Is It Naptime Yet

So Saturday I got tons done.

Really TONS.

I wish I could post pictures, but now that we’ve switch to Linux, or Xubuntu to be specific, Jon needs to do stuff to make it possible to upload pictures. Of course I could shut down the computer and restart it in Windows, but I’m too lazy and I’ll just do that tomorrow.

Well Jon and Dad bought plywood to place under the bunk bed mattresses on Saturday. The boards that we had underneath Lilah’s mattress did no make me comfortable and so we got some good ole plywood to put underneath. Opposed to the bunky boards or whatever. Anyways. They bought two boards, in which I was opposed to two because I like being able to sit up on Lilah’s bed. Jon thought they could just double them up under the bottom mattress but that wasn’t going to work because with all those layers the mattress would be likely to slide off. So we put the second board on the top bunk where it needed to go anyways. The girls loved running around up there with Jon and Lilah can’t wait until she’s five and can sleep up there. Anyways, I can no longer sit up on Lilah’s bed and now we’re using the top bunk as storage. It looks rather cheesy having our toilet paper, paper towels, suitcases and sleeping bag up there, but hey space is space and I don’t have much here in this house.

So Saturday I was able to get things organized. I was able to organize the bottom halves of the girl’s closet and mine. I cleaned out the dreadful corner in my living room where a dreadful metal black table was and my father hauled it away on Sunday after FHE. Now my lovely trunk/ end table sits there. My living room only has a few cheesy boxes in it now. in which one holds stuffed animals and the others are stacked upon my food storage shelves. I’d go buy wicker baskets if it weren’t for the fact that we’re way over budget this month but luckily the 1st car payment isn’t due until June 30th.

My house is slowly becoming mine. I have a goal of doing 10 minutes of filing or shredding each day, though I should probably do both. I did shredding today, along with cleaning the bathrooms.

Yesterday we went to the park, hence why I felt the urge to spend the whole morning cleaning. I think I need a housekeeper.

My dad came today and he just hauled away the old crib and the scrap wood from our back yard. YAY!!
Now I can organize the girls room, but Eden is taking her nap. 🙁
and then later today Lilah will take a nap also. 🙁
But Jon’s putting together my end table/ trunk that we bought for mothers day!! YAY!!
but the spot I want it still has lots of stuff with no where else to go just yet. 🙁
I’m hoping by the end of next week life will be more settled. 🙂
I do have a car to distract me though, YAY!!
But it may now take longer to organize our house now. 🙁
I’ve finished my lesson for Relief Society tomorrow. YAY!!!
But I received a new calling on Thursday so this will be my last time teaching Relief Society. 🙁
I really, really love teaching Relief Society. 🙂 🙁
Tomorrow is family home evening with my family. YAY!!
I’m teaching the lesson. We’re doing the Ten commandments this year and I have “Thou Shalt not kill” 🙁
Yeah what do you do with that. “Don’t kill your siblings, or you’ll go to hell. Amen.” 🙂

We often talk to Lilah about not wasting. We need to eat all our food and not use too much toilet paper. (The main examples.) She always asks why we shouldn’t waste things and we tell her it costs money to buy food and toilet paper so we don’t want to waste them. I’ve even threaten talking money from her piggy bank if she was to continue wasting toilet paper. (It seems she find a new way to play and waste it at least once a month.)
Well she asked Jon the other day about why we shouldn’t waste food. He said it wasted money, and her reply was “I want to waste my money at Chuck E’ Cheese. That would be fun.”  Maybe on Lilah day we’ll got to Chuck E’ Cheese and let her buy.:)

This past couple weeks have been crazy. I’ve been researching used cars, where to get them and how much. It’s been nuts. Well yesterday we bit the bullet and went and bought one.
Here’s my new-to-me 2004 Toyota Camry LE.

All the cars I wanted were sold and one had frame damage. This one we liked and our mechanic approved but said it had some rust, due to it being from Salt Lake City. We got it for a descent price and a really good warranty from Toyota. We were looking at going to an LDS guy who goes to the auctions and another one from Overton, but we decided that being able to see the car, test drive it and have our mechanic look at it were important, plus we got a really good warranty, in which had we purchased a similar warranty we probably would have spent the same amount. It was more than we wanted to spend overall. In some ways I think I was being too idealistic. We still bought within Jon’s income so any money I make will go to paying down debts and beefing up the savings that we just took from. I’m so happy to be able to go places! Though I’m going to try to stay close to home as to save money on gas. I love it! Lilah likes that she can see out the front window and it will fit three car seats! Yes an infant and two regular car seats. I love it. Jon says we can have a third, but I remind him that we do have a lot of bills right now so it might be better if we wait. Not that I would delay a child because of money but that is a factor in being able to afford one. We couldn’t have a third until we had a car to fit three and now that we have a car that can fit three we can’t afford it! Isn’t it ironic.

