There are a handful of things to talk about on today’s blog. For instance, Laela had her grade six farewell today, and it was absolutely beautiful. Lovely. Special. I loved it. That is priority one. However. 

We get to have fires this weekend. 

I cannot express how thrilled I am to finally have a real campfire. 😍 One that crackles and makes everything and everyone smell like smoke. I can’t wait to sit by the fire aaaaall weekend!!

I’ll write more tomorrow, but now is for resting. 

I had a bit of angst when I went into Michaels briefly today and realized just how quickly the seasons apparently change!! The entire front area of the store had gone from neon florals and cabana vibes to Halloween!!! Ack!! It literally has not even hit the calendar summer season, and suddenly, we’re well unto fall!!

However. Perhaps you’ve heard I like ghosts.

*sigh*

So the pop in wasn’t a total loss…

This little guy was pretty cute and deserved a home. It was very hard to choose between ALL the adorable ghosts in there but for some reason, this was the spooky little dude that stole my heart, so home he came! With that said, if you notice the Halloween stuff go on sale, TELL ME!!! I would LOVE more adorable soft happy ghosts! They are all SO cute!

I originally had stuck my head into Michaels to kill time and to see if there was any clearance yarn. Which there was. But I didn’t need it, nor did I need any ghosts. So I chose between two frivolous purchases and went with the one I had less of 😅 It was not easy. But since I finally finished my blanket for the Kinasao auction this coming weekend, I best use up some of the yarn I already have here at home! I have lots, and LOTS of projects ruminating. But the big one is done! 💪

Next up – a couple of more casual throw blankets that take less thinking but are equally as cute and cozy.

Today, I give you three simple things to laugh at. Three laughs feels like enough for one post, right? Right.

First one is this great graffiti I found in the city today.

I know its not meant to say boobs, but it caught me off guard when I first saw it and I can’t unsee it now. The top of the B is probably the 2 in the above 2019. I think, anyway. But. Its just. Boobs.

Second funny thing is from Rowan. Someone lovingly brought us cookies today, and I had set them down on the island. They just so happened to be sitting next to a tattoo aftercare sheet. Based on this, Rowan exclaims “Awwww! Mom, Cory brought us cookies!!” 🤣 Cory indeed did not bring us cookies, but I loved how his mind worked, haha! I mean, I guess if someone is going to break in, leaving cookies isn’t the worst thing they could do!

Final funny story. A while back, the high school did a spirit day called “anything but a backpack day” where kids brought ridiculous things to school in replacement of their backpack. Dekker isn’t jazzed about spirit days but he got really excited about this one, and ended up bungeeing his lunch kit to a hand truck, and then securing that to his bike like a trailer. It was really funny, and very Dekker. He was largely anticipating a repeat of that day today, and has been mulling for a while now, trying to decide if he can top the hand truck. He settled on taking a grass seeder behind his bike. After school, he informed me that anything but a backpack day was apparently cancelled long ago, but it had never been taken off the school calendar 😅 He was mortified! It was SO funny!! I said to him that he could’ve brought it back at lunch time, to which he responded “but then I wouldn’t have a backpack!” 🤦‍♀️ Clearly not so much with the thinking 🤣

Ok. Thats it thats all! I don’t have too many minutes to spare each day and I need to finish my current blanket project before the weekend! Ack! Back to the grindstone! 💪🧶

It wasn’t a totally bananas day. It was busy, but thats the norm. The busiest part was really the afternoon. I had two grocery orders arrive, and besides putting everything away, I made up lunch packs of different veggies and some crackers. As I stood at the island, I had a little inner back and forth with myself.

The kids could totally just cut their own veggies.
Ok but they won’t.
Thats their issue, not yours! You don’t have to do all this.
But they need to eat veggies and this way they will. Happily! Without complaining!
Its a waste of bags.
Bite me. It works for now.

And I kept chopping. I hate packing lunches, and doing this extra step has made it virtually hands off for me. I like it.

