Unpacking!

Oy, while the move has officially been completed, we are still unpacking! It's been a "one step forward, two steps back" sort of ordeal, what with Emily's "hellion on wheels" mentality. You can see her path of destruction. The door to the DVD rack open, movies in a heap on the floor. A few feet from that, papers torn out of a box that I was attempting to sort through near my desk. Then, just another couple of feet, an empty container laying next to a pile of puffs. This is with in minutes. It's incredible. The phone rings, making lunch, helping Elijah in the bathroom...she chooses her moments carefully.

Psh. Ma's crazy. I'm innocent!

So, the house came with washer and dryer hookups...and while we didn't actually own a washer or dryer, a generous relative had an older set in her garage and let us come pick them up from her-free of charge! Husband didn't really scope them out because, well, they were free so what difference did it make? Let's just say he could have saved himself some backache if he had inspected! The washer was (to put it delicately) ancient and held a load that wouldn't have supported a set of bed sheets. Plus, during the test run, the pipes leaked.

It wasn't the most exciting news that we were in the market for a washing machine; they're sorta expensive. Craigslist didn't have anything that seemed worth it...so Husband and J went shopping while I hung at home with the kids. They came home with a screamin' deal. Who knew that most places don't actually cary most washers in stock and that you have to have them delivered? We certainly didn't! Luckily, they had a washer big enough for what we required, in stock at the warehouse (thankfully close by), and because it was the last one in stock and they weren't planning on getting more in---we received a discount on top of it already being on sale! Now, needless to say, the kids have a new plaything. (Note: The triangular piece of cardboard to the right was deemed a "saw" by Elijah, and a moving box full of toys was successfully dismantled.)

I attended my second craft fair over the weekend. This one was far less "hoppin'" than the last one, I can only assume that's because the first one was a Holiday Fair. And while I didn't sell nearly as much as before, it was almost more exciting because someone recognized me from the Holiday Fair! Also, I was able to visit with a different woman who wanted to sell my lip balms at her cafe across the street from a local ferry, but had accidentally deleted my voicemail when I contacted her so she couldn't return my call. I was sure I had given her my card; regardless, she took down my contact information and I should be hearing from her soon! I'm selling my products at a local consignment shop that's in the complete opposite direction, so I'm super excited to be expanding like this!

A few days ago, I felt like taking a trip to the store. Past experience has taught me that taking the kids out in public is no longer a pleasant affair. Change of scenery seemed crucial, so I took a chance, and planned to leave after Emily's nap. It was a success! I took my sweet time, a whopping hour and a half, browsing through this place of shopping. Elijah, who typically enjoys walking around with me, agreed to stay in the cart because Emily was sitting in there, too. They were so well behaved. No shrieking, throwing binkies, tears, pulling hair, or attitude. Elijah had asked if they "had toys" in this store, and after I told him there were toys, he was anxious to go look at them. I let him know once I finished my shopping, we would go look. So they patiently waited for me to finish collecting the small odds and ends that we needed around the house before browsing through the toys. All by themselves, here is what they picked.

Em's "ba-ba" (baby)

Fire Watch!!!

I am extremely conscious of what sorts of influences are introduced to my kids (movies, toys, clothing, furniture, etc....) but it still amazes me what a "girl" Emily is and what a "boy" Elijah is. Oh, and Elijah totally loves his new watch. He's always telling me that the little hand is on ____ and the big hand is on _____. When I suggested putting a clock on his wall with all of the numbers to better understand telling the time, he told me, "No, Mama. I can tell you the time with my watch." Well okay then :}