One Daughter Up.

One daughter down.
Two diry diapers changed.
Bathroom cleaner but not yet clean.
Snack ready to eat.

The Day is Getting Better.

Thank goodness. I have one happy baby in my lap whose arms are NOT long enough to reach the keyboard. :) And one very quiet baby who I think just may be sleeping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If she decided not to take a nap, my plan was to drive around until she did. Even if it took hours. Not a really green plan, I know.

So I've been cleaning all day (stopping only now to do some computer stuff and earlier only to fix meals, nurse, and change diapers/clothes/bibs.) Here's what I want to know: why doesn't my house look clean? Here are my theories:

• We have too much crap.
• I am a terrible cleaner.
• Somebody keeps coming behind me and making messes.

I think they're all true, especially the one where I'm a terrible cleaner. I am. I think maybe I'm getting better, though. I guess being a homemaker is just like anything else... you have to work on it to get good at it. What I really really want, though, is for someone who is not a terrible cleaner to come into my home and deep clean every stinkin' bit of it. Then I will work very hard to keep it clean from there. I know, I know... if wishes were horses...

Now I must change another dirty diaper -- that's something I'm good at!

Breathe in...

Breathe out...
Deep breaths.
This too shall pass.

What gets Sharpie off hands?

Besides time?

In a perfect world...

We would all still be sleeping... or some of us would... or we'd just be getting up.

Instead...

• I woke up at 5:20 due to some kind of noise and couldn't get back to sleep for the next hour and a half.
• Then I heard my little daughter on the monitor, who will normally come to bed with me, drink a little, and fall asleep.
• Except when her sister is awake, too.
• So the girls have been up since 6:45 -- roughly an hour or TWO before normal for them. They are night-sleepers, not nappers.
• Joanna is screaming at me. When she wakes up tired and grumpy, it's all down hill from there.
• It's only 7 freaking 30 in the morning and I want to go away... far far away... by myself.

Recent Pics and Happenings

First up, our most recent storm damage. Yay (she says with sarcasm). The tree is still there, but the back neighbors have sort of propped the fence up temporarily due to their many dogs which I will NOT have running around my yard. We're hoping to make some headway on this mess tomorrow. Miss Natalie head control:

My little bumbo sitter! She really likes sitting up, looking at the world around her.

We went to Grandma's house yesterday evening to visit and say "Happy Birthday, Grandma!" Her birthday is today, and as she put it, she's much older than two. :)

Joanna, bringing over a chair to sit with everybody:

There are lots of fun things to do at Grandma's house, including drawing with Grandma.

We had fun just visiting and relaxing with everybody. Aunt Gail and Uncle Steve headed back to Illinois this morning. We'll miss you guys!

Sunday

After church we headed to Mamma and Pop's house for some fajitas for Mamma's birthday! A few shots of the group. It really was beautiful outside, and we took advantage of it.
Joanna is obsessed with bottled water.

The girls. Natalie is under the blanket having some chow.

Cutie girl

Look at Missy (left). I imagine she's saying, "I caught a fish, and it was this big!"

Joanna and Kurt. Joanna loves Kurt... and his cell phone.

Later that day we headed over to the Ege's for some more chow! The whole homegroup (or at least members of each family) were there. We were trying to get pics of Abby and Joanna's matching shoes. Isn't this cuter?! Now you can see their matching "tie shoes."

For some more pics of the fun we had, click on Kim's blog (The Ege's). I just didn't take that many pics!

We came home and were wiped out! (But very well fed. :) )