Day in the Life! | School Routine 2015

Hey everyone! Today I am going to share with you a normal day in our new school routine! Enjoy! :)

6:00am- I wake up, shower, get dressed, and get myself ready for the day! Adrian also gets up around this time with me to get ready.
6:45- I wake up Braylie, Gage, and Jamie. All of their clothes for the week are in a hanging organizer in each of their closets with the days of the week written on them! This is something new that a purchased this summer, and so far it is working out great! There is no morning I-Dont-Know-What-To-Wear hassle anymore for us! While they all get dressed, I make breakfast.
7:00- Adrian and I have breakfast together.
7:15- Adrian leaves for school, and Braylie, Gage, and Jamie eat breakfast. By now Emery and Nolan are usually awake, so I go into their room while the kids eat! I change both of their diapers and get them dressed.
7:30- The kids all play/relax while waiting for the bus, and I feed Emery and Nolan their breakfast!
7:50- Braylie, Gage, and Jamie head out onto the porch to wait for the bus. Emery, Nolan, and I usually sit on the porch with them to get some fresh air, plus Jamie wants me to be there! He still is a little bit scared of the bus since it's his first year riding it!
8:15- Emery, Nolan, and I are back inside and we play together for a while! They are always the happiest in the morning and love to snuggle and read books!
9:15- I put Emery and Nolan down for their morning nap and I clean up the breakfast dishes and usually start a load of laundry. The amount of laundry we have in this house at all times is ridiculous! I have tried to do all of the laundry in one day before, but its just too tough because we have so much! I usually space it out through the week now, I have found that it's much easier.
9:45- I work on my computer or clean the house!
11:15am- I start making lunch for Emery, Nolan, and I! Also, Adrian is allowed to leave campus for lunchtimes, so sometimes she will come eat with us!
11:30am- Emery and Nolan are awake and we all eat lunch!
12:00- After lunch the twins play by themselves/with each other while I clean up the lunch dishes. Then we go do something out of the house! By now I am going crazy and I have to get out of the house! Sometimes we go to the park, or sometimes just the store!
2:30- We always try to be home by 2:30, because Emery and Nolan are always super hungry and tired! I give them a snack and they are asleep by 2:45 usually!
3:00- Adrian gets home from school.
3:30- Braylie, Gage, and Jamie get home from school. I usually wait outside for them to get off the bus! Then I make them all snacks and we get started on their homework! Braylie has more homework then the boys, so it always takes her longer.
4:40- I start making dinner and when the kids are done their homework they usually just do whatever!
5:15- Jeff gets home from work and gets Emery and Nolan up from their naps and ready for dinner.
5:30- We all eat dinner together! We try to have family dinners a lot, but its difficult with all of the sports/activities going on!
6:00- Usually someone has sports! Jamie is currently in soccer 6-7 Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Gage is in soccer Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then travel baseball every Wednesday 6-8! Adrian works three nights a week, and Braylie works one night a week! So are evenings are usually pretty full with something or other, so its nice to have dinner together.
8:00- After getting home from our activities, Jeff, Adrian, or myself gives Jamie a bath and gets him in bed by 8:30. After he's in bed, I get Emery and Nolan ready for bed. Braylie and Gage get ready for bed around 9.
9:30- Everyone but Adrian, Jeff, and myself are asleep/in bed!
10:30- Adrian usually heads up to her room.
11:00 Jeff and I go to bed!

Finally Back!

Hey everyone! I can't believe its been so long since my last post! Well I'm just gonna say I am so happy to be back posting again! I think this is the busiest summer we have had in a long time, and now that the kids are back in school I feel like I finally have some time to myself again.

First, I am going to give you a grade/age update for all of the kids! Adrian is 17 and just started her senior year of high school! I can't believe she is almost in college! Braylie is 13, and in 8th grade. So crazy that I will have two girls graduating this year! Gage is 9 and in 4th grade. Jamie is 6 and in 1st grade. He is finally in grade school! Emery and Nolan are of course not in school year, but they are 16 months old!

