A Day in Our Life: April 2014

I am overdue for another "Day in Our Life" post. I like to do one about once a year. In the course of photographing our day, I get to shoot all those things that I never think to shoot. So, I end up with real memories of our ordinary days. You can see previous "Day in Our Life" posts here. I started them when Ethan was about 1 year old.

This time I decided to get this done before school ended because the school year is the majority of our year. And with Ethan being in Kindergarten this year, it changed our schedule quite a bit. I also chose a day that Logan was home from preschool because those are the majority of our days too...he only goes to school twice a week (on Tuesdays and Thursdays).

On this particular day, I got up around 6:50 or so and brushed my teeth, put on some clothes, and slapped a hat on. This is what I wear 90% of weekdays that Logan stays home.  I think it goes without saying, but I don't have makeup on either. I would have to get up a little earlier to shower and dry my hair before school...but why?

Then, I go upstairs to get Ethan started on getting ready for school. He is playing on his iPad (one of our old ones). He gets to do this in the mornings after a certain time (so he doesn't just wake up super early to do it) but before I want him to wake me up!

Because he's already awake, he gets up quickly and starts getting dressed. I labeled his dresser a long time ago, but he would know where things are anyway. He pretty much picks out his clothes and gets dressed by himself every day. It helps that he wears a uniform! (I love uniforms, by the way.)

After Ethan's on a roll, I go over to Logan's room to see if I need to wake him up. Nope...he's already awake and just relaxing in bed. He does this a lot. After a certain point he will get up, but he likes to take it easy in the mornings!

Sometimes, if Logan is still asleep, I will leave him at home while I take Ethan to school. Casey is getting ready for work during this time so it works out for me to do this. I like that I don't have to wake him up. But today, he gets up and starts getting ready with me. He used to give me the hardest time about going to the bathroom (anytime). But I have figured out how to work with his personality (at least for now). I tell him that there's no way he needs to go to the bathroom. Then he will say, "no, mama! I really need to go." So there. Mission accomplished. Stinker.

After Logan is dressed (it is my mission this summer to get him to dress himself!), we go downstairs and I open Duke's crate and feed him. He likes to stay in there for a while. Like Logan, he lingers in bed in the mornings.

Ethan comes down stairs and puts a sticker on the calendar to mark off today's date. We are counting down to our trip to Disneyland! (Only 8 days left!).  Today is a Friday (April 25) so Ethan gets to wear "spirit" wear to school today.

Since both boys are dressed, we all head into my bathroom to fix their hair. They are pretty sweet brothers.

Duke has finally decided to get up this morning and follows us into the bathroom. He always lays on the carpet like that. I guess because it is soft.

Hair is combed and fixed for both boys and Ethan is putting on some chapstick because it seems like his lips are perpetually chapped.

Not to be left out, Logan puts some on too...and on his hand. He always does this. I think it's so he can smell it. This particular stick smells like cotton candy.

Ethan takes a minute to play with Duke and say hello.

Then, we all head back into the kitchen and Ethan lets Duke outside.

And packs his backpack. He has to get his folders from their spot on the island. He puts the folders in a bin in our kitchen when he unpacks his backpack after school. Sometime in the evening (or in the morning!) I check his folders for things I need to sign, look at, or keep at home. Then I put the folders on the island for him to pack in the morning. He also has to grab his lunch, snack, and water bottle for the day. I usually pack his lunch and snack the evening before, but honestly, that has not been happening as much lately, so I have to do it in the morning. It's the end-of-school laziness that sets in.

Duke is ready to come back in and the boys argue over who gets to open the door for him. (Seriously? Sigh.) Also, they are getting so tall. I don't like it.

Duke is back inside and I remind Ethan about getting their vitamins for the day. He finds the jar in the pantry.

And he and Logan begin their ritual of deciding which character to eat that day. They have to pick the same one (their rules, not mine!). And strangely, they never argue about this. They just decide and find two that are alike.

Ethan is all ready for school and because it is already time to leave, I make their breakfast "to-go" so they can eat it in the car. Again, this is not something I used to do toward the beginning of school. We are getting up a little later than we used to around here!

Logan is all ready with his pancakes that Mimi and Pop made. They brought some over for Easter and I froze the extras. Pancakes are Logan's favorite food, which is why "pancake" is my mom's nickname for him.

When we step outside, the trash truck is there picking up our trash. This is about 7:35am. If I didn't have that trash bin out the night before, we would miss our pick-up. The recycling truck comes later in the day.

Of course, after I turned around from snapping a quick photo of the truck, this is what I saw. Two boys watching the truck, mesmerized. I also noticed that Ethan is helping Logan by carrying his water for him. Logan is definitely spoiled by his sweet big brother.

