It's about time I changed the blog picture in the header for this website! I would have done it sooner, but if you can believe it, this is the first "real" picture we have gotten as a family. You know I'm like a damn paparazzi when it comes to taking pictures, but Kwasi and Kwabena are not the most easiest to get to cooperate! So, to get the new picture is quite amazing! Glad for the update, though :)
There are so many things going on here. Life, as we know it, has gotten busier and has changed. I feel like all I do is clean now. For example, this weekend, the new renters moved into our Hagerstown townhouse (thank God!). Unfortunately, Cari, the previous tenant, did not clean, so there me and Mom were, working our asses off to get the house move-in ready. I really appreciated her help, because without it, I so wouldn't have been able to get it all done in the time allotted.
We were supposed to go to Hagerstown last Tuesday to pick up furniture that Cari was going to give to us, but she flaked out at the last minute, giving some excuse about needing to leave that same day in order to get her daughter enrolled in school in SC. Okay--fine. The plan was to drive to Hagerstown that night to get the furniture, and to check out the property. But since there was no furniture to pick up, we didn't make it there.
I decided to go on Thursday to get a status of the house, and was disappointed and surprised to see that she didn't clear everything out-- a few odds and ends (mostly cleaning products she left for me) were still there, in addition to a big ass chair in the master bedroom. UGH...... I drove down on Saturday and spent a bit of time on Saturday, and all of Sunday on cleaning carpets, wiping shit down, scrubbing the showers, etc. She didn't even wipe down the fridge before she left. Totally unacceptable.
Not only that, but she left us with a grossly overdue water bill that *I* ended up having to put on my credit card, not to mention that the water got cut off and if I hadn't gone to check on the place on Thursday, I wouldn't have discovered the problem until Saturday, at which point there would have been no way to (1) clean, or (2) have new renters move in on Sunday.
But I'm happy to report that our new tenants are moved in, and all went smoothly. The downside is that I now have to chase after Cari for the remaining $600 she owes, which includes part of July's rent she never paid, late fees, a water bill.....*sigh*....At this point, who gives a fuck about free furniture. Just pay me what you owe me, or I'm taking your ass to court.
Okay, enough of that......
As for our condo, it's slow-going. I still think we need to lower the price. I'm ready to move on, to get out there looking for homes. I haven't been out looking because I don't want to tease myself on homes I find that I can't move forward on until we get a contract. Then again, if I get out there looking, perhaps I can get the universe moving in that direction of "sell, sell, sell!" Someone did submit a contact on our condo, but it was $185,000.....and why would we sell for $185,000 when the place is worth at least $200,000....?? She didn't even want to counter-office when we turned down the $185,000. Oh, well. I'm not giving this place away. No way in hell!
This Sunday while I was in Hagerstown, someone wanted to come see the place, but since I was out of town, and Kwasi had left the place not presentable, there was no way to show it. Vanda, our agent, had rescheduled for the following day (Monday), but the fucker ended up standing us up; he wouldn't answer her call. And there I was, rushing home from work to prepare and prep, and Kwasi helped, only to be told that she can't reach him. Whatever.....
The kids are doing well! They've been on "vacation" from Miss Marilyn's for the past 2.5 weeks. She normally takes a 2-week vacation in the summer, but this summer was 3 weeks. Thank God she only is requiring us to pay for 1 week, versus the normal 2 weeks. With 2 in daycare, I can't imagine paying for 2 weeks for TWO kids and not having anything to show for it. One week is doable. I'm enjoying having them home. It's easier on me in the morning, not having to think about what to pack for lunch, or make breakfast, etc. I wish Miss Marilyn provided food. Grrrr.......
Can you believe this is Kwabena's last year at Miss Marilyn's?? Last year for daycare, period! He starts schoool next school year, 2011! I'm hoping we're in a nice school district by then. I'm sure we will be. But that is my #1 criteria when looking for homes. It's got to be a good school district all-around, from elementary school to high school.
Anyhow, I think the kids are going stir-crazy being home, though. Too much TV, and not enough time outside. That's one of the reasons I can't wait to have a house, so we can just open up the back door and let the kids run outside in a fenced backyard. This is a dream that I will make a reality this year. Just need a freakin' BUYER for the condo!
Ohene is doing very well, but poor baby has a fever today :( This weekend he was super clingy to me when we were in Hagerstown, and I bet you it was because he was beginning to feel crappy. He's not usually like that at all, unless he's tired. He was probably feeling crappy at that point. Poor thing.... Yesterday, and tonight, I strapped him on my back in order to clean and get some other things done, and he loved it! Not a peep out of him. In fact, he started falling asleep. Oh, and I was using my own personal Mellow Joe baby carrier :) I do have to work on the design and what-not, but overall, it works well as a backpack. I would like to work on more of them when we move and I get my sewing room :)
Let's see....what fun things can I say about Ohene. Well, first of all, he's a gorgeous child. I know that both my boys are, and that I am partial, but he really is. He's so good-looking! He's got dark, defined eyebrows, and huge eyes that he gets from Kwasi, and my dark lashes (or maybe Kwasi's), and the sweetest little lips, and a yummy peanut butter coloring. I'm telling you, this kid is striking. I really should get him involved in some modeling. I think he would be a cute print model!
He's still not doing a "real" crawl; he prefers a military crawl on his belly, pushing off one leg and letting the other slide behind him. It's so funny! He's been pulling up on things, and even creeping along his crib, or if you "test" him by putting something a bit out of his reach to see what he would do (he walks to get it). It's amazing to see him developing like this so quickly! He'll be 8 months on the 15th! Only 4 months away from a year old! WTH??!
Ohene is also still saying "ma-maaaa" and really calling for me when he wants me. The other night he woke up around 2 a.m. and I heard him say "Ma..." You figure the amount of times Kwabena is saying "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy" that he would pick it up from him. It's really so cute when he says it.
Work is going okay. Boring work, though. But I like where I work, because of the people, and because I like working on a military instillation. But the work is uninspiring. I'm really wanting to take some courses at Montgomery College, maybe Photoshop. I would like to try graphic arts, or something else in design and computers. The thing that keeps preventing me from signing up is the cost of the courses. I don't want to put $400 or more on my credit card to pay for it. However, now is the time to get involved in something new. How exciting!
Oh, I meant to add, that new pic in the header of the blog is from our day trip to Ocean City, MD. It took 5 frickin' hours to get there, which is crazy, since it should have taken a bit less than 3 hours. Traffic was terrible. But the 4 hours we were there was so worth it! Kwabena enjoyed jumping over the waves, and observing broken crab shells, and Ohene enjoyed sifting through the sand, looking for things to put in his mouth. LOL Tomorrow I will upload pics. It's 12:30 a.m. and I'm exhausted! Night!