We also bought the car from a UNLV quarterback.(That was an old picture.) Well, we didn’t know who he was, even though Jon works at UNLV and I went there, but Jon researched his name after he told us he played. I hope he wasn’t too insulted. He was very nice, it was the manager that had the very typical cars sales man attitude. Yuck.

Monday, the 14th, Lilah had her first dance recital. I was a little nervous because at the practice she had refused to dance and was overwhelmed at the large auditorium and the strange people. (It was a the local middle school.) But after singing on Sunday she got a little boost of confidence about not being nervous in front of people. She kept saying how she wasn’t nervous to sing. So Monday came and I tried to prepare her mentally. It would be a big gym and there would be lots of people she didn’t know but there would be people she knew, like Daddy, Eden, Grandma and Grandpa, and Aunt Carolyn. She took a great nap and we got ready that evening. She didn’t eat much, but I was fine with that since it was early. We got there and Lilah saw her other dance friends and then the people. She seemed okay. She loved clapping for the first number and I think that got her ready.
Well the first number ended and Sam lead the girls to the floor. One girl was having problems. She didn’t want to sit with the other girls and Sam carried her out onto the floor. She started crying the music started and only one of the four girls started doing the motions. Sam was having trouble so I went up to help the girls while she gave the crying one to her mom. I stayed up there for lack of not knowing if it would look strange if I sat down. The remaining four did the motions and Lilah was so cute. She loved the applause and kept talking about getting one of the balloons after it ended. (The had balloons as decorations.) We didn’t get her one but I think we will for Lilah day.
We took a video, no pictures, but we don’t know how to put it up unless we put it on you-tube. I’m hoping to get the pictures that my sister Carolyn took.
It turned out well and Lilah is excited to do tap next year. Eden had a ball and would dance and jump along with the other girls. Too bad she has to wait another year.

Today’s been pretty normal.
Eden woke up very early. Jon got her for me. later when Jon was up I tried to see of she would sleep a little in bed with me and of course all she did was play roughly with my hair. Jon at one point took her back to the living room. She was having a bad cough, which she caught from Lilah, and we decided she should stay home with him. We discussed shortly having Lilah stay home since she’s still coughing but we decided she probably was not contagious and I decided since it was my first mothers day with her in primary she must go because I wanted to see her sing the traditional mother’s day song by the Primary kids. (The song changes each year between a few but they always sing in sacrament, this year was “Mother I Love You”. I think it’s in the church handbook. J/K)
Anyways since it would be just me and Lilah needing to go to church I turned my alarm back to 7:30 and tried to sleep in a little more. It turns out Jon fell asleep on the couch and I turned my alarm off so at 8:06 I started getting ready for our 9:00 church. Some how I got ready while Jon took care of the girls. We actually got there at 9:07.
When they announced for the Primary kids to go up Lilah timidly got up and wandered slightly to the front. We were on the very last row. Emily Bartholomew got her and another Sunbeam and brought them up to the stand. Lilah stood in the front and her head was the only thing over the hand rail. She had her hands on it and she rested her head on her hands. She was so cute and I could tell she was nervous. She sang some words but mostly watched the congregation. I teared up a little as I watched my baby sing.
I still can’t believe she’s so big.

Today while I did my hair Lilah came in and was talking about going to the church on Tuesday and having everyone sing.
I wasn’t sure what she was talking about and we were late so I had her run and get her shoes. Jon came in and asked if I knew what Lilah was talking about. I said no I didn’t quite understand her. He said she was talking about having a day for Lilah and having the kids sing for her. Then she decided it should be this Tuesday. I told Jon it was her birthday she’s talking about.
( When she had woken up and was a little resistant to going to church. I mentioned that today was Mother’s day and that she would be singing with the Primary kids. )

I’ve been doing a lot lately. Well it seems like a lot. I finished my bedroom drapes! I now don’t have to adjust the blanket that was in the window each night before bed.

I’ve also been trying to get things organized. I’ve been going through all the old piles of papers and tossing things into a shred box and a to be filed box. Our first couple years of marriage are very unorganized so I have a lot of things to file and get ready to scan once we get a scanner. (I read a recommendation on scanning documents, such as tax paperers or medical statements, and filing things electronically. This was you don’t need to hold on to the actual papers past a year.) We keep everything so it’s nice to see the box of stuff I didn’t know what to do with get smaller. Like pay stubs and rent receipts from our first apartment. Those are getting shredded, not filed. I even found our actually wedding license from the State of Nevada. Good thing we never needed it in the past two years, because it was in a to be filed box from the move. That would have driven us nuts if we needed it.
I’m hoping to have the house organized to the way I want it by the end of the month. That way we’ll have less clutter and hopefully everything will have a place. I hope it will make my life a little easier. It seems hard to have the energy to do chores when I’m constantly trying to lessen the clutter, or I feel depressed about how much there is to do and don’t do anything. I’m seeing the light though. Next Saturday my dad and Jon will be getting rid of the crib and I am looking forward to organizing the closets more.
I’m enjoying organizing, even when I’m overwhelmed because I can see it slowly paying off. The one bad thing is I’m buying things to organize with. Like a new DVD shelf,which came yesterday, and hopefully the end table/ trunk will be here on Tuesday. They’ll hold the blankets I don’t have room for in my hall closet.
I’m also looking to buy some wicker baskets to put CD’s in and stuff animals.
Those can wait until June though.
Organize, organize, organize.
It’s only taking me two years to find a spot for everything, but now I have the time and the motivation.