So I made lunch packs for a good long while and then I got babies up and fed the littlest one. I say “littlest” loosely, as our five month old is only about 6 oz lighter than our fifteen month old 😅 Anyway. I bottled the one that bottles, and the others ran around while I washed my hair in the kitchen sink.

And then, folks, I made the supper of my childrens dreams 🤣

Yup. Smile fries, fish sticks, cucumber salad, and some super ripe pineapple. What more could a child (or their parent) want??

We ate, everyone happy and without complaint. The moment I had inhaled my food and I was on the way out for a couple of hours. And they were some nice hours out. I was really grateful for that short time away, and I came home to a peaceful scene, which was just the icing on the cake.

Thank you, Brady, for taking on the fam for a little bit so I could go out and do something special. I know its a lot 💜 but I also know you still want to do those things. So I see you, and I thank you. And I love you.

The rest of the week is going to be really busy with visits and events, and then back to camp to make more memories! 💪

It’s ended up being quite a big day. I won’t lie. Im so unbelievably tired. A little flustered. Morale was kind of low. 

However, I have so much to be thankful for. I had time to crochet today. I was able to get a last minute appointment to take LD to an eye doctor. I didn’t do any real work. I had a social worker meeting. And as has been long awaited on our end, our laptop officially kicked the bucket. 

Costco rewards hoarded for the last couple of years saved the day, and Brady brought home a new laptop! 🥳 woohoo!!! Hopefully fewer issues with technology soon! 🤞 

Tonight was the only night where things weren’t scheduled, so I’m glad to be able to rest up a little. I have a pretty tight deadline to get my current crochet project done with, so that’s the priority of this week!! 

Wish me luck, all! 

I don’t have to tell you guys, but I will. Brady is the best dad I could’ve ever pictured for our children. Above and beyond what I ever pictured, to be honest. I didn’t really know what that would look like, or what was reasonable to expect, but he has crushed it with every pregnancy, regardless of how long or short it was, and every child, regardless of how they came into our family.

He has fathered five children from my body, loved dearly countless babies that we lost, and he has deeply invested his love and care into six beautiful bonus children we’ve had in our family.

As of today, he is a daddy to eight children.

Dekker
Laela
Rowan
Solomon
Waverly
Spoonful
Lemon Drop
and Peanut

Super weird not to include the Morsel in there 💔 ugh.

Every last one of them is incredibly fortunate to know Brady and to be loved by him. He may do fewer physical things with them these days, but his lap is always open for someone to sit on for a hug or a snuggle. He will absolutely always try to help decipher a problem, offer advice, or just listen. And more often than not, he will still do absolutely the MOST he can to help with things physically.

I know. Hubba hubba, right? 😍

It has been a hard year so far in 2025, watching his abilities change so much, and seeing his confidence shake.

However.

He trusts God, and it shows. As time has gone on, he has found ways to still actively participate in our family and to connect with each child. And in turn, they are learning how they can connect with him. Which is oddly a super special thing that comes with having a disability such as his in the family.

I could not be more pleased with the man I chose to build a family with. And I couldn’t be more grateful that he chose me, too. Thank you, Lord, for Brady. For all the messy things we have gone through in the last 4.5 years, we have only become closer to one another, and to You. You have shown Yourself to us, and I see it in Brady every single day. He carries the joy of the LORD. What a beautiful example for our children to witness!!!

You are deeply loved, Brady. Thank you for having eight kids with me, and never ever bailing, flaking, or making us feel less than. What a gift for our boys to see how a dad should be.

Christ shines in you and through you, honey. I am so proud to call you my husband and the father of my children.

It positively poured today. It poured last night, and all day long. It. Was. Beautiful. Cramped in the camper and on the deck, without a doubt, but still gorgeous and much needed! 

We had moments of reprieve, but the storm raged well as we ran across the campground to the gazebo for the first community event of the season – a potluck! It was not well attended, unsurprisingly, but it was indeed delicious! 😋 

The rain took a short break, and I ran down to the beach for the first time since the docks went in. It was absolutely gorgeous. 

