Rainy Day Playdates & Cozy Chaos

Cooper gave me the heads-up today at 11:30 when a tiny visitor appeared beside the bed. Renn crawled in, snuggled herself in, and was instantly back asleep like she had never left her own bed. She stirred again around 6, but a few bum taps and extra snuggles convinced her that sleep was still the better option until nearly 7:30.

Fifteen minutes later, the two of us finally made our way out to play as Grandpa got coffee brewing and cereal underway. Renn decided she needed breakfast “just like Grandpa,” so she happily joined in with cereal and a banana before S headed out to the rodeo grounds around 8:15 armed with every possible jacket imaginable — including a raincoat because apparently it was raining there, even if it wasn’t quite doing much here yet. 

The mist eventually rolled in, though it never amounted to much more than gloomy skies and damp windows. (only just over 1/10th of rain came down sadly) Kaylin said it was snowing in the city! It turned into the perfect excuse for a cozy inside day filled with Duplo towers, snacks, and endless little projects scattered across the kitchen floor. Around 11 I attempted to introduce Renn to a new kids movie, but she quickly made it clear that Peppa Pig was the superior entertainment choice.

building the biggest tower ever!

Such detail for a 2 year old.. almost 3

Earlier in the morning I had texted Craig to see if Aislyn might want to come for a sleepover and playdate. The answer was an immediate yes, though they were in Okotoks for baseball first. By the time they got home, got Archie off to hockey, and made it out here, the clouds had settled in enough to make the gate stop cooperating. Craig ended up manually opening it to get Aislyn in around 3.

From that moment on, the house became double full-speed kid mode.

Aislyn always gives J the love he needs

The girls bounced from kitchen play to toy cars to cats and back again without slowing down once. There was giggling, building, imaginary games, and the kind of happy chaos that somehow manages to completely take over a house.

Auntie B came out around 4 to feed and trim Beibs’ feet before staying to visit and join us for supper. I had chili simmering away while the girls played, and I also mixed up a batch of bran muffins to rest overnight before baking. S arrived home with a new battery for the gate and had it swapped out before sitting down with us to eat around 5.

Watermelon disappeared quickly for dessert — always a crowd favourite around here except for me.

By 7, Auntie B and Cooper headed home, which will definitely feel strange after having our little buddy here all week.

Bedtime turned into a group effort tonight. Aislyn read the stories, and Renn even requested bum taps from her cousin before I traded places for the official bedtime duties. Renn was clearly overtired and determined not to miss a single moment of fun, but eventually those little eyes gave in around 7:30.

I came back upstairs and set Aislyn up with my iPad to watch the movie Renn and I had started earlier. S was watching the hockey game, which looked promising for Canada… until suddenly it wasn’t.

And just like every mom knows, once the kids finally fall asleep, the second shift begins.

I cleaned up the kitchen, folded laundry, tossed another load in — including Renn’s clothes — and set the robot cleaner loose while watching another episode of Your Friends & Neighbors. Later, S and I started a new series called The Madison, which immediately drew us in with all the gorgeous Montana scenery. Meanwhile, Aislyn powered through a second movie before finally drifting off herself.

Jam Sandwiches & Grass Whistles

Harley let out a bark just before 3 a.m. and I instantly knew the intruder could only be about two feet tall. Sure enough, little miss appeared beside the bed and crawled in for the rest of the night. She stirred again around 5 so I closed the blinds tighter and delivered water service before she happily drifted back off until after 7.

The moment she spotted sunshine it was game on for the day. I made myself a coffee while she started with homemade applesauce and playtime. The sun was shining full force but the wind still had a bite to it. I also realized I had left the garage door half open overnight with all the plants sitting nearby in the chilly 7-degree garage. Thankfully everything survived.

Sporting her Mom's little girl apron while "cooking" 

watermelon break eating like a puppy

always singing

Busy building her Duplo projects

This is a camera she made snapping a photo of Grandpa in his big brown

Grandpa eventually emerged from his sleep-in and joined the morning fun with coffee and cartoons. By late morning I recruited him into full-time Renn duty so I could squeeze in my workout before he headed off to another rodeo work bee for the high school rodeo weekend. Apparently supervising a busy two-year-old required recovery time because he promptly followed it up with a nap in big brown.

Lunch for Renn consisted of two jam sandwiches and ice cream, clearly the diet of champions. Grandpa polished off the last of the soup before heading to town.

My blooming tulips blowing in the wind

The afternoon turned into full kid chaos in the best way. I had invited the Paetz kids out, Amanda was taking Asher to Okotoks so the other three were dropped off together after lunch. Before leaving, Amanda quickly trimmed Renn’s bangs.

