We’re attempting to let Katie sleep with Owen on the fold out couch tonight. Heaven help us. (We figure why not make this hellish day complete?) She’s never slept in a bed before so of course we decide to try it for the first time in a strange hotel on a night when she’s had no nap and their sleep schedule is way off—bedtime is normally 7 and it’s after 9! She’s calmed a bit but is still playing and chattering…having a ball!
I hate DC already.
On our way here, our agent called us to give us the rundown of houses on our list that were already gone. Of our top eight choices, five were gone. FIVE. I mean, we expected some to be gone but not that many! And our top listings weren’t even perfect listings—there were compromises. Which means the remaining ones have even more compromises. Ugh.
So she made some appointments and we met her at the first one—which we immediately loved! Someone else pulled up to look while we were leaving so we had our agent cancel our other showings and go straight to her office to start the process (and Tom went to get the cashiers checks and I sat and panicked—I hate feeling rushed and there might have been other good houses but you have to MOVE when you see something you like).
So she arrived at our hotel with the bad news that there was already an app in on the place…we basically missed out on our first choice house by minutes because the other app was being input as our agent was calling to tell them our app was coming in. 😐 She said we could also put in an app but chances were it would just be a waste of the $80 application fee…unless we wanted to offer more rent (which is apparently very common here)—but it was already over our budget…soooo no.
Have I said I hate house hunting? 🙂
So…without checking my spreadsheet I think we have one or two more of our first choice options left. And the few other places we did drive-bys on after dinner have crap for parking—like one of us would have to park more than a few town homes down and I have NO idea where guests would park. No thank you. My DC friends say to suck it up because that’s life here…but I can’t quite commit to that level of suckage yet.
To make the day worse, we found out the hotel pool is outdoor—and closed, which wasn’t listed anywhere—so Owen is sad (we promised him a pool). And the A/C in our room doesn’t seem to be working. And of course we have the smallest and crappiest Hampton Inn room ever. And Katie didn’t nap!
I’m sure tomorrow will be JUST as fun.
And I already want wine. Katie has taken her shoes off and keeps turning off her iPad movie with her feet. Owen accidentally pulled out the thumb drive with his shows on it and I can’t find it—for all I know it’s on the ground at the rest area. If we all survive the next five days in a hotel together it will be a miracle.
A mommy group friend invited us over after school to play on their waterslide (that Owen LOVES). Katie enjoyed it, too, along with the swingset and the trampoline.
Owen also ate a Popsicle—almost. He ate about half of it then wanted to save it. He was a bit upset when I said it wasn’t possible (it was about 85°)!
A friend making Katie laugh with funny faces!
Some days I try to get them both in a picture on the stairs. You haven’t seen the pictures as it rarely works—as you can see. 🙂
P.S. Katie’s in another 3T dress from cousins Gracie and Aubrey. It is a bit big. 🙂
Every morning usually begins with a dive into the stuffed animal corner.
Tonight we had our first homemade bruschetta with the basil from our garden!
We asked Owen to put the pillows on the couch before bed. This is how he does it. (Granted there are more here than normal, but he does the same thing when it’s just four pillows.)
The kids love water so much that we broke down and got a cheapie $10 pool to use until we move. I had to help Katie in the first time, but she quickly figured it out for herself and she was in and out, in and out, in and out. 🙂
I asked Owen why he was sitting like this and he said “Because that’s how the kid on the box is sitting!” He even put the box up on the deck box so he could see it. 🙂
Jumping in! Normally he lands on his knees—I don’t know how he doesn’t get hurt.
Washing off her feet…but then liking standing in the bucket.
Just like big brother did in the big pool! 🙂
She took the chair into the pool and this is what happened when I told her no.
One last cute picture before I took the chair away!
We know Katie loves bubbles, so today we broke out the new bubble machine (the same one we had before but the old one died). She liked it, but wasn’t as enthralled as Owen was (but then, Owen was older when he first experienced it).
We sent Owen up to get dressed and he came down in a very nice outfit (i.e. matching!) and when we told him he looked good (or snazzy or something we don’t remember because I didn’t write it down right away) he made this face. 🙂
We bought some new pillows to replace some very bedraggled ones and the kids had great fun with them first! You can see they’re blurry because they’re moving fast! 🙂
Owen: Mama, I’m sorry. I have to go.
Me: Why, where are you going?
Owen: The clone trooper work.
Me: Okay. I’ll miss you.
Owen: I’m sad. I’ll miss you in my heart. But then I’ll come home and I’ll be happy!
Owen had a bunch of sticks and water in a bucket.
Me: What kind of soup are you making?
Owen: IT’S NOT SOUP! IT’S POTION!
Me: Okay, what kind of potion are you making?
Owen: Uh…stick. Stick potion.