It's great that the high school, middle school, and elementary school all run on the same schedule pretty much, so the kids will have the same days off and stuff! Their first day was yesterday, August 24th. I know its pretty early, but they get out of school usually the last week of May/first week of June! So they have the same amount of summer vacation. Adrian starts school at 7:45, so she usually drives herself to school! Middle school starts at 8:30, so she gets the bus at 7:55. Luckily we live pretty close to the school! Elementary school starts at 8:45, and Gage and Jamie get the bus at 8:05. This is Jamie's first year riding the bus! He was a little nervous, but it helps that his big brother is with him! :) It's so nice that all the kids ride the bus now so I don't have to drive them to school! Last year it was tough getting Jamie to school because I had to get Emery and Nolan ready just to take them on a short car ride. All the kids also ride the bus home from school. Adrian gets home around 3, Braylie around 3:30, and Gage and Jamie also around 3:30.

I still have only been working. I want to take time with my kids while they are still little, because they are only young once! My hours haven't changed over the summer, they are still 7am-3pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays! This week is actually our last week with our current babysitter, Alli! She graduated college last December with an Elementary Ed. degree, but had trouble finding a job since it was the middle of the school year. We want her to stay with us, but it is understandable that she wants a "real" job! She starts Monday, so we have been on the hunt for a new babysitter! My friend Julie has a daughter who is recently married, and only works part time. Her name is Katie, and thankfully she has agreed to watch Emery and Nolan for me! She has experience with kids and is willing to help me out!

Hope you guys enjoyed this update, stay tuned for my next post! :)

Update!

I feel like it's been so long since I've just sat down and make a post, letting you all know what's going on in our lives! I feel so busy all of the time, but I want to make an standing effort to keep this blog up and going.

Emery and Nolan will be 1 in April! I think its crazy how fast the time flies with little ones. It feels like just yesterday I was writing on this blog about their birth! They are both doing great, Nolan has been walking since the end of January. On January 24th, he took his first steps! Even though I have seen a baby's first steps so many times, it is still so exciting! It definitely opens a new chapter in my life because now he gets into everything! For the first few weeks after, he only walked a few steps at a time, but now I would say he is walking the majority of the time! I have had to completely baby proof the living room to a completely different level, because he can reach so much more now! Emery still isn't walking, but I am not concerned. Babies all learn to walk at different times. Adrian wasn't walking until she was 18 months, and Jamie started walking at 7 months! Every baby is different and it's okay. Emery and Nolan are both still breastfeeding, and it's going great! I feed them in the morning, before naps, and before bed, and occasionally other times throughout the day. In the past few weeks I have definitely seen a slight decline in breastfeeding; they have been much more interested in "real" food. When they turned 6 months, I made homemade baby food for them. I have done that will all my kids, I have never been a fan on store-bought baby food. But, Nolan never liked it! Since he was 6 months old, he has been eating pretty much what we eat! I find the interesting to me, because none of my other's kids have been that way.

Adrian finally got her license last week! She got her permit last July, but it's been hard finding the time to go out a drive with her. She doesn't have a car yet, but she takes my car or Jeff's care out a lot of the time. It's been nice to have someone else to run to the store for me sometimes! Since driving is still new to her, she loves it and doesn't mind running errands for me. Wonder how long that'll last!

I am still working part-time, but my hours have changed! Previously I was working odd hours, mostly in the evenings, which I really didn't like. I felt like I was missing out on time with the family, and since I don't get to see the kids when they are at school during the day, I want to spend as much time with them in the evenings as possible! Currently I work from 7am-3pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since the fall my sister-in-law, Katelyn, has watched the kids for me while I am gone. It's just Emery and Nolan, and then Jamie gets home around 1 from half day kindergarten! But, Katelyn actually had her baby boy on January 7th! I am so excited for her, and excited to have another nephew! His name is Logan, I personally love that name. He is so adorable! Anyway, we have had to find a new babysitter. My friend Christy's daughter, Alli, just graduated from college with an education degree in December, but was having trouble finding a job since it was the middle of the school year. I thought it would be a great opportunity for her to work for me twice a week, just being around kids and all! We love Alli, and it's working out great for us so far! She comes over from 6am-3:30pm on Tuesday's and Fridays, and random other times throughout the week when we need her! She's great!