The rainy day has been lovely, and it has been a fun discovery that the big babies LOVE the rain!!! They play hard and get soaked to no end, and now, they are completely spent and screaming. Sooooo it’s time to wrap it up 😅 

Happy rainstorm, everyone! 

Today was Brady’s second cycle of chemo this particular time around. What a mess it is to even try to explain that simple part of it 😅 I had the pleasure of going with him, even though I couldn’t stay in the back with him during his infusion. I sat in the waiting room and had a fabulous chat with a few people who knew each other and brought a ton of life to the space. As it happened, the woman of the group had previously been a social worker in the foster care system, so we ended up having a lot to talk about. It was surprisingly lovely, while Brady was bored and waiting for his treatment in the back chairs. 

We came home to a clean house, thanks to Cher 💜 and got to work tying up the loose ends of packing. There was very little left to do. Dekker got home first and started loading up the van, which he actually loves to do. Very shortly thereafter, we drove to Rae’s to pick up the babies after a day off 💜 

Coming home from treatment today felt really good. Brady says he feels strong and no ill effects at this point. We continue to pray for Gods strength to be the only strength we carry! 

And we pray that we can sleep tonight 😅 Friday nights at camp tend to be the rough ones, hahaha! Between LD and Spoons, someone has to give in to sleep eventually! 

Happy weekend, all! 

This weekend is supposed to be another cold one up at the lake, but we’re still going up, as we do! I got Brady a beef hoodie at VV that will keep him warmer than the ones he’s been using at the lake, so he can be more comfortable. Our blanket that was covered in marshmallow last weekend cleaned up nicely and can come back to be snuggled in. We’re bringing a second propane tank so we can run the propane fire as often as we want. And beyond that, we’re going to have SOUP! Yes, it is supposed to be cold enough that we’re planning for soup.

Tomorrow is the day to pack up all the end stuff, and while I haven’t had much of a second to prepare this week, I think its pretty under control and I feel confident I’ll remember the right things.

Brady also will receive his second chemo infusion tomorrow. So if you’re the praying type, please add him to your list.

Sleep well, all.

I drove into Saskatoon three times today. It was a FULL day, but a really good one.

I drove in this morning to bring a baby to a visit with their family. My dear girl, Cher, watched the other babes so I could go in hands-free 💜 I had a super nice interaction with birth mom, and got iced coffee on the way home. Wins all around!

In the afternoon, I learned how to de-eye a pineapple. Though this one still seems to have eyes 👀 at the top, it was more fun than I thought it would be, and took less time. Another win! I chopped up a watermelon, two packs of strawberries, and two pineapples.

I got the two babes up and drove back into the city to pick baby up from the visit. A really nice pick-up. No one cried. Babies were all happy to see each other. Two waved at one another.

We arrived home and popped into the house for a short time. Got babies dressed cute and loaded up all the fruit, a full diaper bag, bug spray, and headed back out to Saskatoon to visit with the family and loved ones of one of our other babies.

We spent the evening in the backyard with a large group of people we have been getting to know over the last year or so, and who we really, really love. Brady came right after work, and just in time. We ate hot dogs and all kinds of fresh fruit and veggies. S’mores after supper. The kids went hard, jumped on the trampoline, climbed on the climbing wall, ate sand, and hung off the slack line. Babies were passed from person to person. They drooled. Pooped. Got dirty and showed off their tricks.

No one wanted to leave, but it was time to wind down for the day. Babies were fussing, and even some of the other kids were at that special point of fatigue where every bump brought tears. So we picked a date for the next hang and went our separate ways.

I can’t tell you how happy I am to smell like campfire smoke. Finally.

I am appropriately beat, and I’m grateful that sleep is just around the corner 💜

And tomorrow we go again! Another baby, another visit. But YAY for all three babies getting to see loved ones this week!!! 🥳

Aaaaand tomorrows tomorrow begins another round of chemo! 😅

Sleep well, all. Pray for those you love.