Insanity

So, I've been pretty busy lately. At one point I thought I was going out of my mind, and maybe I am. Who knows?

While the girls watch a movie and I avoid folding laundry and getting dressed for the day, I am going to blog. It has been too long on this family blog. I've been blogging a lot over at Bonne Nouvelle (check out all the parties, recipes and tutorials here http://shopbonnenouvelle.blogspot.com/. ). And I've been busy everywhere else in my life. Ready to listen? I need to vent. You'll get tired and might need to take a treat break but please come back and visit?

In a nutshell, if you don't have the energy to read the whole thing. Basically, I'm a glutton for punishment. So these major events, in addition to regular wifery, motherhood, exercising, domestic houselife, book clubs and such....
**Jocelyn's Birthday Party
**Build dollhouse
**Hotel Hannah
**Super Bowl Party
**10 day diet
**Anne of Green Gables
**Hotel Hannah
**Potty Party
**Puppy Dog
**Eye Surgery
**Church Video
**Moving

I thought that once Christmas was over I'd have a slower speed of life but that wasn't the case. Jocelyn's birthday is two days after Christmas and it was her year to have a birthday party again (I let them celebrate with friends at ages, 4, 5, 7 and every other year after that, if that). So we celebrated in January. I also decided to get her another huge Christmas/birthday present this year. It may seem unfair to you since she got the kitchen last year but this gift was really for both girls. And my way of justifying it is staying within my birthday/Christmas budget and keeping it comparable to Samuel's, which it was. So I scouted KSL for several months and found a Barbie sized house for $40 that needed some TLC so I gave it an update. I'll reveal that later on when I complete the finishing touches. Okay, sorry, this is turning into a VERY long post. So week one was devoted to her Alice in Wonderland Tea Party birthday party. Week two--the dollhouse. A little break.

Then Hotel Hannah reopened for the season. Troy and Jana and their boys came for a weekend visit. It was great to have them visit with us though it certainly showed Cecily's terrible two's side :( We made a visit to SLC to the aquarium and signed a lease on a new place in SLC! (we'll be moving in April). But they also decided they were going to buy a puppy which got Tyler to thinking (again) about that notion.....which got me to thinking about that notion......

Then the the next day we hosted a Super Bowl party. We had about 20 people at our house for that from Tyler's study group. We love that group and had a lot of fun. I didn't watch a lick of the game :)

For the next two weeks it was drama with the landlord and management company for the new place we were going to move to. We ironed that out. But there were several late nights in which Tyler and I discussed getting a dog. There are so many cons to getting one. We were never "dog people". But after having struggles with Samuel's behavior I felt it was right for him and the kids. So we researched and prepared for a dog!

Plus, I was on a 10 day diet! Trying to lose weight. It worked but I think I've already gained it back.

Then Valentine's Day. It was off to a great start with chocolate waffles and strawberry cream. Personal love notes and candy. But by the end Tyler was sick and went to bed early. I ate ice cream and my new favorite candy, junior mints.
In the meantime I was planning a potty training party (you can read about it here) and auditioning for a play. Then Tyler's family announced they were coming for a visit over President's Day weekend. The ENTIRE family, the same weekend that rehearsals started and this party was happening. So I kindly invited them to leave for the morning of the party and they cordially helped me with party prep. They were okay with that :) So we had four adults sleeping on our living room floor. Two nephews in Samuel's bedroom, two adults over in the extra room at my grandma's (across the driveway). Then the other two sisters (and an extra friend) stayed over at Tyler's married sister who is going to BYU. 13 adults and 5 children I fed and hosted for 4 days. Wow, talk about exhausting. Fun but exhausting. Home cooked meals, Just Dance on the Wii, card games, talking and visits from the pups that were coming home after everyone left. We finally finished up Tyler's sisters wedding portion of the DVD that we were commissioned to make for her October wedding. We handed those off to his parents and can sigh that we don't have any wedding videos to make anytime soon. Phew.

So Tuesday, the day after everyone left, rehearsals commenced (I got into a PLAY! Anne of Green Gables, the part of Marilla!!! Talk about scary. Fun but intimidating for that role. So far, it's going a lot better than I thought and I don't have to play her like she's 60 years old). Come and see it if you're in Utah!

Tuesday afternoon we picked up Zoey, our new pet puppy. She's a lab/retriever mix. More on her in another post. You can see photos on Facebook.

Two days later Jocelyn went in for eye surgery. She's had an eye that has crossed for about 1 1/2 years and it was getting worse. So we took her into a specialist. A patch or glasses wouldn't fix the problem so she had surgery. She handled it well. The first day was miserable, she was in pain. But after that she's been handling it well. Her eyes are still bloodshot (and will be for another week). I'll blog about this too and show scary pictures of her eyes.

But this "semester" of life is not yet over. I still have lines to memorize and a video to make for our Relief Society activity coming up in March. Then moving. I've contemplated participating in a boutique up in SLC, one that I've done before, but that would involve more stress and a lot of time sewing. I think I'll have to say "no" to that  which makes me sad but I've got to give somewhere. This church activity is the last "big" one I'll get to plan for this ward. It entails a lot of work though (and creativity on my part) and I'm tired just thinking about it. But happy about what it'll end up with (a video involving portraits taken by a talented photographer in the ward, visiting teaching messages, service vignettes filmed of sisters in our ward, and history all rolled up into a 20 minute program made on Adobe Premier). Plus I still have a closing social to plan for our Law Partners group (of which I am a board member) for 100 people in April. Crazy!!

So, yes, we are moving in April, the day after graduation. We found a walk-out basement home in a nice neighborhood in downtown SLC that allows pets. It has a horribly small kitchen, large yard and 4 bedrooms. It'll do for the next two years. Tyler will be working for a Law firm in SLC while studying for the Utah bar. Then next year he'll clerk for a judge in SLC for one year. So we know what we'll be doing for the next 22 months of life.

You tired? I am. But having FUN! I'm trying not to think of this as survival mode. I'm trying to cherish these last few months of living on student loans, wic, and a student schedule. Life is changing! We're growing up and growing closer together. I look forward to another good year!

Thanks for listening! Please leave a comment letting me know you're still there :)