Friday was Pajama Day at school.  Does everyone buy brand new pajamas for pajama day?  My kids normally wear some scary, mismatched, ill-fitting, comfort wear to bed, and we call it pajamas.  That's not exactly something I would send them to school in, though, and their only cute pajamas were Christmas ones.  Anyway, pajama day was a very big day for Cassia.  Her teacher informed Jon that it was the very first time all year that Cassia spoke in a normal voice to her teacher and classmates.  She usually zips her mouth and rarely utters a discernible word.  Pajama Day did something for her confidence.  I think the girl wants to look cute and doesn't think that the uniform does much for her.  Pink giraffe pajamas, however, were just up her alley.   Tomorrow she will be back in her uniform, so we'll see if the pajama break through continues or if it only lasts as long as the pajamas are worn.

Jon made the kids cinnamon toast log cabins just like his dad used to make for him.

 Roo is 11 months old!  I don't want this next month to pass!  He's my baaaaabyyyy.  Anyway, you can see from this sign that 11 months is a drooly age and an age for smearing chalk off chalkboards as soon as possible.  Roo is standing and taking a couple steps but really doesn't seem like he has much interest in walking.  He has at least 8 teeth, but I admit that I haven't risked my fingers by prying around the back of his mouth to see if any molars have broken through.  I assume they are on their way from the amount of drool that is constantly soaking his shirts.  "Yucky," is his newest word.  He will usually spit something out if you tell him it is yucky.  His gap-tooth smile melts my heart every time, and he knows it.  He can climb on the couch, which adds a new dimension of danger to his life.  He can hum when he is trying to remind me to hum or sing when he wants to be rocked back to sleep at 4am.   He weighs 19 pounds and is just starting to fit into 12-month clothes, although that size pants are pretty long for him.  His hair is getting longer but is still so baby fine.  He adores Jon and is desperate to be held by him when he gets home from work.

We let Brishen choose the restaurant to celebrate getting his learner's permit.  He chose a real restaurant, which is not something we brave very often at all.  We braved it, and the kids were really, really good.   They have since asked nightly if we are going back to the restaurant.

 Basia and Edison are doing science with magnets.  Zade had to take a break after stabbing Edison with the large nail that was included in the kit.

This is the first time Tobias wrote his name without tracing it.  I'm impressed!

Basia drew that vampire.  She then drew another matching one.  She then drew two outlines of vampires on black paper.  She then stapled them all in a circle and added a top.  She strung an LED light in the center and added a string for hanging.  Seriously, I don't know where this girl gets her ideas.  Her mind amazes me sometimes!

I finally figured out that my kids are going to be behind their peers at school unless I start working with them at home a little.  I was telling Cassia letters, and she was writing them for me.  I haven't worked much with any of the kids, so it's funny how much more advanced she has become on her own.  It might help that she's so quiet at school.  

Soren wants to read so badly.  He especially hates that Cassia can do it when he's just not ready.  We are working on the letter sounds, and then we'll start working on reading.  He did a great job writing his last name.  I love that Moore is his last name.  There was a time when my kids had so many different last names, but now they are almost all Moores.

Baby Roo is recovering from an ear infection.  That means I am recovering from a severe shortage of sleep.  Roo has spent the last four nights sleeping in 20-40 minute spurts.  He then needs a new sleeping arrangement in order to get back to sleep.  If he's in his crib, he wants held.  If I'm holding him, 34 minutes later, he wants in his crib.  This repeats over and over and over again the entire night for four nights now.  I am desperate for some real sleep, so I hope tonight is my lucky night!

Oh, and on a very, very nice note, I said a prayer today that was instantly answered.  I'm not usually the sort of person who prays about everyday issues.  I don't pray for traffic lights to turn green or for my broken appliances to heal, but today I did.  I have a washing machine (the 2nd one in the house) that has never worked for us.  We got it fixed once, but it stopped working within a few days again.  I had another guy look at it, but he said there was nothing he could do.  I just gave up on it and used the matching drier without worrying about the washer.  It has now been well over a year since I really even thought of the washer.  Today I planned to do a TON of laundry, and I thought of that second washer.  I thought I should try it again just for the fun of it.  I prayed it would work because it would make my work go so much more quickly.  I actually said a little prayer for it.  The washing machine worked beautifully for me all day long.  It's hard for me to fathom a God who cares about my laundry situation when the world is full of pain and suffering and grief and fear, but I can't deny my little prayer was answered.   That brought a little pep to my sleep-deprived, laundry-over-run self today.  I also got a TON of laundry done.  Thanks be to God!