A Hard Day at Play...

I'm not sure I will ever get over how much I LOVE being a stay at home wife and mom. Daniel and I took a huge leap of faith when that decision was made due to finances, but have been incredibly blessed by that leap. I seriously adore my family and enjoy the daily task of not just doing chores around the house, but spending my hard days at work playing!

Our three little rascals keep me busy and on my toes, but I wouldn't change anything about it. Yes, I definitely have my frustrated/exhausted days...but my joyous days far out way any of our bad days. I mean, who wouldn't want to wake up to a sweet, smiling face everyday...

You may wonder, what is that you actually do all day? Do you just hang out in your pj's watching the Disney channel and snuggling...

While yes, we do that for a short bit in the mornings...the answer would definitely be a no...we have too much fun waiting for us! While each day is different for us, I do work on regular house chores daily like: laundry, cleaning up, cooking, grocery store, etc. Kason has various responsibilities that he has to help with also. He actually doesn't receive an allowance for any of his work, he has responsibilities for living and eating in this house just like mom and dad...but, if he is wanting money for something special he is saving up for, then he asks for other jobs to do to earn money. In fact, he recently saved up enough money to buy him a football uniform!

The Clayton Crew loves the outdoors, so we usually go to the park weekly (usually 2-3 times whether morning or evening)...

along with playing in our backyard together...

Sometimes our outside morning time saves this momma because it helps my cuties get their wiggles out!

We will often play in the front yard together in the evening after dinner when Dad is home...that way, we are free to visit with any neighbors who also may be outside. Whether front or back yard, these kids are all about adventure together...

Patti brings Max outside with us, but I realized I don't have very many pictures of him playing besides swinging...no worries friends, I'm on that stat :). Max has actually fallen in love with being outside, especially swinging, and hardly wants to come back in. Unfortunately, he has therapies and doctor appointments on M/W/F when I'm home which we all three kids load up and have to go with me. Daniel and I have been pushing him lately and he has really been thriving. He can't get enough of standing...

or sitting...

which I love because he is realizing that we spend most of our days upright rather than laying down.The four of us do spend a lot of our day playing inside, especially in the early afternoons while I'm finishing up chores and starting dinner. One of my favorite times is when I get to watch my kids play together without me...

They love each other so much and it is fun to see them make each other laugh...

They all have spunky personalities to add to the mix which usually means someone is usually laughing or crying :)! Kason has a thing for dressing up, so we never know who we may be playing with that day: superman, construction worker, football player, fire chief, soldier...

Zoe just got her kitchen for her first birthday, so that has become a new favorite...

These two especially love to cook while I'm making dinner...

You can often find Max hanging out near the kitchen playing with his own toy or banging his feet against their oven because he likes to be close to them. Of course we have nap time everyday which I like to call "mommy time". Max and Zoe nap every afternoon...

while Kason has rest time. We either make a tent for him to play under or create a cozy place for him to watch a movie...

He isn't allowed to move from that spot the entire quiet time so this momma can get some of her side work done like my designs or prep work for Superkids. Kason and I usually get a good laugh when we get Zoe up because she has more than likely already started her stripping ritual...

I always tell her she is cute for now with her little bare belly, but Daddy isn't going to be too happy with her aversion to clothes here in a few years! One of my other favorites from being a stay at home mom is getting to drop in at Dad's work occasionally or meeting up with him for a family lunch...

Daniel sometimes works long days or has to go somewhere in the evenings, so getting to sneak in a family lunch date is such a treat! Since these three won't stay home with me forever, I really try to stay home most days. I limit my errands and any away from home activities because I love spending my M/W/F at a slower pace, playing at home together. Both Kason and Zoe do go to a preschool at our church on T/TH while Max stays home with his nurse since he can't be around other children yet. I am teaching the 3's this year at Superkids and am having a blast! I love having the opportunity to see both of them at chapel, sneak in a hug, or peak in on them while they are working in class. I especially love it when the day is over and this little lady comes to play with me...

Another bonus to staying at home is having the freedom to take the kids to our family. I will often load them up after preschool on Thursday and head out! One of our popular destinations is Aunt Shaye's house because we love, LoVe, LOVE our cousin Sadie!

I mean, can you even tell?

In fact, we are already counting down the days until we get two more cousins...another Dodson and pretty soon a new Simmons! Most days I sigh while I take in the craziness of our house over run with toys, listen to the sounds of giggles, observe the dirty little fingerprints on everything, and notice that my house doesn't even look like I've cleaned the floors in years rather than just the day before and then send a prayer up to our creator. I can't help but thank him for a hard working husband who is zany, fun, a fantastic dad, and partner in crime...

 and wonder how in the world I have been blessed beyond measure. Most days I feel like pinching myself to make sure I'm not day dreaming.

I vote that we should all learn to slow down the pace of our lives, soak in the joy of God's blessings, and spend more time in laughter and conversation with our family. God has only given our children to us for a small time before we give them back to Him, so why not spend your extra time hard at play...I can guarantee, you won't ever regret it!