A Day In The Life - Vol. 6: Summer 2016 - HOLIDAY ADDITION!

I really had originally planned on doing another birthday DiTL post...but with an upcoming camping trip planned and the DiTL deadline, I knew I wouldn't have time to DiTL on Thursday and get it in on time.  BUT, I think a HOLIDAY addition of DiTL is equally exciting!

So, I bring you - A Day In the Life of the Bach Family - Fourth of July edition.

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Andy - 38 years

Dana - 35 years (for 3 more days)

Eleanor - 7 years

Oliver - 22 months (I can count in months for just a few more weeks - then my baby will be 2!)

Karl - 13 (although, neither Andy nor I can really remember if it's 12 or 13.  Sorry furbaby)

Here's an interesting fact about my DiTL.  I am relying 90% on memory and pictures.  I did very little dictation, but took MANY pictures.  I also ONLY used my phone for this DITL...usually I try to use my big camera - mostly because I need the practice.

6:02 AM || Oliver is starting to stir.  It's my day to get up with him.  By the time I wake myself up and get out of bed, he's full on shouting "Momma....momma..."  It's like he knows it's my day.  

I get him out of his crib and try negotiating the posse we have to bring down with us.  I always lose the negotiation and try to manage the baby, the big blue blanket, Hank the dog stuffed animal, and Roger, the stuffed bear.  

We make it downstairs and cuddle on the couch.  Ah.  My favorite part of any day. 

Oliver is not impressed with my picture taking this early in the morning.  I forget to grab a screen shot of the weather, but for being July 4, it is rather chilly.  This doesn't bode well for our pending pool visit, but I decide to start packing for the pool regardless.  

6:22 AM ||  I grab Oliver some milk.  Random side note, we just switched Oliver to regular milk.  We've been giving him lactose free milk for the longest time.  It's a long story involving chronic ear infections and stomach problems.  But, we are trying full lactose milk for awhile...just to see.  

I take the dog out - yup - down right chilly.  I grab a bag from the laundry room, a few towels and swim diapers.  I'm leaving soon for a fourth of July run and I want to have Andy as packed as possible before I leave.  

6:44 AM || Andy wakes up.  I remind him it's DiTL day, but spare him a morning picture!  I run upstairs to get dressed and grab my and Oliver's pool stuff.  

Back downstairs I grab some peanut butter bread and Spark.  Our friend should be here shortly to head over to the run together.  

7:08 AM || I get a text from our friend Nick - He's in the driveway.  We also receive a text that his wife, Sara, is battling a migraine and isn't sure how the rest of the morning will pan out. She and Andy are supposed to meet Nick and I at the park after the run, with the kids, to swim for awhile.  Andy still plans on meeting us, but we'll have to play Sara by ear.  I hate leaving with plans up in the air...but I don't have much choice in the matter.  Andy and Sara will figure it out.  I'll run.  And we'll all meet up in the end.  

7:18 ish AM || Parking is actually proving to be a bit more challenging then we originally thought, but we grab a place close enough and walk over to packet pick up.  Nick gets his stuff and then runs his shirt back to the car.  I picked up my packet the day before, so I awkwardly loiter around the park by myself.  I text Andy about where exactly the park is.  He was aware.  My bad.

I make a note to myself that if I plan on continuing to run a 4th of July run...I need more patriotic running gear.  I also find Nick again during this time.  At least I don't feel as awkward now!    

7:49 AM || Text Andy that I am heading to the starting line.  I drop off Nick at the beginning and walk back to "my people".  The slow people.  

8:45 AM || I text Andy that we are done.  Well...Nick has been done for awhile.  But I'm officially done.  Not too shabby either.  A 9:30 average - I'll take it.  Nick and I head over to grab a beer.  Let's be honest - the only reason people run in Wisconsin is because every race ends with beer.  

I'm completely hooked on this race too.  I plan on making it a tradition.  What a great way to start the 4th.  

While Nick is talking to teammates from the store he runs with (for?), I text Andy and Sara.  Sara is feeling a little better and is going to tough it out.  They should be arriving shortly.  

9:09 AM || Sara and Andy and 4 kids pull into the parking lot.  We tell our race stories as we head into the pool area.  Our town doesn't have an outdoor public pool, but this one isn't that far away from us.  The pool is a decent size, with 2 awesome diving boards and a shallow enough area, that at least Eleanor can stand in.  Why have we never been here before?

Eleanor goes over to the diving board, but needs to pass a swim test first.  Andy always takes her to swim lessons, so I never get an opportunity to really see her swim and I'm pretty impressed when she shows off her skills to the life guard!  Swimming test passed - Eleanor went right over to the diving board!  No fear!

And speaking of no fear...Oliver.  He just wants us to let him swim.  Too bad he'd sink right to the bottom. But it's safe to say, both kids LOVE the water.  

