The Gift of an Ordinary Day

We published this over here to link up to over here, but I thought it might be fun to have a record of what our days are like at this stage of life. No doubt things will change so much as the years go by!
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I tried to pick a "normal" day... a day where we're at home doing our winter thing together, nothing fancy or earth shattering perhaps. Our sacred time together nonetheless.

And so it begins...

7:15 am... I wake-up to the happy sounds of Maddie jabbering away and playing in her crib. Soon Hope drags her white wicker stool in there to climb into Sissy's bed. For at least half an hour they giggle and play. Ideally I like to be up before the kids, but these days I have a big (and I mean b-i-g) reason why that doesn't always happen if we have no where to be! :) When I start to hear the beginnings of a sisterly spat, it's up and at 'em time. I whisper a prayer for strength and wisdom.

I think Maddie's working her, "What-chu talking 'bout, Willis?"

There are morning hugs all around. We take care of wet bottoms, and I notice Maddie's nose running! Aww, bummer! The healthy streak meets a speed bump. We get dressed in play clothes and head downstairs with great cheers for breakfast. Maddie's in her tennis shoes and "hat" (headband), while Hope just has to have her bedroom shoes.

8:15 am... I make the quick oatmeal since they are evidently starving. Add raisins and maple syrup since we're out of honey. Need to get a call into the local honey guy. Serve up sippy cups of milk and extra D3 with vitamins on the side... take that, runny nose! Prayers are barely uttered before they start digging in; these girls love breakfast just like their Daddy.
I decide I need a Monday treat, so I whip up a simple frappucino-- light on the coffee and heavy on the milk, just the way I like it. Fix some peanut butter and jelly toast. Grab a handful of raisins. Also need to get some more fresh fruit because I really want a banana. We do our almost always requested daily devotion. There's praying, reading, and singing. A little grumping too... that poor, drippy nose!


9:00 am... I wrangle everyone upstairs to brush teeth. Maddie could literally brush hers and splash in the water all day long. Remembering Hope went through this stage too except she loved to wash her "hans! hans!"
Mostly unMaddie-like she has a fit when I finally tell her we need to head to the playroom. It's for certain; she's feeling under the weather. Hope and I quietly go on in to work on our ABC's. That girl just loves to learn! Thankfully Maddie soon joins us while needing lots of extra hugs and kisses. I am most happy to oblige.

Afterwards I turn on some music and the girls play while I get in a load of laundry... my one or two loads each day is helping my sanity tremendously! Some sharing over Little People gets out of hand, and we have to review these right then and several other times throughout the morning.
A few consequences are to be had and discussions about making good choices. I need my coffee. Whispering a few more prayers doesn't hurt either.

A bit later, I hear it. The beautiful sounds of playing together, taking turns, learning from bad choices. Everyone gets a marble in the jar. Shouts for joy! We've almost met our first goal.
10:30 am... Snack is served, as usual, in the family room while the girls watch their reading video. Water with a splash of juice and a trail mix concoction of Joe's O's, granola, and raisins hit the spot. I add some peanuts to mine and take a prenatal vitamin. Wash up breakfast dishes and get painting supplies ready.
11:10 am... Messy time! How the girls love that. We're headed to a big aquarium soon, so it's all about ocean life. The girls sponge paint a seal, some eels, and whales. We add them to the kitchen mural and count how many of each creature there are. I look around and paint is everywhere. We clean bodies and tables and walls and floors, but it's worth it. Almost always is.

12:00 pm... Back upstairs we go as I notice I am still in my pajamas. I also realize I've had little water today, so my Camelbak gets a fill up while I'm at it. Gate the girls in the playroom with the happy sounds of more music. I fold some laundry in our bedroom and put the wet load into dry. Someone (cough... Hope!) lets the gate down and I hear Maddie in the bathroom; I catch her just before her baby goes to the potty in the real potty where I also notice Hope forgot to flush last. Send Hope back to the bathroom to finish business and wrangle the babes down the stairs again and into the car. So proud of our big, potty trained girl-- no walk in the park to get there, but she did it!

