An overdue update

I think we are starting to find a daytime rhythm of naps and eating/clean up/snacking/clean up/etc. (Side note: I feel like all I do is make food, feed kids, clean up food, make snack, clean up snack, make lunch, feed lunch, clean up lunch...and on and on and on...I can't wait until Benjamin can feed himself!!)

I haven't found that rhythm of life with my work in the evenings yet. I know I'll get there, but it's yet another transition that has thrown me off a bit. I'm lovin' my job--tax extension deadline in Oct. 15th, so I've been able to ease back into work with the thing I enjoy most--tax returns. It has made it hard to do things like blog and write emails (and get sleep!) So, to those of you who have e'ed me and haven't heard from me, your words have been wonderful to read and my appologies for the silence from Montana.

I'm working 10-13 hours a week with a comination of evenings and/or the Fridays that Jeremy has off. He had a great schedule in August and then he had a superbusy September, which made me less than thrilled. It felt like Osan only without the friends :( Now that the government is starting a new fiscal year, his schedule should be "normal" and consistently the same until next September. It's been since March 2005 since I've been able to say that. PRAISE GOD!

I finally got my haircut by someone who knows what they are doing!! I only had six haircuts in three years, and my hair was so fried that my hairdresser had to cut almost five inches off the length. This was after a gal in Indiana cut almost three inches in July! She is the same gal I went to for the last few years we were in Montana, and the entire time she is cutting/fixing my hair she would comment "I can't believe your hair is like this--it was always so healthy!" It's shorter than what I plan to keep it, but it almost healthy again!

My parents have bought plane tickets for a THREE WEEK visit in December!! Another Praise the Lord, anyone?? This will be only their third visit since I've been married and their first visit to my house since I've become a mom. As most of my blog readers are female, you will identify with my need for my family to see "my space" and the way my life flows to know me as an adult. I can't wait!! They will be here in just under 11 weeks!

We are still in process of finding our church home. It is such a long, hard process! It is helpful that two of my best girlfriends are also going through the same thing (only in different parts of the country). We are able to swap stories and make each other feel normal :) We are down to two very different churches, both of which are going through some adjustment periods. It is helpful that I have a few friends in town with kids that I can catch up. And I'm learning how to get over my phone phobia! Nothing like living in America to force you to talk on the phone to connect with people!

In going to two separate people's houses, Hannah has decided that she needs a potty. So, we bought her a potty chair. Not that I'm actively potty training, but if she wants to sit half-naked on a small piece of plastic, and that sitting somehow makes her want to get rid of her diapers a month or two early (I'm shooting for January to actually start all of this madness) then I don't mind playing with Benjamin in the floor of the bathroom while she sits there and reads Clifford books. It's fun, though, that she always wants to sit on the potty AFTER she has gone potty in her diaper...eventually...Just last week she did start saying her colors! One day everything is blue the next day she could identify six colors. Literally. It was strange. One morning she is going to jsut start singing the ABCs (which she calls her BCEs at the moment...).

Benjamin is showing no signs of pulling up and walking, which is fine by me. It is interesting, though, to begin to see the divergence in "milestones" between her and Hannah. Not that I'm in any way shape or form thinking he is "behind" or something. It's just interesting. (Aana, I think of you and your WALKING eight month old everytime I have a child who is either eight months old or learning to walk!) He did start babbling mamamama this week, which was fun :)

I've scrapbooked 15 spreads in 15 days and have finished a total of 26 since my stuff got here in August. Only about 18 more and I'll be "caught up" and I'll be able to start on Christmas presents. How do you gals move all of the time and still do all of this stuff? You amaze me! I'm learning what a moving wimp I am. Or, at least, how much not fun this would be to repeat all of the time!

A long day

You know it has been a long day when, after eight months of nursing your child, you forget to nurse said child and don't realize it until four hours later...

I need to sleep.

Stampin' Up!

I'm placing a SU! order this weekend, so if you are interested in buying some stuff, let me know and I'll add it to my order. Check out their website and shoot me an email! :)

Your weekly Hokie update

After a devastating and embarrassing loss to LSU last week, the Hokies found a new grove with freshman quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Hokies ended the game again Ohio with a 28-7 win and zero errors on Taylor's part. Best of all, their win gave Coach Beamer his 200th career win.