The water isn't exactly what I'd call warm.  We all get used to it, but when Eleanor and Oliver's lips start to turn purple, we decide it's time to get out.  Eleanor has also declared - about 13 times - that she is STARVING.  Oh the dramatics of my 7 year old girl. 

We change and walk back to the car - discussing our plans for the rest of the day and how awesome a bloody mary sounds.  The plan is for us to go home and put Oliver down for a nap.  We'll call the others when he wakes up and head to the festival.  The parade starts at 1 PM - which is a horribly hot time for a parade to start in July.  None of our kiddos are really parade people, probably stemming from the fact that none of the parents are really parade people. This year we finally agreed to skip the parade and crank out some rides at the festival while the rest of the city is at the parade.  

Sometime after 10 || We get home and I decide both kids should take a quick bath.  I have a thing with chlorine.  

Eleanor grabs a shower in our bathroom. Meanwhile, Oliver is being a total ham in the bathtub.  His newest words are "...are you?" as in "where are you?".   I grabbed a video, but it's not transitioning to the blog very well.  "Fishy...are you..." (fishy, where are you?)  And of course when we get out of the bathtub, my little creature of habit needs to brush his teeth!  I run into his room to grab clothes for lunch and nap.  I guess I know what he was busy doing while Andy was getting them ready for the pool!  Books, books, everywhere books!

Andy put in a pizza while the kids were bathing. It's SUPER early for lunch - I can't believe Andy even suggested it.  But we know the day will be filled with snacks and probably an early super.  You never have to ask me twice for an early lunch - I'm usually ready to eat around 10 AM!

11:02 AM ||  What's more American than Kirkland Frozen pizza?

11:20 AM ||  We weren't sure if Oliver would be ready for an early nap, but I think swimming took a lot out of him.  We settle on the couch for some cuddle time and his beloved Nuk and Bubble Guppies.

11:37 AM || Andy takes Oliver up for his nap and I decide to take the dog on a quick walk around the block.  Our old grandpa's hips aren't what they used to be and so we try and make sure he gets a little exercise every day.  Not to mention - we know we are going to be gone for awhile and I'd REALLY like to avoid coming home to an accident in the house.

Once home I finally get in the shower and get myself ready for the rest of the afternoon.  I head downstairs to find Eleanor on the iPad.  She's playing Minecraft and asks if I want a "tour of the house she built".  Am I the only one that does not understand the obsession with Minecraft?  I mean - she's seriously addicted.

12:45 PM || Her tour of her 3D world makes me motion sick and I ask if she wants to come outside with me.  It's a beautiful sunny day - she's had enough screen time and I need to plant some plants I bought yesterday.  SUPPOSEDLY, the smell of the leaves is a mosquito deterrent.  Our backyard is heavily wooded and I'm petrified of ticks and mosquitoes (this post is really making me sound OCD - chlorine, bugs...I swear I'm not totally neurotic!)  Eleanor wasn't much help, but instead sat in the shade and played music for me.  Gotta love KidzBop on repeat!

12:51 PM || Oliver is still sleeping, which is crazy and wonderful.  Anything past one hour is a blessing!  I end up in the garage and happen to notice what looks like a flag pole behind some shelving, shovels, weed wackers, and other misc. garage junk.  How I noticed it is beyond me, but after some digging I discover it IS a flag pole.  I happen to have a flag in our garage...not sure where it came from, but I assure you, I had it perfectly folded.  I mean...it's like a 4th of July miracle! A hanging American Flag is just so....American!  I love it! 

1:16 PM || Nick texts they are on their way over and at some point during my flower potting and flag hanging, our friend Ryan text Andy that he will also be joining us for a part of the afternoon.  

We are getting antsy to start our fun and just when we think we can't wait any longer...I hear Oliver start to stir.  I head upstairs to grab him, Eleanor follows me and Andy heard him from outside (super sonic hearing) and starts heading up without knowing I'm in there.  Poor Oliver is greeted by all 3 of us.  What a way to wake up!

1:27 PM ||  I try to sneak in some cuddles before everyone gets here, but it's short lived.  Eleanor is....being Eleanor...and Oliver is getting all excited...even though, he's not really sure what he's supposed to be excited for!

1:35 PM || Everyone shows up around the same time.  There is a quick turn around and off we go to the festival!  We have to walk through the parade route to get there and it's packed!  There are huge gaps in the parade, so it's easy to cross the street.  We all agree - even the kids - that we are so happy we aren't watching the parade. I'm a horrible parent.  I've ruined my child!

Oliver has been obsessed with sunglasses lately and I just can't get over it!  Additionally, somehow in our commotion to leave, Oliver still has his Nuk.  Stinker.   

Here's where you get a nice break from the high detail of this post - the next few hours are spent going from ride to ride.  Game to Game.  Beer to Beer.  Funnel cake to funnel cake.  It's safe to say, a grand time was had by all.  From time stamps of pictures I can tell you:

2:23 PM || Oliver's first carousal ride - I think he actually enjoyed it!

