Both underwhelming and overwhelming

Sorry for the delay in posting. Our shipment of goods came from the Netherlands (after a final 150$ charge) and we have been trying to manage all this stuff ever since. It is truly overwhelming, in the sense that we were not prepared to receive 43 boxes of anything so soon after a major move. It illuminated that we hadn't really organized our stuff from the GA move, but really just sort of put it away in closets. Filling our living room with many new boxes really emphasizes that we HAVE to organize everything all over again. It is at the same time underwhelming-- to realize how much junk we accumulate over time (and we think we are careful about such things). Underwhelming to find some of the things we paid such a dear price to ship are also junk. It is inevitable that you come across an item in a box and think: "now why in the WORLD did I ship that". The large world cup promotional wuppie



is a case in point. Our goods were delivered by two kind men-- who took it all in stride, even when Mike's giant hinge started coming out of the bottom of one of our cardboard boxes in mid-carry. They were fast, efficient, and personable. I wish I could have tipped them-- but our experiences with all the other folks involved in the process meant our tipping budget was gone by the time these guys showed up. A shame-- because they really were helpful and nice.
Since that time we have been slowly going through our stuff and organizing the whole house. I am taking the week off from the dissertation to spend time with visiting family and work my way through this stuff. I have 37 days of holiday saved up-- but they don't really mean I will take that many days. Since my job is to finish the dissertation during the contract time it doesn't do me much good to have a month of holidays and then not be finished on time.
We have set the date for my defense in the Netherlands-- 29 August. Due to the limited times available between my schedule/my new school year, and the slots for defense ceremonies in the Netherlands it will probably mean a short visit of just a few days for Mike and I. Hartford has a direct flight to Amsterdam, which will make the journey relatively quick for us. We plan to move to CT at the end of July.
Here are some photos. Two pics of our boxes filling up the 'dining room'. One with keska for size reference. Mom and James working on our seeds-- we're planting corn, tomatoes, and peas-- starting them in the mini-greenhouse that was a wedding gift from the Fitts. And one of Will's super cute haircut. He looks SO much like my sister's son Micajah here-- it is remarkable. If only we could get his brother to agree to a haircut, too. There is a very local barber shop on James Island called Bushwhackers, which we may try soon... details to follow.

Weekend Update

James at the aquarium in January with a friendly frog


Sue and Molly Fitts, Will and James on a lovely Sunday afternoon in Awendaw a few weeks ago.


Baby Will with Uncle Jesse over Christmas, as Dad and James relax nearby



Well- the week has been good. Busy as always, but nice. James loved his first full week of school, but was more tired by the end of the week. We will need to adjust his sleeping to make up for the increase in activity.
Our first official school Valentines day is this week. At the Island School they do it both on Wednesday and Thursday, I guess so the 2-days a week or 3-days a week kids aren't left out. We didn't want to go with any candy-- they are still a little young for all of that. We checked out the Family Fun website at the suggestion of Aunt Lizzie. I had James help me make little cards that say

"You are DINO-mite"
and each is tied to a little plastic dinosaur. That is for Wednesday

For Thursday we found little plastic shovels at Target, and attached a homemade card that says:
"I DIG You"

We had fun, but with about 5 to go James piped up with "I finished" and he bolted. Mom had to sprinkle glitter on the last ones alone. I was glad it held his attention for as long as it did.

We spent about an hour hanging out in the bathroom today. I sat him on the toilet and gave him juice and we read stories until eventually he felt the need to go. He was thrilled to actually go in the potty-- but we're not there quite yet. We will keep trying. Our "potty training" book is in the shipment from the Netherlands. It has apparently arrived in Charleston but the company (surprise!) says there will be an additional $250 charge. We are with a new company-- the American connection that works with the Dutch group we had so much trouble with before. Our contact Martijn says that $100 is because our goods were subjected to a special inspection in New York (you are obligated to pay for customs inspecting your goods if for any reason they see fit to do this). He says the other $150 is from Transpack, the original company from the Netherlands, and that they told him it was for "warehouse fees". I told him I would need to see a copy of the bill from customs that they "paid on our behalf" and also that we are unwilling to give Transpack any more money. I told this gentleman that they have been trying to change our quote for over a month. I also asked how it is possible to accrue "warehouse fees" for items that have been in transit, or suffering delays that originated with Transpack. Uugh. We are SO tired of dealing with it, and so ready to get our stuff. I literally WORE OUT my only pair of pajamas as I've been in them every night for over 6 weeks. God Bless my friend Julie in Tennessee-- she sent a big care package to us this week including two sets of new PJs, and lots of other clothes. What a lifesaver.

In other news on Saturday our car started making funny sounds and feeling strange when making turns, but Mike figured out it was just that we were low on Power Steering Fluid. It is all better now, and we are happy that is wasn't any more serious than that.

I have continued with the running. Now I split the dogs up, taking Ghost for a short jaunt then switching off and grabbing keska for a longer trip. Both at once is ridiculous-- with Keska trying to chase all woodland creatures and Ghost getting freaked out by the occasional fire hydrant. My next race will be the MESSA 8K for H20 on 23 February. This is sponsored by the master of environmental studies student association. I am hoping it will get me ready for the Bridge Run in early April.

