaha!

Have a lovely evening, family and friends 💜

Read this blog with Christmas music going 💜

This is ALL we’re doing.

Reading. Crafting. Drawing. Playing Lego. Eating treats. Listening to music. Taking it SUPER easy.

These is still laundry to do, but everyone has underwear and socks, so we’re leaving it until next week. Everyone will be fine. We are only does the bare minimum in terms of jobs.

Today, the “jobs” include maintaining dishes, and making puppy chow. If you’ve made puppy chow before, you know its a VERY quick job with an exceptional payoff, hahaha! Other jobs simply include keeping everyone alive. I do that job every day, so believe it or not, its kind of routine at this point…

I want to see as many of these smiles today as I possibly can!

One day we’ll surface, but that day is not today.

Except for Brady. Whoops. He’s at work. But its his last day before he has TEN DAYS OFF!!! Ack!! I can’t wait!! We can wait for one more day for him 💜

Today is the LAST DAY before Christmas holidays are in full swing! So Wavy and I made the most of it and were productive!

Once the other kids were out the door, Wavy and I put together some party mix for the upcoming season!

It is the BEST party mix I’ve ever had, so I hope everyone likes it again this season, because I bought a lot of crackers.

We had a coffee break with Cher before she had to head in for errands, and Wavy and I headed in for our own errands. Specifically, Costco.

Wavy was hit at the grocery store, as she tends to be. She wanted to do as much of the work as she was allowed, so that left her throwing butter into the cart, and hauling boxes of cereal and granola bars off the shelves. Every time she would tip a box off its shelf, it would come down and bonk her forehead. Everyone near her would gasp, and she would giggle, loving the attention. It was VERY cute. But by the end of the shop, she was fading quick.

$650 later 🤮 we headed home! Unfortunately, I had no boxes, so loading and and unloading the van was an incredible undertaking. But Wavy ate while I worked, and it all got done! We are very well stocked for the next couple of weeks!

Once all was said and done, I put Wavy down for a little rest and heated some lunch up for myself. But the reminder went off all too soon that nap time was over and it was time to go get the kids from school! The littlest monkey was less inclined to go get them. I managed to startle her awake and get a quick punch in the eye. Its ok, though. She’s super cute. I’ll let it go.

Christmas holidays are officially upon us! For the kids, anyway. Brady still has a day ahead, but then he gets some holiday time, too! 💜

Music is pumping. Kids are opening gifts from teachers. Homework has been put away until the new year. Treats are out in full swing. Everything is lighter. I am so glad this day has finally come and we can all let down together.

Merry Christmas holidays, friends!!! 💜

Every time there is a school event, I’ve been hit with a pretty overwhelming sense of gratefulness that we have some of that normal stuff back. Simple things like entering the school were taken away from parents for a time, which was really hard. I KNOW the staff did their absolutely BEST with what they had to work with, and I am so thankful! But I am SO happy to be back in the school, doing all the normal stuff.

The Christmas concerts brought me to that place again – overwhelmed and happy and proud of my children, as well as the other staff and students involved in putting these beautiful productions together.

I’m sad to not share many pictures, but I imagine the parents who intentionally don’t put their kids on the internet would appreciate it. You’ll just have to take my word for it when I say they were SO cute.

I’ll start with Waverly’s class, because it was first.

Wavy’s cute little class sang and recited a few little numbers, including some sign language to go along with “Away in a Manger.” They closed with a rousing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” It was VERY cute. The last preschool Christmas I was able to attend was Laela’s, so its been a while. I felt so proud of Wavy, and she stood in her spot, recited every word, and did the actions. She didn’t freeze up, and she followed the directions. Then, Wavy’s teacher gave all the kids a gift, and we all went to the gym for snacks and a lot of running around. Snaction. We sat with friends and had a really nice visit. It was a good morning!

We went home and had lunch before heading back out to the elementary school to line up for the afternoon showing of their Christmas program. It was FRIGID out there. I yanked Waverly’s toque over her face and she did not object.

We froze, but we got good seats 🙂 Once we got out of our cold jackets, we started to warm up and settle in. Even got to see Dekker before it all began. He ran the spotlight and took it very seriously!

The grade six kids ran the whole production, and the other classes filed in and out, singing cute songs that they had clearly worked very hard on!!

Solly’s class rocked “Frosty the Snowman,” all decked out in comfy winter hats and scarves. Sol opted for a pink and grey infinity scarf that I made a couple of years ago, hahaha! It was really funny. He struck a very crusty pose in the front row, arms crossed, belly out, but he sang along to every word. Brady and I laughed SO HARD.

