Romper Pillow Fun

     Summer in Arizona poses unique challenges for a stay-at-home mom and two darling daughters who NEVER stop moving.  It really does get too hot to take them outside.  Yes, the pool is always an option.  We have one and I never stop being thankful for it.  But sometimes, I just don't want to swim.  We usually end up in the pool at some point in the day, but I like doing other things.  And so do the girls.
     Enter Matt's ingenious foresight.
     Three years ago, Audrey and I left Korea after one year living abroad.  Matt stayed behind to finish out his final month at Osan AB.  While he was there, he did some last minute shopping (hey, they have really good deals in Korea!).  One of his best purchases were a stack of pillows. I call them romper room pillows.  Two of them are floor futons (meant for sleeping or resting), two are squares (decor?), and three are long pillows that often get used as swords.  When I first unpacked them, I honestly had my doubts.  I remember thinking, "Really?  We need these?  Where are we going to keep them?"  Matt gently assured me that we'd be happy to have them down the road -- the kids would love them and so would we.
     He was right.  Now, in our front room, we can stretch those futon pillows out and make ramps.  We make forts. We make tunnels.  We make obstacle courses.  Just a few days ago, we pulled out the pillows (and added a few extra, like our papasan chair cushion) and made a great little obstacle course.  Audrey and Claire ran, climbed, jumped, and crawled over the pillows for at least an hour.  Nonstop.  By the end, I was even part of the obstacle course (although, according to Audrey, I was there to catch them as they jumped off of the volcano).  Thank you, Matt, for getting these amazing pillows!