Mike interviewed last week with a company called handyman connection and will start getting sent out on jobs by them next week we think. He has to go through a process, including getting a state construction license and some other paperwork. It is flexible, not necessarily full time (necessary because of the car-sharing), and pays well-- so we are thrilled.

Video Boys

Again, props to Keith and Dorthe for the usb cord. Its so nice to share photos and video again. We are busy as usual but LOVING this weather. Winter in Charleston is like summer in Europe, and it is delightful for a change. We are enjoying it while we can. I heard from a colleague in Connecticut last week that is was cold and rainy.
Here are some videos of the guys.
First, Mike trying to make Will laugh. He will give a big belly laugh, but it is hard to catch on tape. Here is a good estimation.
His other trick is doing a pushup and locomoting around, though it can't be called crawling yet (its almost always backwards). It has drastically changed our ability to leave him unwatched for even a moment. places that were safe last week are not anymore, but we are trying to keep up.

James is thriving at his new school. next week is our first foray into the class valentine exchange. any hints or suggestions from experienced parents are welcome.
his videos include a short discussion about yogurt, and an example of his wonderfully atonal singing voice. much like his mum he loves to sing, but is not especially gifted. sorry you cannot see him very well- i was trying to catch him without his knowledge. hmmm...
That reminds me of the lecture I gave last night on informed consent. Yikes! Please don't sue us when you're eighteen, buddy.

enjoy your weekends!

Starfish and Folly

Many thanks to Keith and Dorthe for the USB cord-- it has saved us and allowed us to share these photos with you...
by the way-- Dorthe's birthday is this Wednesday, which we're calling SUPER WEDNESDAY...



James and mom with a starfish--- which we threw back to the ocean for what we hope was its survival.

the men folk enjoying the big rocks


mom and boys


Willy --- we're thinking about calling him Wilby now-- and the dunes

Can't shake the Pig

Well, the race was a success. Until yesterday the longest I'd ever run (at least since childhood) was 25 minutes. That was on Thursday of last week. So, the prospect of a 5K was a little scary for me but also a good challenge. So I broke my record, and ran for a whole 37 minutes yesterday-- that's the time it took me to complete the race. The winner-- a strapping teenage boy-- won in about 11 minutes. So that gives you a good point of reference. I was firmly entrenched in the very center of the bell curve. Not the first, not the last, but happy with what I accomplished. I am SO glad my friend Sue wanted to come along and do the race with me. It definitely motivates you when you are not alone. It was also a really fantastic feeling to see my boys lined up and shouting for me as I crossed the line.

The race was co-sponsored by the local grocery store chain The Piggly Wiggly. So, there was a giant guy in a pig costume at the race, handing out fruit and gatorade, submitting to photos, and promoting the grocery store. Well, James was one of the few small kids present and the Pig kind of glommed on to us. Every time we turned around he was hovering nearby. James eventually got used to him and didn't cry out "scary...scary...scary" when he got near. By the end James was giving him hugs but I was a little weirded out wondering just who was inside that costume. We eventually managed to shake the pig-- after a lengthy goodbye-- and then we went to the new Piggly Wiggly on Folly Road to do our weekly shopping. So, I guess their little plan worked.
Photos are of James and the pig in the hotel lobby, and Sue and I just before crossing the finish line.

Weekly report

So- another busy week. Still no USB cord, so no photos... but we hope our belongings will be here soon. The ship was slated to arrive on 31 January, but we are not sure what to expect in terms of a timeline for the items clearing customs, etc. Then the real question will become-- what to DO with all that stuff. Some of it will be very welcome. I am literally wearing out the three pairs of pants I packed. It will be nice to have some 'new' things in the wardrobe. We are also looking forward to some of the toys/etc that are for Will-- he has grown and changed a lot in the last 6 weeks and he may even be ready for the exer-saucer... we can only hope.
My class continues to go really well. The students are great and the work keeps me busy but it is a nice break. Mike is thoroughly enjoying working on handyman projects.
James attended the Island School for the first time today. WOW! Is the word. It is such a great, diverse, stimulating environment for him. He LOVED it. They also happen to have an amazing playground, as they are currently using the facilities of the Johns Island First Baptist Church. They did all sorts of fun activities today, including BAKING. How cool is that? They sent him home with a few of the cookies he'd made. It was hard to get him to wait until after naptime to eat them for a snack. We even saw some folks we knew there. A couple from our old dog park downtown. As is the case with most dogpark friends, we don't know their names-- but know their dog's name (it is Cooper). After a few minutes of "why do you look familiar?" We finally hit on the dog park connection. They totally remember Ghost and Keska. Their son William will be in James' class. So-- always nice to see a familiar face and no, we still do not know their names.
Tomorrow morning I will attempt to run my first 5K race. I have never really run any race like that before. I walked the Cooper River Bridge run in 1993... but I'd like to run it this year. Hopefully Annie [aka dogwood girl] will make it up and do it, too. The bridge run is a 10K, so in preparation I will attempt the Morris Island Lighthouse 5K tomorrow. It should be fun, and I am hoping the excitement/competition element will help see me through. I do not think I have run that far before...
For the most part we are healthy, happy, and doing fine. Still adjusting to life in the States, but ultimately glad to be near friends and family.