Time is short...

I thought we had three more years—years where my Halloween vision would go unchallenged. But, it’s started already. E is REFUSING to don his costume.

I can’t understand it, really.

First of all, he never gets ideas about what he does or doesn’t want to wear. Which pants, shirt, hat, shoes, jacket/no jacket…it’s all the same to him. So, why would this be any different than anything else I dress him in?

Second, he has no “better” idea of what to be. This is what I thought would someday end my Halloween rule. “You’re going to be Marty McFly!!!” “I don’t want to be Marty McFly. I want to be a hamburger.” But E has no clue what he wants to be.

Finally, it’s not like I’m dressing him up in a generic furry animal costume. What’s he got to complain about?

This is really causing me a lot of worry because we are doing a theme and E is sort of what I would call “the anchorman.” His costume is the best and the cutest. Without him, the remaining costumes look quite rag-tag. Pretty much, we SHOULDN’T do this if E bails. But if we can convince him to do this for the family, we are going to look pretty awesome.

I realized this problem a month and a half ago when I pulled out his costume and wanted him to try it on, just to make sure it was going to work/didn’t need any modification and so that I could see how cute it was. I hoped that if I just pulled it out the next week, he would be fine with it, since, as I said before, he never cares what I make him wear. No go. Week after week, no go. So, finally, this week, in desperation, I have been having B wear the hat/headpiece in the evenings. E adores B, so it’s our best shot. I’ve worn it too during the day. Still, E refuses to have any part of the costume near him. We’re running out of time. I still have work to do on the remaining three costumes, and I’m putting it off, wondering if I should even go through with it, since we may have to can the whole thing. Curses.

Adler Kai

October 5
8lb 13 oz

It's a Motorcar

No, it's not a minivan. That would have been overkill. Plus, although I was turning 30, a $30,000 gift, though fitting in way, was not something I was comfortable accepting. Went with the Mazda 5. Much better. Almost the ideal car, really. Two seats in the front, two seats in the middle, and, theoretically, two seats in the back (we won’t be using those). So, it’s basically perfect for a family of four.

I mean, think about it. If you have two carseats, you WILL lose the third seat in any vehicle bench. And, who wants the middle really. Why even make five seater cars? But back to the M5. Here, we don’t have to have two car seats squished on either side of a three-seater row. There are just the two captain’s chairs. Perfect.

And, get this! As the marriage of a car and minivan, we get the best of both worlds when it comes to the kids’ doors! They slide—like the minivan—so you don’t have to worry about chipping the car next to you, or about having someone park so close that you can’t get the door open enough to get the infant seat in. But, they are REAL windows. You know, ones that can go up or down like the back seat windows of a car (not like the fixed windows of a minivan).

So, after those two captains chairs, there’s a big cargo space (provided you have the two rear seats out of commission) for groceries, strollers, surfboards, etc.

It’s dark, sparkly blue with dark tinted windows. And it’s just about perfect.

Words of caution:

First, if you did want to use more than four total seats, you would have NO cargo space. Seriously, you get two more passengers OR stuff. Not both.

Second, my only disappointment is in how few places there are to put stuff (like sunglasses, Kleenex, etc.) up front, and how “uncontained” everything in the back is. The babies in rear facing car seats with tons of groceries, etc. hanging out loosey-goosey in the back is kind of unsafe. They’d be hit with all sorts of projectiles in the event of an accident. We’re working on a solution (net or something) to this problem.

And now, is anyone looking for a 2003 Nissan Sentra? Runs good…

Smaller, Older, Dumpier

[This is not the post where I recount my 30th birthday.]

Think of the rent/mortgage you pay monthly. Now, just for “fun,” imagine what sort of living space upgrade you could get if you DOUBLED that amount. I know you don’t have the flexibility in your budget to do so, but just imagine that you did (or that you were FORCED to double it). You probably don’t know exactly what the market offers at that amount, but certainly it’s something bigger, newer, and nicer, right?

Well, here in San-D, our doubled rent has us in a smaller place, one with no garage (bad news for people like us with 5 strollers, three bikes, two large RC planes, a kayak, an elliptical trainer, and camping gear for five…). Additionally, the place was built in 1967. A blessing and a curse. I instantly liked the “charm” that such an “established” property affords—very different from the last couple places we have lived, all of which were built within five years of our occupancy. However, during our first month, we spent two weeks wearing headlamps after dark in the upstairs because of an electrical problem; water has been leaking through the cupboards and floors in the kitchen for who knows how long, which is nasty and produces a crop of mushrooms growing out of the baseboard in front of the kitchen sink almost daily; and the “original” appliances (fridge, oven, W/D)—don’t even get me started. But after weeks of nagging, these troubles have each slowly been addressed.

Recently, we visited some friends who are living in a suburb community in the type of place we would usually live in (that is, new). It seemed SO NICE. Nevertheless, I’m very, very glad we live where we do, because the location COULDN’T be better.

Beach: 5 minutes
Sea World: 6 minutes
San-D Zoo (and a dozen museums in Balboa park): 10 minutes
LDS temple: 5 minutes
Airport:13 minutes
Brett’s office: 5 minutes
Library: 1 minute
Church: 1 minute
Cross the street (I walk it) and you’ve got TONS of shopping (plus a DMV).
Head the other way—into the condo community—and you’ve got the nicest pool I’ve seen in as long as I can remember, plus a separate kiddie pool, a basketball court, recreation room, weight room, exercise room, club house, sauna, reading room, playground…

So, come visit. Only, remember that you get what you pay for. And although staying with us will be cheap, it will not be comfortable. (Plus, remember that lodging with us will be the ONLY cheap part of your visit.) More on the topic of San-D, both the good and the bad--read:expensive--(there is no ugly) later…