A Day in the Life 2016

A Day in the Life 2016

• 6.07.2016

Welcome to the fourth annual "A Day in the Life" post!  Though it may have been late in the month, I still managed to document a fairly typical day around the Nelson home before May was over and school got out.  Whew!  Pregnancy morning sickness has been kicking my butt, but I knew documenting a day would be worth it.  These yearly posts have come to mean a lot to me because someday I'll forget; someday I'll forget what life was like with just my two little boys when Jed was in kindergarten.  It's been a wonderful school year for sure and I'm anticipating that next year will look completely different!  So please, take a peek at what Wednesday May 25, 2016 looked like here on the home front.

***** 

Wednesday May 25, 2016

My alarm goes off at 7:20AM every morning but I can hear the kids awake about ten or fifteen minutes before that.  They open their door to use the bathroom and play fairly quietly until I roll myself out of bed in my pajamas.

Time for breakfast and to get ready for school!  Jed slips on a t-shirt and jeans and some socks before coming to the kitchen.  A typical weekday breakfast consists of cereal or toast with some fruit and milk.  On this particular morning, Levi chooses to eat honey nut cheerios and Jed chooses cinnamon toast.  As for myself, I've been on a cottage cheese and peaches kick.  I scoop some peaches into bowls for the boys to eat as well.  

We've been fairly consistent about reading scriptures for a few minutes at the breakfast table.  Some days I read five verses while the boys fidget and talk, but other days are really productive and engaging.  Most recently, we've been reading the story in the Book of Mormon about Ammon, the missionary who cut off the Lamanites' arms to protect a flock of sheep.  Jed asked, "When I go on a mission, will I do that too?"  Haha.  No, not quite.  Missions are very different today.

At precisely 7:55AM, I quickly wet Jed's hair down with a spray bottle and help him tie his shoes.  Then he grabs his backpack and I herd the boys into the car to take Jed to school.  I also make sure that Jed has a dollar in his backpack for wearing a hat.  It's a special fund-raiser for a student whose family just suffered a tragedy: kids can pay a dollar to wear a hat at school and all the money goes to the student in need.       

^^One of our daily views on the way to school^^

We arrive at the elementary school a few minutes before the bell rings at 8:15AM.  Here Jed is crossing the street.  I watch him enter the gate and start talking to another kid before turning the car around and going home.

At home, it's time to get some chores done around the house!  I've learned that mornings are my prime time to be productive.  It's when I have the most energy.  I persuade Levi into helping with his daily chore: putting the silverware and kid dishes away.  Then he reminds me that he needs to get paid.  (We try to pay the kids immediately after every chore they do--unless the chore is a disciplinary punishment.  The boys are looking forward to buying some new Legos!  It's honestly a parental experiment in progress; we'll adjust as we go along.)  Somehow, Levi convinces me that he needs three coins for doing his chore.  He makes a pretty good argument, counting the three "separate" things he accomplished.  Okay, kid.  You need all the help you can get towards those new Legos anyway!  Plus, I am his mother and am smitten with those fat cheeks and irresistible smile.  Yes, Levi knows how to work me over.       

Then Levi insists that it's time for second breakfast.  I relent and hand him a granola bar to eat before turning on some cartoons.  Levi loooves his morning cartoon routine.  I can't blame him.  The kid knows how to get comfy!

While Levi is occupied, I hurriedly accomplish a few chores myself, including taking the trash to the curb, loading the dishwasher, washing a few pans, sweeping the kitchen floor, scrubbing down the range and sink, folding a load of laundry, and stuffing a picture order into an envelope.  Whew!  Then I finally hop in the shower and get dressed for the day.

^^The baby bump at 14 weeks and 4 days.  And yup, that's my toilet in the background.  Classy, Jessie.  I need a different mirror.^^

Levi comes to find me while I'm putting on my makeup, something I only do half the time these days.  He smothers his armpits in my deodorant and then I help him get dressed for the day so we can go outside on a walk.  You know, exercise for the pregnant lady!  Yeah, right.  :)

I can't get Levi off his bike these days.  He learned to ride a two wheeler last summer but took it upon himself to learn how to start himself a few weeks ago.  (No more help from Mom.  Yay!)  Now he takes off by himself for ten minutes at a time riding circles around and around the Egberts' driveway several times a day.  I seriously cannot keep up with this kid's level of energy.  He is always on the move!  And he is always eating too.

I grab a granola bar for myself on the way out the door (I have to share a piece with Levi) and we start off on our walk past the horses and up to "the bridge" over the irrigation ditch on the dirt road behind our house.   

