Five on Monday

Once again, my motivation and inspiration for productivity were pretty sucked dry by the end of the week.  So you get a recap today instead. ;)  Have I mentioned we're officially in the 3rd trimester?  I think that might have something to do with it!

1.  Monday was laundry day.  Super exciting, right?  I'm not terrrrribly regimented in my housekeeping with a certain task assigned to every day.  BUT I have found having a laundry day helps me stay on top that particular area more effectively.  By doing laundry on Mondays, we're also usually set then for the rest of the week (confession:  Matt often wears the same thing to work on Monday as he did to church Sunday.  As a result, I don't feel rushed to make sure all the clothes are clean by Monday morning.).  By having everything clean by Tuesday morning, Matt gets to pick from his whole wardrobe for the rest of the week, and all of Asa's clothes are clean to choose from for school on Tuesday.  AR and I just benefit from the boys' schedule. ;)  Anyway, with being sick or Matt out of town or something, I had almost 2 weeks' worth of laundry to do.  That looks like this in our house:

I must say that having a very functional and spacious laundry room makes the whole process much  more enjoyable.  Not having to drag laundry up and down stairs is SO nice.  Having tons of hanging space to hang clothes straight out of the dryer is SO nice.  I am a fan. :)

Asa loves to help me load the washing machine, pour in the soap, and start it up.  He also like to sit and watch the washing machine--ours has a glass window in the top.  He and Anna Reaghan are both great helpers at moving the laundry to the dryer (well, I move it but they shove it in for me).  Sometimes I switch al load while they are doing something else.  And that is how I found THIS!

I love love LOVE that he is starting to write anywhere and everywhere--and without any prompting from me. :)

2.  In an effort to get started on Lila's bedding, I took my seam ripper to the bumper pad I bought at a consignment store.  Now I have bare batting and cording to cover with Lila's fabric!  Making the bumper is the biggest step to me.  I am not as intimidated by the crib skirt, and if I have to finish the quilt later (even a year from now) I am not worried about that.  Lila won't be using the quilt as a baby; it's for decoration.  So as much as I'd like to get all 3 pieces completed before she arrives, I'm okay if the quilt waits.  I THINK I have settled on which fabric will go on the outside of the bumper, and now I just need to pair up fabrics for the inside. :)

3. On Thursday, Asa's class went to a "pumpkin patch" right on the grounds.... but it was realllllly  more like a lady dressed up as a pumkin to tell stories and sing songs while the kids sat on hay bales with a handful of pumpkins set here and there for decoration.  Apparently they had games in previous years and it was a bigger production, but we WERE warned ahead of time it was a simplified activity this year.  I am so glad I went though--if for no other reason than the look on Asa's face when he saw me.  I waited outside his room until his class came out to walk to the "patch," and he didn't see me at first when he exited the room.  His face LIT UP when he saw me, and he couldn't stop grinning, kissing my hand, or telling his friends, "This is my mommy." :)  My heart about burst.  Here are a few pictures of Asa singing at the pumpkin patch. :)

4. We are pros at being silly around here.  You never know what the kids will do or say. ;)  This week Asa threw his favorite blanket over his head and announced, "I'm Moses!"

And Anna Reaghan gobbled down a dark chocolate peanut butter cup after a trip to Trader Joe's on Friday... leaving the evidence all over her face. :)

5.  I changed all the sheets on our beds, and that turned into an impromptu singing and dancing performance on Anna Reaghan's mattress "stage."  They just might have played this all day if I had let them.  I did let them enjoy it for a long time, but eventually we moved on to other activities. :)  What amused me the most was I took a video in which AR rolls over Asa, purposefully rolls again off the mattress, and then fake cries before she laughs at herself.  After they kids watched the video, they wanted to reenact it again and again.  Asa hunched over and told Anna Reaghan, "Roll over me!  Roll over me!" and Anna Reaghan rolled off the mattress again and again pretending to cry. :)  They are SILLY!

Pretending to sleep after their "performance"