Practice

Tim's parents came to visit for the weekend. Since Kate has been obsessing about her upcoming birthday, and the grandparents won't be able to come to the party, we all decided (with much enthusiasm by a certain blonde girl) to celebrate early. Grandmother and granddaughter began by baking a cake, which Kate thought was the most exciting thing she had done in ages. In her defense, it was probably the most exciting thing she's done in a long time.

Reading the instructions. She mumbled something about adding milk and eggs.

Little fingerprints.

Sprinkles. Most ended up in the middle of the cake.

Cake with 8 (that's how many she requested) candles, and presents.

We miss you already, Mom & Dad!

Video

Claire counts.

Theories?

I am hearing things. Unexplainable things. Here's the set-up:

Our kitchen is downstairs, as most kitchens are, and Kate's bedroom is right above it. The girls' bathroom is also above the kitchen, a little bit towards the middle, and probably above the cook top and microwave. Kate's bedroom is carpeted; the bathroom is tile. A few times a day for at least the past week, I randomly hear what sounds like someone dragging a heavy object across a solid surface floor. Specifically, it sounds like a bed or large table grinding across a tile or hardwood floor. This happens when there is either no one upstairs, or when the girls are asleep. In any case, there is no piece of furniture that either of them could be dragging around to make the sound.

It's not really creeping me out; it's just weird, and I can't explain it. In the vicinity are:

• a refrigerator (with ice maker, but we rarely use it, so it rarely makes ice, and even the making of the ice does not sound like what I keep hearing)
• the laundry room (neither the washer nor the dryer are in use when it happens)
• a water heater (in a cubby hole in the garage, right next to the laundry room. This is the only thing that is a possibility in my mind, although I can't see how it could be making this noise.).

Any ideas? Is our house haunted? It seems a little new for this. It is intriguing, however.

A classy night

We went to McDonald's for dinner. I just couldn't bear the thought of making another meal for the 3 of us (Tim is TDY again). Kate is back to her picky phase, and Claire is starting to like how her sister thinks. There is not a lot of eating that goes on at the table unless it involves macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly, cheese, or fish sticks. Unless you count ketchup for Claire. That kid could eat her body weight in Heinz on a weekly basis.

We made it to McDonald's with only one minor incident (Kate has learned how to unbuckle her seat belt while sitting in her booster seat, and has also learned that spankings follow any such action that occurs when the car is in motion). Once inside, they made straightaway for the prize vault to see what they would get in their Happy Meal boxes. Is that a sad indication of how often we visit Old McDonald's? Really, we go maybe once a month, if that. I think Kate has a keen memory for certain things. I guess I shouldn't also mention that Claire can spot the golden arches from approximately 2.3 miles away?

We got our meals and sat down to enjoy some greasy food in the play area, which is the only place we can now sit when at McDonald's. I proceeded to eat my hamburger while watching a little boy and his father? grandfather? interact. Grandpa (I'm sticking with it: he was older and didn't seem to have a firm grasp on discipline that one usually possesses as parent) was eating an ice cream cone, and apparently the boy had already finished his. He was whining for another one. Then, after sliding down the curly slide, he grabbed the crotch of his pants and sort of pulled them up, sharing a view of the wet spot with everyone in the play area. There was a small exchange between man and boy, and then the boy climbed right up on the play equipment and slid down the slide again. I was totally dumbfounded. I think my jaw might have dropped open. There was no ensuing trip to the potty, and no change of clothes. Needless to say, there was not a lot of playing on the equipment by Kate and Claire post dinner.

Anyway, Claire had ketchup all over her (see above), even in her armpit. How does that happen? We drove home (to the constant sound of, "May the force be with you," from the back seat) and immediately had a long, cleansing bath. Tim is on his way back from NC and will arrive in time to cook the next meal. Woot.

Disregard the mess, and pick a color

Kate's room is still in total disarray, mostly because I haven't purchased any additional furniture for her yet, beyond the prized red bed. Don't even ask about bedding at this point. I am undecided as to which color of wood looks better with the red: the light (crib color), or the dark (dresser color). Which one do you like best?

Called Out...

Yes I took the camera, Elizabeth, and yes I took some pictures. I'm sure summer in Germany is the best time to visit - it was beautiful and reminded me of Oregon...except for the DJ on the radio. The music was the same as here (I missed all the Hasslehauf songs) but Kid Rock is more fun to listen to on the autobahn. The drive to my meetings was a bit crowded, so I took some pictures... but at 5 am on the way back the road was wide open!