Rowan’s had to be my favorite. They did Mariah Carey’s “Baby Please Come Home” with choreographed dance moves and all. It was SO FUNNY and SO CUTE. Rowan wore a concerned expression the entire time, but he diligently sang every word and participated in every move. I was SO impressed!! There has been some cool change in Rowan recently that I haven’t discussed on here yet, but I kid you not – a few weeks ago, he would NOT have cooperated so smoothly with all of this! I was also really happy to see that Ro was placed beside two of his closest friends, so that is always helpful and just an extra thoughtful thing I felt like his teacher did for him, and probably other kids.

Laela’s class did “Carol of the Bells” which I thought was kind of awesome, and an unlikely choice! I’ve never heard it sang so clearly, and by children! They did great, and Laela once again sang every word and followed along really smoothly. You could tell on her face that she was taking it really seriously, nodding along with every diiiiing, donnnnng, and that she was really proud of herself. She also got to stand beside her closest friend! A very nice touch! Thank you, teachers, for reading that so well and letting kids be with their people!

The program wrapped up with the whole school singing a song or two together, as it always has. This year, they actually closed the program with a song by our family’s favorite band, Walk off the Earth, called “We Got Love.” And I’ll admit, it got me all teary eyed, hearing them sing a well-loved song, arms around one another, all together in a group 💜 It just felt like a “we have arrived” moment, you know? Like, we’re baaaaack! Finally!

I was so proud of each child individually, for knowing the words, doing the actions, and following along with their teacher and fellow students. No one froze or acted out. Everyone participated happily 💜 It did goooood things for my heart!

When the concert wrapped up, Dekker came to find us right away, and asked if he could poach Wavy. So he did, and I found him showing her how to point the spotlight at the back. It was awesome. I love how much he loves her.

I don’t know, guys. I don’t know if this year was actually SO much better than others, or if I was just SO happy to have everything back to “normal” but it was an amazing season of Christmas plays. It lifted my heart. I bet lots of you can relate to that feeling 💜 Good job, everyone!!!

Its hard to get up for school this close to Christmas 💜

I always feels like I’m doing something wrong when I have to wake kids from dead sleeps. Laela is never the kid I have to wake. Ever. But today she was out cold. I climbed onto her bed with plans to snuggle her awake, but Wavy unceremoniously climbed on top of her and woke her up slightly less gently than I was planning. Laela is a good sport, and just grunted once, and received her welcome wagon graciously. It was cute.

Today is the day we hit the Christmas concerts. At least we’re gonna try. Brady took the day off in an effort to make it to both events in the same day! The elementary school’s concern is rushed seating, which we understand and respect, but is going to be trickier for us than it used to be. Still, we’re going to give it a try, and hopefully find an end seat!

Dekker is in full black, taking his stage crew role very seriously.

Laela is in her brightest, most summery dress.

Rowan is in a dark button down that he chose, and feels very classy in.

Solly is wearing a bright green reindeer sweater, and I’ve been told he wears an elf hat to school every single day. Even though his class hasn’t been. Its just him.

Wavy is in her red long sleeved dress, with a pink flowery Gap hoodie over top.

We are not fancy people, turns out. But its going to be a cute day. I cannot promise pictures, because I don’t want to post other people’s kids, but you’ll have to take my word for it!

Stay warm today, friends 💜

So so many cute little moments are going to get missed if I don’t do a quick photo dump post soon, so here it is!! Enjoy some cute little details!

Priority one is obviously Cher laughing like a ten year old boy when Rowan read the word “blowhole” out of his green bag book 🙌

Wavy and Solly were pretty excited about our new-to-us dehydrator, and wanted to just stand and watch it. But be careful! A watched dehydrator never makes anything crusty! Except it does. Thats going to be its own post.

The evening we delivered Christmas cards all over down was actually very sweet. This is Rowan heaving Wavy up to stick a card in a mailbox 💜 Be still, my heart.

Brady and I got contacts!! FINALLY! Bradys first time ever, and my first time back since high school! No more foggy glasses for uuuuus!

Wavy and I baked cookies together. We’ll probably do round two, today. Her favorite part is licking the “sticks.” Lol!

And she even helped wash them at the end!

We were on the receiving end of yet another Christmas basket this year, which we did not expect 💜 We got a huge haul of groceries and a couple of grocery gift cards. I liked how our basket was labelled 🙂 I’m happy for our bright identifier!

Wrapping the very beginnings of the one million presents…..

Our van window is finally repaired!!! Whew! Its a LOT nicer in there now! Whew!

In the last couple of weeks, things have lightened up in some ways over here, and everything with our kids is softer and nicer. And they are SO extra snuggly, I cannot get enough!

And the post can close with the fireworks from last night. I could not get a good picture of the actual sky for the life of me, but you’ll have to take my word for it that it was beautiful 💜 We crammed all the kids up into the front seat to watch, and it was absolutely awesome and sweet.

There has been a lot of chaos and a lot of beauty. I’m sure there is a lot more of both of those things to come. I’m very much looking forward to Christmas starting and all the lead up being done with, lol! Bring it on!!!