Eden in front of the curtains

Jon being bored

This photo gives a better idea of the texture and colors of the fabric. We plan on painting the room a lighter shade of the blue in the curtain. I’m also trying to find sheets in the light seagreenish color, but I may just do blue.

Here’s one of my mother’s day gifts. Now instead of DVD’s in my entertainment center I have CD’s. At least they’re finally unpacked, it’s just been nearly two years.

I was looking online at booster seats and I came across this one.

In the discription is has :

• 2 retractable extra-large cup holders and convenient storage space for snacks / Gameboy and/or MP3 players.

Yeah it’s for kids up to 100 lbs, but I think it’s funny that my toddler can store her M3 player, if she had one.

Anyways.

I read a lot of blogs and think wow, I wish I could be that clever on a regular basis.
Now that I’m out of school I feel a little lost. I think it’s sunk in that my life is pretty uneventful. Once I get a car maybe I’ll be able to tell horror story’s of going out in public with two girls by myself. right now if I have both girls in public I also Have Jon, so we’ll see how the first trip to the library goes or to the park alone.

Now back to life.
My schedule has changed, kinda for the good, but I my sleep habits don’t think so. I’m going to bed regularly at 11 or 11:30pm. This helps because I was often all over the place on what time I went to bed, including sometimes not going until 12:30 am. One reason I’m going to bed earlier is because Jon’s been on the couch. We both find that we sleep better separately. We’re planning on getting a larger bed sometime, we’re going to upgrade to a queen, and get something like a temperpedic or maybe a sleep number bed where we can each choose the firmness we want. There was also an article Jon sent me at one point about men and women’s sleep habits. Men’s sleep is disturbed when they sleep with someone, as is women’s, but it affects men’s IQ and test taking type skills, where as it woman are not affected cognitively. This is why Jon went to the couch so he could have better sleep and hopefully be more productive.
I’ve needed better sleep because Eden is consistently waking up at 6:30 am. This really stinks. I don’t like it because one I am sleepy still, two I have 2 more hours with her than I’m use to. It sounds strange but I just don’t know what to do with her for that long. We get stir crazy a lot lately so this just perpetuates it.
Yesterday Eden fell asleep in the high chair for a second time because of her early hours.
I like getting the day started around 8. It makes it go faster. When I’m up from 7 it goes by so slow and then I have so much time to do the things that I like procrastinating and hiding from.

Overall I think I’m keeping my house presentable. Jon will be dropping off three boxes and one bag of DI stuff after work. We’ll also be getting rid of our glider chair and the baby swing. Though once the glider is gone it will be replaced with an exercise bike from Jon’s parents. Sigh. This weekend was productive though. I got Jon to go through a few boxes and and we condensed and threw away. It feels good to let go of things. We have such a small place that I’m very willing to give away things that are cluttering the place, though we still have plenty of clutter.
Today I’ve been organizing the book shelves and I was able to unpack one box of books. The problem being this box was used as part of an end table type thing in our bed room, so now instead of a three foot high stack of boxes it’s 2 feet. ( I had it covered with some fabric so it wasn’t totally cheesy looking.) I might take our CD box and used it in it’s place. It’s just siting in our entertainment center right now. We need to buy some media shelf to go who knows where, but who knows when we’ll get it. Anyone want any CD’s? Just kidding Jon would be upset because most of them are his.
As soon as we get rid of the old crib I’ll have all that storage space under Lilah’s bed. The problem being the crib parts are too big to set out for the trash men, though I’m very temped to do because they did take away a tall shelf that had been in the back yard. So we’re thinking what might be easier is getting someone with a truck and take the crib and wood from our back yard to the dump. It’s getting someone with a truck. We have my dad, but we’ve use him so much lately that we feel bad. We’re getting rid of the crib that Lilah used as a toddler bed because we’ve lost some parts that are not replaceable and it’s the most confusing crib ever. The directions are very vague, which we didn’t realize until we got it out and looked at it this weekend to see if we could give it to someone. I guess if someone wants to try to figure it out they can, but I don’t think it’s worth it, plus since it’s so vague you don’t know if you’d be compromising the safety of the baby. So we just want to get rid of it.
Life is crazy and very messy. Why can’t everything stay clean and organized and just disappear when you don’t need it anymore.