Fabulous Cathedrals in the old world.

I had a few hours free but no guide and no tour book... "Beef" loaned me a GPS though that got me to Trier for a few hours, and back home via country roads (with no map of course). I enjoyed my six hour tour of Germany. Next time I'd like to take the family.

Below is the old Trier City Gate built by ... the Romans. This was where I had dinner.

This was on the drive home. The Germans seem to be going for wind power and the wind mills made for some dramatic scenery at sunset.

My rental was fun to drive. It was a Peugot. It looked like a go-cart, turned like a go-cart, accelerated and stopped like a go-cart... must be a go-cart. But I'd never driven a go-cart that had such good acceleration above 80 mph. Even the go-carts in Germany are good when the speed limit changes to "No Limit".

Not so economical either. The go cart cost $66 to fill up.

That's all for now. I hope you all are well. Next week's trip won't be near as much fun.

Tim

Sporting a new look

Dora underwear on her head.

Giant bruise on her forehead.

Potty-training is going pretty well. Kate still does not tell me when she has to go, but if I put her on at the right times, we don't have accidents. We are not yet accident-free, but who is at this age?

Claire loves to say, "What is it?" She asks this question of everyone and everything.

Unpacking. Still a nightmare. But my friend Amie from Seattle came to visit over the weekend, so I had a good excuse to ignore the boxes stacked everywhere.

I bought sample cans of paints to test on various walls of the house. I painted patches on many, many walls, thinking I would just repaint over them with the white wall paint in the garage. Only problem is the white wall paint isn't white - it is the outside trim paint. Sweet. Do you know how many shades of white exist? Hint: it's a LOT.

Random stuff

We had poo today! Ooh, sorry to throw that one at you without warning, but Kate finally achieved this potty training milestone. We will see what tomorrow has in store. She rather enjoyed the coveted chocolate bar she got as the reward, although I am concerned that she will demand one every time in the future. Ah, well, better than diapers, right?

The girls got into my make-up today. There was a lot of lipstick, generally on the lips, and it was adorable. I would show you pictures, but Tim took the camera with him to Germany, and I have not yet figured out how to download pics from my phone.

Tim is TDY in Germany for five days. Who goes to Germany for five days? Or, two days, for that matter, as that's about how long he is actually going to be there.

The girls and I got to Skype with him tonight, which they thought was GREAT.

We are in the middle of a mild wind storm right now, which I love, but would love more if it included pounding rain and thunder. I miss the Arizona monsoons with a passion.

I also miss my Parents' Day Out program there. So So Much. There is nothing here like that! It's a tragedy. I did get us a membership today to the YMCA, which has free daycare while you are working out. It's a distant second. I mean, working out is great and all, but sometimes I just want to go have a coffee or go to the grocery store by myself! This will give me a great excuse to go work out, though, which I desperately need.

I had big plans to get tons of stuff done while Tim is gone, but am starting to realize that was probably a pipe dream. House maintenance takes Forever. But I did get 2 boxes of books unpacked today, which I considered to be a huge feat. Soon we will be left only with the Boxes That No One Wants To Open: files.

Claire is trying to jump. She has gotten close enough to doing it that she is slightly obsessed by it. But she can't quite figure it all out, so she runs really fast and then sort of leaps with one foot out in front.

Kate's new phrase: "my friend ___". Tonight it was, "...and then on Saturday my friend Daddy will come home and we'll eat yummy bresstess (breakfast)...". Also her friends: me, Claire, Starbuck, bunny and blanket.

Claire so wants to be like her big sister and sit on the potty. She tells me when she wants to sit down, but only once have we had luck. I have the feeling that this is a fleeting opportunity, but am unsure how to grab hold of it and never let go.

Day 4

We are potty training again. We have been potty training off and on for like 2 years now. Mostly off, by the way. I'm not that dedicated. But Kate is showing most of the 'signs' of being ready, so we are trying again. Also, I'm tired of changing diapers for 2 kids, and Kate is almost 3.

The first day was not so good. I think we had approximately 4 changes of underwear in a one hour period of time.

The second day was better, although we went to a First Friday event at Tim's squadron that afternoon, during which Kate wore a diaper.

