Due to the the amount of fun I had last night, Hailey has graciously agreed to extend my visit by
a day. She’ll be back soon, I assure you.
As you are well aware from the graphic that headlines the blog, Hailey and Brady have 4
gorgeous children. And they’re really beautiful kids; inside and out. You know the way they look
in that photo? They pretty much always look that way! Hailey and Brady run a tight ship; their
home is an organized, happy place where the kids are content and safe and secure in the love
of their parents and siblings.
If you are ever in Costco and see a family with four children walking sedately down the aisles,
well-dressed and clean, talking quietly and shopping efficiently, that’s Hailey’s family (The family
in the next aisle, composed of two pyjama-clad boys engaged in a running dance/fight, and a
chocolate chip cookie-covered little girl in a shopping cart yelling “GET DOWN! GET DOWN!”…
that’s my family).
It’s possible Hailey gets her parenting skills from our mom, who also ran a tight ship that we
were happy to be a part of. Christmas comes to mind, partly because it was a time of
organization and tradition in our childhood home, and partly because in our house, we start
checking the Christmas countdown app on December 26.
When we were growing up, we did all our Christmas shopping for each other in one fell swoop,
in one mall, on one day. This was before Walmart reared its head in Saskatoon – the age of
Zellers, when it still smelled a little like cigarettes inside the store. In early December, Mom and
Dad would choose a Saturday and we would head in, usually to Lawson Heights Mall in
Saskatoon. We would split up into groups, each kid carrying $20: enough for a $5 present for
each family member. By the time mid afternoon rolled around we were usually finished, and the
challenge of the $5 limit made for some interesting finds. As we became teenagers, we pushed
for higher cash limits; I think it was $10 per gift by the time I moved out. We also moved on to a
bigger mall; The Centre at Circle and 8th. I assure you, it is as mystical and romantic as it
sounds. There was a New York Fries at the Centre, so to our annual tradition was added the
ritual of sharing fries in the busy food court. With age also came the typical teenaged feelings of
embarrassment over the tiny things our parents did. I remember one year – it must not have
been going very well, because we were grumpy and tired, and not even the New York Fries had
helped. We were all squished on one bench at the edge of the food court, right next to an
extremely busy causeway, a see-and-be-seen spot, Saskatoon-style, to be sure. Traffic was
heavy, and we had settled on the bench, perhaps to regroup, perhaps to arrange new shopping
groups, perhaps to try to figure out what the heck to get Dad, when, out of nowhere, our
diminutive mother sprang to her feet, brandished her camera, and backed into the flow of
humanity to take a portrait of her family. Why she had her camera I’ll never know. Why she had
suddenly usurped Dad’s role as the embarrassing parent is an even deeper mystery. But I can
see the photo in my mind – it’s in an album somewhere; I wish I had it to post here. Dad is
grinning obediently, and us kids are either gaping in mortified, open-mouthed horror, or
clutching our embarrassed heads in our hands. Despite this tragedy, Christmas still took place that year, and I’m sure mom still got her yearly quota of candles and candle holders from me.
And thankfully, the photo opp in the mall was not made into a Christmas tradition.
When I watch Hailey and Brady’s family as they build traditions and lead their brood through the
excitement of life together, and read along with you about their adventures in growing up, it
warms my heart to see how our childhood, good parts and bad, has helped mold Hailey into the
loving, intentional mother she is today. Hailey and Brady take traditions seriously. They find
ways to make little things special, planning outings, meals, trips, in a unique, creative fashion
that is perfect for them, and so fun to observe. They pack and plan, and then strike out in their
road yacht in search of high adventure. It doesn’t always go as planned, but there is always a
silver lining, at the very least, and a story to share right here that encourages the rest of us to
take risks, start traditions, and treasure our loved ones with everything we’ve got.