The Daily Hailey

Welp, now that I finally have useable internet, here is a quick photo recap of the weekend!

So, first of all, we picked up Laela and Rowan, and these were their faces upon realizing we were short a baby. One they were very eagerly anticipating seeing. #fosteringishard #lovestinks

This was when Laela propositioned Kelly to take her out for ice cream 🤣🍦

The camp has a cat that comes around the campground from time to time. While I don’t love when it walks on our table full of food, the kids enjoy the snuggle from time to time. A very pretty kitty 💜

The AC was apparently working too good in the morning, and these girls snuggles in for a game of SkipBo.

We finally got to the water this weekend. A couple of times. Wavy loved it more than anyone. This girly is a total fishy! Look at those purple lips!

So I got a LOT of sunburns this weekend.

The most odd one was my feet. Well. Foot. Weird, right?? My legs weren’t crossed and my feet weren’t stacked. Yet 🤷‍♀️ here we are.

Fish fry niiiiiiight! Wish I had paid for two people so I could’ve gone back for seconds. Delicious!!!

The skies were just unbelievably beautiful. Stunning. Picturesque.

Smorning with cappuccino celebration cookies on top!

Aaaaand then project time!!! Our dear Dahlsjos gathered up all the things we had compiled for a project last year already that we clearly never got to, and they got to it!!!

They kept working after we left for home, going to PA to pick up extras and working into the evening. Voila 💜 An outdoor wash station in our campsite!! The DREAM!

Day = MADE!

Now, we are home, everyone is tucked except Brady and I, though that shouldn’t be too long from now either. I deeply anticipate bedtime. Thank you, sweet Cherice, for getting our bed all washed and freshened up! What a huge gift!!!

Goodnight, all 💜

The signal is so bad right now out here so I cannot post with pictures. I can barely post anything at all! So I’ll take what I can get and I hope you will too! 

It was so beautifully hot out today. Finally, the kind of beach day we’ve been waiting for! While Brady and the babies napped, I took Laela, Rowan, Solly, and Wavy to the beach. They swam and dug in the sand. They rested and played. It was so fresh and peaceful. They SHIVERED and also sweated good and proper. Some of us burned to a crisp! 🥵 no regrets, though! 

Since weather is super bizarre lately, naturally we wrapped up the day with a very short, very aggressive rainstorm, complete with thunder, lightening, and a little hail. It’s stopped now, but everything is wet and the fire is struggling to come back to life. But I’m truly not complaining at all. It was so nice to finally get to the beach today and really get our sweat on! 

We closed the evening off with a fish fry for me c/o a campground event, and a light snacky supper for everyone else who didn’t know what they were missing. And soon, I anticipate some chocolate covered raisins, a handful of sour cream and onion chips, and an episode of How to Get Away with Murder, which Brady’s brain has oddly deleted from his memory 🤣 they must’ve popped that one out in the last surgery hahahahaha! I’m not mad at rewatching it! 

It was a VERY mixed up morning and it took a little extra time and effort to get out the door, but we still did, and we made it to camp!!! Better late than never! 

I ran into the chapel for the closing program maybe ten ish minutes late and snuck onto the bench behind Laela. I gave her a big hug and she and Avery invited me to come sit up with them, which I did. 

I’ll admit I barely heard the closing program because I just had an arm around each girl and we quietly whispered about their week 💜 it was pretty special times. I loved it. 

Rowan and Jaxon weren’t far away but they were across the aisle and promptly took off the moment the program ended. 

My favorite part was Wavy and Laela. They were so happy to be back together. What’s sweet is that Laela just ITCHED to see Wavy after her week of camp, and now this week, Wavy cried every night going to bed without Laela, and then again when they finally got hands on each other. 

It was VERY sweet. 

Still waiting for the whole gang to be back together 💜 ugh. Dekker. This stinks. 

We’re also short one of the babies this weekend 💔 goodness. Emotions be runnin’ high over here. 

We’ve spent the week with Solly and Wavy. No big kids allowed. The vibe has been different, for sure. Scrappier. But also super innocent. This morning, I got up to pour Brady and I some coffee, and I found the monkeys were already awake.

And they were snuggling.

Could they be any cuter?! 😍 This was not for my benefit. It was just them. Hanging out, pre-breakfast.

These two. They either fight like dogs or play like besties. You never know which version you’re going to get!

And this morning, it was besties. And it was so good to see 💜

Later in the afternoon, however, Wavy came to me out of nowhere for a hug, and when she wouldn’t respond to my words, I realized she was crying.

“I’m ok, I just really miss Laela! It’s been SO long!”

💜💔

Oof. My kids. I am SO grateful for them. It’ll be nice to have most of the gang back together soon.

Except Dekker!! ACK!!! I miss that boy!!! One more week!!

This morning turned out to be a tough one. It started off pretty well with a visit from Rae, and ambled downhill after that.

First was a social worker visit. One of our children is moving along, which I’m not allowed to talk about 💔 so today was our final visit with this worker. After a long time knowing her, I was anticipating seeing each other and kind of thanking her. While the visit carried on, the Costco grocery guy came and for whatever reason, instead of dropping and running, he asked me to look over the order, in case he missed anything. Which was not ideal timing, nor especially realistic considering there were over 20 items and I didn’t just have them all off the top of my head. Anyway. Could’ve done without that.

