What is Wrong With People??

Have I mentioned how much I love having two girls?  It makes my day when they just do random hugs like this!

My opinion of our prospective renters has become significantly even more jaded this week.  I seriously don't understand people.  How do you call, make a specific time to come to my house, and then don't show up or even bother to tell me you can't come?  Here is how one of them played out on Tuesday.  The setting is 1:30 Tuesday afternoon.  After a little back and forth between myself and the lady caller...

Me: "Okay, so we'll see you today at 4:30."
Martha: "Yes, very good."
Me: "Here is my direct number.  If for some reason, you can't come or you will be late, please call and let me know."
Martha: "Yes, yes.  I'll be there or I'll let you know."

To prepare for her to come, I end up clocking out early from work so I can get the place spruced up.  Then, a mere three hours later, seemingly a short enough time that even a person with a questionable memory would recall that they were going to come to my house, 4:30 rolls around and Martha is no where to be found.  I wait until 4:45 and give her a call.

Me: "Hello, is Martha there?"
Lady: "Yes, hold on.  MARTHA!"  (I realize at this point that it's not a cell phone meaning she was not in some horrible car accident on the way here).
Martha: "Hello?"
Me: "Hi Martha.  I thought you were going to be here at 4:30 to see my townhouse?"
Martha: "Oh yes.  Well, give me 10 minutes and I'll be there."
Me: "I really don't think that's going to work because I have someone else coming at 5:00."
Martha: "Okay, I can be there then."
Me: "No, no.  I don't think it would be a good idea to have you both here viewing the house at the same time."
Martha. "Okay...."
Me: "You know, I really don't think this is going to work out anyway.  You haven't made a very good first impression since you said you were going to be here at 4:30 and it's now 4:45 and you aren't..." CLICK.  She hangs up on me.

Yup.  I don't get it.  I suppose these are people who I don't want as renters anyway so they've weeded themselves out.  On the plus side, we've gotten a few decent people coming through including two 20-year oldish boys (very punctual and nice) and a family with two kids.  We hope to have something done by early next week one way or another.

On Sunday we spent some time packing and going through drawers and cabinets that don't usually see the light of day.  It's a nice feeling to throw a bunch of it away but then you also come across stuff that you forgot you had.  We found our desktop hard drive that we fried in like 2004 - - - we weren't able to recover it even though we tried two different places who specialize in doing so.  I wonder if technology has improved enough since then that we could try again?  We have a bunch of pictures on it that we've lost.  Worth a shot!

I did take a time out from the packing to take Calleigh to get a haircut with me.  We were supposed to go the week before and it never happened and every few days since then she would whisper in my ear, I guess so Aubree wouldn't hear and feel bad, "Are we going to go get our hair cut?"  I think she was excited that she and I were going to go on a little outing together.  I took Aubree into my bed to try to get her to take a nap and Calleigh was downstairs with Duncan.  I texted Duncan that I was trying to get Aubree to sleep and then I would be down for Calleigh.  He texted me back a picture of Calleigh asleep on the couch. Foiled again! She rarely falls asleep during the day so I was quite surprised.  I eventually did come down for her and woke her up and without missing a beat, and with a couch mark on her face and drool coming out of one side, she was ready to go!  

We have a new Fantastic Sams that opened right next to us so off we went.  I haven't been to one of those since I was like 12 and was the unfortunate recipient of a horrendous perm (the sad thing is that I kept going back for more).  They weren't too busy so we were able to both get our hair done at the same time.  While I was paying, Calleigh noticed a bin of lollipops on the counter and she whispered if she could have one.  Then, like a bolt of lightening, her hand was in there and out.  I quickly noticed she had two of them.  One for Aubree, of course.  I think she might have been worried the lady was going to tell her she could only have one.  She was so excited to bring that lollipop home for Aubs, I have to say.  

