Never again...

...will I wait until the last minute to buy more diapers. I was hoping we could eek by until Thurs. morning when the shipment of our stuff including 8pkgs of size 3 diapers (which I am wondering if ahhh, she is a size 4 now-she is on some crazy growth spurt). Anyways, we were down to the last diaper and I thought, "oh, we will just go out and get diapers first thing when they wake up". But alas, she woke up at 2am with huge leaking poopy diaper (when does this EVER happen in the middle of the night?). Hailey was screaming and only wants me to hold her lately and Chris was asking where the diapers were (there were none, I had already removed all spare ones from different bags, stroller, etc. Nada.) So Chris and I had to fashion a makeshift diaper with Ethan's underwear, panty liners and a washcloth (which worked pretty well actually). And I went and "slept" in the kids' room--they took turns waking me up just as I got to sleep and I was paranoid about this wonky diaper and Hailey getting soaked.

So then at 6:15am I took a super quick shower and ran to the convenience store which didn't open until 7 (What convenience store doesn't open until 7? That is not convenient!). And then took the car to another store that also didn't open until 7 (Chris was carpooling at 7 so I was super rushed), couldn't find store and got turned around but found another little mini store. Asked them for diapers and they gave me a blank stare. Then I was trying to remember the word they use and said hesitantly... "Nappies?". Ok, that was it. Got them, card wouldn't work, paid cash and then used the train station nearby in the nav system. Only it took me to some dead end streets and then I was on the wrong side of the tracks. But I figured it out and got home at 7:13am. Not too bad, considering... Oh my.

So we laid low today, got stuff a little more organized for move tomorrow and caught up on laundry. Margie came and watched the kids for a few hours while I took the car and ran errands. So nice! I went to the Clinique counter for a specific product (ah, how nice to be able to ask questions and not feel rushed) and the sales lady totally looked me up and down and asked if I was using bronzer (ok, my tinted moisturizer is a smidge darker but not that much!) and said it looked yellow-ish and my face was dry. Ouch. Now that you have me feeling all self-conscious, no, I am still not buying your CC cream. I have two tubes of the other kind I brought to England with me.

Then I went to Argos, this store that reminds me of Sears. Like Sears, they have a huge catalog and carry everything under the sun. It was an interesting setup though. You just go in the store and find what you want to get in the catalog, check availability quick and then write down the item number and go pay for it. They go grab the item (baby/toddler bath) in the back and call your number when your item is ready (was 6min. ETA). Prices seemed really reasonable and it seemed to work pretty well! 

Then I got stuff to fill the kids' Easter baskets and had to hide that bag when I got home. I got home seamlessly in the car this time which seemed like a victory.

Here is Hailey putting down some Cottage Pie (she loved it!):

And playing hide and seek:

Anyways, the moral of the story is that I am never going to wait until the last minute to buy diapers again. :)

Monkey World!

Today we ventured to Monkey World in Wareham with Margie. Driving is always an adventure and even with the navigation system and Margie's help, I took several wrong exits on the roundabouts. Oops. We got there eventually. :)

Both kids fell asleep in the car on the way there and the way back and are way off their nap schedule but oh well. I'll be honest, I don't love going to the zoo. But this was different, there were several unique play areas throughout (lots of climbing and obstacles so kids could be like monkeys) and it wasn't as massive and exhausting as some zoos. And well, who doesn't like monkeys? I think they are Hailey's favorite animal (We read a lot of Curious George and she has them on several pairs of PJ's and she loves making monkey sounds. Up there with dogs anyways.)

Some of the monkeys looked really sad and lethargic (which Ethan noticed as well and it was a little sad) and others were happy, full of life and downright funny. Some of the habitats they set up for them were really awesome (and quite massive)!

Studying the orangutangs.

Watching them climb and swing (there was a cute baby one too but I wasn't fast enough to get it's picture).

King Louie!

(And I thought Chris had long arms--haha) :)

Just hangin' out.

Ethan may have riled this monkey up a bit with his little cement mixer truck on the widow.

Sorry, your cute "couples time" is on display. No privacy anywhere around here!

This thing looked like a rat mixed with a monkey mixed with an owl mixed with a raccoon.

