Yesterday~ June 23,2008

I love blogging as far as posting pictures and keeping people in the loop of our lives. Obviously, others are much more gifted in the creativity of writing. That was never my favorite thing in school, so I shouldn't be too surprised. But, I still do this b/c I feel connected to our friends and family. So last night I started thinking I need to blog about just an average day in our lives. Nothing spectacular or out of the norm for the kids, just a normal day.

Jaycee usually wakes up between 7:30-8:00. She comes out of her room with her blanket and whatever stuffed animal received the privilege to sleep with her. Which that changes pretty much every night. One of those things that postpones going to bed for 30 seconds! Kids will try ANYTHING to not have to go to bed. For a few moments in the morning its just Jaycee and mom. So we have a little talk, read a few bible stories, and say a prayer for the day.Then its potty time. After potty, its milk, breakfast, and cartoons. Usually by 8:15-8:30 Jackson wakes up. Jackson loves having his milk first thing, so most mornings I make sure its already prepared for him. As soon as we walk in the kitchen he gets it. We change the diaper and Jackson is on the go for the day. He will pause for maybe 15 seconds and watch the cartoons, but then he's off to play with the next toy, book, or lately which chair he can try and climb. By mid-morning we headed outside. We filled the pool with fresh water, played on the swing set, did sidewalk chalk, and blew bubbles. Jaycee loves sidewalk chalk. No surprise since she loves to make "beautiful pictures for her Nana and Papa." (This is her way of asking to draw.) Jackson loves the bubbles. I think he actually likes more just to chew on the bubble wands AFTER he has dipped them in the bubbles. After spending some time outside, it was time to make some lunch. Lunch around here is wonderful, b/c everyday we are blessed to have 2 meals together as a family. We LOVE having our daddy home for lunch. After lunch, Jackson is ready for his nap. Yesterday, Jaycee took a nap. Which is unusual. So it gave me a chance to have some time to myself. There are many things I could do at this point, clean a bathroom in peace, read a book, etc. but I thought this is the perfect time to talk to my mom-in-law. We chat quite often, but things usually get interrupted b/c of the kids. So it was great to chat and visit with her. I am so grateful and thankful to have her in my life. She is so dear to me and has helped me so much in becoming a better mom to my kids. We began to talk about our visit to the Northwest. We have 9 weeks to go. So hopefully it will go by fast for us all! Jaycee woke up as Nana and I were finishing up our conversation. Jaycee had asked earlier in the day if she could ride on an airplane. I said well in 2 months we would fly to Nana and Papa's house. She was so excited. She said I am going to play with my daddy's choo-choo train, cars, and play the bingo game. I was in awe that she remembered those toys from Nana's house. She also asked if she was going to sleep on the beds Nana makes for the floor. I said I bet you will. She started running around all crazy then. SO I can just see her walking in the door at Nana and Papa's and trying to do EVERYTHING in like 5 minutes. After Jackson got up we headed back outside to have some pool time. Yesterday, was hot, but not super hot. We had some cloud cover which was wonderful for the kids. After awhile in the pool, it was time for a snack. So we had a couple of ice cream sandwiches. So glad that we can eat those outside b/c they are such a mess. The kids thoroughly enjoy them. We played a little longer and then it was time for dinner. I do love to cook, but for me with toddlers its just hard to make myself do it all the time. We eat every night, but to make a delicious multi-course meal every night I just have a hard time with that. For one, I don't like being in the kitchen that long. Second, the mess! I really hate having my kitchen in disarray and so while I am cooking I am trying to clean and keep the kids happy all at the same time. I know there are few of you out there, that think this is no big thing and actually you probably think I am a weak-sauce that I don't prepare a gourmet meal every night for my family. No one is perfect and this is one of those areas for me. So I think I started about 5:00. Jaycee watched 2 1/2 Veggietales, Jackson had every toy in the house out, and my kitchen was a disaster, but dinner was ready. It was quite good. We had fried okra, squash, and mashed potatoes. Delicious! I love home grown okra and squash. I am waiting ever so patiently for some home grown tomatoes! YUMMY! So after dinner was clean up time. So I think I finished that up about 7:30. So I spent 2 1/2 hours in the kitchen. UGH! Not fun! So off to the tub the kids went. After their baths, Jackson was off to bed. The night calms down so much at that point. Byron and I are able to have a few moments to relax in the recliners. He has been working like crazy as well. He got home around 5:00 and started putting posts in the ground for our fence. So he worked til dinner time and came in. So he hopes to get the fence in by the end of this week. Which our lives will change ever so much with the fence. The dogs will have more freedom to run and the kids will want to be out there all the time. I won't mind b/c they will be safe. So I am sure our evenings will be spent out there A LOT more. The kids and dogs will become even better friends. Well, that is our life. Nothing too amazing or drama-filled, but its perfect for us. We love each other and enjoy every moment we are able to spend together. We love ordinary stay at home days!