The Daily Hailey

Or!!!

A couple of short kids.

🤔

They both work.

Anyway.

I had a few less children today. Rowan and Solomon are at camp, and two babies went to visits. We were down to only FOUR!!! HALF of our group!!

Todays baby visits were double the length of standard visits. Usually they’re two hours long, but today, both babies have four hour visits that overlapped!!! That NEVER happens!!! Normally, with a longer visit like that, we’d go home in the middle. But today, with the way timing worked out, once babies were dropped at visits, rather than going home, we decided to zip across the river and see if I could make it to Bradys oncologist appointment. And it worked!! He had even picked up iced coffee for us!

The appointment was really good, actually. I feel hopeful that Bradys next cycle of chemo (starting this Friday) will be better than the last one. We will pray, and do whatever we can to prepare on our end of things.

After Bradys appointment, he headed back to work, and I took the kids to Tims for a quick lunch. And then we went to the south Value Village. I still have a bad taste in my mouth about the last time we got kicked out of the north one. 🙄

Wait. Did I even post about that yet?!?! Oh my gosh. We’ll go there soon, guys. Not today.

We thrifted for a nice stretch. I got a cute mug (as I do) and a few other small things. Books. And I finally made time to look at tank tops, and found some for me for the upcoming summer. Left a few things behind…

We made our way back to the visiting areas, making one or two more stops along the way. More books at another thrift store. It was so smooth and simple with fewer kids, hahaha! Don’t get me wrong. I actually love going places with my kids! But some places are easier than others, and some days, it is easier than others, also. And this was a nice stretch of time where we could mosey a little in the city with almost no complaints. I liked it.

The outing wrapped up hard, but thats foster care for you. Home we went, and all the fun new things were dispersed into their new spots.

Books, guys. WAY too many books.

📚

How lucky are we 💜 Thank you, Lord!

As Jim Gaffigan described having four kids…

“Imagine you’re drowning, and someone hands you a baby.”

The days are pretty gutless when we have a new baby. Likely any new placement would stir things up as we learn them and they start to learn us. Sugar beet is much the same. Baby is not a great napper, though a pretty good nighttime sleeper, which I’d definitely prefer if given the choice. Daytime productivity is off the books for the moment, as it seems, and thats ok. Mostly. Its hard when there is so much to do. It feels like I’m only hands-free when I’m driving, in which case, I am driving, so…..

Getting supper on the table was a fun challenge today. Dekker paced with Sugar beet for a while, but seemingly god bored (?) and set baby down, so naturally, baby cried. And Dekker didn’t seem put off by that 😅 It’s ok. We got through it, and everyone did eat. For the first time in the day, Sugar beet actually slept soundly for a time without being held.

Except. Baby is currently sleeping on my cozy chair.

*sigh*

So I can’t even sit comfy for the moments that I’m baby free!! Feels intentional. Punk baby.

I tease. I love Sugar beet. I miss crocheting a little bit 🤏 but I’ll get that in on the drive to camp. Baby obviously comes first 💜 No question.

Today was an incredibly quiet day. That doesn’t mean it was an altogether easy, nothing day, but it was quiet.

Laela took off in the morning to go have a date with Cher 💜 They went to the university, took some pictures for her grade six graduation, got a treat or two, and read outside together. It certainly seemed like a magical day for Laela. She was SO excited when she left, and still SO excited when she came back. What a precious gift.

Wavy played really well throughout the morning, and then got invited out to a friends house in the afternoon. Their play date extended into the evening, through supper, and they even went for a dip in the pool at a friends acreage. Lucky girl!

Dekker was home, but he had the run of the house for the most part. The few jobs I asked of him, he crushed first thing, and then he had the day to play. He biked around town all he wanted, worked on his bike and went back out, and he got some quiet reading time as well.

Spoons and LD slept in like crazy, but were still very ready and eager for their nap time after lunch, so they were a quieter group today as well.

Our latest addition, who will henceforth be known as Sugar beet, doesn’t have an awesome routine as of yet, which makes sense considering the early age. So while I didn’t get to be especially productive, Sugar beet did leave room for me to sit in a rocking chair for quite a stretch today, which was both annoying (if we’re being totally honest) and peaceful. It was a good day for it.

I did a HUGE amount of emailing/texting/research/correspondence in general today, so I suppose I can feel some level of accomplishment. And I snuggled a baby who just really needed to be held, which is also productive 💜 It just looks different than what is pictured as the norm for a successful day.

But nothing over here is normal, anyway 😅 So who cares. Not I.

