Week in My Life: Thursday

Welcome to day 4 of Week in My Life! I've been having a lot of fun with this project, but it's been exhausting to remember to take pictures constantly and to write every night.

I've noticed that my posts are heavily focused on our mornings. Today I decided I would shift my focus and do most of my documenting in the evening. Of course, nothing ever works out the way it's supposed to and both Joseph and I ended up feeling pretty cruddy. I'm not sure what was wrong with either of us. For him maybe teething? Or a virus? I think I might just be overtired and my body is working overtime fighting off the colds that have been going around our house for the past week. I just felt achy and tired and I couldn't completely put my finger on what was wrong. Luckily I've perked up a little tonight!

And now...what you've all been waiting for...our Thursday!

We woke at 6:45. My day started with coffee of course, while the kids had their milk. (And water. Stephanie was double fisting.)

Joseph sat down on his Dino and just hung out there for awhile.

We got dressed, I made breakfast, and we ate. Then it was time for the dishes.

Then it was school for Stephanie and some shopping/bonding time with my mom for Joseph and I. We stopped off at Dunkin Donuts first for a coffee. The guy asked me if he could give Joseph a munchkin. It was his first one, and though he wasn't sure what to do with it at first, he loved it!

After school we went to my sister's house for a Halloween get-together with my Aunt, Mom, Sister and niece. I made a pumpkin pie but it turned out all speckled.The spices didn't mix well, but it tasted good!

Joseph wants food!

The cousins love playing together!

After the party we went home and Joseph went for a nap. When he woke up, the crankiness started. It wasn't normal crankiness though...it seemed like he really didn't feel well. 

This was one of the few times my baby wasn't crying this afternoon.

 We spend the entire afternoon, from 4:00 on, rocking and cuddling in the chair.

Poor little guy!

 Stephanie was fantastic and alternated between playing independently and watching Caillou. Joseph was just so sad.

I did eventually put him down and he spent 5 minutes playing with his stacking cups.

When Dan came home at 5:20, I left Joseph with him and took Stephanie to CVS and the library. When we got home, I resumed cuddling with Joseph while Dan got dinner ready. (We were having leftover pasta and chili, so he reheated everything and set the table.)

 After dinner I put jammies on the kids while Dan did the dishes. (Did I mention how awesome he is?)

Once the kids were in their jammies, I snuggled with Joseph while he had his milk. Stephanie did a great job cleaning the living room for me.

Yup, he's still cleaning! I have the best husband.

After milk, I helped the kids brush their teeth.

Then it was some pre--bedtime snuggles.

Joseph went to bed and Stephanie and I read books.

Then it was bedtime for Stephanie.

She yelled at me for not closing my eyes and pretending to be asleep. We had to re-take the picture.

 Now it's wine time for the Mommy while I blog, and listen to the Big Bang Theory playing on the TV in the background.

*A big thanks to Melissa from Adventuroo for putting this project together! If you missed any of my other Week in My Life posts, you can check them out here: Monday Tuesday Wednesday 

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A Trip To The Train Station

You always hear the phrase "you don't need to spend money to have fun with your kids!" but like any family we often fall into the money trap on weekends. Sometimes it's shopping, sometimes going out to eat, and sometimes other random activities that cost money. I don't like that we always seem to shell out big bucks when we go out as a family (especially since we're currently working on a budget), so I was thrilled when the highlight of this past weekend didn't cost us a thing.

The gross weather started on Friday and continued all weekend. It was cloudy, rainy, chilly and blah. On Friday the kids and I never left the house. Saturday was spent running errands. Our Sunday plans got cancelled due to the weather.

By Sunday afternoon we had all had it. We were cranky and irritable and knew we needed to do something to get ourselves out of the house and out of our moods. The rain had stopped, and even though it wasn't sunny we decided to head out. 

We drove 5 minutes to our local bike path, and let Stephanie walk. She ended up running in fits and spurts for the better part of a mile, letting us get ahead of her and then running to catch up.

Can you tell someone was sick of being cooped up?

By the time we walked for a mile and turned around (because someone needed to use the potty) the sun had broken through the clouds.

There is a train station at the end of the bike path, and after stopping to use their bathroom we decided to wait for the next train to arrive. We took the elevator to the lookout tower and witnessed three trains arriving and departing.

Both children were fascinated by the vastness of the huge trains. Stephanie exclaimed over the conductor, the passengers, and the clanging sounds. The whoosh of the train as it passed by us thrilled them both, and they laughed with excitement.

When the trains were all gone and we finally got in the car, Stephanie couldn't stop talking about the "5 trains we saw!" Joseph said "choo choo" whenever we prompted him. Two days later, our trip to the train station and the bike path is still being discussed in earnest.

Who would have thought that such a simple outing would have such a big impact. I'm thankful for the reminder that, to children, everyday occurrences like these are the things memories are made of. We don't have to have big outings and trips and adventures in order for our children to have a fulfilling and enriching childhood. Some of the best experiences are the ones that don't cost a thing!

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