Nesting has taken over our household lately - I think if there were any leaves in sight I would be gathering them, but we're still blanketed in snow so I've been gathering blankets, onesies, and tiny socks instead. And if you look closely at our dishwasher, you'll see that it's surprisingly free of gunk around the outside of the door. Our oven is currently doing a self-cleaning cycle. The microwave is scrubbed clean of splatters and spills. The washer and dryer have been wiped down and cleaned out (yes, you read that correctly - I cleaned the inside of our clothes washer). And do you need to find a recipe for a blueberry-nectarine tart? Simply look under the "tarts" tab in the recently-organized Wood family cookbook.
Not that any of this maniacal cleaning means our home looks clean any given time. There are still piles of unopened mail on the counter and Kix that crunch under our feet on the carpet. It's the long-term, built-up dust and grime that have been bothering me. Fortunately Haley thinks it's a great game to wipe things off and knows right where the rag drawer is. She spent about 20 minutes with a spray bottle of water and a rag, "washing" the top of the coffee table. It really helps that Haley sees Cinderella scrubbing floors - she'll scrub and scrub while belting out "Sing Sweet Nightingale" (she says "nightin-dale"). Too bad she probably won't feel the same way about cleaning when she's 16...
In other Adorable news, Haley's been perfecting the art of wrapping us around her little finger. Her latest phrase is "will you come be my friend?" It's hard to resist that - even in the middle of a project or as we leave her room at night - especially when she adds "I love you to the moon and back, Mama." Sometimes it's hard to believe she's not quite 3 - today she's been throwing around words like "usually"and "actually." Let's hope the cute streak continues through the arrival of Baby Brother...
The highlight of our week was an unexpected visit from our friends April, Dave, and Morgan. Haley was so excited to find out they were coming that she was literally bouncing off the walls. Having not seen them since June, Haley said Morgan looked "different" and we had to explain that she had been growing and getting bigger too. The girls had so much fun playing together and were especially excited to get tucked into their beds for their first slumber party (although both wound up in their parents' beds). We can't wait to see them again this summer and introduce Haley's baby brother to Morgan's baby sister.