what's up weekly.

Hello, friends!  I'm afraid I don't have much for you today.  This week was uneventful.  I feel like I'm in a weird place with this pregnancy, where I'm close enough to the end that I'm wanting to slow down and lay low, but not close enough to the end where baby prep picks up, with washing baby laundry and prepping meals and getting out gear.  I've been laying on the couch a lot, complaining about how uncomfortable I am, and reading the occasional snippet of a birth book.  I did also cook a few extra batches of ground beef a few days ago to put in the freezer, so I guess that's something.

A friend of ours saw us at church on Sunday and was like, "You're due any day now, right?" to which I had to answer, "No, I still have about ten weeks."  It felt good to know I look that big, though.

The main thing grabbing my attention this week was ordering Christmas presents.  Yes, Christmas presents.  In early October.  But because the baby will be born during Advent, and because it's already a busy time of year, and because they're anticipating shipping delays and shortages as the winter progresses (oh, goody goody), now was as good a time as any to just get it done.  So it has been a whirlwind week, trying to even figure out what I want to get the kids, and then getting it ordered, and then also juggling all the kids' orders for each other.  (The kids all enjoy using their allowance money to order small gifts for each other, but it ends up being over fifty separate gifts to help them pick out and order, and then keep track of their arrival, and organize once they're here... plus my own gifts for everyone.  It becomes quite the ordeal.)

I still have a couple gifts I need to decide on, and a couple I have decided on but need to pick up, but it's mostly done.  Whew.  

Now I think I need to mentally shift to birth prep: making more meals, gathering the items I'll need for the home birth, that kind of thing.  I also need to plan out meals for Thanksgiving, Christmas and all of our feast days between now and January, so I can make sure to make or prep things as much as I can in advance.  I'd also like to do a little yardwork and a fall cleaning of the guts of our house... you know.  Just a few small, manageable, realistic goals.

Oh, I also started a quilt for the baby I'm hoping to complete before her arrival.

And I wonder why I feel so scattered.

Luckily, next week is a break week.  I'm planning on taking the boys out for one-on-one activities on Monday, and then starting potty training with Juni on Tuesday.  I'm hoping that I can get a few things done during naptime once Juni lays down on those days, so we'll see how that goes.  Maybe I'll feel a bit better and more prepared by this time next week.

In weekly news that doesn't involve my petty griping, Atticus had quite the week.  He kicked it off by ordering the hottest wings on the BWW menu - they're seasoned with Carolina Reaper peppers.  They came with a warning label.  He ate them all.  

He also celebrated the third anniversary of his baptism yesterday.  We celebrated with a small gift and an impromptu photo shoot. 

Today marks Penelope's fourth baptism anniversary, so you'll get a chance to see her pretty face next week.  (With a fresh haircut!  A friend came over and gave all of us girls cuts this week, and wow, does our hair look a million times better.  I didn't realize how bad it had gotten!)

And lastly, we added a new member to our family.  Everyone, meet Goldie Honda.

Some friends of ours got a new car, and gifted us their old car.  It is kind of an adjustment going from driving the huge Kraken to tootling around town in this little fella.  But I also kind of love it.  It will be perfect for trips where I'm by myself, and for teaching Atticus to drive when he gets his learner's permit next year.  (Yes, he will be driving next year.  Dang.)

And those were the highlights of this week!  We will finish up school today and then be off for break, so I feel like I'm crossing a finish line, or at least reaching a milestone.  It's going to be a good day!