Yesterday was also not so good. I questioned my ability to ascertain Kate's readiness, and my parenting skills in general. Kate spent the morning whining about how she didn't want to wear big girl underwear. Tim talked her down from the ledge (and me, as well, for that matter), and she ended up in undies for most of the day, with only one accident (I think). Yesterday afternoon I bought her some Dora and Tinkerbell underwear, which she loves. Bunny is wearing some Tink ones today, while Kate is sporting Dora. Another crowning achievement: Claire went pee on the potty yesterday for the first time. Oh, how wonderful it would be to have 2 children potty-trained this month! Ha.

My only major problem so far is that Kate will pee on the potty when I put her on it, but will not tell me when she has to go. When exactly is this skill acquired? Or, dear God, am I starting too soon? I HOPE NOT. Other minor problem: poo. But everyone says they have that problem, so I'm crossing that bridge when we have the pee part better mastered.

I re-ordered the book, Potty Power, which my friend Erika swears by, and am hopeful that when it shows up in my mailbox, we can use it as reinforcement. Until then, I will take any advice I can get.

*&#*% post office

I have a strong suspicion that all of our mail is not arriving at our new address. Actually, it's more than a strong suspicion: my grandma sent Tim a birthday card 3 times, and only on the third try (to the same address) was it delivered. And I just checked Amazon.com to see where the Potty Power book I ordered for Kate 3 weeks ago was...and guess what. It got returned to Amazon because of an incorrect address. Are you kidding me? It's not like Amazon hand wrote the address! So, I apologize to those of you who have sent things to us, only to receive them back undeliverable. The only thing I can say is that we are in North Las Vegas, not just Las Vegas. Even then, it's a crap shoot.

***

Update: we are now up to 4 known instances of missing postal material. I hope this will be the end of it, but if not, I'm sorry!

At wit's end

I'm not sure precisely where 'wit's end' is, but I believe it hovers somewhere between 'won't sleep past 6am', 'won't nap longer than 1.25 hours', and 'won't fall asleep before 9pm'. Kate is killing me. She is exhausted, but not to the point of actually sleeping. She is becoming increasingly bossy, and perhaps slightly more aggressive towards her sister. I have put dark curtains over her bedroom windows, but she is still up at the break of day, loudly whispering, "shhhhhhhhhhhh" in a way that wakes me and Claire up, if Claire has not already been awakened by Kate throwing things at her in her crib. There's nothing like a captive audience.

I am becoming evermore desperate, and even gave Kate benadryl before yesterday's nap in an effort to get her to sleep longer. Instead of sleeping for 1 hour and 10 minutes, she slept for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

We can't get our gate to work, but I may be willing to purchase a brand new one soon just to keep her in her room. Other ideas?

A girl and her powertools, posing a question

In an effort to avoid further unpacking any more boxes last night, I began adding decorative hardware to our kitchen cabinets. After drilling and drilling, and cursing a bit, I finished most of the cabinets. However, I have a question: do you add pulls to non-usable cabinetry? There are two "drawers" beneath both the cooktop and the kitchen sink, and I don't know whether to leave them free of pulls or add the hardware. Before I began the project, I thought for sure that I would add them to every surface that would accept them. After working for freakin forever what seemed like ages, I thought, "those drawers aren't really drawers, and therefore they don't need pulls". Also, it's going to be a right pain in the patooty to get pulls on those faux drawers, since you have to drill from the back and you (I) cannot open the "drawers".

So, do I need them? Does it look silly to have pulls on all drawers but the fake ones? Say it!

Purchased: one red bed

I called and ordered the red bed, even though Kate is now insisting that she absolutely must have the white one. So sorry, baby girl.

You all offered some very constructive comments about which one I should buy, and most importantly, you had no huge reasons why I should not buy the red one, which I secretly love. I am somewhat concerned about teaching Kate to make her own bed, but feel that she is a smart girl and we'll figure it out. Besides, she won't really be making her own bed for like 8 more years, right? AND, the red bed is SO SO SO Cute. Love.

One of THOSE afternoons

I decided to do a quick vacuum of Kate's room before getting my swimsuit on and taking the kids out to the pool. I wondered why the vacuum wasn't picking up much stuff, and surmised that the bag must be full. I opened up the canister to find that there was no bag in the vacuum. Apparently the movers will pack up your garbage, but will not transport semi-full vacuum bags. Greaaaat.

After using the little vacuum cleaner to clean up the big vacuum cleaner mess (all the while thinking how Monica-like this action was: 'She is obsessive to the point that she even cleans her cleaning supplies, using a dustbuster to remove dirt from a vacuum cleaner and wishing there were an even smaller vacuum to clean the dustbuster.'), I put my swimsuit on. It was too quiet in the house, however, and I knew that this silence would come back to haunt me.