GO HOKIES!!

This was the biggest casualty of our hiking trip :) Plus, I personally think it was the funniest picture! Here are the pictures from our Labor Day hike to the Highwoods! Enjoy!

A sadly disappointing day

I had been looking forward to today for almost three weeks. Not in a "I can't wait until Christmas" kind of excitement, but I was still looking forward to it. Normally when I know I'm going to be with a large group of strangers I get VERY nervous. Although I may mask it well, I'm not very hip on the meet-people-let's-be-friends thing. It's much easier for me to reach out to others who are in need of friendship than to be the one who needs the friend (as I'm sure most of my readers will agree).

Walking into the building, it felt like I had been there a million times before. In a way, I had but just not here, in this place. And after the rush and hustle and bustle of endless announcements and advertising, it was over. And I was left feeling sad, empty, and very disappointed. I came home and within 10 minutes called a girlfriend who would empathize with my feelings. This place where I had once gained clarity and wisdom, refreshment and friendship is no longer there for me.

Jeremy thinks I need to try again, but I have no desire to be there. At all. Maybe this was God's way of saying "this is not the place I have for you." Maybe, as with many other things in this move, there isn't a home. Maybe the lifelong lesson to be learn while living in Great Falls is to be content. Content with places and groups that don't feel like home. Content to live in a place that is...good, but not what I long for.

Isn't that the way we are all suppose to feel? I mean, even if you are living near relatives that you love and get along well with, where you can shop at your favorite stores, people fix huge amounts of food for potlucks, and the weather is always your version of perfect, even then we should have that feeling of "not quite right" (as we say in Korea). If you are a beliver, this world isn't your home, no matter what your ZIP code is.

The place that I wanted to feel like home doesn't. I now must continue on this great task of finding my place, the temporary place where God wants to plant me and watch me bloom.

It's not easy.

Monday morning...

No matter how early I get up, I'm not ready for the kids to be awake. There is always more I want to get done before the diapers/clothes changing/cooking/feeding/clean up/more diapers/playtime cycle begins.

Just wanted to post something that most of my readers can relate to--it feels good to feel normal, huh?

Addiction

I don't want to go to bed. I don't want to clean the house, play with the kids, go to work, or make dinner. I just want to sit at my craft table (I have one now!!) in the silence of my rec room and scrapbook. I want to watch my kids grow up in pictures and preserve that wee bit of time when they are small enough to BOTH fit into my lap.

Maybe this pull is so strong because I haven't really scrapbooked since May. I would love the opportunity to get it out of my system, though!

Still looking for the friend who wants to stay up all night and scrap with me...

Late....again...

One would think that if I was running late getting ready for church that I wouldn't be online looking at new friends on FaceBook and adding links to my blog...that would only make sense, but what is the fun in that?!?!

Off to take a shower and HURRY!

Future heartbreaker? Probably...

Weekend Fun

Here are some pictures of what we've been up to this weekend. (Note how one of the only pictures of me has half of my head cut out.) We are headed to the Highwood Mountains tomorrow for our first hike in the States. Jeremy is so excited that he has packed everything, including making all of the food!

I commenced scrapbooking tonight, a task that will take me until Christmas to catch up on! I miss my dear scrapbooking friend desperately! (Why are you in NEBRASKA??) Any Great Falls girls want to come over and scrap with me on Friday? I need conversation to keep me awake for the hours needed to get some of these pictures in albums!

I started my accounting job this past Friday. I have two more days of "training" in the office this week and then they'll turn me loose to do some extended tax returns at home. I think I'm really going to enjoy this opportunity to continue in my profession. The REALLY fun thing is that I'm sharing an office with one of my best girlfriends :) How's that for a blessing?

Let's Go Hokies!

YEAY!!! We won opening day!! Check it out:

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?confId=&gameId=272440259

Although it wasn't the best performance on the field, we still WON the game!! GO HOKIES!!