A Day in the Life

A day in the life...

This week has been hectic.  I courageously signed the girls up for swim camp at SAU over a month ago, with great ambitions that I could handle it all despite Ryan running basketball camp the same week.  Temporary lapse of sanity.  It has not been that bad, but given that the girls were in bed and actually sleeping by 7:15 tonight when we are typically a 8:30-9:00 bedtime family, maybe it has been a bit much.  Here is a bit of this week in review...

7:00 am "I waked up, Momma!"
7:00-9:40 am Frantically fold a load of laundry, feed two hungry children to cries of, "Me want breakfast!" Throw another load of laundry in the wash in time to get it in the dryer before we leave, Dress two children in swimsuits and get swim gear ready, Pack a suitcase for our upcoming vacation, (Did I mention kiss my wonderful husband goodbye... sometimes it happens so quick I have to remember even doing that part.  My kiss is always followed by the girls running to the garage door yelling, "One more kiss!  One more snuggle!" To which Ryan complies.) Hopefully unload the dishwasher, Brush hair and teeth, Convince Bria it really IS worth the $5 of Lakeside money to do more chores for her sticker chart, Ah and then look down and realize I need to dress myself and hopefully brush my teeth before running out the door.
9:40-9:50 am Load car... does it really take that long to buckle two children and throw all of our gear into the car???
9:50-9:55 am Drive... sometimes I wish I could just keep driving if it's quiet!
10:00-10:30 am Convince Campbelle to release her death grip from my neck and attempt to coax her to kick her feet and blow bubbles in the water.  She responds with a half-hearted attempt.  She is not thrilled with the number of strangers surrounding her and gives everyone her famous glare.  Meanwhile Bria hangs with Daddy at basketball camp, most days she tells me what videos she watched and talks about the snacks she ate-ya gotta do what ya gotta do!
11:00 am Finally ready to leave
From 11:00-4:00 the activities have varied, but whatever we have been doing we haven't stopped moving!  Things start with a quick shower while I let the kiddos watch a LeapFrog video... Is it better if it's educational?  Then throw lunch together, while begging the girls to eat quickly!  Tuesday Bria had an impromptu visit to the pediatrician due to some unusual bruising.  It left us revisiting the idea that she may have a mild clotting disorder... thank you genetics.  Of course this resulted in us heading to the hospital for labs.  What's better than being 7 months pregnant, sweating from the stress and exertion of holding your screaming child while convincing her that you really do have her best interests at heart?  We followed that up with a little Maggie Moos.  Things seemed much better after ice cream.  Wednesday the girls went to a friends while I headed for my first of hopefully 10 weeks of BPPs and NSTs.  The baby behaved in true Campbelle-fashion by covering his/her face the entire ultrasound.  The ultrasound tech apologized for being unable to get a clear picture of the baby's face, but I was honestly just happy to have good test results.  Thankfully, we were in and out of there within an hour.  I ran to Sam's Club without the girls, which was like being on vacation, but I began to miss them.  After picking them up, we headed back to swimming.
4:15-5:00 Back in the water to try to convince Bria that I will not let her drown and that it is okay to put your head in the water.  After a week and a half, she almost believes me.  Campbelle spends some time with Daddy and the team, enjoying snacks and being true to her 2 year-old self.
5:00 Dinner at the cafeteria.  It's our chance to see Ryan for a little bit of the day, and saves me from cooking dinner and tackling all that it entails without my husband.  As an added bonus, today Bria wanted to sit with "The Team," it was kind of like a date.  I'll take it.
6:00 Head back home.  The girls and I pick up a bit while I wonder how a house can get so cluttered if we really haven't been IN it.  After getting PJ's on, the girls are allowed to watch one episode, usually of Disney Jr, while Campbelle gets her breathing treatment.  Tonight this is followed by two Bible stories, bedtime prayer, and BED!

Camp ends tomorrow, and after shootout on Friday and Saturday we are off to LKSD!  I have tried to decide if I am capable of packing Ryan's suitcase because he has been so busy.  I'm not sure if I will tackle that or not.  Meanwhile I need to make sure the house gets cleaned and tonight I used the early bedtime to work on cleaning out the car.

I believe the best part of this week has been the realization that life is so much better with a partner!  While sometimes I feel frustrated if Ryan does something differently than I do, I am so thankful for the little ways he pitches in to make things more manageable.

I also have realized that if I can make time to spend time with God during this unusually busy week, that I can make time for Him anytime.  Sometimes I have the poorest excuses for why I don't get the job done in this area of my life, particularly when I work 12-hour shifts.  I hope this week will serve as a marker that I can always get the job done!  It's just about prioritizing.

Hopefully this little glimpse into our life has been somewhat entertaining, but if it's not, it's not really for you anyway!  I just want to be able to look back and see where we were as a family at one point in time. To see how we have grown.  To enjoy these crazy moments when my children are so dependent because this time will pass all to quickly.

It's time for a quick self pedicure.  I want pretty vacation toes.  If I can survive the discomfort of squeezing my lungs when I bend over, sudden leg cramps, and heart burn everything should turn out pretty.  (This is NOT an exaggeration... I will thoroughly enjoy my post prego body!  In due time!)

Enjoying every moment.