Sure enough, Kate had opened a tube of lotion ("sunscreen"), and most of a toddler piano, various parts of the loft, 2 chairs, and 2 toddlers were partially covered in baby lotion. And it was not my favorite-scented one, either.

We are now on our way out to the pool, if for no other reason than to wash the dust and lotion off.

Bedroom sets: help!

It's time to transition Kate to a big bed. I have been looking forward to the time when we would buy her a new bed and bedroom set. Who doesn't love redecorating a kid's room? With new! furniture! (Here's where I thank all the family members who have given money for Kate's past birthdays.)

I think I have narrowed the choices down to two beds, but now I am stuck. I just asked Kate which one she likes better and first she said the white one and then the red one. No help whatsoever. She's two; what can I expect?

I like both, for different reasons. I love the red bed because I think it's stylish and classy, but not over-the-top. I like the white one because it has clean lines and has a canopy. I dislike the red one because it is red (which is also a reason why I like it. Confused much?) and I'm afraid she or I will tire of it. I'm also not sure what to get for other furniture in the room. I don't think I want (nor do they sell) an entire red bedroom set. Do you go with white or black or brown? Adding to my woes, the bed also comes in blue! But I like the red better, I think, so I won't even ask your opinion on that.

I dislike the white one because it is white (wow, do I have color issues or what?), and I grew up with white furniture. I loved it when I was 7, and hated hated HATED it when I was 13. But, did I hate the furniture, or hate the lack of change? I mean, I was 13. Realistically, I probably hated the pink frilly bedding and flowery wallpaper most of all, along with the fact that I was stuck in the same bedroom I had had since I was 4. Kate will not have this problem. See also: military move every 3-4 years. Putting the bedroom set in a different bedroom will do wonders, I'm sure.

I think the beds are about the same price, so that is not helping me make a decision.

With all that said, here are the beds. Please voice your opinion! I need help.

Running out of steam

Scowl.

Sharing cotton candy at the 4th of July picnic. We found blue stickiness on them for days.

Wheee! Claire is confused as to why she is unable to steer any direction but forward.

Coloring Daddy's birthday paper. "Are you sure Daddy will appreciate my hard work?"

On the menu: yogurt, hot dogs, oranges, and birthday cake. Better when all mixed together and shoveled into the mouth without utensils.

Unpacking whilst watching over toddlers is tiring. You unpack something and put it in a specific location so that you will know exactly where to look for it later, and then one child comes along and 'puts it away' for you. Days later, you find it, stuffed into a random box or under a bed. Also, there is just So Much To Do that I am at a bit of a loss sometimes. It sure is nice having a blank slate to start from, though, and twice the house to work with!

Can you tell what she is singing?

Finally, bandwidth enough to upload my new favorite clip:

I love this video. My favorite part is her pronunciation of the letter 'w'. Here, it is 'nuh-nuh-nuh-nu', but it has since gotten much longer and is now more like 'nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nu', followed by a grinning 'exxxsh'. LOVE IT.

A housewarming gift from Mary and Doug

They stripped the kitchen of all appliances. But they left us this parting gift. I didn't touch any of the bottles: they were splayed out like this when I opened the drawer.

Pretty sure

I'm fairly certain that this is not what you meant when you enthusiastically said that you wanted to see pictures of our stuff in our house:

All-righty then! Back to it!

Also, Tim should be home ANY MINUTE to allow me a child-free trip to Costco! I have a brand-new french-door refrigerator to fill up. I can hardly wait!

Glassware: good. Solid wood: not so good.

Every time we move and begin unpacking, I open each box with some trepidation. Will this be the box with my broken crystal stemware from my great-grandmother? We are nowhere near unpacked yet, but so far the glassware seems to be all in one piece. Oddly enough, it is the HARD WOODEN furniture that is not in the best shape.

The top of my desk is warped. So is the top of the armoire that houses the TV. It's like they put the truck through a steam bath. These are thick, solid pieces of wood. My saddest discovery so far: the step chest we got in Hanoi may be a total loss. I haven't even looked at it close-up yet -- I'm too sad that it is likely ruined.

I picked Starbuck up this morning -- he is confused and skeptical of his new surroundings. He does love the stairs, like the girls do, and has been racing up and down them.

We went swimming last night in our huge lap pool, thanks to all of Tim's hard work on it over the past week. The girls thought it was great to be back in the water. So did we, after a long day of moving in in 112* heat!

