Date: October 31, 2014 ... Halloween!!!
Cast of Characters:
Laura (35 years old)
Brian (34 years and 50 weeks old)
Jonathan (2 years, 5 months)
Teddy (8 years, 1 month)
Honey (7 years, 8 months)
2:47 I am jolted from a deep sleep from a high pitched shriek. J has been doing this for about 6 weeks now, and it's beyond disruptive. Sounds like he's being stabbed in his sleep. Brian gets up and helps him get back to sleep. Although I didn't get up this time, I have a hard time falling back to sleep. I toss and turn, daydream, and feel frustrated that I can't get back to sleep. Eventually my thoughts turn to day-in-the-life. I hem and haw about it for a while, but I decide to go for it. Today's the day, people!
6:33 I must have eventually fallen back to sleep because I'm again jolted awake with demanding shrieks for "Daddy Daddy Daddeeeeeeee!!" I roll over to find Brian already playing with his phone. He gets up to rescue JDub from that evil crib. I snooze.
6:43 I start feeling a bit guilty that Brian got up in the middle of the night as well as the morning call with Jonathan. So I drag myself out of bed and head downstairs. B and J are watching Tiger downstairs with a baba and an espresso. They're singing along together the "won't you be my neighbor" song which is completely presh. I start some coffee and then join them on the couch. Not long after I sit down, I start smelling something gross. I mention it and offer suggestions about what it might be. But I soon remember that yesterday, I caught Jonathan pouring his baba down the ever-growing tear in the couch. Sick!! As if these couches weren't bad enough?! Now we have a milk hole? That turned rancid? We die laughing over this and gawk about how embarrassing this furniture is.
7:15 Brian heads out to his office and "asks" me to do a homework project sometime today -- program the new clock for J. Oh boy. I'm brain-dead about anything mechanical. But I figure I'll try to do it at some point. I get a coffee refill and resume my position as a certified couch potato. J is happily working on shovel trucks at the coffee table. I selfishly and sneakily get him fixed up with Cheerios and offer him the Kindle so I can switch off Daniel Tiger. God love him, but girl needs a break! Plus, I'm half-way through the Duggar wedding episode, and I'm really wanting to see the rest of it. J happily obliges, which is a surprisingly awesome success.
7:25 Jill is about to walk down the isle with her dad. All the wedding party has gone ahead, and now it's just the two of them at the back of the church. It brings me back to my wedding. Same exact moment -- at the back of the church with my dad. I feel quite emotional about this, but I hold back tears because I also feel silly crying over a TLC show. But this only lasts for so long, and before I know it, I have tears streaming. I'm remembering a lot about my dad and what a complicated relationship we had. I'm also thinking one week ahead to my sister's wedding and have a mix of feelings about her not having that moment with him. But all this reminiscing is stopped when I notice Teddy is eating J's Cheerios. I yell at him, which seems to give J a brilliant idea. He dumps out the cereal and starts eating it like a dog. I laugh.
7:50 Jonathan suddenly announces, "I hear Daddy opening packages! Be right back Mama." I'm finished with the Duggars for now, so I follow him out there. He walks like he's on a mission, swinging his arms high and deliberate, and he finds Brian packing up a shipping box. They greet each other so cutely: "Hi bud." "Hi bud." J then finds his tricycle and starts vrooming.
8:00 I pour myself some pumpkin Cheerios and eat them walking around. I then head upstairs to get dressed and take care of the upstairs chores -- make the bed, open windows, and bring down laundry.
8:15 I check on J outside, and apparently Brian had recently emptied his shredder into the firepit. I find J digging through the shreds and singing something unrecognizable. I love his voice, but I think he feels embarrassed that I saw/heard him. Sweet boy. I head back inside to do a quick straightening of the downstairs and also get the stroller packed up. Once in the stroller, I hope to get a cute picture of the two of us. This is such a daily ritual, and yet I have hardly any pictures of us doing this. I would like for Brian to take the picture, but he's in the shower. So I take about 8 selfies in the hopes of getting a cute smiling one. But J insists that sticking out his tongue is the perfect pose.
8:30 We hit the pavement. It's very overcast today, which is lovely. It's a particularly chatty walk today, as JW talked.the.whole.time. It's sometimes a challenge to respond to everything, but I love his comments and questions. "See dat Mama? See dat pumpkin? See dat skelton? Go dat way Mama. Good job Mama! Member dat school bus? Member dat won-mower?" I love that he's getting into the phase of actually having conversations, and it melts my heart. I also adore that he's so enthusiastic about all the Halloween decorations. Boy after my own heart! I feel like a kid again, walking through the decorated neighborhood, anticipating costumes and trick-or-treating.
9:30 Arrive back home, and I decide we absolutely must carve our pumpkin. Brian brought it home weeks ago, and the most we've done with it is let J draw all over it with a pen. Classy. But since today is Halloween, I figure we've gotta do it. So I start getting a work station prepped. While I'm cutting some paper bags, J brings me the evil Trader Joes salted chocolate almonds and repeatedly whines "I neeeed these Mama!" I believe he inherited the chocolate gene from his daddy. I decide to go against my better judgment and give him some. Yolo, right?