That's pretty much all that's been going on lately, I'm glad that life is getting back to normal for us! How are you guys doing? Let me know below! :)

Holiday Season

I am so glad that the holidays are finally over! We have been so busy December and January with holiday plans with our family and friends. I thought I'd make a post to talk to you guys about them and tell you all about our amazing, but busy, 2014-2015 holiday season!

This year, the kids had a 2 week winter break. Their last day of school was December 19th, and they went back January 5th. I was glad that both the high school, middle school, and elementary school all had the same time off so we could be together as a family! Since I work twice a week, I only had two days off, but I took another 2 personal days off the next week so I could be with the kids and not have to call in a babysitter for all 6 kids! Jeff had off for just one week, which I am so glad that we could all spend quality time with him.

Our first christmas dinner was December 20th, with my mother's family. My mother has 5 siblings, and they all live in Delaware. My parents live in Florida. The 19th we flew out to Delaware and stayed at my aunt Linda's house. She has a huge house, and her kids are at college, so it was so nice of her to let us stay with her! The next day we had a big family christmas lunch at my uncle Todd's house. It was a blast because the kids loved seeing some of their second cousins that they never get to see! It was slightly stressful to me because Emery was very clingy and wouldn't let anyone hold her. Nolan, on the other hand, I didn't see all day because he was just getting passed around and was absolutely fine with it! We stayed in Delaware until the 22nd, just enjoying time with my family!

We got back to California on the night of the 22nd, and we had a nice day with just our family the 23rd. We have traditions of opening one present on the night before Christmas Eve, and the kids look forward to it every day! We try to spend quality time with our kids every year during the christmas season, because christmas, to me, is about love and family.

Christmas Eve we went to Jeff's parents house for the day with his siblings. It is an all day affair, brunch at 10am and we usually end up staying until around 9pm! The day can sometimes feel long (especially with 6 kids to watch) but its always so fun. I love Jeff's family just as much as my own biological family!  Christmas day we always spend the day just around the house opening presents. It was so relaxing after a lot of traveling, so just stay in for the day!

For the second week of Christmas break, we went to Florida to be with my parents and my siblings! We always do our Christmas with them in Florida ever since we have been living in California. I love my parents Florida house, and it was great going back there because we haven't been there since I was pregnant and gave birth to Emery and Nolan! I can't believe that that was almost a year ago!

The kids started school again on the 5th, but our christmas festivities weren't over yet. The 10th to 11th we went to Washington state to visit Jeff's family. There was a big get together with his mom's side of the family. Again, the kids had fun seeing their second cousins, but it was just difficult because they were just getting back to school and then we had to go away again! The kids actually missed school the 15th and the 16th of January, because we went to Nevada where my dad's family lives! As you can tell, our family is very spread out across the USA. We had a big winter get together with his family, as we do every year. The kids look forward to this every year, and I have to admit, so do I! When I grew up in Florida, I was really close to my dad's side of the family, because they originally lived in Florida with us. They do only live a few hours from us now, but its so hard to find time to travel lately!

Our last get together was this past weekend. We had a party with our small group, at our house this time! I love decorating the house and preparing for parties, but its just pretty hectic and stressful at times to get the house all cleaned up and looking "perfect" for the guests! I love hosting, though!

I am so glad that all our festivities are over and done with! I'm not saying that I don't love the christmas season, its just that its crazy for us and I'm excited to get into a routine now that the kids are back at school. :)

Finally Back!

I can't believe I haven't posted on here in over 3 months! Since the kids started school I have been busier than ever, but that's no excuse. The other day I had a talk with my husband, Jeff, and he really thinks that I should start up the blog again! I agreed, because I love writing and, of course, it gives us a little extra money! (all because of you guys, my wonderful fans!)