After the truck is on it's way, the boys load themselves into the car. After all the strapping and bucking, we can be on our way too.

Our drive to school is about 15 minutes and pretty easy. When we get to school, Ethan prepares for drop off by getting out of his seat and putting on his backpack. And every single day, he gives me and Logan a hug before he gets out. Without fail. This is a lousy photo, but there he is...giving his brother a hug (and sometimes a kiss too).

By the time we pull up to the front of the building, he is all ready to get out.

And after he hops out, he always waves goodbye to us. I just love that.

Logan and I drive back home and head inside.

He goes upstairs to play (and I follow to take photos). This kid is seriously good at playing by himself. Just like his big brother. They love playing together too...but I think Logan sometimes just loves having all the toys to himself. He gets wrapped up in whatever he's doing instantly. I think he may have even forgotten I was there.

I love to eavesdrop on his playing sessions...he says the funniest things.

At some point, I slip away and go take a shower while Logan continues to play. Then, Casey is ready to leave for work so he calls Logan down to say goodbye. It's probably about 8:30am at this point.

Goodbye hugs.

Duke and Logan wait by the door to wave to daddy as he leaves. It only takes Casey about 7-8 minutes to get to and from work, which we love.

Right after Casey is out of the driveway, Logan is at the back door putting his shoes on to go outside.

The new tractor is still a big hit. Logan, who loves tractors in general, especially gets a kick out of it.

And because I'm out there for a while, I throw the ball for Duke. He loves to play catch. Loves it. He runs at top speed too. He's still got a lot of energy...he turns 1 this month (May). We have no idea of his actual birthday since he is a rescue dog, but we are planning to just decide on a day because the boys want to celebrate it. Me? I could do without doggy birthdays. But they love it, so I will do it.

This kid's smile is like kryptonite for me. I love it. He's a cutie.

Logan has loved this little lawn mower since he was a little toddler. It used to talk and make noises (very loud, annoying noises) until he dunked it in our inflatable pool last summer. But, he still plays with it all the time even without the sound effects.

And the rocket launcher. A favorite because that thing can really fly when you hit it just right. The thing is...it's really hard for the boys to hit it just right. They can make it launch, just not very high. So, right after I took this photo, I stepped in and stepped on the launcher myself. And, of course, the rocket went high up in the air...and landed right on the roof. Not pictured...me balancing on the very tip top step of the ladder to reach the rocket. We moved it further away from the house after that.

Logan played for a little longer until he remembered what he was doing upstairs and wanted to go back to it.

With him settled upstairs in the playroom, I went downstairs to check my email and start editing some photos. In this case, our Easter photos. My desk and office are kind of a mess right now since I don't have a proper desk. And no filing system (which is driving me nuts).

Duke is worn out from running around outside with Logan. He likes to stretch out on the floor in my office...one of the only carpeted rooms downstairs (our closet is the other one).

After a while Logan asks if he can have a snack and watch a show. So, I go upstairs with a granola bar (his favorite are the Kashi dark chocolate ones) and put on a Backyardigans DVD. We don't have cable hooked up to the TV in the playroom so we use DVDs up there. It's worked great so far.

As I was about to leave, I saw his leg kicked out like that and I thought it was funny. He always brings his blue chair from his room into the playroom when he watches TV.

We still love the Backyardigans around here. I am going to miss that show when the boys are no longer interested in it.

Duke has found another "carpet" to nap on. This one is a $12 beauty from Target because he totally ruined the one I had ordered from Ballard Designs for this space. It was a looped rug and he loves to tear out the individual loops with his teeth. Good grief, dog. This is why we can't have nice things.

During Logan's show, I continue editing photos. He pops downstairs after the first show is over and asks if he can watch another. And have lunch. Usually we sit down at the table together and have lunch. But sometimes we have picnics. I let him take his lunch (peanut butter sandwich and pirate's booty) upstairs so he can watch another show.

Meanwhile, Duke has moved from the rug to the chair. Naps are like a job to him. And he's pretty good at them.

Speaking of naps, shortly after Logan finishes his lunch and show, it's time for rest time. (It's probably around 12:30pm). He rarely actually sleeps anymore. And when he does, it affects his night time sleep. So, we do rest time like Ethan has been doing for a while. He gets to play on the iPad during rest time. Or play quietly with toys in his room, color, read, or any other quiet activity. I have him stay in there for about a hour to an hour and a half. The down-time is good for both of us.

When I come down after tucking Logan in bed, Duke is waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. We keep the stairs gated so he can't go upstairs.

Today, I use rest time to keep editing. Big surprise. And when he's done with resting, Logan pops into my office with a big smile.

Logan and I keep the laundry going in the laundry room that I started that morning. He loves to help me transfer the clothes, push the buttons, and turn the knobs. We are working on him loving the folding and putting away. But I can't blame him...those are my least favorite parts too!