We have our cable set up now, and have half of our appliances. The refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave come this afternoon. Party!

Time to go unpack more boxes!

Moving day tomorrow

9500+ pounds of household goods, packed in a gazillion boxes, all delivered to our new house tomorrow morning. Also, a set of stainless steel wall ovens and a cooktop (we couldn't find stainless-look appliances that matched well enough. And there was a huge sale.) to arrive in the afternoon. Two toddlers who are sure to be underfoot at every moment. And two adults who will be working on approximately 4 hours of sleep.

No more TLF! No more cramped spaces! No more children going to sleep at 10pm because they are in the same room! Woot.

Current obsessions

Me: this website is addictive. You will be shocked and disgusted, and may never recover your desire for another bloomin' onion. I've never had one, and now I never will.

Tim: anything house-related. Especially if it involves Home Depot, chlorine, power tools, or looking up stuff on the internet.

Kate: Barbie. Agh. And Dora, of course.

Claire: Goldfish crackers. "Feesheeeees! Feesheeees! Mas! Pees, mas!" Also, stairs.

A visitor

We've only been here for 2 weeks, and already we've had one family member visit us (note to the rest of you: stop slacking and make plans to stop by soon!). Tim's uncle Bob is a truck driver, and he occasionally gets deliveries to our hometown, wherever that may be. He was able to spend a few hours with us last week, so we went to the dinosaur park and then out to lunch. He made fast friends with the girls by presenting them with small, but highly treasured, gifts, and playing peek-a-boo with them.

Upon leaving the park, the modest hole next to the rear pocket on my shorts grew in size by several inches (read: almost waist to hem), and we had to head home so I could change. Then, properly clothed, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Blueberry Hill (Kate's current favorite restaurant, because Blueberry Hill is where Swiper the fox lives) before uncle Bob had to continue his drive to Utah. Thanks for spending time with us!

Shaking my fist in the air at HGTV

Two of my favorite channels are the Food Network and HGTV. I love watching Giada DeLaurentis or Tyler Florence whip up good eats in the kitchen (2 of my all-time favorite recipes have come from them). And watching HGTV, well, that has always been a source of inspiration and excitement as I tuck mental notes away for my future dream home.

After purchasing our new house here, I was abuzz with anticipation at being able to bring some of these dreams to life. There are no appliances in our kitchen, just open spaces waiting for me to fill them with gorgeous stainless steel dream machines.

But my enthusiasm has begun to wane, and reality has started to sink in. Buying all new appliances is a major pain in the rear. On HGTV, they send you away for a commercial break and you arrive back home to see your incredible new space, sparkling and adorned with non-childproof accessories. In real life, there are 82 makes and models of each appliance, some of which will fit into your allotted space. There are ratings and reviews, and sales and payment plans. There are cabinet-depth refrigerators and standard ones that will stick out 8-12 inches from the counters. I have come to dread opening the refrigerator page on Best Buy's website. Damn you, HGTV, for making it all look so easy.

I think we I have decided on a dishwasher, and we have narrowed down the refrigerator category to a manageable 3-4 models. Our biggest problem revolves around the double oven/microwave/hood issue. The previous owners did not have a double oven; they had a single oven/microwave combo (sort of odd, if you ask me). I am not a big fan of this, and would like some double ovens. I know I will use them (at the same time) approximately 3 times a year, but! I still want them. This leaves us with the hood/microwave question. I love the look of a nice stainless steel hood over a pretty cooktop, but then where do you put the microwave? It would be odd to put it on the counter in such an otherwise nice-looking kitchen. I think this means we need to get a microwave/hood standard combo. Unless you can help me come up with another idea?

HOUSE PICTURES

Entryway.

Entryway looking up to loft.

Entryway and stairs.

We will be buying all new appliances. Ugh. But also fun, in an expensive sort of way.

Island and breakfast nook, where we will also eat lunch and dinner.

Family room looking into kitchen.

Stairs that were so fun until Claire fell off the bottom one and sprained her ankle. At least we got THAT one out of the way.

LOVE the backyard. Won't you come visit?

Pretty pretty pretty.

Expensive, and bossy (and new house pictures!!)

It is expensive here! I had no idea living in Vegas would cost so much more than living in Tucson did. I don't know why I had no idea...guess I was just living in my own little world. Of course living in a big city like this would be more expensive! Gas is probably the biggest shock: Tucson was consistently below the national average ($3.73 today), and Las Vegas is decidedly above the that number ($4.12 today). Add to that the fact that we will be living a little further from base, and gas prices are going to be adding up to a larger expense than I anticipated. And as a result of higher gas prices, everything else costs more: milk, eggs, soda! Oh, Tucson, I miss you already.