First I'm going to update you guys on my kids ages and grades. Since it's been a while, it'll be a good refresher! Then, I'll just let your know about things that have been going on this fall/winter. I am 39 and am working part time as a nurse. I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but I have a medical degree! Adrian is 16, a junior in high school. She goes to public school and doesn't mind it. She has always been intelligent and school comes easy to her! This year has been a little bit more difficult than others, because she is taking AP Physics and AP Calculus. But, it was her decision and it's what she wanted to do! Braylie is 13 and she is in 7th grade at the public middle school. She doesn't like school, but what middle schooler does! Gage is 9 and in 3rd grade at a private elementary school. I sent Adrian and Braylie there too, but then at middle school I switched them to public because they were going to a public high school! Jamie is 5 and in kindergarten at our church. Our church is connected to a nursery school nearby and they let them use our church facilities. Jamie goes Monday-Friday for just the morning. He loves it! We originally had him in twice a week full day kindergarten, but that didn't work out at all because a full day was two long with him! It only lasted for 2 weeks before we switched him. So far it's been working great! Emery and Nolan turned 8 months old on December 18th. They are so big I just can't believe it! Time flies when you have little babies! Update on them coming soon!

Adrian is learning how to drive! I can't believe that she is 16 and driving. She got her permit this past July, and hoping to get her license in January. I am actually pretty excited, because it'll be so much easier when we don't have to drive her to work every day! She has been working a lot because she is saving for a car/college. Adrian works at American Eagle every day after school until 7, for 4 hours. She also works every Saturday morning from 10am-3pm. The only way she is able to pull this off is time management! She has two study halls, since she got done most of her credits her first two years of high school. She is only taking Calculus, Physics, Lit, Gym, and Art. I am so proud of her for taking responsibility to earn money and manage her limited amount of time!

Braylie has begun babysitting! I told her when she was 13 she can take a babysitting class where I work and start out. She turned 13 in October and took a series of classes within the first week of being 13. I am really proud of her she has been doing amazing with babysitting! A young couple from our church have two girls, 3 and 7. Braylie has been watching them for a couple of hours here and there to earn some spending money. I think those are good ages to start out with because they aren't too hard to deal with! Also, it is only for short amounts at a time, which is also important when you are learning to babysit. You don't want to be left with a screaming baby for 7 hours! Braylie has been watching Emery and Nolan sometimes, too, when I need the help. There are sometimes in the day when I just need a break to get stuff done, and either her or Adrian are usually willing to help me! Adrian used to watch them all of the time for me, (don't worry, I payed her if she was alone with them for a long time!) but since Adrian has been working Braylie has been a great help!

Jeff has picked up extra hours, which is a bummer. He works from 6am-8pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and 6am-5pm Thursday and Friday. We really need the extra money, but he has such a busy schedule and the kids and I miss spending time with him! I work Tuesdays from 7am-5pm and Thursdays from 11am-7pm. Random hours, but it's nice to get out of the house for a while! On Tuesdays and Thursdays my sister-in-law, Katelyn, watches the twins. She isn't working right now because she is pregnant and on maternity leave! She is due in January, so I'll have to find another babysitter when her baby comes. It's a little crazy though, because on Tuesdays Katelyn comes over at 6am to get the kids on the bus and drive Jamie to school because both Jeff and I work early! She stays with Emery and Nolan, picks Jamie up from school at lunch, and watches them. She also gets the kids off the bus, because I don't get home until 5 on Tuesdays and Jeff doesn't get back until 8! Thursdays are a little better, I am there in the morning for the kids and Katelyn comes around 10am until Jeff gets home at 5. I do feel bad about leaving the kids twice a week, but I have to work to support them!

This has been a crazy long post, I better stop before it gets any longer! Thanks for reading, and comment below any post requests :)

Day in the Life: School Edition!

Hey everyone, today I am going to do a day in the life of our average day now that school has started! The kids first day of school was August 25, and we had a 4 day weekend for Labor Day and go back tomorrow! This specific day is Thursday the 29th.

6:00am: I wake up at 6 like I normally do, shower, and get ready for the day. Adrian gets up at 6 too, good thing that we have more than one bathroom!