9:35 We head to the patio with the supplies and pumpkin. I get the top off and try to coax J into sticking his hand inside. I'm dying laughing over this because I hate pumpkin guts. He refuses, saying, "Ew! Gusting! I don't wike pumpkin guts!" I feel ya, brotha, I feel ya. But I do the deed and get the pumpkin gutted and carved. I head inside to wash my hands and see J scooping all the guts back into the pumpkin. Brian joins the party and suggests that the pumpkin needs sun glasses. We all agree and jam some glasses on the jack. I then desperately try to get a good picture of J with the pumpkin to no avail. I'm mildly annoyed by this, but whatever.
10:15 Brian wants to show me the prototype he's been working on, so we all head out to his office. He gives me a demonstration and then razzes me about giving him a "Makalya face" in response. I try to assure him that I like it, but I'm not too successful at convincing him.
10:30 It's freakishly early for lunch, but girl is starving. I start preparing my favorite salad -- spicy peanut (actually almond today) slaw. Brian comes inside, and we all head into the living room. I don't bother fixing a plate for Jonathan because he's been hunger striking so badly lately that I figure it would just be a waste of food. Of course, he promptly starts stealing carrots off Brian's plate. Within minutes, he hijacks Brian's fork and starts shoveling it in. Maybe this is the key to him eating? Stop offering him food?
10:45 B and I start talking about how amazing our Tobin James shipment is, which obviously results in us craving the zin we cracked open last night. We laugh about how much of lushes we will sound like in this blog post -- craving wine at 10:45am? Problem? Nah. We do decide to go with self-discipline and leave the wine for later.
11:00 J somehow got a hold of my phone and is scrolling through the pictures I've taken so far today. I decide this is a good moment to clean up the kitchen. While loading the dishwasher, I hear him start his favorite game. How does he know how to navigate that phone? I don't even know how to work the damn thing. I continue straightening and switch over the laundry. J runs over to help me. "I help you Mama!" "Good job Mama!" I die.
11:30 We head upstairs. I get J set up with his trolleys and figurines so I can hopefully get showered and paint the barn. Great success. I'm also excited to use a new shade of eye shadow I picked up yesterday. Very autumn. Might take a little getting used to, but I like. J is in and out of the bathroom while I get ready, and he loves digging through my make-up. He somehow digs his grimy fingers into my stash of coconut oil (my new moisturizer), and smears it all over his hair. I suppose he'll have good shine?
12:15 Time for happy nappy. J is not too happy about this today and demands "I want Daddy read books! I want Daddeeeeee!!!" He's crying now, so I ask if he wants to skip books and go into his crib. "Ok Mama." Didn't see that coming, but fine by me. Get him all snuggled with 40,000 blankets and bears. Sweetheart.
12:30 I do another blitz of straightening. Where do all these toys come from? I swear they multiply when I have my back turned. I remember I've been meaning to send pics of my potential dresses for Carolyn's wedding to Anne. I do that, and her responses confirm that I should go with the more fall-ish one.
12:35 I sit down to do my work emails for the day. I could have sworn today was Halloween, but is it actually April Fools? Christmas? There's nothing but junk mail. Not one message that needs a response from me. Not one demand for a last-minute meeting. Not one entitled student demanding I give them points back on an exam. Not one complaint. Nothing. I'm cautiously delighted but slightly disappointed that I can't make any snarky remarks about what work "crises" I have to handle. I decide to start working on this blog post. I review the previous day-in-the-life post from the summer and reminisce about that day. As I write this post, I receive a text from a friend who I had told we would come to their house tonight for a Halloween party. Crap! I write her back quickly and apologize for forgetting to cancel -- we'll be staying in the neighborhood for trick-or-treating tonight. She is totally understanding.
2:00 I'm all caught up on the blog post, and J is still snoozing. I should probably start working on lecture prep for next week. But that ridiculously ambitious thought is quickly squashed by justifying that I don't need to really work today -- it's a holiday. I head downstairs to snoop through the refrigerator. I find some hummus and text B that I'm snacking if he wants some too. He strolls in, we chat about the day, and he leaves for the post office. I decide to read "the news" (Facebook) and stumble into a yahoo article posted by a facebook friend. It's well-written and validates my experience of baby woes. Preach it sista!
2:40 It's a long nap day, which is always awesome! J wakes up happy but hot and sweaty. I love how his hair gets curly when he's sweaty. We spend some time on the floor playing trolleys and trucks. I play the piano for a few songs while J claps. We then settle on the couch for a baba with books. He's still in that extra chatty mood like he was during the walk, and he repeats every answer I give him. So cute. "What's dis Mama? Rhiiiino. What's dis Mama? Xylaphoooone. What's dis Mama? It's a teeny tiny mouse with a balooooon!" Brian comes in during this and joins in the fun. Then we realize we don't have any candy for tonight, so he makes a run to the store. I'm secretly jealous because I want the chance to get out of the house. But considering I had that awesomely long naptime, I don't say anything.