^^When all you want to do is get BOTH your hands and feet wet simultaneously.  I keep waiting for him to fall in.  He hasn't yet!^^

This face!  I will never tire of holding Levi's hand as long as he'll let me.  I love the feeling of his tiny hand in mine.  He tells me, "I really love you, Mama."  "I love you too!" I reply.  It's something he usually tells me multiple times a day.  I cherish it.  

We head back towards home in plenty of time to watch for Jed's bus that comes somewhere between 11:50AM and 12:10PM.  It's so inconsistent.  But that's okay because those minutes spent waiting for the bus have become a neighborhood social hour for us moms of kindergartners. 

^^Jed, Piper, Lorren, and Ally all hop off the bus and cross the street together.^^

Time for lunch!  I put together one of Levi's favorite meals in mini muffin tins.  We call them Snack Packs.  I fill each space with some crackers, meat, cheese, carrots, and any other semi-healthy items I can find in the fridge or pantry.  We eat outside on the front porch because it's a beautiful partly-cloudy 65 degree day; a little cooler than normal for late May, but hey, we'll take the lack of wind!

During lunch, Levi informs me that he needs a bar hung up high so that he can hang like a bat.  What?!?  Hahaha.  That totally came out of left field.    

I, however, warm myself up some leftovers: hamburger, veggies, and brown rice.  Notice my glass with lemon slices in it.  I've been cutting up a part of a lemon in the morning and using the same water glass all day.  For some reason, that little bit of flavor and color helps make drinking water a lot more enjoyable and I find myself reaching for a glass more often.  Win!

After lunch, I talk with my neighbor Tiana in her driveway for a few minutes.  The kids and I watch the garbage truck come by (a weekly event!) and Jed retrieves my mail for me, something I haven't done in a day or two!

Next, it's time to read some stories and do Jed's homework.  I love that this moment is now frozen in time.  Reading is something we do nearly everyday, but I know these boys won't both squish under my arms forever.

By now, it's well after 1PM and I am feeling tired!  I turn on the movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for Jed and climb into the "big bed" next to Levi for a nap.  I wake up before Levi does and sneak to the den to cull and edit a few pictures for some clients while Jed is still occupied.

Levi wakes up a few minutes before there is a loud knock on the door.  It's the Schwann's man!  I was going to turn him away today, but Jed informs him that we're almost out of ice cream and that we really need more!  Twist my arm.  We ate ice cream for an afternoon snack out on the front lawn.      

^^I have no words for this picture.  I think it speaks volumes of Levi's big personality.^^

That's about when Ally and Kyle, two kids exactly the same ages as my kids, wander over from across the street to play.  (Kyle has a nose for sugar!  Haha.)  I kindly share an ice cream with the kids and then we make our way to the backyard to play.

^^Whale rides on the tire swing!  Such a funny thing to call them, but I wouldn't have it any other way.^^

^^Thirsty.  Grabbing a drink from the hose.  Classic.^^

It's a little after 4PM when I sneak back inside the house to fold some laundry while the kids entertain themselves outside in the backyard.  That's about when I receive a call from Bron.  He's been in Denver on a work trip the last two and half days and is back in town.  Yay!  But his work day isn't done just yet.  There's a dairy out near Burley that's having trouble with their innoculent applicator and Bron needs to go fix it.  He asks if we'd like to ride along.  Yes, of course!  We haven't seen him all week.  We wouldn't miss it.  

So I abandon the laundry, send Ally and Kyle home, and load the boys into the car to meet Bron in town.  It's a happy reunion.  We park and hop into the truck where Bron has a $5 Little Caesars pizza waiting for us for dinner!  A well rounded diet: we win some, we lose some. 

^^Levi excitedly peering out the window as we drive past the cows and hay stacks on the dairy farm.^^

^^Playing on a corn chopper.  No, they did not go inside the cab.^^

^^Giant wheels!^^

The fix was a little more complicated than Bron had anticipated, but he got it done and soon we were back on the road.  I wish he would've let me get a few more pictures of him that day, but the man was feeling beat.  I don't blame him! 

We made it back in time for Jed to catch the last half of his t-ball practice.  He LOVES t-ball and surprises me with how well he can throw and hit for a little guy.  Catching is a whole other issue, but hey, Jed's enthusiasm is contagious at this point.  I love t-ball because he loves it.

At home, it's time for showers and bed: jammies, teeth, family prayer, (a little wrestling with Dad) and a bedtime song.    

Bron passed out on the couch not long after the boys went to bed.  Poor guy was tired!  Since I had a nap, I stayed up and edited some client pictures.  Normally, Bron and I unwind by watching a show for an hour or two and/or working on our computers--he on dairy rations, me on photos--and then we shut it all off and chat for another hour.  Evenings are when we connect without distractions or interruptions and it's what works best for us!

That's a wrap!  A day in the life at the Nelson home may not be the most productive, but it's a good and happy life.