Not big enough for much else...my short baby!  

2:33 PM || Eleanor decides to try the swings again this year - even though last year she puked after.  While she didn't get physically ill this year...she sure looked like she could have.  Again I say, spinning might not be her favorite thing!

Watching big sister on the swings.

3:04 PM || Everyone loves some good carnival games!  That woman was pretty awesome and gave Oliver a teeny little bear.  She must have two children too and understands sharing isn't always an option!

More rides.

Our community just built a brand new "All Children's Playground"...and by just, I mean, the ribbon cutting was on Saturday.  So we were pretty excited to finally get a chance to play on it - and I was pretty excited to show the family the pieces I built (it was all volunteer built!)

It's an amazing playground and I felt so comfortable just letting Oliver room the little kid structure without hovering!  What a great feeling for him too!  Freedom!!

We also hunted down and found our family picket!  For a small donation, you could purchase a picket and have something engraved on it.  It's pretty cool to think that some day Eleanor and Oliver might bring their kids to this playground and show off their picket!

3:43 PM ||  I guess when you eat lunch at 11, you start to get hungry pretty early.  But first I had to snap a picture of the sky.  The cloud cover was crazy, but it never rained!

4:30 PM ||  We finish our early dinner with some funnel cake - surprise, surprise, Oliver is a big fan!  We also decide to head back home where we can let the kids run and play, have some adult time, and light off a few fireworks.

Again...a few more details are lacking here...but, once we got home, Ryan had to head off to another party, the girls put on a dance show for us, and the adults sat on the back porch, enjoying a summer evening. And I took my July picture for our family Christmas card!

6:10 PM || The first request for fireworks and sparklers is made.  To be clear - our fireworks cost about $6.99 from the grocery store parking lot.  I assure you, there is nothing exciting going on!  Oliver was a big fan of the sparklers.   

And then it all went down hill.  Nick let off something that snap, crackle, popped and Oliver lost. his. mind. He was petrified.  Again, please remember, these are not traumatizing fireworks.  But he was so scared. The little white snaps (the things you throw on the ground) didn't go over well either. 

I make him do plenty he doesn't want to do and listening to loud fireworks is not one of those things. So I took him inside and tried to calm him down.  But he could hear the fireworks, even with the door closed.  And he was petrified.  So petrified, I didn't even torment him with pictures.  

I went outside to cancel the firework display, but Oliver was scared to even be in the front yard!  We tried distracting him with the pool and the big kids even went to get suits on...but nothing was calming this storm. 

7:00 ISH PM ||  We realize the time - factor in that Oliver never really ate much dinner at the festival - we have one over tired, over hungry, over traumatized little boy. 

I take him inside and give him some cereal and raspberries for a quick snack, a little veg time with the Bubble Guppies and then dad takes over to put him to bed around 7:18.  Oh holiday schedules...

Meanwhile, the big kids keep swimming and causing general havoc.  Oliver falls asleep very quickly and Andy is back outside in no time.  We chill on the front porch and watch kids be kids in the summer, holiday night.  This is perfection!

A request is made for a campfire because "Mom, we ALWAYS have a campfire on the fourth of July."  I can't argue tradition.  And although we have a beautiful fire pit in the back yard, we drag out the rusty, falling apart, store bought pit because the kids are riding bikes and scooters and don't want to go in back.  Sigh.

There are a few more requests for home explosives, but the adults just don't trust a sleeping Oliver and we agree our friends should take the explosives home with them for another time.  We satisfy the kids (and adults) with s'mores!

The sun begins it decent - it's a little after 8:30.  The fireworks start at 10 PM.  I have to work tomorrow.  We all agree none of us are going to make it to the display this year...we didn't last year either...or the year before that...but I proclaim I will never work another 5th of July ever again and next year I AM going to the fireworks (and I won't be pregnant like 2 years ago or have an 11 month old like last year).

So our friends pack their stuff - and their kids - and head home.  We'll seem them again on Sunday!  Someone in our neighborhood has the good fireworks and Eleanor manages to see 2 - 3 good ones before going inside.  This seems to satisfy any need for fireworks!
We corral Eleanor upstairs. She's sleep walking at this point - a long weekend has caught up to her!

Like the true party animals we are - at 9:35 PM Andy and I are in bed, watching House Hunters on HGTV.  I set my alarm, 5:30 comes quickly.  I'm asleep before the end of the episode...I never find out which house they pick!

A pretty anti-climactic end to a holiday, but it was a fantastic holiday, filled with all my favorite things, none the less!  As our family gets older, traditions will change and we'll continue to make modifications and adjustments, but for now...I wouldn't have it any other way.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!

{DITL 1}    {DITL 2}    {DITL 3}    {DITL 4}  {DITL 5}