6:45: I make lunch for the kids, Adrian usually helps me! Lately, she has really been into cooking and has been making dinners and helping with breakfast! She wants to start learning how to cook.

7:00am: I wake up Braylie and Gage and get them breakfast. Adrian gets on the bus at 7:05 most days, unless she has to get to school early! Jeff also leaves the house around 7.

7:30am: Braylie and Gage are both dressed, and I wake up Jamie, give him breakfast, and get him ready!

8:00am: The kids play quietly while I get up Emery and Nolan, feed them, and get them dressed. Every Tuesday and Thursday we leave the house at 8:30, because we live just a few minutes from Braylie and Gage's school, and school doesn't start until 8:50! Jamie has full-day kindergarten Tuesday and Thursdays that starts at 9, so it makes sense to drive Braylie and Gage also. But, Monday, Wednseday, and Friday they get on the bus at 8 because Jamie doesn't have school!

9:15am: By the time I get home, Emery is cranky because she hates the car, and Nolan falls asleep in the car! When I get home I play with them for a while, we usually have our tummy time in the morning. They are 4 and a half months old and can hold their heads up and roll over! One of my favorite times in the day is when I am playing with just them and me in the mornings.

10:00am: I feed them again and they go down for their morning nap around 10:30. Then, I usually do the breakfast dishes and clean the kitchen.

11:00am: I get some work done on my computer, answering emails and tending to my blog! 

12:30: I get myself some lunch, and Emery and Nolan usually wake up again so I give them lunch too! Then, I do dishes and sweep. I usually baby wear Emery, because she is really clingy lately, and Nolan just sits on the floor, content, with his boppy and loves to watch me do things!

1:30pm: I just relax with the babies and enjoy our time together! It's so nice to be just with them, because I was so used to having all the kids with me 24/7.

3:00: I put Emery and Nolan down for their afternoon nap and I do some more housework, and if I have time, get more work done on my computer! Adrian gets home around 3:15, and she gets a snack and does her homework. I leave the house as soon as she gets home to go pick up Jamie from school! Braylie and Gage get off the bus at 3:35, so Adrian waits for them out on the porch. She gets them a snack and they usually sit at the kitchen bar and do their homework. When I get home with Jamie, I get him a snack and he goes off to play while I help Braylie and Gage, and even sometimes Adrian, with their homework!

5:30: Jeff gets home right when I start dinner. He gets up Emery and Nolan from their nap around then and feeds them. I am trying to get them used to using a bottle, because sometimes I'm not around to feed them and it's easier on me if Jeff can sometimes!

6:00pm: We all have dinner together as a family, usually! Adrian works 5-9 on Mondays and Wednesdays, though. After dinner Jeff and I spend time with the kids! We play a board game, watch a movie, go swimming, or just play with them! At 7 one of us baths Jamie, reads to him, and puts him down at 7:30. He is so tired from being at school all day that he has been going to bed early! Soon after he goes to bed Gage and Braylie take their showers (sometimes Gage takes a bath) and they are in bed by 8:15. I give Emery and Nolan their baths at 8:30, and they are down by 9. Usually, they wake up around midnight and then again at 2, sometimes again at 5!

9:00pm: I just relax and work on my computer, or just watch a movie with Jeff. Adrian has to be showered, homework done, and in bed by 9:30, but she doesn't necessarily go to sleep then! 

11:00pm: Jeff and I go up to bed.

Hope you guys enjoyed this post, comment below what you want to see next!

Daily Post | August 21

Hey everyone, i haven't done a daily post in a long time and a lot of you guys like hearing about our every day activities! We have a really fun day yesterday, so I thought that I would share it with all of you! :)

1:00am: I started my day at 1:00am, when Emery woke up crying and wouldn't fall back asleep until around 2:30am. She seemed wide awake and ready for the day, but I obviously wasn't going to get up at 2:30! I eventually got her back to sleep.

3:00am: Nolan woke up hungry, but he went down easily after being fed luckily!

6:00am: I woke up for the day, showered, and got dressed and ready! 

