***A Day in the Life: October 10, 2016***

I always find it interesting when Julia announces the quarterly DiTL time because I spend a lot of time analyzing what day I want to document. I started to document our Saturday and changed my mind about halfway through because I just wasn't feeling it, so I switched to our Monday, October 10, which was Columbus Day and the kids didn't have school. I took off to spend the day with them while Brent had to work.

********** Monday, October 10, 2016 **********

Brent and Allena are 36

Trent is 7.25

Drew is 3.75

Smoochie is just past 31 weeks cooked {grin}

12:14am - I turn off my phone after reading a new book for awhile {Marrying Winterborne} and perusing Instagram. I was trying to wait out restless leg and finally gave up.

I was really restless for awhile and worried that I'd disturb Brent - such a frustrating phrase of pregnancy. I also had a really horrible dream about a friend dying - I felt really unsettled when I woke up in the night.

7:27am - This is the first time I looked at the clock although it wasn't the best night's sleep. Brent moved to the couch at some point {I later found out it was due to his allergies and not my restlessness - whew - but apparently I did snore really bad!} A few minutes later Drew comes in. I love the weekends when I am still in bed when she gets up - she is a really great snuggler!

Her favorite face to make

7:50am - Drew wants squirty fruits, so she goes to the kitchen and brings me 2 back. After I open them she leaves. When I ask where she's going, she tells me she's going to go watch Bubba's movie. I didn't know a) Trent was up or b) he was watching TV. Brent must have started it when Trent got up.

Good morning, T!

Drew gets her squirty fruits and plops down next to Bubba to enjoy some mindless screen time.

No schooooool morning vibes!

I start getting us ready for the day. Another school mom and I {who both volunteer in the library} decided today would be a good day to do some work in the library and then we planned to have lunch at a nearby park. So I need everyone dressed and ready to go about 8:40 and lunches packed for the park.

All the pills and vitamins!

8:50am - We're rolling out of the garage and listening to The Raging Kidiots. I have blogged before about my love of the Bobby Bones Show, and I'm passing it onto the kids - they love his kids CD!

Drew asked me to take a picture with her face covered since T covered his.

9:05am - Arrive at school and get the library key from the office. Wait outside Trent's teacher's classroom {it is also parent-teacher conference day} to give her money we earned at a fundraiser on Saturday - we made $300 profit all for the garden for Trent's class!

9:15am - Get started in the library. Trent and his classmate 'A' start on their spelling work that is due the next day. 

The other mom and I decide we want to work on making sure the fiction section is organized...until we find a huge pile of books on a random shelf that aren't entered into the system. 

Trent and A enjoying the random stack!

So our focus changes! We try to get the P-Touch out of the office to be able to print labels, but it's out of batteries, boo. Our plans quickly go downhill as the kids act crazy and chase each other.

Admiring the static cling in her hair after A rubbed it with a blanket.

Trent and A playing chase...you know...in a LIBRARY.

10:30am - We call our plans a bust and decide to pack up and head to the park early. I turn the key into the office and load up. 

10:40am - A rides with us as her mom was stopping to get them lunch and kindly gets mini-milkshakes for my kiddos. I decline a much coveted milkshake, but this weekend could have been called 'Allena eats everything in sight and gains 20 pounds', so I needed to resist!

11:00am - Get to Berry Springs Park! We love this park because it has a playscape but also a spring, lots of open fields, a gazebo with picnic tables, AND 2 donkeys you can feed! The kids play for about 15 minutes before we decide to set them up to eat.

11:15am - We walk over to the gazebo, and the kids, who mere moments before, were starving decide after a few minutes that they want to walk down to the fishing pier and check things out. 

Lots of walking back and forth from various parts of the park to the gazebo happen. Some tears after Drew threw a pecan at A, but overall a fun time. 

Threenager!

There was a woman sitting near us grading papers with all these bags of Burger King food with dinosaur toys on the table. Trent chatted her up to play with the dinosaurs - apparently she was at the park with her sister and nephews and is a teacher who needed to do some work. Trent enjoyed getting to play with her nephews' toys for a bit!

12:00pm - About this time, Trent's attitude starts to decline, so we decide to pack up and head to see the donkeys.

We encounter some puppies on the way! We feed the donkeys snacks, pet them, and enjoy their friendliness.

12:05pm - Donkey love!

12:15pm - Originally I wasn't deadset on Drew taking a nap today, but when she throws herself on the sidewalk and screams when I say it's time to leave, I know she needs a nap. It takes some ignoring of her to get her over to the car and buckled in, but she finally calms down. Trent is very sweet and refills her water bottle since I can't leave the car to walk to the water fountain. The downside to this park is how far the bathrooms/water fountains can be!

12:30pm - Arrive home. Trent and Drew both had bad attitudes in the car, so I tell Drew she is going to lay down in her room and tell Trent he needs some quiet time too. My plan is to tackle our DISASTER of a laundry room.

Embarrassing but real life

12:45pm - It is quickly apparent Drew isn't going to nap unless I am with her, so she and I head to my room. I check my work email on my phone, look at Instagram, and read. I LOVE to nap with her on the weekends, but I NEED to tackle the laundry room, so I can't afford to fall asleep!

1:30pm - Drew has been asleep for probably 15 minutes, so I decide it's safe to sneak away.

And of course we needed an outfit change!

1:45pm - Trent comes out of his room while I'm working in the laundry room to ask when Nana would be here. My mother-in-law had plans to leave work between 1:00 and 1:30 and head over, but I hadn't heard from her yet.