Kate is decidedly bossy. I had seen little strands of this character trait over the past few months, but it is quite apparent now. It is pretty cute, in many ways, and will probably help her to meet people (sure, they might be meek, timid kids, but hey). The other night at the TLF park, she was chasing other, much older, children around with her spray bottle. Then she would yell at them: "C'mon, guys! Over here!" in a way that really wasn't a question, but more of a command. They obeyed, probably a little out of fear. I suppose it helps that she is the size of a 4-year-old.

Claire has mostly mastered her ABCs, although she can't say every letter clearly. The alphabet song is probably her favorite melody, and she lights up when you sing it. She also sings Twinkle, Twinkle, and Row, Row, Row Your Boat (complete with arm motions). She is determined to do all that her sister does, and can keep up in some events. She even has her ways of dealing with Kate's tyrannical attitude: she has become quite sneaky. She will walk up and steal a nearby toy away from her older sister, and when Kate gets up to retrieve her prized toy, Claire will drop it and take one of the toys Kate dropped in order to chase after her. It's fairly amusing to watch.

Claire is still taking a morning nap, and I can't figure out if this is normal for a 17-month-old. I don't remember when Kate dropped down to one nap a day. I would let her keep taking one as long as she wants, except that it really infringes on our activities. And being that we are stuck in the TLF for another couple of weeks, outings are essential to everyone's happiness. I think I'm just going to have to start dragging Claire out in the mornings to do things, and hope for a longer afternoon nap as a result. This would probably work better if they were not in the same room - one or the other of them is constantly bothering the other one, and it seems like it takes at least an hour for them to get to sleep.

Tim is at the (greenbelt) house with the inspector right now, and we will join him shortly. Here's to hoping that nothing major is wrong with it!

***

The inspection went well! I have no idea what they told Tim was wrong with the house (haven't had a chance to talk about it yet), but he was happy with what the inspector said, so I think we are good! In light of that, here are some more pictures. This is the greenbelt house (the last house we saw on the Very First Day we started looking back in MARCH). Ummm, I'm going to do a new post. Formatting mess if I don't.

Happyness

Ummmm, I guess I forgot half of the post last time, and you only got the 'downs' part of the 'ups and downs' saga. Tim and I ended up watching 'The Pursuit of Happyness' a couple of nights ago, and that helped put things in perspective. (Not that I was in the middle of a breakdown; I was just having a bad night.) That movie, by the way, is a good one - see it if you haven't already.

So our house in Tucson didn't appraise. What that means is that an appraiser estimated the value of our home, and he said it wasn't worth as much as the sale price. Banks won't loan over the value of the property, so we had to reduce the price to meet the appraisal. The kicker is that appraisers are pretty much reducing the value of homes in Tucson by 5% across the board. I think it's called the Cover Your Ass method of valuation. Whatever. We worked things out with our agent and the buyers so that we aren't totally screwed, and the house should still close next week.

Then, as I was standing in line at Target, I got a call from our Vegas agent, Joe. He asked me if I was ready. "Ummmm, I guess so?" He said, "You got the house! You finally wore the bank down, and they accepted your last counter-offer." We plan to get the inspection done on Monday and hope to be new homeowners by Tim's birthday in mid-July.

In order to better jinx us:

Ups and downs

Today I feel hormonal. Or depressed. I'm not sure which, but I hope that tomorrow will be a happier day.

I am frustrated because:

• our current living conditions are not ideal. (See also: 600' apartment, with one bedroom, and when our wafer-thin sofa bed is extended, it nearly touches the kitchen table that is already nearly touching the refrigerator.)
• I have yet been unable to secure us other living arrangements. "What, you can't rent us a nice 2 bedroom furnished unit that has a community pool, and have it ready for us to move into tomorrow next week? Um, yes, we have a cat, and we only want to rent for a few weeks...." (voice trails off in pathetic desperation)
• it is very hot and we have no pool.
• our house in Tucson did not appraise. Stinkin' appraisers.
• the girls are tired of being cooped up inside with their 4 toys.
• I am tired of housing stuff. Tired of it! It used to amuse me. No more!

Tomorrow will be a better day, surely. And I will likely update you on my jubilance (seriously, blogger, it is spelled right) then.

