The Daily Hailey

I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off all morning. It was a wild first few hours, and I felt SO unbelievably frazzled. However, there was a stretch of time in the afternoon where both of the babies slept 😍 So Brady worked on his work laptop, and I put in an ear bud and listened to some true crime while I played yarn. And by “played yarn” I do not mean crocheted, haha! But I have some prep to do before I can dive into one of my projects fully, so I did some of that. It was restful and nice and quiet.

Once the kids were home, both babies continued to be pretty peaceful, so Laela and I walked to pick up the mail, as well as a couple of prescriptions. Laela and I both love the rain 💜 So I thought it would be fun to walk in the beginnings of the rain together, even though it was cold.

I was a little bit wrong, haha! It was fun, mostly, but I foolishly picked up the mail, which ended up containing a large parcel I had the pleasure of carrying home. But thats ok! It wasn’t too heavy 🙂 Just awkward.

We grabbed the meds and our mail, and were maybe halfway home when Tom pulled over and invited us in for a ride! What a relief 💜 We sure love Tom over here! Thank you for the ride 💜

We got home and warmed up for a little, but I got up pretty quickly to get supper put together. Now, don’t come for me. Our latest cozy easy meal is VERY basic and boring, and starch heavy. But its also delicious, uses up leftovers, and no one fights it. Its called riceandstuffandsauce. I know. It really rolls off the tongue. Anyway, today’s rice contained corn, bacon bits, and leftover turkey. Butter. Salt. And then sauce was thick mushroom soup. Souper simple, like I said 😏 My favorite part of it today was that, after our walk, Laela wanted to help me!

She stirred the sauce and told me stories from school.

I have yet to make the kids help in the kitchen. Sometimes I’ll ask for little help here and there, especially if I know its a job they enjoy, but usually I prepare the meals without making them help. But I LOVE when they ask to 💜 Its really really nice for me to know they want to spend that time.

Well. Today Brady worked in store for a couple of hours! Meanwhile, I took our morsel to an appointment. Bought the lemon drop the next size up in sleepers. Filled up the van with really, really expensive gas 🤮 Picked Brady up. And picked up a swing for our older baby to use on our swing set this next season! I can’t wait for that! Still have to get that thing assembled, though. *adds swing set to list*

Tomorrow has less outings and more innings. A friend is coming to make a big fat garbage run for us, which is AMAZING. Brady will work some home hours. I don’t think there are any appointments on the books. Maybe I’ll get to bake again! Or put together a to-do list, because goodness there is a lot to do around here. Dig all the deadfall out of the flowerbeds. Replace the kitchen faucet. Replace the island top. Paint one wall of the kitchen. Trim up where we took down that other wall. Figure out some electrical work for our new pantry. Laundry laundry laundry. I also need to start making a list for camp things!! Ack!

Before then, I wait eagerly for garage sale day in hopes to procure a fire pit, as this house doesn’t have one, as well as some bikes for the upcoming lake season. And if I can be honest, I REALLY want the kids to have a climbing dome in the backyard. Oh and I’m on the hunt for raspberry and strawberry plants to put in my backyard. Yikes. Thats quite a list.

Goodness. I’ve rabbit trailed. My mind is going a mile a minute, yet the rest of me is so unbelievably tired. My brain, body, and heart are all a tad on the weary side today, so I’m a bit all over the place.

Today was good. Quite good in some ways 💜 Thank you Lord for giving us all You have. We don’t know how good we truly have it.

Baking days have been trickier since we gained our little lemon drop. A lot has been trickier, in fact, and many things have been left by the wayside. However, things still find their way to doneness, and today, that meant some baking got done! Some. Definitely not all, lol! But it felt good to get some items ready for breakfasts and lunches around here! The trick may be more bake days with smaller hauls. If thats the case, so be it!

I had a helper for a little bit.

She helped with the first batch of oatmeal-to-go cups.