Lulworth Castle

The kids woke up at 6am this morning (which apparently is 7am now with the time change). Ha, I had no idea that the rest of the world has their time change weeks later and it is just the U.S. that has the time change weeks earlier? It is a dreary rainy and windy day today but we set out for Lulworth Castle, dressed for the weather (ha, this sort of weather is nothing new for us).  Very pretty castle, much more intact than Corfe Castle. It's a "real castle" as Ethan puts it. There are lots of sheep and lambs running around on the grounds and as you drive up the long driveway. The lambs were so cute-they were chasing each other and even jumping over each other (I had no idea they could jump like that!).

Hailey was being as stubborn as ever and was all mad that Chris didn't let her climb up all the stairs in the tower and throughout the castle (even though she was wobbling around and wasn't quite up to it). 

Ethan marveling at the architecture:

This king's bed is much smaller than today's "king bed":

The washroom (pay no attention to the creepy mannequins-some of the kid ones they used looked like Chucky):

The kitchen (Chris caught me off-guard here):

There weren't very many people in there so the kids could roam around:

On the way home, we stopped briefly at Tesco Extra (a HUGE awesome grocery store and more--they also have clothes and everything else like Fred Meyers). They had a whole huge isle of "family prepared meals"--awesome! I got this cheese sampler that came with 7 different cheeses (on sale for 4 Pounds instead of 8) and some prosciutto and Italian salami. My favorite cheese was the Smoked Viennese one. Chris and I had that with some crap wine from the convenience store and joked that the cheese and meats were to wash down the taste of the wine. We bought some better wines to try from Tesco that we'll tap into next. :) We also got Stella Artois Cider (had no idea they made cider) that was sweet and very good.

We haven't had wifi at this place for 5 days now (in addition to a laundry list of things I won't go into)--counting down until we move in 3days!

Wimborne Flea Market and Model Town

After getting coffee and a tart and discovering that the Wimborne town center market (more of a farmers market and handmade products) is only once a month, we walked out of town to the Bric-A-Brac (mostly overpriced used junk) Saturday market. The kids were both MOODY and whiney today since they didn't go to sleep until super late last night. I knew today was going to be interesting when they didn't go to sleep until like 10pm. I can't wait for them to have separate rooms again. 

It was kind of nasty out today (windy and rainy) so we were kind of chilled. We looked for snails on the walk there. This one was kind of cool:

At the market, this woman gave Ethan a little house piggybank and these wooden ugly-cute hanging monkeys for Hailey (it was an estate sale of sorts), which was really nice. This particular piggy pank that Ethan loves needs glued and keeps falling apart but he loves it! 

He also got to pick a little vehicle (a cement truck) for 50pence. I got these practical collapsible plastic crates to store and move some of our things. 

We discovered that these yellow flowers on the walk there that looked kind of like a daffodil but more like a rose (but were yellow and among lots of daffodils) were actually this English Double Daffodil:

Next we ventured to the Wimborne Model Town which looked exactly like the town (mini versions of all the stores and buildings in the downtown area) and was laid out so you walked on the paths which were the streets, making Ethan look like a giant.

Then they also had a model railway which Ethan loved. Except he kept asking questions like, "Why don't the cars move too?" And "Do I get to take this home with me?". It was cool how pushing different buttons made different trains and features (like the windmill) work. Chris would have loved it as well. I also had the realization that "Cornish" ala "Cornish Pastys" is referring to Cornwall, England. The volunteer we were talking to for quite awhile (Mr. Hardacre), was totally making fun of me. I'm sorry but I don't think that abbreviation is as obvious as some others (for all I know, the Cornish could have been some ancient tribe or another town called Corning or something). This all came up because one of the parts of the model railway was based on a Cornwall fishing village. Cornwall looks really pretty and unique, definitely on our list of places to go (it's about 2-3hrs away I think). Here is Ethan with our buddy Mr. Hardacre:

 

Then we met Chris for lunch at La Vie En Rose Cafe for French food. It was great food and I was impressed until I ordered a dessert crepe and they brought out a crepe with a Dole fruit cocktail poured inside (not what I was expecting). :) I choose poorly (Chris had to rub it in with his handmade apple tart that he selected). Here is Hailey debating what to order:

Ready to Move!