Kingman just isn't the same as Vegas

We didn't make it to Vegas last night. I forgot to look up directions to get us around Phoenix, so we had to take Grand through miles and miles of stop-and-go traffic and lights. And Tim had his final out-processing appointment at 9am on base, so we ended up on the road at 10:00, with a drugged kitty and 2 crabby girls. We got a stanky/smoke/pet/cat food smelly/fur in odd places fine place to stay next to Denny's, and called it a night.

Now Tim is driving one car at a time to the scales to weigh them, while I cruise the 'net and try to get Claire to take a nap. She is normally a fine sleeper, but on the road she is a totally different animal, as Tim put it. She has stayed up until at least 9:30pm every night, and is up by 7am. Needless to say, she is very fussy and tired. Luckily we are only 100 miles from Vegas, so we should be there in time for her afternoon nap.

It was weird leaving our house on Saturday. Tim and I spent several hours there, cleaning things up and gathering the rest of our belongings, and taking one last dip in the pool. It was bittersweet leaving Tucson. We had such a fun weekend at the La Paloma with my sister and her family, and it was hard to say good-bye to them. The girls are all playing so well together now, and Tempie looks up to Claire with such adoration that it was heartbreaking to know they won't see each other for months at a time.

We are looking forward to our next adventure, though, as this assignment is likely to be a big one. Tim's squadron has already asked him if he will go on a short TDY with them in July...and then I think his first deployment is in November.

No house to live in, no place to call home, yet. But that hasn't changed, so it's not newsworthy. We plan to look at some more houses later this week, and see what is on the market. I'll keep you posted.

Hurry up and wait / bored / fini pics

I am almost mobile-blogging. I'm sitting on the futon in our boxed-up living room, with the laptop on my, well, lap. And I'm online! I bet if you're 23 and reading this, you're rolling your eyes right now. But I am pretty pleased with myself. Like I had anything to do with it. Er, thanks, Tim!

Pedro is still boxing up our stuff. The movers only sent one person (actually, I think it was his choice; something about more money, likely) to pack us up. I bet he is re-thinking his decision right about now. Our house may only be 1500', but we have it crammed full of stuff.

The kids are doing pretty well with all of this. It's sort of an adventure, or at least that is how we are presenting it. We will even be staying here tonight, boxes and all! Pedro promised to leave our bedding alone, and the movers will be in tomorrow morning to break down all the furniture. We won't even be sleeping on the floor! Tim suggested putting all our unshippable (spell-check is telling me this is not a word. I do not know another to use, though, so am sticking with it) candles in the fireplace and roasting the marshmallows they won't box up. I promise not to make a mess, Devin! ...although with all the in and out and boxes and such, you probably want to hire some carpet cleaners before you move your stuff in...

Today is the last day of school for the girls. It is our last night in our house. It's so foreign. I know we have been working at this whole moving thing for a long time, but it still is weird to think that we won't be here anymore.

Tim's fini-flight was great. We were almost late, but made it just in time (we were walking out to the tarmac just as he was turning to taxi to his spot). Thanks to R2 for telling him to take his time! And thanks to Camille, Rae, Shonda, Erin, and Deborah and their families for coming to see the celebration! It was great having friends there.

I think Kate was impressed by the big plane, but slightly perplexed as to why we were out there in the heat. Then I knelt down next to her and pointed to her Daddy in the cockpit, covered in military green and a helmet with a dark eye shade. Just then, Tim waved at her, and her face lit up. It was so fun to see the recognition on her features, and to watch her wave to her Daddy.

We re-bid on the first house in Vegas. Our new bid is significantly lower than our first one, and is below the asking price. We will see what Paul the wonder-agent has to say about that, probably in 3-4 weeks. Ha.

Now, pics.

Let the stress begin: NOW

Oh wait. I was already stressed!

We are wilting today (it's 110*). I know it's bad on the east coast, so I hesitate to gripe about the heat, but it's just so hot you can't think about much else. At least that's the way it is for me. Of course, Tim's fini-flight (last A-10 flight here) is this afternoon, landing at 1750 (the exact hottest moment of the day). I'm thinking with my hindsight that it would have been better to have done this yesterday when it was a good 10-15* cooler. Ah, well. Hindsight, right?

