Still Snowing & Still Moving

We are in the throws of moving. Like seriously in the middle. The movers come tomorrow. Our house looks like it has been turned upside down and shaken a little. Everything is in piles for the movers to pack. And all the stuff we are keeping with us is shoved in suitcases in one corner.

Regardless of the chaos of the move, there is still time to play in the snow! It is still dumping. It really does make it hard for me to leave the house and go anywhere, but it looks pretty and is really great for making snow angels!




Regardless of the snow, the movers will be here tomorrow. Ian promised to shovel a path to our front door for them. I am glad they are coming. Now lets see if the weather lets up by next week so the airport can reopen and we can actually fly out!

Let it Snow

The last few days its been snowing. Like really snowing. I was excited to introduce Connor to the snow. Little did I know, he would turn out to NOT be a fan of snow. He won't touch it, stand in it or play in it. The only way I could get him to walk in it is if I set him down then walked away...and he came running after me crying. I have tried two different days and he didn't like it either time. Oh well.




On a positive note, Connor seems to like watching it snow out the window. And if I may say so myself, he looks pretty darn cute doing so!




And after being cooped up in the house for 2 days, I decided to take Connor out for a walk today. My adventure was nothing short of a disaster. The sidewalks were slippery and covered in snow. I got a workout pushing Connor's stroller on the back two wheels. My wellies got a hole in them last week, so I had to venture out in my UGGs, which kept the water off my feet for all of 5 minutes. Seriously, within minutes, my feet were swimming in cold water. On a plus note, I ended up buying myself some new snazzy wellies...to keep my feet dry in the California sun!

The moral of the story? Snow is pretty, when you are looking at it through a window!

Neighborly Animosity

I remember the days, back when I thought neighbors were nice people. The people who loaned you an egg, kept a spare key to your house and watched out for you.

Not anymore.

In fact, I don't know if it has ever been this way in my adult life. I have never had good relationships with my neighbors...maybe its me?!? There was the incident last year with the lady above us yelling at me when I was 9 months pregnant. But she has since become quite chummy with us...it helped that we shoveled a path thru the snow to her front door all the time last winter...and that we have an adorable little child that she likes to play with.

Today a delivery man came to my door and asked to drop of a package for my next door neighbor. The neighbor who I had the privilege of meeting last week. Anyway, because of what went down last week, I flat out refused to accept her package. I am pretty sure the delivery man thought I was crazy, but I just don't want to see that woman again.

Let me tell you what happened. It was all over a drain pipe that came loose on the front of our building.


We noticed it when we got home late last Tuesday night. Our neighbor above us (an owner) was out of town. But the girl who lives in the top flat (also an owner) was home, so we texted her.

By the next morning, I had forgot all about the pipe. Connor and I were enjoying our morning when I hear a banging on the front door...like serious banging. Before I could get to the door, the person had moved to the living room window and was now banging on the window. I open the door that there was a very angry woman at the door. She pushed me out of the way and said, "Let me in before that pipe falls on me and kills me!" At this point, I should let you know that even though the pipe was high in the air, it is just plastic, not metal or anything. She then proceeded to let me know she is a lawyer and is going to sue me if the pipe fell on her property. I kept trying to tell her that an owner was taking care of the issue and I wasn't an owner, but she wasn't listening. She was being rude, yelling at me and threatening me. Anyway, to make a long story a little less long, both her and I called my landlord. She threatened them, I did not threaten them. Within 30 minutes, someone was out to take down the pipe. While it was being removed, she was standing outside saying rude things. ARGH!

And that is the story of why I REFUSE to accept any package for my neighbor. Seriously. She is not very neighborly at all...so neither am I! Way to turn the other cheek, I know.

Weekend Update

We saw Harry Potter on Friday.
The people who babysat Connor while we went to the movies, then fed us dinner.

We went to Edinburgh on Saturday.
Seeing our friends is always great.
We celebrated Thanksgiving with them.
Ian & Richi did most of the cooking.
Our friends loved my green bean casserole...Ian did not.

Sunday
was a bit stressful.
We had family pictures taken outside.
It rained.
It poured.
I saw a sneak peek of the pictures and they look great.
Enjoyed a nice linner (lunch-dinner) with our friends.
They paid...thanks again you two!
We drove back to Aberdeen.
I cried about leaving Edinburgh for the last time.
Connor cried because he wanted out of the car.

