the downside...

the downside to living on a small, tourist driven island. the awesome little small businesses will just close whenever they feel like it, regardless of store hours. so, if you really want to go to the store, and load up two kids in the 30* weather, trying to get there before they close, because they are only open three days a week this month, as figured out by the last two times you were there, and they weren't open, and a sign was posted, and you get said two kids out of the car, to get to the door to find it locked, it's a little annoying!!! argh!

one store i called actually told me that she tells her workers to go home early when it's slow! i wanted to say, "how do i know when to come to your store"? (ironically, both of these stores are consignment stores, and theoretically shouldn't be tourist driven, but driven by the local economy, since most tourists aren't going to come to shop the consignment stores!!) i get the shorter hours in the off season. i get the luxury of owning your own business, so what you say goes. but i just want to come GIVE you business!!

all that to say, we DO have some great consignment stores on the island, and we get to live here when not overrun with tourists, so we get to do some things others don't get to do!!

NOW... if you have stuck with me through my rant... nora is setting the table. she's so excited about and proud of this new capability. SO. AM. I!! it's wonderful. she is SUCH a big girl. we are looking at a 5 day preschool for next year (i can ONLY find 5 day preschools on our next island!), and i am having a hard time with it. she's my baby. and, if she stays in this school, she still has two more years of preschool. (start dates and birthdays in hawaii!) i asked her if she was going to be okay going EVERY. DAY. she looked at me like i was crazy. she told me how excited she was. and then i told her i would be sad. again with the crazy look. and she said, "but you can pick me up after every day.". gee, thanks!

jamey... only refers to himself as jamey. not james. and LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to snuggle. yesterday, we didn't get to snuggle before his nap, so in spite of having two friends over to play when he got up, we snuggled for about 15 minutes. he's so BIG! i can't believe he's almost two. he is so independent, and smart. talking so much more than i expect, because he's my baby. i think we are in the midst of his "terrible twos", hitting it at the worst just before two, like nora did. but, when he's not terrible two-ing it, he is the most precious little boy, with the sweetest heart. he will routinely say "thank you" without prompting! and, he LOVES his amoxicillin. thanks to the makers who make it SO GOOD!! (we are almost done... and then have to do a follow-up chest x-ray to make sure all the pneumonia is gone!)

phew... a lot of writing... lastly, we move in less than three months! no orders yet, so no official plans have been made. no orders due to the lack of signing of the defense spending bill by congress, so there is no money yet to move us. (go to page 2 here. it will do an add, then the digital edition of the newspaper...) so, we plan. and wait. and try to make big decisions (school, house, etc...). and dream of a day when it's NOT 32*!!!