1:50pm - Nana calls and is on her way! Trent is very excited! While he waits for her, though, he is bored with everything and does not like my suggestions to clean his room or help me clean the laundry room.

And done! Whew!

2:15pm - Nana is here! The kids have definitely been missing their grandparents as each set has 1 person recovering from illness/surgery. [Sidebar: They have the sweetest exchange about Nana and Papa likely moving to our town. It's been in discussion for years but seems actually likely in the next 6 months. When Nana says that 'yes' they will move here, Trent about loses himself with excitement. So cute.] Trent and Nana decide to play Sequence in the kitchen.

2:30pm - I wake Drew up to let her know Nana is here. If she takes a long nap, it is impossible to get her to go to bed at night, so I didn't want to let her sleep too much past an hour. Drew wants Nana to come see her. Nana and Trent go visit Drew, and she gets up to play Sequence too.

2:50pm - With the laundry room clean {yay!}, I decide to work more on the nursery. I got a lot done last weekend but our cleaning lady comes this Wednesday, and it would be so great to have the floor clean for her to vacuum. One of the last things in there is a GIANT tub of wrapping supplies - wrapping paper, bags, tissue paper...and WAY TOO MUCH of it. I throw away some, put a lot in a Goodwill bag and decide on what I'll keep. I take the tub out into the garage {empty!} but now need a home for the supplies I am going to keep...

I mean who needs this many bags and tissue paper?

3:00pm - Nana and the kids play tickle monster for a bit while I work on my pile of bags. Nana picks up Drew and quickly remembers she isn't supposed to {she has surgery a few weeks ago}!

The pile I decide to keep. Probably still too many but much better.

I put these on a shelf in one of the kitchen cabinets.

3:15pm - I walk Nana through my vision for the nursery - I think she likes it! I should be able to make some good progress over the next few weekends - this next one is going to be busy, so I can't make my project list too big!

3:30pm - Nana takes the kids out into the backyard - we are sure enjoying our cooler temps! I decide to eat and sit for a bit. Grab my latest Us Weekly and enjoy the quiet for a few minutes.

3:50pm - The adventurers come back inside. Trent asks for a movie when Nana leaves and when I say no, a huge fit ensues. We're at the age where he thinks everything is negotiable, and he does not like it when we won't negotiate. So he gets a timeout in his room. I tell him he can't leave until he puts his clean clothes away and picks up any trash to which he replies he will 'never do that'.

4:15pm - Nana packs up to leave. Trent comes out to say he did what I asked and gets a chance to get some loving from Nana before she leaves.

4:30pm - Nana ACTUALLY leaves, and I go back to picking up.

4:45pm - I go outside to get the trashcan off the curb from trash day to throw away the bags I'm getting rid of and Brent drives up. He grabs the recycling bin. Brent goes for a run. I notice a message from my boss' boss and let her know I'm available to chat. She calls and gives me some information I need to share with the partner I'm paired up {called a PEP} with for staffing challenges.

5:00pm - I give my PEP a call and we have a quick conversation focused more on the Aggie game {we are the only 2 people paired up in our organization that I know of that not only live in the same state but went to the same school}, and he gets to hear my children fight over Vitamin C tablets. Luckily, he is a VERY awesome guy who has 3 kids himself, so mine don't ever phase him. 

5:15pm - Brent is in the shower, and I start getting ready. We're going to a information night at a local charter school as we start to explore options for next year.

5:25pm - Babs and Pops are here! Both kids are so excited to see them, and I'm so glad my dad felt well enough to come over. He is still nowhere near 100% but he's feeling better almost every day. He still has 2 weeks with his PICC line but had a check-up today with the Infectious Disease doctor and he is doing good.

5:35pm - Brent and I leave! I screw up the directions, so we got a little off course for a minute, ugh.

Blinking - NOT sleeping!

6:00pm - Pull up to the school and get into the 'cafetorium'. 

Student Union building

Hear from several of the administration about the founding of the school, principles of the school, etc.

6:30pm - Go on a tour of the school with the other elementary school parents. {This school is K-12, so they split us up into different groups by grade level}.

7:30pm - Leave school. B and I talk about the pros and cons of what we saw and heard tonight. I was hoping for a lightning bolt of 'THIS IS IT!' and didn't feel that but also didn't dislike it either. Brent liked it more than I think I did.

7:45pm - Stop to clean off Brent's windshield.

7:55pm - Get home. Babs is reading to Drew, and Trent is with Pops. 

Visit briefly with Babs and Pops, but Pops wants to eat Mexican in town, so they leave pretty quickly. Growing up, I would say 95% of the time that we went out to eat, it was for Mexican - my parents are nothing if not dependable - even when it comes to dining choices.

8:05pm - Drew needs to be read to, and Trent has 1 more spelling thing to do, so we divide and conquer - Brent reads to Drew, and I finish up spelling with Trent. He wants to draw for a bit, so we agree on his drawing time and listening time.

Daddy lovin' - and my heart exploded

8:20pm - I send Trent off to bed, and I start writing this post!

8:30pm - Trent comes out to ask for food. Long battles ensues because he keeps trying to negotiate everything. I stand victorious!

9:15pm - Call Nana to talk about the school we visited. She is always such a good mostly impartial ear. I can tell this is going to be an internal battle for a long time...

9:45pm - End our conversation. Take a shower and get ready for bed.

10:00pm - Get in bed and watch TV with Brent for a little bit. He is flipping between Friends reruns and The Shawshank Redemption.

10:30pm - Lights out, and I read for a bit.

11:22pm - Good night!

It's exciting to think that the next time we do a DiTL post, we'll be a family of 5!