So, if you've ever wondered what life is like with 4 kids under the age of 5, I'm here to tell you! Lots of fun and lots of poop! A while back I kept a little journal of one of our days and took a few pictures too. This is just a sample of what it's like at our house on any given day.
7am- Chase and Siena run into our room to wake us up! They've likely been up before now but they're really good about waiting until their clock turns "green" to come out of their room. But once it's 7:01, they're screaming "BREAKFAST!!!" and you don't even have a minute to open your eyes... they want breakfast and they want it NOW!
7:01-7:29am- Eric makes breakfast for Chase and Siena while I make bottles for the twins. If Zoey and Lyla are awake, I'll go ahead in there and get them up and changed while the bottles warm, otherwise I make Chase's lunch at this time too. I feed the twins at the same time, propped up in their Boppy's. Eric also feeds Berkeley and takes him outside.
7:30am- Get Chase dressed for school, finish making his lunch, make sure he has everything he needs in his school folder, get Siena back to the table to eat more breakfast and maybe grab a bite to eat myself.
8:00am- Eric takes Chase to school, I get the twins in their high chair and feed them baby food and finger foods
8:15am- Eric is back, makes his coffee and leaves for work
8:30am- Get the babies out of their highchairs and start cleaning the kitchen! Z & L usually go in the playroom with Siena while I wash the dishes and clean highchairs.
9am- Change diapers and put the babies down for their morning nap, play a couple of rounds of Cars Uno and Toy Story Yahtzee with Siena.
9:30am- Pick up toys all over the house and do a quick vacuuming of the floors (otherwise my little crawlers are covered in dog hair and dirt!)
9:45am- Brush my teeth, make my bed, and take a shower (Siena either gets in with me or plays in the bathroom)
10:15am- Babies are up and ready to be dressed for the day. Siena gets dressed too and we all stay in Chase & Siena's room while I fold the kids' laundry and put their clothes away.
10:45am- Z & L get bottles again
11am- Get everyone's socks and shoes on. Load the car to go to the post office. (gosh, this sounds so easy when I type it... it's not that easy!!!)
11:30am- Get to the post office, unload the crew and go inside to wait in line. A sweet old lady in front of us turns around and starts making smoochy sounds at the twins and asks me if they're both boys! I smile and politely explain that they're girls (they're wearing pink!) and she replies that they're beautiful and look just like me. :)
12:15pm- Back home and it's lunch time! I put the twins in their highchairs and Siena in her booster seat while I fix lunch for everyone. It's constant running around the kitchen while I try to keep up with all 3 of them... I eat my lunch later.
12:45pm- Wash the dishes and clean the kitchen while the girls play
1-3pm- Nap time!!! The twins sleep wonderfully. Siena on the other hand gets to watch tv at this time now. It's not my favorite arrangement but it's the best we can do... mommy's gotta eat lunch and get some stuff done! I eat, put in a few loads of laundry, clean the bathroom, pick up toys off the floor (again), check my email, write on my blog (ha!), make some more bottles, and sometimes make dinner.
2pm- Chase gets home from school (we carpool with friends) and plays with his Legos for a while, or do his "homework" from school
3pm- Twins wake up, get new diapers and another round of bottles. Take Berkeley out to do his business.
3:30pm- Time to go outside! We usually call up some friends and meet them in the backyard or out front to ride bikes. Sometimes we walk to the playground or go to our little town center to play in the fountains. All of this is particularly challenging for me since the twins are crawling. I used to just lay a blanket down and let them lay or sit there in the sun. But now they are allllll over the place... one in one direction, and the other in the opposite direction! They eat mulch and bugs and all sorts of nasty stuff. They don't want to sit in the stroller for more than 5 minutes and they certainly don't want to sit in my lap (plus it's hard to help Siena and Chase when they need assistance when I'm holding 2 babies)! So I either bring the pack n play outside (takes forever to set up and they really don't like being trapped!) or the babies just eat lots of dirt. Lots and lots of dirt.
5pm- Back inside, babies in their highchairs for baby food while Chase and Siena play.
5:30pm- Z & L & S in the bath (see previous posts about poo in the tub... sometimes bath time takes forEVER!
5:45pm- Eric usually arrives home and either gets started on dinner, or plays with C & S, or he jumps right in and washes dishes, helps with baths, etc.
6pm- Pajamas and diapers and bottles for the twins.
6:30pm- Twins are asleep and it's time to make dinner!
7pm- Dinner for 4 of us (I'm truly looking forward to when all 6 of us can eat together!)
7:30pm- Bedtime for C & S. Eric and I take turns doing 2 things: one of us get the kids in their pajamas (Siena has most likely been naked for the last 2 hours) and getting their teeth brushed, while the other one does the dishes and cleans the kitchen and highchairs.
7:50pm- Read books to C & S and tuck them in for the night (we usually always do this together)
8pm- Hallelujah we made it!!! Crash on the couch and watch tv for a while. Sometimes I fold laundry while watching tv but for the most part I try to just RELAX!
And that's our day. Mostly. I kind of conveniently left out all of the diaper changes, potty breaks, spills, "accidents" in the pants, "boo boos" on the knees, time outs, temper tantrums, dog throw up, wardrobe changes, and baby spit up. But I also left out all of the kisses, hugs, laughter, singing, dancing, and millions of sweet moments that make me so happy to be exactly where I am in life and so privileged to have this full time job of taking care of 4 amazing little creatures!
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