6/7/08 Shoe color

I took all 3 to Howard's for summer sandals today. Unfortunately, Katrina was in a horrid state, no doubt due to poor sleep from last night's sleepover, and cried and fussed through the whole shopping expedition.

So I was in no position to browse or ponder decisions. This resulted in exactly what I wanted to avoid: bright pink sandals. She's suddenly rebelled against her Crocs, and needs sock-less summer shoes, so it was a matter of urgency. I could have gotten the boy navy blue color, but then thought that none of her clothes would look right. Hence, bright pink.

When we got home, it turned out that the new sandals are way too hard to put on without socks, so back they'll go. I dug around in our shoe stash and found two pairs of sandals that are exactly her size -- both navy blue! Hand-me-downs from her boy cousin, I believe. She likes -- well, barely tolerates -- a pair of Elefantens that her aunt got off eBay many years ago. So much for trying to match stuff.

The only way I was able to pay for the shoes was to ask Gabriel to push her around in the stroller in circles outside the store in the mall, a scene which attracted the attention of a security guard. Though he was ready to pin Worst Mall Mom Of The Week on me, I was actually very proud and relieved that I have Gabriel to count on. Gabriel took his "job" very seriously, and is very cooperative and helpful when I ask him to do something related to Katrina. His caring and effort were rewarded with a big anti-brother tantrum on the way out, angry that he was pushing the stroller instead of me. SHEEZ!

I'd had wild ideas about procrastinating unpacking by crashing a picnic after shoe-shopping, but Katrina was a complete mess on the way home. Straight to crib, here's Mimi, long nap, thank goodness. Just in time for Julian to take over -- he was awful today, getting into such huge fusses he couldn't reason or hear that he was going to get something. Gabriel, thankfully, was great today. He too was tired, but he curled up in his bed under the covers and took a nap! He is far, far and away our easiest child right now. I never thought I'd say that. (A few moms were giving me comfort and support at the shoe store when Katrina was freaking, which I greatly appreciated, but I told them the good news is that sweet, helpful little boy pushing her around in the stroller was worse, so I know this is temporary!)

Unpacking is a brutal, horrible task. And that's just the kitchen stuff! I still haven't found my prep knives or our drinking glasses. I really didn't do a good enough job setting aside things we need. Nightlights, for instance, and Katrina's sippy-cup. I spent all afternoon digging for my cooking oils, determined to bake brownies, and found them well past the time to start dinner.

I cooked dinner for the first time here at our "new" house, on my "new" electric range. Now I finally understand why cooking instructions say "remove from heat" instead of "turn off the heat" -- long after turning off a burner, things are still at a rolling boil! But what a rolling boil. I've never seen water boil so furiously in my old kitchen, nor so quickly. I knew I'd had a lame cooktop, but wow. This cooktop has some burners that are bigger than others, which I really don't like. I'm glad my new cooktop will have six burners with identical functions.

This house is bright and sunny all day, more than our home-house ever will be. I'm still getting used to the new kitchen, but I'm very happy not to have an island to hike around to get from the main prep area to the fridge. However, I discovered tonight that carrying a boiling pan of water all the way across the kitchen with a toddler clinging to your leg is tricky. Katrina picked that moment to play this game of grabbing my leg and looking up at me and saying in a joking voice, "Mama!" Unfortunately, Julian imitates that game too, and it doesn't wear well on a 4-year-old.

I'm typing from Dave's computer, so haven't had a chance to upload photos yet. There's not much to see. You'll have to take my word for it that Katrina is adorable, despite her increasingly insistent and intolerant demeanor. The boys are getting truly shaggy and need haircuts, but that's not as urgent as finding my tea kettle.

6/7/08