Checking the boxes!

I love making lists! I know they can often be a double edge sword and I've worked harder and not being so hard on myself if my lists don't get completed within x time, BUT it really helps me stay focused on what I need to do for our family, work, projects, etc.  At any given time I could have up to five lists going. What I like about it is that once I write my thoughts down on a list I can "let them go" and don't have to keep track of them in my head. For example...I've had a list for Harper for months...that list has included items needed for her room, baby necessities, art ideas, and baby websites that my girlfriends have given me for references.  I often have a project list going of things around our home I'd like to work on....organize laundry room, put away boys summer clothes, go through Thomas the Train totes and give away to friends, organize Bible study notes...you get the idea. Well this weekend has been both relaxing and productive! Today I woke up and after enjoying my cup of coffee reviewed my lists and talked with Chad about what our plan for the days was going to be. We had a couple of Christmas items that we needed to return, gloves to get for Ky, and a few other misc items.  We took off after breakfast and checked those boxes complete by noon. As we pulled in the driveway Chad had the boys jump in my car while he went and grabbed Harper's car seat so we could see how all three would fit in my car.  Chad has a four door avalanche that has a TON of room in the back and all three fit very comfortably....but I have a Ford Fusion (that I love love) and we weren't sure if the car seat, plus Ky's booster, plus Noah would work or if it would be to tight of a squeeze. Which if they don't all fit well in my car it's not a big deal as we can just use Chad's truck while in town...my car is used for our commutes to and from Chicago and most of our driving but we don't put a lot of miles on either vehicle while in town since we can get from one side to the other in less than 15 minutes tops. That all being said her car seat and the boys fit just fine in my car. So her car seat is now locked in to my car and her stroller is in my truck neatly awaiting her arrival. Check and Check... :)  Since we knew that we would be home the rest of the day we both started working on misc items that we wanted to do around the house. I detest going through mail especially junk mail but I am a freak when it comes to shredding everything. So I usually let my mail bin pile up and when it is ready to overflow I go through everything file it and shred. It's funny because every time that I do this I promise myself to do better and go through it multiple times during the week...does it ever happen? Nope...since I do everything online and have spreadsheets that I work off of I don't have a need to really touch the items that come in and I always check the mail every day and filter out the items that require attention or are from friends and family...SO today was the day and I sat with my lovely shredder and shredded my little heart out and filed and reorganized my coupon pouch.

While I was busy with that project Chad brought up three totes that we've had in our laundry/storage room for the past two years that are full of Thomas the Train and Geo Track Train sets. When the boys were toddlers they LOVED trains and their papa collects them and has a huge track that takes up a big part of his basement. Needless to say by the time they were two we had a large train table and trains galore. It was a worthwhile investment as the boys played with them for years and made so many memories with them. But they have since retired to our storage room for us to decide what to do with them.  We have a large play room for the kids and it's always been my goal to keep a couple of totes of infant/toddler toys so that when my girlfriends come over with their babies of different ages I have something for them and when my sisters have kids I'll have items for them to play with. That being said now that we are having a little girl I know we don't need to keep everything the boys had.  The neat thing is my sister's good friend has a 20 month old that loves trains and so we decided to separate the three totes into two big ones and give one to her and the other either to my girlfriend from Alaska, Dawn, or if she's not interested we will hold onto.  After Chad loaded the truck with the large tote I took it over to L's house and her son was so precious!! As soon as her husband opened the tote he squealed and was talking non stop about them. I know they will get a lot of use and enjoyment and that melts my heart. It was so precious though because when Chad brought up the totes Kylan had a little melt down and didn't understand why were giving them away and said he wanted them to play with.  It was a great opportunity for me to sit with both boys and talk to them about how God calls us to share with others and not to be selfish.  We talked about blessing others and praying that God would lay opportunities on our hearts.  Ky and Noah took it all in and nodded their heads..they Ky got up and started to help Chad organize things and talked about how the little boys would like them. I'm thankful for the opportunity God presented for me to talk with them about giving and hope as they grow older they will remember to give and use the gifts that God has blessed them with.

This week will be a busy one....with a work day tomorrow, then a day off, then three last days of work I anticipate the email will be busy and conference calls with be many but I'm excited that the end is in sight!! VERY EXCITED!!!  We don't have any plans for NYE as our dear friends who we normally enjoy NYE with are having their baby girl on Friday...so it will be a welcomed pj night in and most likely I will crash by nine..I don't remember the last time I saw midnight....unless you count the times I get up due to insomnia..haha. Well I'm going to tuck the boys in and relax with the hubs for a bit. Blessings!