Christmas is Coming!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go

It started with Starbucks launching Christmas at their stores. The iconic red cups. The eggnog lattes that warm my belly on an almost daily basis.


But then today it happened.

We
got
a
Christmas
card
in
the
mail


So freaking excited. And props to the person who is so on top of things they already sent out their Christmas cards. Mine should be sent out by December 24th!

So excited that the countdown to Christmas has begun!

1 Year

Weight: 20lbs, 14oz

Height: 30 inches

Accomplishments:
Exclusively walks everywhere
Started running...dangerous!
Can climb on to the couch & our bed
8 teeth

A friend asked me last night if I missed the little baby Connor that I brought home from the hospital. I don't. Having Connor grow up and interact with me all the time is great. I still smile watching him walk around. I love having him crawl on top of me. And hearing him laugh is just about the best thing ever. I know every stage brings joy for different reasons, but I much prefer being able to play and interact with him. And that smile...so great!

Connor got his 12 month immunization yesterday. Being the man that he is, he cried/sniffled for all of 5 seconds and was back to normal. Go little man!

Connor is doing better and better and playing with other little kids. He isn't as gentle as he needs to be, but he will learn. Whenever he sees another little kid, he is very interested in them and what they are doing. Especially older kids, he seems to look at them with awe. It is sweet.

Connor talking with his friend Luca

Connor loves playing with toys. The ones that are interactive seem to be his favorite. Last night, he spent a good 15 minutes pushing a soccer ball around the room. It was so cute. We got him an igglepiggle (from BBC's In the Night Garden...a popular kids show in the UK) doll for his birthday that talks. He loves his blue doll (it really isn't a doll...more a stuffed animal...but for lack of words, I am calling it a doll). He carries it around, puts it in his walker, pulls it out and carries it some more. So cute.

The one thing I hate is Connor falling so much. Now that he is walking everywhere, and running as well, he has taken some nasty falls. And it is awful to hear him cry and try to comfort him. The worst part is, most of his injuries are on his face, and I know that can't feel good. Plus, I am always afraid people are going to think I am the reason for the injuries! Ekk!


Finger Painting...which didn't go down as well as I thought it would

A naked escapee

Helping mommy with the laundry

You are never too young for a blackberry!

The Small Print

Lately I have been really into reading terms & conditions, the small print and things of the sort. For some reason I find it fascinating. It is where companies hide all their dirty little secrets. In doing this, I was reminded of an article I came across earlier this year. One where a company in the UK put in their terms & conditions that you were selling them your immortal soul. They said they did it to prove a point…that no one ever reads terms & conditions, but talk about creepy!

Now I will be honest, even in this phase that I a going though, I can’t get through all the T & C’s that I come across. Some of them are just too stinking long! Which I will say I think is NOT FAIR to the customer. Right when we are purchasing something, you expect us to spend an hour or so reading your rules. Yeah right. Of course I will do that!

Anyway, I thought I would share some sneaky findings as of lately:
  • I have to sell my stock I got from work. When I called the stock selling people (the name I am using to protect the guilty), I had several questions for them. One was, how much do you charge? $14.95. No other fees? Nope. Then I called my bank to get some details that I needed to get my money from the stock selling people. My bank tells me to be sure they aren’t doing a wire transfer as there are all sorts of hidden fees involved. So, I go onto stock selling people’s website and low and behold it is a wire transfer and it says charges and fees MAY apply. At this point, they are only saying MAY. I of course pick up the phone and call back stock selling people and find out there is no option to these “may” charges. They do in fact exist. You sneaky bastards. Trying to steal my hard earned stock money at every turn. And behind my back. SO NOT COOL.
  • I got a new terms & conditions packet from my credit card company. Normally I don’t even bother with those, just throw them away. But, I am in this phase, so I decided to read. What did I find? If I am late making just one payment, not only will I be charged a late fee, but my interest rate will go up 150% for at least 6 months. WHAT?!? I didn’t know there was no such thing as making a mistake anymore. That’s why credit cards are bad news! Seriously.
  • When I went on to itunes recently, I had to agree to a new set of T&C's to continue buying a song. Determined to read it, I was shocked by how long it was. I finally gave up.
It's not fair how companies hide behind wording like "fees may apply" or "pre-existing condition". These people that make so much money off of us are out to get us at every turn. AND, they make us agree to things we don't even know about. This whole terms & conditions thing needs to be simplified. They should be a couple paragraphs long, not pages long!

Freaking terms & conditions!
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