After that, I made some orange chocolate chip muffins. I made some a few days ago and they have been very well received! Almost too well received 😅 I need to make more quick! So I got on that today as well.

Wavy helped again with scooping them out of the trays, even though it was all still pretty warm. She had no fear tapping them gingerly to make sure she could manage the temperature.

And then I asked Dekker about helping me wrap it all up, and I gave him a very sincere, guilt-free out, but he opted to do it anyway. Which I loved.

Cher came over in the afternoon and I urged her to snag a few treats. She assured me they passed the test.

I feel like today was quite productive. I ended up making a second batch of oatmeal-to-go cups, because they come together so quick, and they’re also extra filling so they last a bit longer too.

The baking is never done, but I’m really enjoying it! On a day like today, where I get some batches of baking done, I feel more like myself.

So today is a win.

Can’t wait for my mixer to arriiiiiiive! 😍

This morning I had the pleasure of going on an early morning coffee run with my best friend, the lovely Miss Cherice 💜

Each year, we mark this important date with medium iced capps, topped with whip. And this year was much of the same. It was a really nice outing. I keep wanting to say it was nice to be just the two of us, but we definitely also had a baby in the backseat 😆 Because thats the life!

Church was next, but the babies both have colds and I simply knew they would not manage well at all at church. So I stayed home with them, and Cher and I had a chat and finished up our iced capps. It was a really lovely morning 💜

My mom came home from church with the family and stayed for a couple of hours into the afternoon! We ate waffle grilled cheese (we’re SO fancy) and relaxed for a brief period of time before we had to get back up and go once again! Though my mom offered to hang back and keep one of the babies. Which was SUCH a lovely help!! 💜 Thank you, mom!

Dekker got back from his weekend away, and we immediately left to take Rowan to the city for a birthday party! While he partied, the rest of us did a Walmart shop and grabbed some supper. It was a weird shop. It was mostly boys clothing, and then also condiments. Weird. But then for supper, we did what we call redneck food court, and everyone got to choose their fast food supper. Wavy and Solly had happy meals from McDonalds. Laela had chocolate milk and a bagel from Tims. Dekker, Brady and I had Subway.

I missed this kid. I’m so glad he’s home 💜

All in all, it was a fun day, though perhaps holding a few too many outings for Brady. Poor guy. Its definitely all a little too much for him still, but he wants to keep moving forward! As per usual, balance is hard to find, but we’ll keep pursuing it!

As good as it all was, I’m beat, and I know the rest of us are too. Time. For. Bed.

Goodnight, all. Sleep well and kick the week off strong 💪

I saw this the other day and related way too closely 😅

I’m usually pretty good at not doing this, lol! Especially with the blankets I’ve started to make in the last couple of years, because they’re such big undertakings.

However, I’ve gone and done a bad thing, and I have three projects on the go. Whoops. 😳

Good thing I don’t have two babies currently in my home, one of which needs to be held 25 hours a day, and the other that needs to be chased jyst as much. 😳

So. When everyone goes to bed, I pick away a little on one of my three current projects, and it feels peaceful and nice. Until my eyes glaze over, which happens sooner than I care to admit, lol!

I think one of my projects is going to become a camp project, though. I think the Kinasao blanket I started a while ago deserves to get a little campfire smell on it while its under construction. And since Bradys surgery has left me the sole driver, at least for a time, I won’t be crocheting on the drives to and from the lake. May as well keep a project up there full time!

Lots of thoughts from a fried, disjointed brain. Sorry everyone. My contacts are blurry. I think I’d better call it. G’night, all.

Today, Dekker is eating early, before everyone, before he jets off for a weekend of fun. He is great about just digging leftovers out of the fridge and making it happen. He had his eye on something specific, but unfortunately, it had juuuuust turned, so I vetoed it. Instead, he opted to make a big salad out of the chopped salad stuff and leftover chicken nuggets.