I forgot my chicken yesterday at Publix, which put a real kink in the gyros I was craving. Notice in the car that I'm getting pretty nauseated. At 27-weeks this doesn't happen too often, but when it does it's truly yuck. Tell them one requested story after another and sing a little before feeling totally green. Get sick in the parking lot once we arrive and then feel lots better. We pick up our chicken along with some yogurt and other essentials for our upcoming trip. The girls go wild with a free sugar cookie from the bakery.

1:40 pm... Get back home later than I had hoped. I have to work to keep Maddie awake in the car. A quick lunch is in order so doctored up green smoothies and pepperoni-cheese crackers are on the menu. Hope gets hers after a time-out for behavior on the way home, and she is happy to come back to the table. Even asks if I'll forgive her for the way she spoke. Sweet girl.

Hope gets to pick a 30-minute video to transition to rest time, while I spend that time reading and doing flashcards with Maddie. Put Maddie down for a nap, so thankful for the cuddle bug she still is, and then work with Hope before she has rest time. I really enjoy one-on-one opportunities during the day.

The nauseated feeling is back again. Ick! I load up in my bed with some water and a granola bar. Catch up on a few e-mails and bills, write to Baby Girl in her journal, read for our Tuesday parenting class, and have a quiet time. This really helps me feel better, even if Hope has to be redirected to her bedroom a couple of times in the process. That girl can come up with some creative stuff, I tell you, as she doesn't want to miss a thing! But she's getting better, and only occassionally worse, all the time. :)
4:00 pm... MIRACLE! Both girls are still sleeping soundly, so I head out to the mailbox where I find a letter from my mother-in-law. She is so gifted at old fashioned correspondence. I barely make it back in the house before pouring over her words about how healthy avocados are and encouragement about having the three kiddos so close together. I set out some carrots and popcorn for our snack, unload the dishwasher, and try to return some much needed phone calls. I have turned into a horrible phone person these days, and I need to work on it.

It's confirmed again. The girls are plain old pooped! They never sleep this long, and I'm especially grateful they are able to get the rest they need. I go ahead and prep dinner while trying to use up all our fresh stuff before we travel. Bake some tilapia with a little butter, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and Italian parsley. Saute mushrooms, make a small pasta salad with pesto and tomatoes, and heat up leftover sweet potato. Am I the only one who feels so blessed to have groceries?

5:30 pm... Finally Maddie is stirring! We actually have to wake up Hope, which Maddie loves to do, and both girls are excited to eat. We go ahead with dinner. We hate to eat without Daddy, but sometimes we just have to. He works so hard just so we can have days like this.

It warms my heart when I see the girls hold hands for our blessing. Sometimes they even burst into spontaneous song. Sometimes, oh sometimes, they do not.

This night they did.

My cup overflows.

That extended rest was a God-send... they are angels! We laugh and talk; no whining to be found, and I love when I don't feel so frazzled at this point in the evening. The phone rings and Daddy says he'll be home soon. We clean up dinner dishes, sweep the floor for no less than the twenty-fifth time that day, and wash up ourselves. The girls get in monkey PJ's and brush and floss their teeth. Humidifiers are filled, favorite blankies and babies and books are found, and water bottles are placed by bedsides.

7:00 pm... Every one's favorite-- Daddy's home! We pick up the playroom, and I leave them with hugs and kisses to play and wrestle until bedtime. I head to our nearby Super Target to help with an impromptu shower planning meeting (for a family foster-adopting FOUR beautiful kiddos!) and to pick up some saline drops for that sad, little nose.

On the way home it's offical, I'm feeling really pregnant. Some might even say waddling. I hope they don't.
9:15 pm... When I walk in the door, both kiddos are in bed reading more stories to themselves after such late naps. Daddy says they were great with their nightly ritual of bedtime reading and prayers. Hope gets out of bed to give Daddy "one more hug and kiss" and then sees me so we both get showered. I am most happy to oblige.

All in a day's play. All in a day's work.

All in the gift of another ordinary day given to us to live!
~Katrina