Before we know it, it is 2:45 and time to go get Ethan. At some point, Logan usually breaks down into tears over something. I don't even know what he was upset about in this photo. It's just a normal thing for us. He is an emotional child.

In the pick-up line, I have our sign (that has our last name on it) attached to my passenger side visor so all I have to do is flip it down for the teachers to see. They say "Cooke" over the walkie-talkie and then Ethan heads out to his pick up spot. They are really very efficient about it. And by the time I pull up, he is there waiting to get in the car. By the way, I love watching him run out of the building every day. He always runs.

On the way home we briefly talk about his day and what they did at school. I am so thankful that he loves school this year. When we get home, he unpacks his backpack and changes into play clothes (and shoes, which is what he's doing here). On Fridays its not quite as necessary, and sometimes he plays in his uniform. But usually I like for him to change.

One of the boys asked if they could have popsicles because this was a nice day (not cold like many have been this spring).

They have taken to eating their popsicles in the fort because otherwise a certain dog likes to get in a lick or two.

After playing outside for a bit, they move inside to the playroom. They add to the mess Logan has already made that day.

It's hit or miss when these two play together in the afternoons. Usually in the mornings they are pretty great. And sometimes they are great in the afternoon too. But other times their tiredness gets the best of them and they fight. They are champions at fighting. Today, they just played, thank goodness.

One of them came downstairs saying they were hungry and spotted Duke, who was back on the chair for another nap. They immediately attacked. Poor dog. They do love him, though.

Of course, Duke got up from his nap since his best friends wanted to play. They began friendly enough.

And then things devolved. There was fighting about who was hogging Duke and who could pet Duke's head. I decided it was time for dinner.

Since this was a Friday night, we had plans to have a movie night like we often do on weekends. And a favorite movie food is pizza, of course. Sometimes we order delivery. But tonight we went homemade. The boys helped me grate the cheese. Or they watched, actually. Because even I sometimes cut myself grating cheese.

With less than 8 days left before our trip to Disneyland, we decided on a Disney classic for our movie. Thanks to Mimi's extensive Disney collection, we got our hands on Snow White, which the boys had never seen.

This part the boys did help with...adding the tiny bit of sauce they like on their pizzas. And spreading it around.

Then the fun part...adding the cheese. And that completes their pizza assembly because they are crazy and just like cheese on theirs.

Pizzas are done and ready to bake...good timing because Daddy is home! It's about 5:30, which is actually pretty early for him. But he comes home a little earlier on Fridays, which we love. First he says hello to Duke who faithfully greets him every day.

Then he immediately washes his hands (not because of Duke...he's always done this).

And then it's big hugs for the boys.

And some silliness too...

We all follow daddy into the closet because he's got some new shoes for our trip. And he needs to change clothes.

Logan gives me a giant hug, like he does.

He also likes to get in your face like this to talk.

Then, for some reason, Ethan piles on top of us. I do not usually wrestle with the boys...it's not my thing.

But Ethan hops on my back for just a minute.

Then he asks me to lay down so he can jump over me. Funny request, but I did it.

When we were done with antics in the closet, we put the pizzas into the oven to bake and got the movie set up. When we watch a movie together and eat dinner, we get the dinner trays out for the boys. They love having a "picnic" in the living room. You'd think they would complain about sitting on the hard floor (we used to have carpet in the living room in the other house), but they do not care.

After they finish eating, we all pile onto the couch to finish the movie.

Usually we would have taken a bath or shower earlier in the evening, but it's Friday and movie night...so the boys take a shower when the movie is done.

Since we've moved into our new house and have a little bigger shower, that's pretty much all they want to do. It works for me. It's an easy way to get them clean.

After the quick shower, everyone goes upstairs to brush teeth and get dressed in PJ's.

I help Logan get dressed and he talks to me like he always does. Sometimes it seems like that child does not stop talking. He has had a lot to say from the time he was a little baby.

We are still reading through the Magic Tree House books. Sometimes Logan comes into Ethan's room to listen to the chapters. Or sometimes I read separately to him in his bed.

After reading, and prayers, and maybe a few songs, both boys are tucked into their beds and it's lights out. Usually they fall asleep pretty quickly. They play hard!

After they're in bed, Casey and I might watch a few shows together. But tonight he's watching the Rangers game so I head back to my office to edit again...it's a job that never ends. Duke usually sleeps in my office when I'm in there in the evenings. Sometimes I will head to bed to watch a little TV in bed before I go to sleep. Or I will read a little. Depends on what I feel like doing. 

We are pretty much settled into our new routines in this house. It's funny how a new home changes things ever so slightly and you have to adjust. Summer is upon us now...and that will change our routine a lot!