Update on Jen

So, I got a new haircut and new color too, so things are feeling pretty good these days. I’m really sick of being inside so much in such a little place with a 2.5 year old that doesn’t give me a moment’s peace (Do you have shoulders, mommy? Can you point to your elbow, mommy? Mommy, what’s Baby Lowell doin’ now, mommy? Can we play a puzzle, mommy? Are we gonna go for a walk, mommy? Can I have a snack, mommy?) because, I really don’t enjoy the cold weather and the tiny boring back yard and the treeless bordering-on-junky-so-far-away-from-a-decent-park rental neighborhood we’re living in. As far as rentals go, it’s a decent place to live, and much better than being in one of those impersonal, oversized, anonymous apartment complexes but it’s not a community. There’s no “pride of ownership” here except in the expensive cars that seem to fill some of the driveways. Anyhow, the real reason we stay inside so much these days is because I’m controlling the day in such a way that Lowell has the smallest sliver of a chance at actually getting a nap. You see, I’ve found that if I nurse-rock him for 30 minutes in the morning, he might, maybe, possibly, take a 1-2 hour nap in the afternoon. If that morning nursing doesn’t happen, then all bets are off for the afternoon nap and I get stressed out when that happens. Something about getting an hour of “me” time really does make all the difference.

In un-child-related news, I just heard of the first divorce of any of my acquaintances and it really has rocked my world. I mean, now “the statistics” seem a little more real, though not by a whole lot; we know a lot of people who are married, and still married, so our sample of the general populous is obviously not even close to “the statistics.” I guess when the vast majority of couples you know are people you met through church and around your same age, you’re not getting a consensus of what’s really going on out there though I hear that over half of marriages end this way. Shocking, really. This news has made it all seem more real. That marriages really do end sometimes. I’m unbelievably sad for this couple though it may very well have been a great decision for them.

For David and I, divorce is a foreign word. We will never consider it and I don’t believe we will ever have to. I have been blessed with the most gentle, steady-natured, God fearing, wonderful husband and I can’t even fathom us having a knock-down-drag-out fight; Dave and I just don’t fight all that much. His logic is impeccable and we usually end up making each other laugh so hard that we forget what we were being selfish over in the first place. What fun it is to be married to such a man!

I’m not making much progress on anything knitterly these days as I’ve, well, um, I’ve been crocheting. I cannot reveal here what, exactly, I’ve been crocheting but I have been enjoying it. Pictures and blogs to come later about it… just keep checking back.

I’ve also been doing a ton of photoshopping. I enjoy it more than I thought I would and it’s addictive to learn new tricks, tips, and skills and then apply them in the real-world to photos that people actually buy. Most of my work has been coming in from my brother as he is getting more into the world of engagement/bridal/wedding photography. With every shoot, he’s getting more creative and becoming more confident and I’ve got less “duds” to weed out. I’m hoping he sets up a photoblog of sorts, but until he does, you’ll just have to take my word on it. He’s amazing.

I’ve given up the house search to David. It was stressing me out and we’re not even in the “action” phase of the process. I have enough to worry about with these boys and the laundry they create not to add something else to the pile. With that said, we are planning on doing another round of walk-thrus this coming Saturday in a more Northerly direction (last time we looked East) of where he works. Too bad we cannot afford to live in the neighborhood surrounding his school. Well, I guess we could afford it but I’d have to find a dang good paying job and put the boys in fulltime daycare and it just isn’t worth the financial gain to me to do that. One reason – this month is the first month we’ve had sick kids (sick here meaning take them to the doc and get prescribed antibiotics because it’s not just a cold or a virus) and James is 2.5 years old. Wow. Those were some really healthy 2.5 years. Yeah, it’s been worth it staying home with them.

With that said, I am looking forward to another day of silly questions and maybe, maybe we’ll just go for a walk out in the cold around our rather drab neighborhood tomorrow. We’ll see.

Oh, and the bed pictured below is the KURA bed from IKEA. Forgot to mention that and inquiring minds want to know. And if you’re not very close to an IKEA, check out your local craigslist.