After writing this out, I can say with more confidence that perhaps a quieter day in itself is an accomplishment. I am very grateful. For today, and the life we’ve been given, I praise the Lord 💜

We are officially into summer camps!! Oh boy, at first I typed “supper camp.” I’d go there. Anyway. Summer camp. Or, as my kids call it, overnight camp.

This week, we are short a couple. I was not organized enough to take a picture of the cute group of them who stayed at Kinasao this week, but I can show you who I’m keeping this week!

Master Dekker.

He is back from his week at the Redberry Rise program, which he LOVED. Much to his chagrin, he is back home 😆 I’m confident he’ll be back there before long. Not sure how that all works just yet. But he is eager to get back there and keep serving in a new way! I couldn’t be prouder of him.

Darling Laela.

She had some great water time today, where she shivered like crazy, but still avoided coming to shore. Very Laela. Her camp week with Avery will come soon enough, but not yet! It’s all good, though. She’ll go on a date with Auntie Cher tomorrow! Lucky lady always has something to look forward to.

And Miss Wave.

Waverly got stung by a wasp today :/ She cried, and then she decided to put something cool on the spot. Naturally, our girl was wearing her Christmas dress, which is basically threadbare at this point, so she held a water bottle overtop of it and said it felt way better. It was virtually gone a couple of hours later, and she was completely over it. She might be our toughest cookie out of ALL the cookies we have over here.

So I’ll have just the three this week! Well and the babies. So six. Without Rowan and Solly, I anticipate some quieter moments 😅

But I’ve been surprised before…

My brain is pretty tired. This last week has been BURSTING with foster stuff. Visits booked and cancelling. Visits going forward. Visits happening that you wish didn’t. Tons and tons of information to process as well. A baby leaving. A baby coming. New meds, feeds, and overall systems to learn. My brain feels quite overloaded and like it needs a bit more processing time before it can really start making original thoughts again. 

Today was able to be a pretty restful day, for which I am so grateful. We moved slowly. We enjoyed food and drink and downtime when we could get it. It was not a fast paced day, and that was alright with everyone. 

I imagine my brain will catch up shortly, but I’ve felt stuck on repeat this weekend. Thankfully this coming week doesn’t look too crazy so far. Plus we’ll be down a couple of kids, as two will be at camp!! It changes the dynamic of our family so much when we’re missing one, so being without two will be a whole different vibe! But I’m hopeful we’ll have an awesome week, and that they can too at camp! I lived for camp as a kid, and I know they love it, too. 

It feels like summer has truly begun 🥰

The last three days have been absolutely wild. Lots of foster visits, meetings, and information to process. My brain is mush. But, still, we made it to camp!! 🥳 We are short our Dekker and Laela for the night, though they will be back with the group tomorrow morning. Unpacking was different without their help, plus with the new babe making a bit of a scene. 

Regardless 🙌 we’re here. Unloaded. Enjoyed a fire and some nice conversation. A beer. Nerf guns. New friends at the park. It is beautiful here. It always is. But I hope my brain settles down soon and decides it understands enough from the last few days to keep moving forward. 

Time for bed. 🥱 

I was a few paragraphs into todays blog that, trust me, is going to be a doozy. However, the day got CRAZY when we learned that Peanut was going to move along and someone new was coming to join the crew.

It was a rushed trip into the city, and a quick goodbye, which felt wrong. But Peanut is able to move into the same home as sibling, which is AMAZING!! But there was some yummy bonding there that I will dearly miss. No one elses face lights up the same way when I kiss them. It was VERY precious.

But now, someone else needs a place, and the ministry was struggling to find placement. So here we are. Back to a family of ten, but with a shuffle. And I feel very optimistic with it. We have LOVED Peanut. And will continue to! But this will be lovely, too 💜

So the day ended up being incredibly scrambled, but it turned out nicely.

Tomorrow, it will be even more scrambled! 😅 Must meet entirely different needs for an entirely different person!!

-bassinet
-newborn diapers
-diaper cream
-gripe water
-other bottles
-other blankets
-other clothes

Ok. Think I nailed it.

Goodnight, all! Pray we can sleep! And that Peanut is happily settled in 💜

Miss Waverly Violet turns SEVEN today! Can you believe the huge event that was her birth was that long ago already?!?! It feels like only yesterday!

But it wasn’t yesterday. It was seven entire years ago. This last year, she has GROWN!

Somehow, she has this perfect balance of being flawlessly beautiful and also a total dork. I LOVE this girl.

Wavy moves on up to grade two next year. She reads well, and runs like the wind. She does not focus on much of anything 😆 but she brings incredible joy to most everyone she meets.

This little girly had kept us on our toes, feeling deeply, but also being so silly and playful.

I am so excited to see what Waverly becomes as she grows up. This girl could do anything! She is a hard worker with a willing heart and seemingly bottomless energy.