6:45am: I got on my computer in my office and answered some emails and took care of some business and replied to your comments on my latest blog post! I usually spend an hour or so in the morning getting work done!

7:50am: I started breakfast for the kids, because for the past week I have been waking them all up at 8, because school starts soon and I want to get them into a routine! I was under the impression that school was starting after Labor Day, but suddenly the school board changed the decision, and we start this Monday, the 25th! They only let us know 10 days in advance! Anyway, I'm excited for the kids to go back to school!

8:00am: I woke up Adrian, Braylie, Gage, and Jamie and got them breakfast and then dressed for the day.

8:20am: Nolan and Emery woke up and I fed them and got them both dressed! This week Gage has soccer camp from 9-3 and Jamie has a t-ball camp for little boys from 9-12, so we left the house around 8:50. Both camps are both at the public high school only a few minutes away from our house!

9:10: We got home from camp and Braylie did her chores while I cleaned the kitchen and Emery and Nolan sat in the kitchen with me. They are 4 months old and they are getting so much better at sitting! Obviously, they sit with their boppys, but they can almost sit on their own!

10:00am: I dropped of Braylie at a friend's house while Adrian watched Emery and Nolan. On the way home I stopped at the grocery store to get a few necessities! 

11:00am: I put Emery and Nolan down for their nap and got some work done until I had to leave at 11:50 to pick up Jamie from camp.

12:25: I woke up the twins and fed them, and then I took Jamie and them with me to drop Adrian off at work!

1:00pm: I did a craft with Jamie and then he was really tired from camp so he went to sleep around 1:30 for a nap! I did some laundry, cleaned, and played with Emery and Nolan. They went down for their second nap at 2 after I fed them again. It seems like all I do is breastfeed! 

2:00-3:30: I cleaned the house from top to bottom! We were having friends over for dinner and our house was super messy! I was so glad that most of the kids were out of the house and that jamie, Emery, and Nolan were all sleeping! Jamie couldn't have picked a better day for a nap.

3:30: Gage was dropped off at home from camp by a friend, apparently camp went a little later! Jamie also woke up around then, and Gage wanted to swim in the pool so Jamie went with him! I woke up the twins and fed them, then went out onto the deck with them to watch the boys swim and get some fresh air!

5:00pm: Jeff came home early, to help me out! He watched all of the kids, and got them bathed, while I started dinner! We had about twenty people coming over for dinner, just for a last pool party before fall! I made pasta salad, coleslaw, a veggie tray, chips and salsa, and pulled chicken sandwiches! Jeff also grilled some hotdogs for all of the kids.

5:45: I drove over to Adrian's work to pick her up and also picked up Braylie from her friends house! Then, I got home and made sure everything was ready and then fed the babies again. Everyone was coming at 6:15, so we were a little bit rushed but everything turned out great! We had such a fun time with our friends! All of my kids and their kids played in the pool and everyone wanted to hold Emery and Nolan, so it was very relaxing for me to get a little bit of a break from the kids and just socialize with my friends! Around 8:30 we moved inside and the kids watched a movie and my friends helped me clean up. My best friend from college, Jessica, was in the area for a few weeks. She is married to Jeremy and has 3 kids, 10 year old Sophie, 7 year old Josephine, and 2 year old Jonah! My friend Drake from college was also came with his wife, Eliza, and their 4 kids, 4 year old triplets Danny, Elise, and Dylan, and their 9 month old, Emily! Lastly, my friend Lauren and her husband, Scott came. They are expecting a baby boy in January! Total, 13 people came plus our family, a total of 21!

9:30: Jessica and her family left, it was so great to see her before she has to go back to Texas, where she lives! Also, Drake and his family left. They are great friends of ours, and our kids love each other so much! Lauren helped me give Jamie, Emery, and Nolan baths while Jeff put Gage and Braylie to bed and Drake helped clean up a little bit. All of the kids, except for Adrian, were in bed by 10! It was a late night for them, since they are usually up that late, but it was a special occasion, and our last party with our friends before the new school year begins! :)