3:20 Brian gets home and declares it's wine o'clock. We hem and haw a bit about how it's so early, but decide whatever. It's a holiday. We sip on the leftover Tobin James from last night. Amazing. We take our glasses out to B's office. J finds his tricycle and then notices a baby apple on the tree. He works on that for a moment but then realizes Teddy stole his truck, which causes some minor hysteria. He chucks his apple in the dirt. I yell at Teddy. Brian throws the apple at Teddy. Teddy finally drops it with only minor teeth marks in one wheel. We get it back to JDub, and he's like 'whatev.'
3:40 Brian decides to light the firepit. We get crazy amounts of smoke from all the paper shreds. While we're dodging smoke, we start talking about our favorite Indian place. The wine has probably helped us feel less like oldest children for a few moments, so he decides to call them and beg them to deliver. I'm laughing and egging him on. We can't believe it, but they say yes! Hollah! We celebrate with hugs, snuggles, and wrestles on the couch.
4:15 The gardeners arrive. We chat with them for a minute and then sit on the front step to watch the action. I always feel amazed by how awesome they make the yard look while I simultaneously feel like a white privileged princess/slave-driver. I repress these feelings by tickling and kissing a certain mini-human.
4:35 Indian food arrives! Yes! It's always so good, but they must have added a few extra sprinkles of cayenne today. Holy mother of God. My sinuses are officially cleared.
5:10 Brian and Jonathan work on some books. I steal a tootsie roll from our candy stash and head upstairs to get our Halloween clothes ready. The guys eventually follow me up there, and B paints a mustache on J with my eyeliner, which is surprisingly well-received by a tiny cowboy. We all get transformed into cowboys and a cowgirl.
5:30 We head outside and snap some pictures. Through all of it, J is asking for "more special treat please" and doesn't really get the how the upcoming trick-or-treating gig works. Funny boy. We head out to our cul de sac neighbors and make a special stop to play with Maddie. They are so adorable together. We try to make our way up to the Crain's but they end up coming down to our street. We have an absolute blast in this big group going from house to house. J starts understanding the process more and after every house exclaims "Here's a candy, Mama! Here's a candy, Daddy! Here's a candy Quakin!" He tries giving his candy away to several people, especially Anne and Kaitlyn. And he loves holding Kenzie's hand. She takes good care of him and makes sure he gets candy at every door. We see quite a lot of amazingly decorated houses, including one with a garage converted to a haunted house. We chat with our neighbors as we walk, and there's lots of laughing. Jonathan works on lollipops the through all of it, and gets good and sticky. Toward the end, he declared to the homeowner giving out candy that "I have enough." Everyone dies laughing. The whole thing is just so much fun. So relaxing and delightful. One of the biggest joys of my life is seeing Jonathan have fun, and tonight is especially fun because it brings me back to my own childhood of fun times trick-or-treating.
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7:40 We arrive back home. J is working on his probably 8th lollipop, and his eyeliner mustache is pretty sticky and smudged. So cute. We dump out all the loot. Brian snags his favorite Reeces, and I go for a KitKat. We have a few groups of teenage trick-or-treaters, and JDub loves passing out the candy.
8:10 We finally start wrapping things up and go for a royal teeth-brushing session. We head upstairs for jammies and books. He wants Daddy, so I tuck him in and then send in B for one last hug.
8:35 B and I head upstairs. I have an apple cinnamon hot tea. B is feeling very tired and decides he should go to bed early. I want to go to bed too, but I know I'll feel better to finish this blog post first. So I kiss him good night at about 8:40 (partaaay!), and I settle on the couch with my computer, tea, and Biggest Loser in the background.
9:30 I'm finished drafting this post and just need to edit and add pictures. Against my better judgment, I start a new episode. Drama! All the contestants are threatening to quit. Bob and Dolvett are enraged. I might as well work on the pictures for this post so I can see how all this craziness unfolds.
9:40 Ok. I come to my senses and decide to pause this drama for tomorrow. I'll add the pictures tomorrow during naptime. I take a quick scroll through this post, and I'm so thankful I did this again. I'm amazed at how much detail has been packed into one normal-ish day (minus all the Halloween fun). I also remember that I forgot to fold the laundry, and it's probably all wrinkled in the dryer now. Oh well. And that kids' clock that requires an engineering degree to program is still sitting on the kitchen table. Meh? Tomorrow. But I reminisce at what a delightful mood Jonathan was in all day. It was truly a fun one. I potty the beasts and lock up. I then head to bed, ready to snuggle my handsome love, feeling grateful for what a great life we have. I know I'm living a dream come true. We've had seasons of life that haven't been this fun, and I'm sure we'll have seasons down the road that aren't this fun. So I'm glad we can soak up the good pleasures while we have them. Life is good.