I don't know how much blogging I will be doing over the next...3 weeks? Eight weeks? Ever? Tim did buy us a shiny new laptop yesterday, so perhaps we'll be able to use the WiFi at the TLF to keep y'all updated on our housing misery, but I can't say for certain. I do know that the house we bid on the last time we were in Vegas is now in contract with Another Buyer (you're shocked, right?). It seems like it might be kind of shady, this deal (shocked again, I presume). The selling agent is also the buying agent, and our agent is pretty sure our bid was never even submitted to the bank that owns the house, which is pretty shitty considering our bid was in before this contract was accepted. I am beginning to wonder if we are meant to own a home in Las Vegas. Well, time will determine that, I guess.

I do have a kennel/vet thing set up for Starbuck at an exorbitant cost. But he's worth it, right? And I don't know that we have any other choice besides leaving him here with someone who wants him. I think that would be too much for the girls, so we will kennel him.

The movers come tomorrow and finish on Friday. We will be staying with my sister starting tomorrow or Thursday, and will spend the weekend at the Westin La Paloma (specifically, in their pool). Then, if all goes well, we drive to Sin City on Monday.

There are a lot of things I will miss about Tucson. This was our first house, and it's been a good one for the most part. I will look forward to more closet space and a bigger master bath, but it will be sad to leave. Kate and Claire were both born here in Tucson, to the same doctor, at the same hospital. Some of my best friends are here, and the same goes for Kate. It will be hard to explain to them that we aren't coming back here to this house.

I will miss the birds singing in the morning outside my windows, the roadrunners, the quail and their perfect nuclear families. I'll miss the view of the Catalina mountains from my kitchen window and the fruit trees in my backyard. And I'll miss being no more than a 15-minute drive from my sister and her family, especially with her new baby on the way. But we'll be back; I don't know when, but we will visit. Hasta luego, Tucson!

ACK

Oh Dear God. I am at a loss. The movers come on Wednesday, and we are not even close to being ready.

So, after a day of running errands and fixing f*%^$ pain the the arse house issues, including a painting incident which caused me to stick my newly-coiffed hair in some blue roof paint, we went out to dinner at Cafe Poca Cosa and temporarily forgot about house troubles. Mmm. Mexican food.

The main things I am stressing about currently:

1. Starbuck. We do not yet have a kennel for him, nor do we have a pet-TLF (temporary living facility) that we can all live in. How do you move a cat from here to there in a car in the desert summer heat? I know it's only a day of driving, but there are stops/desperate attempts to escape/issues of arriving in Vegas before the thus-undetermined kennel closes. Ideas?
2. Still. No. House. Yes, I am thankful that this house is (hopefully) sold. But we still do not have housing there, besides that TLF! It could take 4-8 more weeks before we have a house to move into. That stresses me out a little Lot.
3. Our lists of high-value items. And CDs. Not completed.
4. A fini-flight on Tuesday.
5. Children who want some iota of attention from me. And who do not want to spend every last moment in Arizona in pre-school.

So. Guess I better get moving on all this stuff. There's packing to be done!

This week's cuteness

• Claire says she wants 'mas' of something. She does the sign, even, in ASL. I have no idea where she learned it.

"Mas. Pees. Mas!"

• Kate helped me make pizza last night. She would intermittently sprinkle cheese on the sauce, and then grab some back off to eat. Claire stomped her feet joyfully in time to the beat of the USAF song on the radio.

• Kate likes "smashmallows". So much so that she stole some from the top of my sweet potatoes the other night. I was getting Claire some milk and I heard Kate say, "I'll eat this one," which piqued my curiosity since I knew she had already eaten all the smashmallows from her plate. Sure enough, she was leaning over my plate, and stuffing one in her mouth. I said, "Hey! You can't steal food from my plate!" So she took it out of her mouth and, with an innocent expression, offered it to me.

• Claire's favorite expression is, "I got it!" She gleefully yells this as she chases balls down the hall after you throw them. It's a fun, new game of 'fetch'.

• Claire yells, "MommMEEE!" at various times throughout the day. It makes my heart melt.

• Kate likes her Daddy's flight green suit.

• She also likes Yucky Charms. Loves them, actually, but only the 'colorful ones'.

• Claire uses everything as a phone. This week it was my HP calculator. She called her Daddy on it:
  

"Hi, Daddy!"

Inactive

Dare I say it? Maybe I'll whisper it. Or, better yet, I'll spell it: we have an o.f.f.e.r. Yahoo! We are totally psyched, and also completely stressed that it will fall through at any moment. But we just saw on our real estate web site that our house is now listed as 'inactive'. Things are looking up, people!

Also, in case I missed any of you locals in the email, Tim's fini-flight is next Tuesday. Please let me know if you want to come and need a pass to get on base!

...floating on clouds...