The Wifi at these temporary apartments hasn't been working for a few days now and the top shelf of the dishwasher is all messed up and the washer/dryer still smells off and I am ready to move! Chris just informed me that Boeing is finally through scouring the lease with a fine tooth comb and has approved it with some minor changes. So we are set to move in on Wednesday, April 1st-yah!! The kids and I went to meet with the Lord and Lady Landlords today to see the place and learn the ins and outs. We really lucked out with this place-you can't beat the location in the middle of it all (but yet is is tucked away and has a private courtyard) and it really has everything we need (the owners spared no expense and bought new towels, coffee machine, Dyson vac, nice knives etc.) I got the scoop on them too. They are both Scottish and met at 16, have 3 girls ranging from their 30's-40's. He used to work in semi-conductors in Silicon Valley since the very beginning in the 80's (and I gather they made quite a fortune in the process). Now they are "gypsies" and go between their places (living in the one that is not currently being rented) in Poole, Arizona, California and Canada where their kids and grandkids are dispersed. Anyways, they were very nice and she had all sorts of local info. to share as well. She also told me that Poole Harbor is the 2nd largest natural harbor in the world (Sydney Harbor is first). 

And that the ferry to Paris, France pretty much left once a day most of the time and there is also a ferry to this island that is about halfway between Poole and France, called Jersey. You can take a day trip leaving at 10am and arriving back around 10pm.

Ethan was being very polite and asked if he should take off his shoes and was pretty well behaved (phew) and was buddies with the guy. He's all excited about his room that has bunk beds. Hailey was kind of cranky but what can ya do? Since it is a townhouse we'll probably have to get multiple baby gates (especially since Hailey is currently obsessed with stairs).

Anyways, a few funny things from today:

1. This seagull flew by and stole Hailey's ham and cheese half sandwich (she hadn't even had a bite yet) right out of her hand and then all of these birds swarmed and devoured it. It really made quite the impression on Ethan-he brought it up multiple times today (I was pretty surprised as well). I told Ethan, "That's why we need to eat it right away." :)

2. Ethan kept going up to this little girl Ella in the department store (she was in her stroller at one point and he gave her a kiss). It was very sweet but we need to discuss boundaries (especially for people we don't even know). I think he is missing preschool (he's such a social kid!) and I am going to look into sending him here. I guess they go mostly through the summer and only really have Aug. off and have longer breaks here and there like two weeks at Easter so it might be more worthwhile (I was originally thinking it's only a few months until summer break).

3. Ethan accidentally threw his ice cream cup in the red post office box. Whoops! I can understand his confusion.

4. Why do we not have these in the US? (If you have a newborn in a car seat, the car seat takes up the whole shopping cart!)

I have noticed that their strollers are different too. The majority of them have the kid laying almost completely flat (I think they are trying to encourage napping). :)

5. Ethan said out loud (about the lady helping us at the post office): "Why does she have so many teeth?" Which frankly I was glad he didn't say it in a worse way (the poor lady's teeth were really crooked and facing every which way) and I could respond, "You have just as many teeth." And then talk to him later about how we all look different and beautiful in our own way and how it would be boring if we all looked the same. And not to say things like that because it might hurt her feelings. 

The Poole Market

This morning Hailey dumped out not one but two of those mini cereal boxes on the floor and scattered them all around with her hands for fun. Argh, I can't wait until we have her high chair (it is being shipped) and can keep her (and her mess) somewhat contained at mealtime. She is into everything and is getting food all over everything! Ethan was also in a mood like this and I was going crazy. It was a challenge just to keep up with them/put things back. We had to leave because the house-cleaning people were coming to clean the (should have been brief but is looking like at least three weeks now) temporary apartment. No move in date for townhouse still but hopefully soon. Chris is meeting with the landlords tonight which have Lord and Lady titles we recently found out. It's not a super fancy townhouse or anything but we must have good taste. :)

We took the train to Poole to get groceries (these kids eat non-stop

all day long lately) because we were down to nothing. Gotta have snacks to keep the kids content on the go! :) Lucky for us, if happened to be the outdoor market day in Poole and we scored loads of fruit and vegetables for super cheap (bunches of each type of fruit or vegetable was a pound).

