HKG024: Reunited, and it feels so...

cramped? broken? but also, great! we got our stuff from TX today!! our shipment made it in decent shape...several of our plastic bins are broken, but only one item seems to be broken so far. fortunately, my crockpot is still in one piece!!!

today was a strange day and instead of recording all of the mostly mundane details, i think i'll go with highlights and lowlights!

the (some funny and some just plain) highlights for today were these:

• royally embarrassing myself with our new neighbors by fighting to unlock our outer door...forgot that to unlock the dead bolt, i needed to turn the key to the right, not the left. in the process, we did find out our neighbors names and also found out that there are two kids in the apartment who are close to livie's age.
• watching the kids reunite with their toys was pretty awesome. they squealed with delight over and over and over again.
• finding a business card tucked into the ceiling tiles in one of our bathrooms in the new place made me giggle. i think it was from the cleaning crew, but i'm not sure b/c i can't read chinese.
• listening to olivia sound out and read her very first word! she picked up one of my books, for which the title is "slam," and she sounded out slam until she asked me, "mommy, is this word "slam?" that was PRETTY AWESOME!!

the lowlights for today were these:

• a very early wakeup call from the monkeys.
• nearly getting hit by a car that did not have its turn signal on while walking to the playroom this morning (we were crossing a street it turned onto, but we didn't know it was going to turn, b/c it did not have a turn signal on!)
• getting hit in the knee by a taxi while i was swooping quinn out of its path (very low speed...no damage done except to my racing heart)...this was the taxi we just exited while going to the new apt...the taxi gave us less than 30 seconds to get out and get the stroller and was moving before i got quinn away from it. that scared the ever living shit out of me.
• missing josh as he began his official work schedule in guangzhou this week, though his away work week is cut short for us to move on thursday and friday!

sleepy bug snuggled up on the couch while we wait for UPS to deliver our goods

quinn standing still for a second...we're hanging around waiting for UPS.

snack time on the floor in livie's room

my beloved crockpot all in one piece

i let the kids dig into this box while i was doing other stuff...they had fun making this mess!

livie looking up from reading one of her favorite books, and quinn playing with one of his train tracks

this is one of several bins that was broken...they were all broken on corners or edges...i am guessing from being thrown rather than from being crushed. ironically, the bins that held up the best were the ones that i got for $4.50 from mal-wart the night before UPS came to pick up our stuff. the ones that i spent a lot more time researching and buying off amazon...all but one is in pieces. things that make you go hmmmmmm....

our fridge with a pic of baby kitty when she was a baby...boy, do i miss that hairy little cat. i miss her TONS. i get to see copper and sookie on camera when i talk to my dad, but baby kitty is in a new home now (looooonnnngggg story that i will tell another time), and i don't get to see her. i know she's being loved and well cared for, and i get emails about her, but i don't get to see her.

this is the business card tucked into the ceiling tiles in one of the bathrooms. interesting way to get business, eh?

my crazy son being crazy in the shower before bed tonight. yes, i drew a heart on his butt. this might embarrass him less when he's 16 than if i had actually posted a picture of his butt. maybe.