Simple Life

Chase and I have one week left on the island.

ONE WEEK!

I can hardly believe it. Honestly, it feels a little surreal.

And while I am so, so excited to get back to Utah to visit, and just 

to live in the United States again in general,

I know there are things I'll miss about our island life.

One thing I'll miss is how simple life is here.

So for the sake of record keeping, 

I wanted to record a little run down of our basic day here.

I know once we move back things will become more hectic, 

and I'll fondly remember our simple days here.

I've loved the little routine we have going.

Everyday (except Sunday) is basically the exact same thing.

5:15 am- the cute little alarm clock goes off, and if I'm not already awake (my body has trained me to wake up just before he does) I get woken up to his sweet little voice saying "mama? mama?" and then not so sweetly, shaking the sides of the now-squeaky pack n play.

5:20 am- plop Chase on the couch with a sippy cup of milk and Disney Jr., compose myself for the day, get changed into workout clothes, get Chase dressed, return emails and play around on facebook waiting for it to get a little lighter outside

6:00 am- head out for our morning exercise, enjoy an hour of breathtaking rainforest and ocean views while Chase babbles away in the stroller

7:00 am- come home, get Ben up, make breakfast, everyone eats, clean up breakfast, start laundry (longer process here than the simply turning on the machine with clothes in it), make beds, send Ben off to school, get showered and ready for the day.

8:45 am- read stories with Chase and put him down for his morning nap

9:00 am- Courtney time- read scriptures, return emails, clean up Chase's messes, prepare lessons for Sunday, blog, make bread, menu plan

10:00 am- Chase is up and we head out on some activity- friends house, family lounge on campus or the pool

12:30 pm- come home for lunch

1:00 pm- Chase's play time, he gets to do things like clean out the drawers so he can sit in them- pictured below:)

1:30 pm- Story time with Chase and then afternoon naps. Usually I nap too (that 5 am wake up call usually comes a little too early for me!)
3:00 pm- Up from naps, usually we head to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner than night. The grocery store is about a 5 minute walk from our house. Since their inventory is unpredictable, it's best to go almost daily to see what's available and plan our meals from there.
4:00 pm- Home from the store, Chase plays around our house, sometimes I play too (building towers, throwing the ball, etc.) Usually skype with family.
5:00 pm- I start making dinner. Chase usually melts down. Usually ends with Chase sitting in his high chair, with a snack and a sippy cup, with Cars on my laptop. It's the only way to get dinner made most days :)
6:00 pm- BEN COMES HOME! We are always ecstatic to see him!
6:15 pm- We eat dinner as a family. Chase loves joining in on our "dinner conversation" which is usually all about him anyway
6:45 pm- Ben puts Chase in the bathtub, I do the dishes
7:00 pm- Family prayer, I read to Chase and put him down for the night. He usually goes down without a peep.
7:15 pm- Ben studies for the rest of the night. Sometimes I help him. Usually I play on facebook, look at blogs, watch a show, just hang out. It's pretty chill.