As you can probably tell by my lack of posts this last month, life has me a bit by the coattails. Between the basement, work, the kids, and the Rest of the House (i.e., laundry, dishes, toys, etc.), it's been a little more than hectic around here, and my pictures continue to pile up on the hard drive and camera and I find myself jotting notes about things to tell you.
So... I may as well start with the basement. (pictures at some point...!) We went around and around deciding what to do with the flooring, and after a recon mission to Menards (in Ottumwa) this last weekend, we settled on carpet remnants, as we could get them much cheaper than carpet tiles, and Menards was also have a 30% of sale. Monday night we drove to Menards (in Altoona) and picked out three pieces, and each successive night, we laid a piece and moved the major pieces of furniture on top. Of course, we are not professional installers, and we opted not to install a pad, so the floor is harder. But, without spending the money to fix possible "structural integrity" issues (i.e., installing a draining system, etc.), this was the easiest way (we felt) to deal with possible water problems in the future.
Now we to go through and replaces the DVDs and CDs, dig through the fabric and projects, figure out how to hook up the sound system again... but with this all comes the ability to finally do what I've been wanting to do... dig through and get rid of things we don't need / use. So cathartic! So far we've cleared off two shelves and further reduced our book footprint (though, it's hard to do!), and we also plan to find a new home for my super massive desk. Some fabric and things will be sent off to a friend who has only been sewing for a few years and is WAY more prolific than myself, and that pile of garage sale stuff? It will FINALLY be headed to the thrift shop.
Next... work. Suffice it to say, I'm busy right now, and due to the basement fiasco and home needs, it has been hard to find enough time to finish what I need to do without staying up until all hours of the night. But, that's how it goes sometimes, and I WILL finish my work by my deadline... it's just going to be a very stressful and hard 11 days yet...! And, I will say... if folks think it is hard to leave their work at the workplace and switch to home mode when they are home... it is exponentially difficult to do this when your office is in the dining room. One of the negatives (and sometimes positives) of telecommuting, I suppose. So, my balance that I had found is extremely off-kilter again, but I plan to regain it soon.
The kids are both well, though we had a bit of a day yesterday! (Serious lack of sleep on my part due to a nightmare for Julia which woke up Raven who then didn't want to go back to sleep.... ack!) Raven is a crawling machine now... not fast, but it has finally clicked that she can get places she wants to go, which of course proves to be a bit of fun for all parties involved. She also loves to practice getting onto her toes and hands... it is CUTE to watch! she gets a big grin on her face as if she says, "Ah, ha! I know I should be able to get up on my feet at some point!" Then today she granted me with another new surprise... she was STANDING in her crib and shaking the side/bars back and forth as if to say, "Hello, Mommy! Here is a new challenge for you to overcome when it's time for me to go to bed and sleep! I can STAND UP by MYSELF now!!!" How fun to know that she is learning and doing new things... she is a much happier goose too!
Julia is well and continues to prove her stubbornness, but she is most certainly a soft-hearted and sweet soul. I am continually amazed by the love she shows her sister, and while jealously rears its head now and again, it is often warranted and she usually deals with her sister gracefully. She is protective of Raven too, and she continues to be a Big Helper in regards to "Baby Sisser". We are doing the summer reading program with Julia, and while we used to think we read to her "enough", we are finding that we don't... ack! It doesn't help that the attention span of a 2yo who would much rather be off running and playing is rather short. We are to read to her for 9 hours by the end of July... doesn't sound like a lot, but I'll admit that we don't sit and read for hours and hours each day.
The girls both have transitioned to the new daycare well... hard to believe it has been five weeks already! We love Miss Amy and Julia and her daughter, Greta, are becoming fast friends. Raven has three mothers during the day, but what baby doesn't love the attention? So... all is well on that front!
Well... that is all for now... this has become rather long! Tomorrow we head up town to celebrate Buscha's birthday (a.k.a. 4th of July Weekend) with fun foods, frog jumping contests, and fireworks! YAY! Adam is also playing with Amy Steenhoek as part of the festivities, so it will be fun for the girls to have a chance to watch daddy play his "gttarrrrr" (bass).
Much love!
Erin