Also while the worker was here, home care came to help Brady with a couple of things. She didn’t really read the room very well, but considering we’ve known this worker long enough, she managed the second interruption seamlessly.

We talked some details of this child transitioning out of our home and into the next one, and then started to say some goodbyes. She talked about how she’s gotten pretty invested over here and how she really enjoys coming to our hours. “Will we ever see each other again??” Niceties like that. But suddenly I heard Brady calling me from our room so I went running, and the worker left for her next meeting. It was abrupt and kind of disappointing.

Especially disappointing when I learned that the nurse hadn’t read the orders sent by our doctor and had come quite unprepared for what we needed, therefore needing me to go digging for supplies of our own to fill in where she lacked. Completely avoidable. I don’t know why it bothered me so much but it really did.

I eventually cooled off a bit and everyone ate some lunch. Babies went down for naps, and Wavy and Solly went to play outside with some of the neighbour kids. While they were all in their places, Cher came over for a coffee date – the first in a while. It was really, really nice to see her 💜

I will admit, the morning set my attitude up for failure, and I’m still struggling a bit to come back from it. But I will. Its a me problem, and I will get over myself soon. Not yet, clearly 😅 but soon.

“Tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it.” – Anne

I don’t mean sandwiches that were left over. I mean sandwiches from leftovers. Leftover lunch food. Leftover picnic stuff.

At camp last weekend, I just brought a huge bag of coined garlic sausage, crackers and cheese, and coined cucumbers. Boom. Tiny sandwiches. Maybe boring, but we did it for both lunches we were present for and it went over well. Plus it required virtually no hand holding, so everyone could just get their lunch independently.

Unsurprisingly, the cucumbers didn’t make it beyond the weekend. Too squidgy. But We have more, plus we did come out of the weekend with some leftover hot dog buns.

Meat. Cheese. Sauce. Mini cucumbers sliced like sandwich pickles. On a hot dog bun. Feels like a picnic sandwich, right??

As I write this, I just hear the old song from McDonalds ads…

🎶 Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed buuuuuuuun 🎵

Today, my brain feels a bit tapped out. I can tell I am not quite 100%, and that my body wants to move slower. It has been a nice day! A successful day. A lovely morning coffee with Cher, and one appointment in the city. Completely manageable. But try as I might to just flat out ignore it, today, I feel tired.

We will set our bar for greatness a little bit lower today and simply get by, and that will be totally ok 🙂 Everyone is well cared for and happy 💜 Solly is getting his laundry put through and Wavy has some kinetic sand going. The sun is beautiful and the AC is pumping. A simple supper will be the order of the day. I am totally content.

But also, I don’t want to do anything else today 😅 I would love to sit in this chair for the rest of the day and crochet the hours away until its time to sleep.

I promise, even though I feel this way today, I still LOVE my life, and everything/everyone in it. Its just a tired day.

🧠🥱

I am so grateful for the weather this weekend. While it made morning fires a challenge to start, it definitely was a gift to me to listen to it storm outside overnight. Both nights!!! Made for some beautiful skies also, I cannot complain!

🎶 Though the sorrows may last for the night, His joy comes with the morning! 🎵

The bugs were unfriendly but the company was good, and the coffee is always delicious 💜

We soaked in the restful weekend and then loaded the van with both items and people, and then I ran to sign Laela and Rowan in for their week of camp!

Rowan and Jaxon are in the same cabin, as well as a friend of Rowan’s from here in town!

Laela and Avery also got to be in the same cabin! Heyooo!

Once everyone was appropriately tucked in, I ran back to the van and put myself into it. Last minute, I remembered to turn off our AC that was pumping in the camper (thank goodness!) and then we drove home!

This week should be lighter than last week. Should be 😬 Ready or not, we’ll be back to Kinasao for the weekend to pick up the cuties!

It was beautiful today. Restful. Sunny. Simple. We sat and breathed. I crocheted. We stoked a fire all day. Kids came and went all throughout. 

Brady napped. He drank coffee. He sat by the fire. 

We ate a yummy supper, though with smaller numbers than usual. Sadie cooked. 

Kids played man tracker. We visited and laughed at the babies. 

Finally the time came for winding down. The site for packed up for the night. Kids went to the bathroom and got tucked in. It’s time for some bedtime now, where Brady can rest his back and let down comfortably. We have a last episode of our show to watch anyway 🙂 and a snack to eat, I’m sure! 

Tomorrow, we send a couple more kids to camp for the week! And the dynamic will shift again! 

I miss you, Dekker!! 

Today we picked up the littlest bigs 💜 

Wavy came running excitedly towards me and we had a nice big hug. She had a little cry like she did last year – a let down of sorts, but reassured me that she had a really good time and was completely happy 😊 that being said, for the closing program, she opted to sit on our bench all sidled up to Laela rather than veils with the other campers at the front, showing off their songs and verses. 

On the other hand, Solly stayed up front the entire time!! He sang, did actions, recited verses, and even yelled out answers independently when the speaker asked questions. He was SO into it! That is worlds apart ahead of where he was last year or the year before. I’m so grateful his anxiety is under control! 

It’s good to be back here. It was so nice to get to go to the closing program. And now, it is so nice to sit on the deck in the pouring rain. 

I love it here. I’m so grateful for this spot our family calls home. Thank you, Lord.