A Day in the Life

I love this season of life and every minute I get to have my girls at home with me. I wouldn't want to be spending my time doing anything else. Years from now, I know I'm going to want to think back and remember what a regular day of the week was like for us. Regular days when nothing extremely notable happens, but that make up the backbone of our life together. The regular days that sometimes seem so long, but that make up the months and years that seem to be going by too fast. One day, I'm going to miss this!

It takes a lot more effort to record the day all throughout the day, but I think it's fun to do every now and then. It always amazes me how much actually happens when I jot it down minute by minute! 

Another Monday (October 3) = fresh starts

5:20- My alarm goes off. I snooze it because I can't believe it's morning already.

5:28- I'm so cozy under my comforter...still not ready to get out! Just 10 more minutes. I snooze again. But, I know this is the last time because my anxiety about my alarm waking the girls too early starts waking me more and more. The whole point of the early alarm is to get out of bed before the girls and spend time with the Lord before the day gets off and running. The truth is when those little feet hit the floor, there is no time to slowly catch up.

5:36-Awake. I did it. I tip toe quietly to the kitchen, grab some coffee (my iced coffee in the fridge) and curl up on the couch under a blanket with my Beth Moore Bible study (Children of the Day) and my Bible. The house is so still and quiet.

6:05- Fold some laundry. Straighten up the living room. 

6:22- Abby tiptoes out to the living room and curls up with me on the couch.We snuggle for a bit and talk about the day.

6:30- Start waking up Joe. Most mornings, he is up between 5:30 and 6, but he's wiped out after a few late nights in a row. His alarm is driving me nuts. Let's just say we set our alarm for the same time last night. He has been snoozing for an hour! Poor guy just needs a morning to sleep in.

6:32- My turn to shower and get ready

6:48- Abby and I finally got him up.

The "trying to wake Daddy" face

6:50- Get Abby dressed for school.

6:58-  Pack snack, drink and note. 

7:06-  "Mommmmmmmmyyyyyyyy! I awake now!!!!!!" Ella's up! I walk in and am greeted by this sweet face.

 

7:16- Sister breakfast date. Ella is checking out the Target flier while she waits for her oatmeal. Ella's all about the hot cereal these days. 

 

 

7:30- Hair. Teeth. Backpack packed.
7:45- Try to convince Ella that she should sit on the potty before we get her dressed (a daily struggle that can take an hour!)
8:00-Get kids in the car to take Abby to school.
8:14- As always, Abby is pumped for her day and can't get inside quickly enough. Ella pleads the whole way inside for me to take her to school. Two months in and she is still hoping it's her turn today!

love seeing the joy on her face when she realizes it's a school morning. I totally get it. My heart does that same thing any time I have an opportunity to learn or go to school!

8:17-Goodbye hugs and trying to convince Ella that a morning with Mommy is just as fun as a morning at school.

8:26- Quick trip to Target with one of my favorite shopping buddies.

9:10- I'm pretty sure I could get lost in Target.

impulse buy of the morning. This is some deliciously (addictive) popcorn! 

10:26- home from the store with a little time to spare before pickup. Ella played her Magna Doodle and read a Food Network magazine while I unloaded the groceries (girl after my own heart!).

10:45- Ella and I sit to enjoy our popcorn snack and read some books together.

11:15- Time to head out and pick Abby up. Today, we are picking up Makena too. The girls are super excited for their friend to come and spend the afternoon with us.  

11:30-Waiting in the lobby for girls. One of my favorite moments of the day is when I see Abby's class coming down the hall and I spot my girl for the first time.

Ella gets a little restless!

12:00- home and ready for lunch! Mac and Cheese and drinks complete with special princess Frozen cups make for some happy girls. 

12:45- I could tell all the girls were tired, but knew that rest time would not happen with a friend over, we decided to have some down time with a movie. I broke out some popcorn and cozy blankets while the girls watched Tinkerbell together.

1:40-Ready to go outside. The girls ran in circles and argued over what to play for a bit before they finally agreed on tag. I enjoyed an afternoon cup of coffee and some sunshine while I watched the girls run free!

Ella the turtle!

3:15- We headed to the mall to meet Ms. Heather, so she could pick Makena up.
3:30- The girls patiently waiting to see Ms. Heather, Isa and Isaac.

3:45- We walked together for a bit and spent some time catching up before heading home.

Isa and Ella

the crew

4:15- Headed home to get ready for dinner

4:27- Daddy's home! 

4:45- Girls play with Daddy while I put the finishing touches on dinner and pop Cheddar Apple Meatballs in the oven.

 5:13-Abby starts helping me set the table. Kiki is her pretend waitress name, so if I ask her to help in any way around dinner time and simply call her by her alter ego name, she is always eager to help! She takes the responsibility very seriously.

5:22- Why is it so hard to get drinks poured before we all sit down to eat?

5:35- Dinner. (which means lots of reminders to continue eating and going around the table for our favorite/hardest parts of the day)

6:23- Cleaning up toys from the day. This tends to be one of the most challenging parts of the night! 

6:40-Bathtime

7:00-Daddy has to go back to work for two hours.

7:05- Getting ready for bed
7:13-Read a story from The Jesus Storybook Book Bible 
7:30- Ella is in bed.
7:33- Read two chapters James and the Giant Peach (the chapter book Abby and I are reading together)
7:47- Lights out. Goodnight my girls.
8:00- I'm not going to lie. I love Dancing with the Stars and I'm all about an evening show while folding the laundry!

9:00- Joe is done with work and comes upstairs to help with the dishes. I'm thankful for the time we get to spend together before bed, even if we are getting things done.

The rest of the night is filled with everyday business: emails, dishes, laundry and whatever needs to be done to get ready for the next day. This night, I even squeezed in some time before bed to read.

10:57- Joe and I collapse into bed and barely finish praying before I fall fast asleep. Falling asleep has never been hard for me, but these days I really can't seem to keep my eyes open when my head hits the pillow!

It's been a good day. Not one without it's challenges, but like we tell the girls...our good days are made up of our "most favorite parts" and "most challenging parts" and all the little moments in between. It's been a good day!

Just for the record, as I was putting the finishing touches on this post, a poem popped into my newsfeed.  I was already having a pretty weepy and nostalgic day on lots of levels. Then, I wrote this Day in the Life post from a few weeks ago. Then, I read this poem. Please excuse me while I try to peel myself off of the floor where I am currently sobbing in fetal position.