Check out all we got for 10 pounds ($15USD). You can tell Ethan is excited too. :)

I'm doing all my shopping on Thursday at the outdoor market from now on. The avocados aren't quite ripe and some of the nectarines and one of the peppers need to be eaten soon but it looked like nice produce! Cheap thrills. :) I'm glad this will be less than half a mile away soon! Ha, that poor stroller was not meant to have so many bags hanging from the handles and was tipping backwards (would have toppled over if I didn't have my hands on the handles pressing the stroller wheels down). Good little arm workout. We waited a long time for the train (it kept getting delayed) while Ethan played with a little boy named Henry. Henry's mom seemed pretty uptight and didn't seem to approve of them playing together but they were having a great time.

I couldn't help but think of Tommy

Boy when Ethan put on Hailey's coat:

Here's a plane with what looks to be a Thomas face outside the grocery store:

Brownsea Island

Today we ventured to Brownsea Island with our friend Margie. We had a fun time with her and it was nice to have some company (and help). We took the train into Poole and then walked to the Quay. After purchasing our tickets for the ferry, both Margie and I had misplaced our tiny little 2in. tickets that we were apparently supposed to hand the guy when boarding. The attendant handed them to each of us along with some brochures so I think the wind blew them away. Ha, then they said they would not let us on the ferry without our tickets. (We seriously bought them two minutes prior and the boarding area is several yards from the ticket booth and it wasn't at all busy today.)  We found one on the ground but the lady said "what if someone finds the other one on the ground and uses it?" So Margie said, "Fine, I'll buy another." And cranky woman relented with a sigh and said, "Ugh, that's okay. Here you go."  We were on our way, just in time!

After trying to weasel our way onto one of the ATV rides (apparently it is just for the elderly or disabled but it looked like fun), we set out. There is a castle that apparently is owned by a private party now. The deal was that they could lease it if they restored it. I guess they broke the rules and put bathrooms in and it is now like a 5 star hotel that they allow their "partners" (staff) of the Waitrose grocery store and other entities they own to stay there. There is a little church that just uses candles for light and some cottages that the workers now live in. We went on a little Boardwalk through the wetlands and then came across loads of peacocks just wandering around closeby. I was a little leery because some of them seemed disgruntled and I didn't want them to attack us or something. Regardless, they are such beautiful creatures.

Brownsea Island has these guided walking tours and self-guided nature walking trails. Margie went on the guided tour and the kids and I did a little walking loop. The island is famous for the red squirrel although we did not see any today. There were lots of neat little wooded forts and good climbing trees.

Ethan took interest in this little blonde girl in a pink coat with a black and white animal print French hat and it was cute how he kept trying to get her to play with him. She was acting shy though and wanted to hold her moms hand and stay with her mom. Bless his heart, he kept trying though and didn't want to walk on ahead because he wanted to hang out with this little girl. Then he kind of transplanted himself into this preschool class that was on a field trip there and was a bad influence and got all the kids to play in some ash. 

We met back up with Margie and had lunch at this lovely little cafe with pretty good food. They had a buch of baked goods just laying out on this table and Ethan grabbed a scone. Ha, that's one way to get what you want.

Poor Ethan was all excited to go to "the beach" today and use their new sandcastle buckets and tools. However, it was a pebble beach so it wasn't really what we expected. He was so desperate to use his bucket and shovel and rake that he was loading the walking path pebbles into it and playing with those on the ground.

Then after late brief (and Hailey's non-existent second) naps, we loaded into the car with Margie. And proceeded to sit in the car for 30min. trying to figure out how to put the car in drive. It turned out that the problem was that you need to have your foot on the brake while hitting the start button (ok, I'm used to having my foot on the brake when you go to put the car in drive but not to start the car!). Ha, Margie and I were trying everything we could think of, pushing buttons, etc. We can laugh about it now. We survived the 30min. Drive to The Olive Branch and went straight there for Jim's going away shindig. That place is cool, I've been there 3times now. It is pretty close to Chris' work so they go there a lot. Straightaway, Hailey managed to spill my full beer (I hadn't even taken a sip) by pushing a menu into my glass and tipping it over. Unfortunately, Jered and Catherine on the other side of the table got a stream of beer on them which got their coats, etc. Party foul! I felt bad. Went to bed pronto, I was exhausted, it had been a full day.