As far as the haircut, she was very happy with it at first although I thought the hairdresser took off a little more than I was thinking she would.  That night, when I went upstairs to get the girls ready for bed, Calleigh was sitting on her bed crying. "I want my hair back.  I want my hair back."  All I could think was "Fantastic Sams does it again."  But, the next day she was over it which I think is a few days less than it took me to get over those perm disasters.  

Besides sticking around to show people our house (or not show them as the case may be), we did a few fun things like go to story time and on Wednesday morning I took them over to the splash fountain in Winter Park.  I would have gone to the one in Winter Springs but since we won't be around much longer I didn't think it made sense to spend the money for the season.  Winter Park worked out fine anyway.  We brought a picnic lunch and had a grand time.  Brady was a little apprehensive at first but by the end, he was trying to drink out of it.  The place was pretty crowded but I had noticed two sisters about the girls age off to the side and told Calleigh to go be friends with them.  Off they went and I saw Calleigh go right up to the older sister and wave her hand in her face and then I saw Calleigh's hand go up to show she was "five" and then the girl's hand go up to show she was "five" and the rest was history.  I could barely drag them away to go home.  

Yesterday morning was the big Target sale where the clearance toys go on sale for 70% off.  You really have to catch it on that specific day because it goes very fast.  Accordingly, we were there when it opened at 8:00 am.  This time Elaine was with us which was very helpful.  I didn't get as much as I did at the sale in January but still did pretty good.  Since Elaine was there to distract them, at least this time they didn't see everything that I put in the cart.

Later, after we were back from Target, we had a brief outing to the Maitland Library and Lake Lily

Waving to the Amtrak train passing by.

This morning we did yard sales and I couldn't help feeling a little blue over the fact that I'm not going to have quite as good a set up at my new house for yard sales.  We're in a more rural area so yard sales will be fewer and far between...at least that's what I'm thinking.  We may have to come this way.  Maybe have lunch at Grandma's or something.  

So Brady's walking isn't progressing quite as I had thought it would although it was better today.  I would say he's at about 50/50 with crawling/walking.  It seems the girls progressed from first steps to primarily walking much quicker but maybe my memory is faulty.  We're going on two weeks since first steps now. Also, just another update on him.  I'm still nursing although I've reduced to about three times a day..first thing in the morning...before his afternoon nap...and before going to bed.  Four or five months ago I wouldn't have thought we would still be going but here we are.  I guess we'll just keep it up until things peter out whenever that is.  

In closing, here's a cute exchange about a bad headache that I had (which lasted for two days, hence why I posted Saturday instead of Friday last week).

Me: "Girls, please be quiet.  I have a really bad headache."
Calleigh: "I know...We should pray to Jesus about your headache!!"
Me: "That's a great idea. Who wants to pray?"
Aubree: "Me!  Dear Jesus, thank you for Mommy's headache."
Me: "Aubree, no, we want to pray that it will go away."
Aubree: "Oh yeah.  Dear Jesus, please help Mommy's headache to go away. Amen."
A few seconds pass as the girls peer at me expectantly.
Calleigh: "Is it gone?"

Oh, what faith!  And thus began the lesson on how some prayers are answered quickly, some not so quickly, and some not with the answer you are looking for.  For what it's worth, my headache did go away a few hours later.  

Have a Happy Sabbath everyone.

This is how they dressed during quiet time one day.  They wanted a picture because they were being "sporty girls" as Calleigh called themselves.

Half the time these days, Aubree falls asleep sitting on the chair in their room.

Brady's first Popsicle.  "What am I supposed to do with this thing?"

"My sisters make this look so easy but I tell you what people, this is harder to eat then it looks."

"Not bad.  Not bad."

"Hmm. Computers.  Which one to use. Which one..."

"Yes, this one will do.  Very nice.  I think I want to 'work with computers' like Daddy when I grow up.  I wonder what that means...."

"Excuse me, IT Dept.  I just realized this is pink.  I don't do pink.  What other colors do you have?"