2013.08.19-201.08.23

Whoops! Somehow a whole week went by and I forgot to write down what I did all week. 

Last week Eric had campus safety training, so he was training his guys from 8-5 everyday and had to get all of his other work done before or after his regular hours. On top of that, his boss decided that it was a good week to care about the brown patches in the grass (instead of at the beginning of the summer when Eric proposed multiple preventative solutions, all of which were rejected by the same boss), which meant he had to do his best to fix/make function-able the lacking sprinkler system. Anyway, he was at work much more than usual and didn't get home until 7, 8, 9, or 10 every evening. 

I watched Ruby every day last week except for Friday, which kept me very busy. I did manage to keep both kids alive and having fun (for the most part) all week along with regular cooking and cleaning. The house wasn't even a disaster when the weekend arrived. We also went on a few playdates, brought Eric dinner a few days (so that he could actually see John), and went on lots of walks. 

John had his doctor appointment on Wednesday. He is growing so fast. He is now 25 pounds and has gained about a pound a month since his last checkup. The doctor gave me lots of good advice on how to do timeouts, a now regular part of our lives. He also said that John's social abilities are great and he loved to see him playing with Ruby. 

On Friday, Brendan came over for the morning and then Kelly took us out to lunch at Schuler's. The boys had a blast playing in the little house and driving the trains around the track. John wanted to take a few trains home with him. After that, we both took a nap and then met Becki and Judah (who is a week older than John) at Java Gym (which is sadly closing this week). John and I then met Eric at Kuyper for a student leaders dinner and hung out for a bit, went grocery shopping, and came home. Eric got home shortly after I got John to sleep. 

Saturday Eric had to go in to work for the morning, so when he got back, we went on a family outing to Cabella's to look at fish and guns and ate at Chipotle. John was hilarious while we were eating. There was some reggae or folk music playing and he kept dancing to it in his high chair. It was pretty adorable. We picked up a redbox movie (for free!) on the way home and put John to bed together. Then, Eric made popcorn and I made smoothies and we had an awesome date night together. Great way to end a much-too-busy week. 

2013.08.16 Friday

I hit "snooze" on my alarm, John slept in, and Ruby arrived early. 

I woke up to Sam barking at the front door, threw on some clothes, and answered rather groggily. Whoops...I guess maybe I should set my alarm earlier than 8:20 for a 9:00 arrival time, but I'm usually just fine. This getting here at 8:30 business is a little ridiculous :) 

By the time I got dressed, John woke up. We had breakfast (eggs and toast) and packed up the kiddos in the carseats for a visit to the O'Brien-Pahman household. 

Kelly and I had pastries and coffee, the kids had fun playing with toys, reading books, and pulling magnets off the fridge. Then we all to a wonderful walk next to the stream in the woods by their house. 

On the way home, both kids fell asleep in the car; I successfully transferred them to their sleeping locations in our house without waking either one of them up. 

I made some pasta for lunch (because it is no longer making me throw up) and read part of a book while they napped. 

After they woke up, we ate lunch and played for the rest of the afternoon. I did manage to fold and put away all of the laundry that was left.

Eric and I planned a "cleaning party" date for tonight, so I got started without him. I straightened all the bedrooms, the bathroom, and the living room. When he got home, he vacuumed all the floors in the whole house while I cleaned the kitchen (including wiping down the cabinets and cleaning the stove and microwave). Once we felt accomplished, we went to pick up our Chinese food and Red Box movie. After dinner (easy clean-up), we bathed and bedded John and enjoyed our movie together. What a great (cheap) date night! 

2013.08.15 Thursday

Ruby came over today. We: 

Ate oatmeal and Strawberries for breakfast. 

Folded a load of laundry, washed a load of laundry. 

Played fetch with the dogs. 

Ate lunch. 

Went over to a friends for the afternoon. The kiddos all played together and before I realized it, it was four fifteen and we had to go!

Made shephard's pie for dinner. 

Cleaned the kitchen. 

2013.08.14 Wednesday

After a much better night's sleep, I was slightly more productive today (but only slightly). I

Made eggs and toast for breakfast. 

Took some pictures around the house. (See my other blog for the proof of those pictures). 

Taught John how to color with crayons. 

Ate leftovers and fresh fruit for lunch. 

Straigtened the house. 

Took a nap. 

Showered. 

Went to my Baby Doctor appointment. 

Visited Eric at work. 

Dropped off a prescription at Meijer. 

Played outside with John while Eric worked on the Land Rover. 

Ate Veggie Pizza for supper. 

Cleaned the kitchen. 

Put my kid to bed and hung out with Eric for the rest of the evening. 

2013.08.13 Tuesday

John did not want to sleep last night. He cried painful cries every time we left the room and wouldn't give up. So, I slept in his room last night on the mattress on the floor. Needless to say, I did not get a very good night's sleep. 

