::top {10} ways i spend time with my children::

as you may know i work outside the home.
so the time i have to spend with my precious babies is limited to say the least. but we make the most of every single moment. with that said, here are the

{top ten ways i spend time with my children}::

1. we have breakfast together every morning.
i try really hard each day to put away my to-do list and have everything ready so that we can all three sit down to breakfast with no distractions. we talk about our dreams, our plans for the day, our bible verse and anything else that may come to mind.

2. the welcome home party.
my nanny and husband are awesome. so whoever is with the kids when i arrive home preps them for my arrival. as soon as i walk in the door i am greeted with hugs and squeals of joy! we hug and giggle and they tell me about their day.

3. family dinner.
we attempt to have family dinner time every week night. we sit down as a family. we talk about things we are thankful for. we talk about our day. we giggle and sometimes play {i spy}. i want my children to grow up with family dinner as a priority. something to look forward to.

4. bath time.
i take care of baths while my sweet hubs cleans the kitchen after dinner. teamwork! i love giving the kids baths becuase it's another opportunity for me to engage with them. watch them play and giggle. i get to see them use their imagination with their little duck families. i get to see them discover what happens when you throw your hands down really hard into the water. and yes, i usually walk away wet. but i wouldn't trade that time for the world.

5. family play time.
from bath time to bed time is usually time for us to play as a family. this is often daddy being a dinosaur and eisley and durgin running to safety, a.k.a. mommy. we wrestle and run and giggle and squeal. oh and we hug...a lot!

6. bed time.
i get special time with each of my children at bed time. i rock durgin while we snuggle and sing. he goes to bed first. then onto the coopster. we read a book, then snuggle and tell knock-knock jokes and usually finish up by finding pictures on the ceiling. then she's off to sleep.

7. crafts.
eisley and i do lot's of crafts. almost daily we do something creative to display throughout our home. i always ask her about her artwork. compliment her color schemes and make a big deal out of her ability to illustrate our family so perfectly.

8. books.
we read tons of books around here. every chance we get someone is hopping in my lab with a book. we read so much that eisley has several books that she can "read" verbatum. that always blows my mind.

9. outside play.
it's been a long and gloomy winter here. but recently the sun has been peeking through the clouds and we have been able to get outside more. i love to go in eisleys playhouse and watch her whip up a batch of chocolate cookies or pine cone cake. durgin is a mad man on the sliding board and will just walk right off of anything that doesn't touch the ground. this child knows no fear and he's about to give his mama a heart attack!

10. weekends.
i long for the weekends. sleeping in on saturdays. family breakfast. then time to play play play. we suck every single ounce of time out of the weekends for investing in our children. making them feel loved and special. finding out whats on the menu for the week:  dinosaurs, princesses, babies, you name it and we pretend it!

how are you spending time with your children?
i'd love some more ideas!