As he does in many facets, Dekker flew under the radar, and I found him eating his salad on the couch, tucked behind a book. And I’ll admit. I was feeling a little bit silly. So I went into the pantry to see if there was a fun way I could sabotage Dekker’s peaceful meal.

Aaaaand I found a way! I grabbed what I needed and casually made my way back to the couch where Dekker was deeply tucked into his book. Dekker enters another world when he opens a book, so he was totally unaware of my approach. Which was lucky for me considering I was smiling like a doofus at my own prank even before I had pulled it.

Don’t worry. It did not disappoint.

I put a handful of Christmas sprinkles into his salad.

Yup. That was it. But MAN was it funny 🤣

Maybe you also think its funny. Or maybe its just showing how tired I am 😅 A little bit of both, perhaps.

But its allowed. Because its Friday. Thank GOODNESS. What a week!!

We used to go for a family walk every evening a couple of years ago, and it became a nice tradition! It has petered out over time, with life getting fuller and a bit more chaotic in a few different areas. 🏕👶🏼🧠 Ya know. But as Brady recovers more and more, and the weather gets nicer and nicer, we have been trying to get out there and soak up some of that fresh air!

The last two evenings, we’ve taken the kids out on walks. The first night, we hit the park. How old does Rowan look?!

Fun!!! And…

Terror!! 😂 Poor Solly!

And the second night, we made our way to the high school track, since Laela had expressed interest in going running with a friend who ended up not being able to join her after school today. No biggie! We went as a fam! Dekker had youth both evenings, but he was able to join for at least a little today 🙂

Today we even managed to get both babies into the bike trailer and hooked it on Brady’s wheelchair, so the Batec pulled three people tonight instead of just one! A VERY cute setup, I only wish I could show you all 💜 You’ll have to take my word for it.

Welp. Its almost 8:30, which means its basically my bedtime 😅 The walks tucker the kids out, but also the parents. I’m ready.

G’night.

This is a continuation from Part 1. Funny how convenient that is. 

Cher here! If you want to catch up before you read this blog, you can find part one archived on Hailey’s blog for March 2024. 

Number Three:

This is honestly one of my FAVORITE parts. Have you ever wanted to buy someone you love, like the BEST gift ever? Like a gift that might sell out quickly due to popular demand, or a gift that they really deserve? When I go to the store and see a piece of clothing that would look SO GOOD on my bestie, I can almost GUARANTEE there is a small or extra small because she is so tiny, and those sizes are typically less popular. Now, try finding sizes Medium and Large, that’s hard- But if you’re bigger than size large, and they have that size, both you and your best friend (AKA me and Hailey) can share matching onesies. Just saying. We are ying and yang. I’m telling ya! It’s a gift.

Number Four:

Many people think thin people are weak and delicate, but research I have done in my own free time proves that this is not true for all thin people. So, I tried to do a thumb war with Hailey once, and I should have gotten a thumb cast because that girl had me out in three seconds flat! Not only that, but if you ever tried to wrestle a cookie from her because you’re hungry, you’re the one who is gonna get bruised. You would never see it coming!!!! She looks like a doll made of feathers, but she’s a G.I.JANE. I might look like the bodyguard, but it’s the other way around guys. 

This brings us to the end of part two.

After all this messy stuff in the last couple of weeks, my body finally did that thing where it tried to panic real good.

Tried. See that? I’ve learned some of the signs of my body panicking over things, and today was a success with managing the situation.

This afternoon the overwhelm started to mount, but I was able to manage it, as is just the way life often goes during busy times.

But it didn’t lift fully. And it kept not lifting fully. I was doing ok. Functioning. But not thriving by any means. I was a bit on edge.

I kept pretty busy as the afternoon finished out and the evening came along. I was starting to feel very tense and sore in a whole bunch of places. My jaw and teeth hurt. My eyes hurt. My chest felt heavy. I was freezing, and also half asleep. I knew this feeling well. It was the feeling I’ve experienced when I’ve gone and gone and gone, and suddenly I don’t need all that adrenaline anymore, and my body doesn’t know what to do with it. Been there.