Today we: 

Had leftover pancakes for breakfast. 

Straightened up the house. 

Played outside. 

Ate leftover mac-n-cheese for lunch. 

Took naps. 

Took a shower together. 

Went to the chiropractor. 

Went to the library to hang out. 

Washed/dried two loads of laundry. 

Broke a necklace. To be more accurate, John broke my necklace, sending teeny tiny beads all over the kitchen floor and causing me to break down into tears. Hormones and exhaustion don't go well together. 

Picked up hundreds of beads from the kitchen floor. 

Cleaned John's room. 

Ate chicken flavored rice for supper (Eric made it).

Went to bed early. 

2013.08.12 Monday

Today I: 

Babysat Ruby all day. 

Made pancakes (with peanut butter and syrup on top) for breakfast.

Sorted through and stored all of John's 12 month clothes. 

Folded some laundry. 

Had leftover Shepherd's Pie for lunch (John wouldn't eat any until he saw me feeding it to Ruby, then he was all over it). 

Made Veggie Pizza (the cold kind. Yum!). 

Cleaned the kitchen. 

Made Mac-n-cheese for supper because Eric was craving it. 

Played catch with Sam, Pearl, and John. 

2013.08.05-2013.08.09

Monday: 

Watched Ruby and John.

Made eggs, toast, and oatmeal for breakfast.

Cleaned out our fridge (I was inspired by Grandma's hard work on Saturday)

Went grocery shopping WITH TWO KIDS!

Put all of the groceries away while the kids slept in their carseats. 

Had yogurt parfaits for lunch. 

Forgot to lock the games cabinet. Whoops...

Did a load of laundry. 

Ordered Pizza for supper because it sounded really good and I gave into the craving...

Watched "the bachelorette" finale. 

Tuesday: 

No Ruby today, just me and John. We: 

Ate fruit, yogurt, and toast for breakfast. 

Cleaned and vacuumed the living room. 

Hung out with our dogs (who have missed us for the last week).

Ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch

Went to Hudsonville to visit Lubie, Sylvan, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Debbie, Uncle Steve, and Jenna. Hung out there for most of the afternoon.

Picked up a free chair off the side of the road (I am my mother's daughter). 

Made rice for dinner; Eric turned it into fried rice.

Cleaned the kitchen. 

Wednesday: 

Watched Ruby and John all day. 

Made oatmeal for breakfast. 

Washed, dried, and folded 5 loads of laundry. 

Set up a "Cruiser Course" to help Ruby practice getting around on her feet instead of her knees. 

Ate leftover fried rice and chicken for lunch. 

Watched some "How I Met Your Mother" while the kiddos napped. 

Switched out John's 12 month clothes for his 18 month clothes. He is getting so big!

Thursday: 

Ruby and John today. 

Fruit and cereal for breakfast. 

Went on a playdate.

Packed a picnic lunch to eat on the road.  

Ran Errands: got gas, picked up my new glasses, got a few essential groceries, and visited Eric at work. 

Cleaned the kitchen.

Made Shepherd's Pie casserole for supper.

Hung out with my hubby for the evening. 

Friday: 

John and Ruby today. 

Bananas, scrambled eggs, and toast for breakfast. 

Played with the kiddos all morning. 

While they napped, I made general tsao chicken and ate it with some leftover fried rice. 

Scooped dog poop, lots of it, while John continued to nap and Ruby played on the deck. 

Fed the kids some lunch. 

Walked to the library to return books. 

Went to the park to let the kiddos play. 

Stopped at a garage sale and decided it was a bad idea when four little hands started grabbing everything within their reach; so we walked home. 

Put Ruby down for a nap. 

Took a shower while John banged on the shower door and emptied the bathroom cabinet.

Did my hair and make-up and got dressed.

Cleaned the kitchen while talking Julia through the evening of watching John.

Went to a wedding with my hubby and celebrated some friends getting hitched.  

2013.07.26-2013.08.04

We went on vacation to Tennessee and left John in DeMotte. 

We had a blast hiking, reading, eating, and hanging out with friends. 

John had a blast talking, eating, sleeping, and getting generally spoiled by his Oma, Opa, Uncle, and Aunties. 

On Saturday (back in DeMotte) I worked on our DeMotte house with Mom, Grandma, Amber, and Grandpa to transform it from a disgusting pit to a mostly livable place. Special thanks to Mom for working wonders in the bathroom, Grandma for braving the fridge, and Amber for a full morning of hard work! 

Sunday I went to church, ate lunch at Aunty Laura's, and sat squished between two carseats for three hours on my way back to Grand Rapids. Ahhh... home sweet home. 

2013.07.24 Wednesday

John and I went to the beach with some people form a "mom's group."

The boys had a blast splashing in the water and playing in the sand. 

Other than preparing for the beach, going to the beach, and cleaning up from the beach, I didn't get a lot done. 

But it was fun!

See facebook for pictures.