Owen: When I was at the hospital for a week for six minutes…
Owen has been randomly mentioning Facebook.
Me, to Tom: I have no idea how he knows about Facebook—I don’t talk about it.
Tom: Owen, what’s Facebook?
Owen: I think I see pictures or something.
Tonight we read “There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.”
Me: There was an old lady who swallowed a horse. She died, of course.
Owen: Why did she die?
Me: You can’t eat a horse.
Owen: No, you have to eat healthy things!
Driving by Dunkin Donuts:
Owen: And that’s Dunkin Donuts.
Me: How do you know Dunkin Donuts?
Owen: They have chocolate balls and vanilla balls. Braxton’s mom brings them.
(Yes, she does bring them to our mommy play group get-togethers…but it’s literally been eight months since it’s happened.)
We were all in the car and Tom and the kids were picking me up after their trip to Lowe’s. Tom said they bought Katie a toy.
Tom: Katie, show mama your toy.
Katie: babble babble
Me: Katie can I see your toy?
Katie: babble babble
Owen: Whining.SHE DOESN’T CARE!
Sometimes it just doesn’t work.
She’s not overly big for her age, but she can wear some 3Ts. This is a borrowed hand-me-down outfit from cousins Aubrey and Gracie.
Yes, I technically stopped taking monthly photos, but he happened to be dressed super cute in a new outfit today so I took a picture…then realized later it was “the” day. So here you go. 🙂
Grauntie Marge made this dress and doll for me when I was about Katie’s age. (Well, she actually made matching ones for my cousins Lisa and Lori, too.)
I figured I’d better get Katie in it before she outgrows it and the moment is lost forever… Of course, the bonnet has been misplaced—this whole time I thought it was with the dress (at one time it was, but we’ve been moving it around for almost 15 years now so I’m impressed we still have these parts)—and I didn’t have the first clue where to start looking…so it was just the dress and doll. Then, because I wasn’t thinking clearly, her hair was still wet and therefore looks kinda scraggly and not very cute. And of course she wasn’t the best at sitting still.
There’s no way to match the professional picture taken of me in the same dress with the same doll, but I may at least try again—there’s still enough wiggle room in the dress to try again within the next month or two. She did love the doll, though!
This is usually what she looks like after being outside. Sometimes dry, sometimes wet, always dirty.
I’ve been trying to take pictures of Katie on the stairs because the light is good and it’s a bright yet neutral background…so now she’s almost trained to automatically sit. Every once in awhile she’ll even say “sit pretty” like I usually ask her to do. 🙂
Today we had to have Lambie with us. 🙂
I was just excited that I just this morning realized she had a pair of pink leggings that exactly matched the top (pinks are HARD to match).
A little retouched, but I like it. 🙂
It rained last night so there were still a few puddles in our cul-de-sac. Of course, Katie is drawn to water (as most kids are) and she needed a bath anyway…
It starts off innocent enough…
Even though she says it’s yucky she doesn’t stop!
Taking a break.
So she was pretty wet by the time we were ready to go home…and of course she wanted me to carry her (in my white shirt).
First thing we did when we got home—bath!
Post-bath cuteness!
So I was trying to read the kids a book before bed but Katie just doesn’t have the patience to sit quietly so every time I started a page she’s shrieking (at something she sees on the page) or babbling or saying “Mama look!” Completely disruptive so that I couldn’t even hear myself reading. So we just looked at the pictures…and even then I gave up before the end of the book.
So then it was time to pick up toys and Katie picks up a book and says “story please?” and I said no it was time for bed. She heads over to Tom with her book and again says “story please?” He says no and she gets THE biggest pout on her face. But she tries again—with the puppy dog eyes:
Katie: Story please daddy?
Tom: Are you going to be a good girl Katie?
Katie: I’m a good girl daddy.
Tom and I both looked at each other like “Did she really just understand and respond with a full sentence?!”
So he attempted to read the story and only got through about a half page before he agreed it was time for bed. 🙂
We were all eating when we heard Katie say “Ta da!”
She had stacked all her fruit on top of her pizza! And was SO proud of herself!
Owen was excited about going to the dentist today—on the way in he was literally saying “I LOVE GOING TO THE DENTIST!” He got a cup of water from the water cooler. He brushed his teeth and went potty. He sat in the chair with no problem. The X-rays went fine. He even put the sunglasses on without issue (he’s always refused before).
Then when it came time to actually clean his teeth, he got shy (his words, of course). And not really a cute shy—but a grouchy/scared not-going-to-open-my-mouth shy. Sigh. It took a few minutes but I finally figured out he didn’t really want the tangerine-flavored toothpaste (even though he likes oranges) so once he picked raspberry he was fine. Kids!
He got his picture taken for having no cavities and got two stickers and got to pick out a toy! He was thrilled.