Lord, you brought Wavy into our lives at exactly the right time. We were so sure there was one more babe to come, and as life would happen, she would be our final baby 💜 The most beautiful little finale there ever was. THANK YOU for knowing so much more than we do, and for bringing Wave to us so perfectly. She came with an amazing about of peace, as well as joy that just keeps on giving! We are so unbelievably grateful!

We love you, Waverly. You add aaaaall kinds of flavor to our family. We would not be who WE are without YOU!

SEVEN WHOLE YEARS!! Wow, Wave!!! Happy birthday, sweetie!!! 😘 I love you I love you I love you!!!

Brady was home today, thanks to the Canada Day stat holiday! The day kicked off with a coffee date with Cher! Brady, Cher, and I don’t see each other as a group of three too often, so its pretty nice when we do 💜 We chatted and caught up for a nice stretch before we got everyone up for the day.

I asked Brady later in the morning if he wanted a relaxed lazy day, or a productive day, since he is almost never home mid-week, unless its for an appointment. Being himself, Brady wanted to be productive. We spitballed a few different ideas, but the one that stuck was getting into the daunting task of tidying our bedroom. The dumping ground for the entire house. It has been last on the priority list since we got here. Absolutely everything came first, and I don’t regret that! But with the every changing needs of our family, we keep having to rearrange things, but nothing is ever really put away before things are changed. So its perpetually messier and messier.

We made a good plan of where to start, and then Peanut needed a nap, which happens in our room 😅 Sooooo we gave up on that. We had coffee and had some restful time. I found a crappy error I had to fuss with on a crochet project I’m working on, and had some time to actually figure it out. As soon as I had pieced together what I had done and what needed to change, Peanut woke up, and we could get into our room!

In this time, Spoons and LD went down for naps, and the rest of the kids played outside endlessly. It was amazing. Brady and I moved dressers. Took down a crib. Organized random crap thats been stacked on stacks on stacks, lol! It is FAR from done but we’re definitely on the right track.

Peanut needed another nap, so we called it for the time being. We suppered to the tune of fries and chicken nuggets, and our incredibly tired, sweaty children were thrilled to wrap the day up in front of an episode or two of Mr Bean. Even grandma was there.

Now. The day is done. Babies are sleeping. Big kids are quiet. Brady is done all of his stuff for the night, and all thats left is this, so thats my cue.

👋

G’night.

When I was growing up, ear piercing was allowed at a certain age. Was it nine? I’m not entirely sure anymore. But it was something of a right of passage, and I couldn’t wait to get my ears pierced!

As my kids were born, I started wondering how we would address ear piercing. I have no bad feelings about how it was chosen when I was younger, but I felt like I’d rather wait it out a little and just see when my kids expressed interest. And maybe just do it then, or on their closest birthday. Something like that.

As we got closer with our dear Dahlsjos, I learned their ear piercing system was at age 13. And our girly, Avery, has officially reached that mark just last week! 🥳 We had hemmed and hawed about the when and the how, so Stacy and I conspired on Saturday to take the girls to get their ears pierced at the mall in PA on our way home from the lake. We let a couple of the kids know, but not too many, so no surprise was blown.

Our crew was loading into the van to leave the campsite. Sadie was loading babies in, and Jaxon was standing in the open side door. I walked past him and told him to get his butt inside, and I shut the door behind him, effectively kidnapping him. Sadie was stuck between two baby seats. I climbed into my seat, and we drove off. The whole point of this was to add Laela to Averys family’s vehicle.

Ok. No more lead up. Let’s get to the mall already.

We were the only customers, which was nice. We got silly, and took our time choosing earrings. Both girls were nervous, but Avery took the hit to go first. Thankfully, there were two people willing to pierce, so each girl could have both lobes done at once! Just one jolt per girl.

She didn’t even flinch!!! 👏 Total rockstar right here!! With her June birthstone studs! 💜

Laela was somehow not reassured by the fact that Avery said it was totally fine 🤣 She was nervous.

But she got in the zone! I mouthed and asked her if she was excited, and she nodded vigorously. So we went with it!

And again! Perfect calm response! Done and done!! She chose the cross studs!! 😍

They taught the girls how to clean their ears. Apparently Laela was skeptical 🤨

Each girl picked out a little sheet of earrings to wear once the weeks of healing had passed. And we were done!

Goodness I am just loving this pair of girlies! 😍

Thank you for sharing your birthday gift with Laela, Avery! This was a riot, and likely a core memory for my daughter 💜 Thank you for all your soft warm love for those around you. This was a super precious milestone to celebrate together.

June 29th, 2025

Ear piercing ✅