So I sat still and breathed in through my nose, out through my mouth, and worked to manage what I was feeling. But it wasn’t long before Brady assured me I could go take care of myself. Laela and Dekker were still up, and they assured me they would help Brady with the babies. Not that Brady can’t care for them!! But in his state of recovery, certain parts of baby-having are much harder. So it helps ME feel comfortable to go take a break knowing they were there to help. Once the plan was in place, I disappeared for a bit.

This is how I watch my shows in the tub at this house. Its not quite as glamorous as the last en suite, but its something. And thank goodness for the shower chair, hahaha! How else would I watch my true crime?!

I ran a nice hot bath, loaded with epsom salt, and I sweat all the good sweats until every shred of any chills had made their exit. And then I peeled myself off the bottom of the bathtub in time to say goodnight to my oldest two and youngest two. And I had tucked in the middles before my bath, so wins all around!

While I don’t love that I’m someone who has panic attacks now in these last few years, I am grateful for the understanding I’ve gained, and in turn, can use to help myself and maybe others somewhere down the line 💜 God knows. For now, I’m calling today a success.

So you may remember Brady and I got to go on a “removing staples out of Bradys head” date the other day. Very romantic. I know. We were fortunate enough to have a SECOND date today!!

To be clear, I’m not actually kidding. Today we even got to be out with *gasp* NO BABIES!

Well. There was one baby for a bit. And then no babies for a bit more. The one selfie we took is as follows.

This was when Brady was trying to hold the soother in aforementioned babys mouth while we were lined up in a drive-thru. Yay for impromptu snuggles! 😅 We’ll take what we can get!

In our span of time without kids, we made it into Old Navy, which we’ve needed to do for a long time, to get Brady some new jeans.

Buying pants when you’re in a wheelchair is a big trickier than average. Some pants fit great until you sit down, when they then slide down in the back and get all lumpy in the front. No one likes plumber crack or bunchy junk! A couple years ago now, we discovered Old Navy has a particular style of pants that has the perfect amount of stretch for Brady’s amount of mobility. However, different colors of pants had different amounts of stretch. Go figure. So ordering online isn’t as simple as it sounds. And today, we FINALLY got him in there to get a couple new pairs of jeans! Woot!

After jean shopping, Brady was completely wiped out 💜 Which was pretty indicative of how recovered he is/n’t. So we got coffee and Brady dozed a bit in the van until we went to where we needed to be.

The dates are very quiet and restful, which is just perfectly perfect. I am very grateful for every single moment we get to spend together 💜 Thank you, Lord!

I love you, Brady 💜

Tomorrow is a new day, and a back to school kind of day! I won’t lie. Its been kind of a hugely challenging week, and I’m ready for routine to be back in our lives. Today has been pretty large, though not bad per se, and I’m looking forward to everyone going to school tomorrow! Well. Four of them anyway. An entire week of compressed days throws a wrench into things, for sure. But, I digress. I want to post nice things and today, I feel a little bit too tired to write out something super upbeat. So rather, I’ll show you a funny thing I saw today that made no sense, but gave me a smile. I hope it does the same for you.

🤷🏼‍♀️ I don’t get it either. Clearly, I don’t know what she means. But I got a little chuckle out of it, which I definitely needed.

There you have it, folks. The weekend has come to a close, and I’m feeling hopeful for the week to come! Brady might start picking away at some work stuff from home. Hopefully I’ll get a few of our usual things done that I’m otherwise behind on. Aaaaand if I’m really twitchy, I might hire the handyman out of Zaks to do a few jobs around here that I know Brady doesn’t have the energy for that keep staring at me 😅 Yet, with the appointments I have in the city 4/5 of the upcoming weekdays, maybe we’ll just do some resting rather. 💜 Who knows. Its still only Sunday.

Sleep well, all 💜