Time

Oh man, what a month! We have been way too busy to even remember what we've been doing. Tim will be done with school (until next September) next month, thank goodness. One year down, so many more to go... Tim made the Dean's List again last term. He plans on keeping that up, and make the President's List next year. I'm so proud of him and everything he is doing. All of that homework, work and music ventures make for precious little time together but we have this summer. We'll both still be working, but our evenings will be a little more free.

Anna is kicking the butt of every milestone she reaches, and a few beyond her age. She's amazing. She's taking a few steps at a time, clapping the whole way, then gets so excited that she loses her balance and falls. I think it would help her if she stopped walking and standing with her toes curled. She's talking so much now. She says "dada", "momma", "baba" (Tim's mom), "yeahyeah" (my mom), "papa" (Tim's stepdad), "dada (in a whisper)" (my dad), "dat" and "teetee" (cat), "lala" (hello), "Nana" (Anna), "dayday" (thank you), "yum"...I'm sure there are a few more. She blows us away every day. Poor Hemi, though. She thinks kitty brother is her toy. The other day she was bugging him and he raised a paw to her, she thought he was trying to give her a high-five and was very excited. I had to pull her away before he high-fived her face, claws first.

I've been setting some major goals for myself lately. I've been on a major self-sufficiency kick lately. I challenged myself to learn to bake from scratch, which I have been doing. Cupcakes have been in our home in abundance the last few weeks, and I made my first loaf of bread on Friday. Sewing is also on my list. I'm going to make pillowcases in Enrichment next week--I haven't sewn in years. My cousin also gave me the awesome idea of making cloth napkins to cut down on her disposable napkin and paper towel waster. I need some fabric and my mom's serger. This all feels very Holly Housewife, which kind of freaks me out, but I really do like doing this. I've also felt the need to completely clean my home. I got the impression that in order to better feel the Spirit in our home we need to create a better atmosphere for it.

ALSO, I signed up for my first triathlon. I'm not a runner, I don't own a bike and I can't swim, but I've been offered a lot of help. I want to start a team so we can relay it. I would happily take the bike portion if I had one, so I guess I'm stuck with running. It's something I've been meaning to do anyway. My weight loss has plateaued again and I'm struggling with that. I need something to kick my butt and get my metabolism back in gear. It's frustrating. This should help, though. 5 months of intensive training and watching what I eat. I can do this.

The last couple of months have been one minor disaster after another. For instance, we can't drive our car right now because the driver side window is broken. Awesome. Work is tough for us at present...and most of the time. Minor disasters and major disappointments aside, we're surviving. It's like Mother Theresa said, "God only tries those He loves the most. I just wish He didn't love me so much." Amen, sister, amen. :)

Here's hoping for a better summer!