Life Without a Dishwasher

We've been sans dishwasher since just before Christmas. The good news is it's under warranty, therefore the cost to us is less than what it could've been. The bad news is it's under warranty, therefore we have to rely on the idiot people which LG outsources their service. They came out to assess the situation - we need a new motor. They ordered the part and set up a time to come out to install said part - on a day that Kris couldn't be at the house. They set up yet another time to come out - never showed up. Third time had to be the charm, right? Nope - they came out and had the wrong part! So - now we're still waiting for the darn part and installation! To make matters worse, the service company is in Atlanta and they send the work orders to their branch here in Dallas, so every time Kris calls to find out what's going on, he reaches a call center. And they never answer the phone - quite the shoddy operation if you ask me. Kris finally got the number for the guy that showed up the second time, and hopefully he will actually show up this week like we've been promised. I don't understand how companies such as this stay in business with such offerings of shady work and customer service.

To sum it up, it's been over a month of doing dishes by hand. And with a 2 year old in the house I constantly wash my hands, which has all lead to a mean case of dishpan hands! How in the world did our foremothers do it? (I say foremothers because you know our forefathers were NOT washing dishes! Unless they were like my wonderful husband who thankfully pitches in!) I ask of you, dear reader, please send us some good juju and hope that the dude shows up with the part this week! I know it's a very petty thing to wish for when there are more important things that I could be focusing on, and not having a dishwasher isn't the end of the world, but hey - sometimes it's the little things that can get one bogged down.

Nicky's Dictionary

The most frequently asked question we receive regarding Nicky is "how is his English coming along?" The answer to the question is - his English is getting better & better every day and he's understanding so much more, which has been instrumental in taming the tantrums! Here's a sampling of some of his most fun words and phrases...

butt = bus (can't help not asking him what this object is over and over...he says it with such conviction and excitement!)

eepo = hippo

Tata = Tasha (his stuffed eepo)

penit = penis

tew = two (everything is tew. he loves to count to tew: "one - tew. tew trucks". now keep in mind, there are actually 7 trucks, but hey - he's learning! on a related note, he can't make the 2 sign using his fingers on one hand. we've tried to manipulate his fingers to show him how, but he just can't figure it out. so - instead, he holds up both index fingers for 2! pretty smart, I think!)

hortet = horses (also a case of one - tew. "one - tew. tew hortet momma!"

Marley = Marley (the stuffed dog he received for being a good patient while enduring the barium enema. he's a favorite companion.)

doggy = froggy (this refers to "Mr Frog" - it's a toss up between Marley & Mr Frog as to who will accompany Nicky to school each day - he'd take both if he had his way!)

doeg (said as if one was from Jersey) / doggy = dog / doggy (still refers to Blitzer (Bliter) and Bailey (Boley) as simply "doeg" - that's a step up from sabaka (Russian word for dog) though!

boobeet = boobies (he's fascinated by these objects)

apple = apple or pineapple (he flat-out refuses to say the "pine" part.)

man = anyone that is not daddy, pop or papa. also the source of any sound that is made around the house that doesn't originate from one of us or the dogs.

daddy truck = fire truck (also accompanied by a fun siren sound!)

daddy man = fireman (he has a few "daddy men" that go along with his fire trucks/engines that he calls daddy, and also called some firemen at the grocery store "daddy man".)

dump = his dump truck and also for some reason big trash containers and trash trucks (I guess they've seen the trash man come to the school?).

popt truck = pop's truck (any pick-up truck he sees...no matter the style or color.)

Dollby (almost sounds like "Dobby" the "house elf" from Harry Potter) = Shelby (or girlfriend Shelby as we call her now - he has total crush - he lights up when we say her name!)(our next door neighbor).

And our all-time favorite - especially when he tells us about it...

ocaccalo = poop (there's a book called "Everyone Poops" and one page has a bunch of animals and a little boy, all of which have pooped & at the top of the page it says "Everyone Poops", which I usually say in an excited manner. When we get to that page Nicky now says in a sing-song voice "ooooocaaaaaccalooooo!")

Hope you enjoyed your lesson in Nicky-speak! Have a good weekend!

Contractors...GRRRRR!

Contractors...you know - those guys that supposedly come to fix something at your house, but run amok and cause a ruckus in the process? Our house needed new siding and we supposedly got a great deal with a company that shall remain nameless for the time being. The product itself (Alcoa) is great - looks awesome. It's the actual work & and those doing it that is getting us so bogged down. They told us that it would take about a week to complete - that was about 3 weeks ago now. 3 weeks of our house looking like a construction zone - trash, scraps of materials, nails, and boxes of products strung all over the place...front of the house; sides of the house & back yard. The back yard especially frustrates me since we have 2 dogs and would like to keep their little paws intact and wouldn't really appreciate them having to go to the emergency room with a nail sticking out of one! Not to mention - we now have a little guy tooling around - one who's super curious about all the stuff the "man' is doing to his house - kinda wanna keep him safe too! Oh - and don't get me started on what we found by the dog house out back - let's just say the dogs don't eat corn, so we know it was created by a human. Get my drift?! Who does that??? Those of you that know me know that I'm pretty particular about my belongings and the placement of said belongings and that I don't like to have things out of order. Well, my world is out of order & I'm not happy about it. The only redeeming factor is that at least it's not the inside of the house.

Whew...I feel better! Sorry - I just had to get all that off my chest...thanks for "listening' :)

Signed,
Disgruntled Homeowner in Plano

First Date

Since we've brought Nicky home that is! Kris and I decided to venture out this past Saturday evening sans child and we realized that it's something we should probably be doing on a regular basis. We had a really good time reconnecting and being amongst other adults. There are only so many home shows we can watch together before we lose our minds! Our neighbors (the Franz's) watched Nicky for us, and Nicky has himself a bit of a crush...their 14 year old daughter Shelby! :) We met Ramsey & Shelly from AustinMatthewSutten for dinner at a Mexican food restaurant, where Ramsey, Kris and I were all over-served regarding the alcohol content in our margaritas! Ramsey & Shelly only had about a 2 hour window to hang out (she is pumping for their little guy Austin that was born prematurely), so they had to bail on us a little early (7:15pm...yes - our dinner was the "early bird special"!). Kris and I then went to an Irish Pub and had a few pints while listening to some Irish music. Overall, it was a great night and I can't wait to have another date with my husband!

Texas Weather

There's a saying here in Texas regarding the weather...If you don't like it's current state, stick around. This crazy weather changes more than I change clothes getting ready for work in the mornings! Two days ago we were bundled up with coats and scarves. Today, I took Nicky for a walk and half way through I stripped down to a tank top & shorts! It's January 2nd for goodness sake! I'm sure my little Russky isn't missing the terribly cold winds and mounds of snow he grew up with in St Petersburg...he was sporting some cool shorts today too. I guess I can't really complain, because it's a beautiful 79 degrees outside. The problem is, tomorrow's only supposed to have a high of 45 degrees! And Monday's supposed to be an even colder 38! All I can really say to this nonsense is WTF?! :{