B rolled into the yard right behind them, fed the horses and headed off to work while Kaylin messaged saying she finally got into the doctor and officially has a sinus infection. Steroids, antibiotics and spray are now onboard. Hopefully rest helps too. She has been suffering for over a week. Renn too was plagued with this crusty eye infection.

Asher reading to the girls <3

The kids had an absolute blast with the “new” kitchen setup along with Duplo building and all the usual toy adventures- an afternoon of noise and imagination. Eventually we bundled up and headed outside to walk the dogs while the sunshine shone with little wind. During the walk I introduced the younger crew to an important prairie life skill — whistling with blades of grass. Ais and Arch proudly mastered it while Renn confidently pretended she had too.

grass whistling lessons

Archie also achieved his goal of petting Cooper outside which was honestly a pretty big accomplishment. Aislyn spent time loving up Mr Jenkins.

Back inside everyone cooled down with ice water and chips before disappearing back into play mode. Meanwhile I tackled dog chores, feeding then washed every single dog dish, watered plants, hauled planters back inside and checked on seedlings. The green onions and seed planters are officially sprouting.

Amanda and Asher returned after 5 and stayed long enough for a hilarious round of Renn’s version of “guess what I’m drawing” before loading back up for home.

For supper, little miss requested an exact repeat of last night’s meal because apparently when you find perfection there’s no reason to branch out.

Always singing and I always miss a ton

she can wink!

Bath negotiations also happened tonight. Renn remained deeply suspicious of the wind even after I opened the door to prove it wasn’t scary outside. The compromise? A shower instead of a bath — but only if Nana joined her. Naturally.

Fresh pajamas on, trampoline routine complete and bed time snack smoothie pouch consumed. Grandpa rolled in around 6:30 after rodeo work with burgers for us and purple grapes plus orange juice specially requested by Renn. More snacks.

Could she be any cuter?

Bedtime finally arrived. Stories and bum taps took a little longer tonight despite the busy day, but by 7:18 she was finally sound asleep.

I got the robot cleaning flors as S and I wrapped up the evening watching more Funny AF while the robot handled the daily collection of dog hair and toddler crumbs.

Renn's Ranch Vacation & A Graduation

The wind howled through the night just as forecast, but by morning it had settled enough for the sun to peek through now and then. After coffees in bed, I bundled up and pushed the plants outside for a hopeful dose of sunshine after feeding the dogs. Naturally the clouds rolled back in shortly after. Prairie spring at its finest.

Nathan texted in the morning asking if Renn could come for a little ranch staycation so they could catch up on sleep and let poor Kaylin continue recovering from last week’s sickness. Of course the answer was yes.

S spent the morning out in the shop tidying while I did some house work. Around 11 Nathan dropped off little miss just as the rain finally arrived. Not much, but enough to make the yard smell fresh. B arrived shortly after and another shower rolled through complete with thunder. Again it didn’t last long, only about a tenth of rain total, but every drop counts.

She was stoked about the kitchen and all the play food and entertained her through the day.

tea party time

B fed the horses after giving Cooper his dewormer while Renn and I came up for lunch. She came fully prepared with her requested Paw Patrol KD packed along for the visit. Grandpa joined us for chicken soup while Auntie B ate some too before heading off to work.

The afternoon quickly turned into full imagination mode with Renn directing the entire household. Outside, the weather couldn’t make up its mind. Windy but not as awful as expected, bursts of sunshine and temperatures climbing all the way to 23. I spent half the day moving planters in and out before eventually forgetting them outside overnight anyway.

Bit of static during our hide and seek games

watermelon break

new batteries for the kitchen light

After watermelon it was ice cream time

Followed by a rise Krispie square.. there is no bottom to this little twig

We bundled into coats and made a quick trip to the shop to “help” Grandpa before racing back to the house and leaving him to finish changing the oil in the ranger.

According to Renn, this is her hat she brought from her home :)

Hmmm, who got creative with the little face years ago? Renn loved the duplo building  this trip

For supper Grandpa cooked up Renn’s favourite: his famous sausage paired with noodles. No salad negotiations were entertained by Renn.

We attempted a hot tub swim afterward, but the second we rounded the corner and felt the west wind blasting sideways both Renn and Nana immediately reconsidered their life choices. We dipped in briefly just to confirm neither of us are wind enthusiasts and headed back inside while Grandpa stayed out to enjoy his soak in peace.

Then it was snack time, stories and bedtime routines. Little miss was sound asleep shortly after 7. S settled in for hockey while I watched more Friends and Neighbours. Once the game wrapped up we finished Remarkably Bright Creatures which turned out to be such a cute family movie. A couple episodes of Funny AF followed with S catching snippets of earlier episodes I had already watched.

Meanwhile, tonight was also Mya’s graduation. Hard to believe how quickly time flies. Huge congratulations to her!