Adam...Karli...Any Similarities?

The other day, Amber found this photo of Adam in the tub when he was a toddler. I can't believe how much Karli looks like him. Karli even thought it was herself in the photo. What a bunch of cuties!

Walk, Schmalk

Just when I thought I couldn't be surprised by anything else that takes place in our apartment parking lot, I saw this. The sad thing about this incident is that it is not the only one of its kind; we have recently discovered a whole gang of Rascal-ridin' Georgetown dwellers who are perfectly capable of walking around (I see them strolling easily to and from their power chairs that they actually park in parking spaces), but elect to let the Great State of Michigan pay for everything they use, including transportation. In case CATA was thinking about adding a bus route from one end of our parking lot to the other, they can rest easy knowing Medicaid has already solved the problem! I can't believe my eyes. In fact, I find this slothful transport so stunning that I sneakily snapped this picture through the window while I was washing dishes so I could share it with all of you (I felt so scummy, like a tabloid paparazzo). On the other hand, though, maybe it is a great way to save gas money. I mean, really...pride and self-respect are so overrated!

Mia Michaels' Protege

I always make the girls watch "So You Think You Can Dance" with me in hopes of providing a little inspiration and it seems to be paying off in terms of drama and creativity. And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present for your entertainment, Amber Clark's modern interpretation of "Beauty and the Beast" (she does the whole song, but I had to edit it so the clip would load).

Derrick Will Be So Proud

A few weeks ago, we had Derrick and Leslie over for dinner. Derrick taught the girls "Break the pickle...tickle, tickle!" and the "Me Chinese, me play joke..." hand game and rhyme. They laughed but didn't seem to think much of it. The other day, Karli came up to me and told me to "open the fridge". She had the whole routine down pat and it made me laugh so hard! She doesn't say the entire ending, but just says "pee pee in Coke!". I know, I know, I'm probably a bad mom to think something like that is funny, but her little voice is so darn cute that I just can't help but giggle.

By the way, does it seem like my kids are always nude? I take off their clothes before they eat so I don't have to do as much laundry...an example of laziness and exhibition...I guess I am a bad mom!

This Place Will Self Destruct

We lucked out when we moved to Lansing; thanks to Adam's valliant efforts, we moved into a brand new apartment that was cute, clean, spacious, and cheap in a convenient location. As our kids have grown up and exhibited their artistic skills in mixed media (read: jell-o, ink, spaghetti sauce, lotion, dirt, baby powder, nail polish, chocolate milk, peas, sunblock, red popsicles, and anti-bacterial hand gel), we've become increasingly worried that we won't receive any of our security deposit, because our lease says we'll be charged for "any damage incurred, regular wear and tear excepted". So just how much wear and tear is regular with two toddlers running around? As it turns out, we may have worried for nothing...

Last weekend while watching a movie, we heard a suspicious drip coming from the closet that houses the water heater and furnace. Upon opening the doors and being blasted with the dank smell of moldy drywall (wetwall in this case), we noticed the ceiling was soaked through and dripping onto the floor. That's right, we have another reason to love our upstairs neighbors: they keep their puppy in their utility closet and their pipes were "unattached". Along with wetness was moldiness, and of course, since it was Saturday night, no one was around to stop the drip. Finally, we tracked down the maintenance guy who brought over a 5-gallon bucket to catch the stray water and assured us the problem would be fixed first thing Monday morning.

Well, well, well...it's now been a week and not a single thing has been fixed (we've called to complain six times). The new maintenance man, Don, came over to inspect the situation and promptly tried to blame us ("Don't you use your exhaust fan? This is from the humidity in your house") and then explained that the drywall didn't need to be replaced, just "treated" with Clorox Clean-Up. Yeah, right, Don. I don't know the first thing about builiding, but I do know that you can't get mold out of drywall. Our bathroom ceiling (adjacent to the utility closet) is now being overtaken by mold and the plaster is turning yellow. The carpet outside said closet has been wet for several days and is developing it's own atrocious odor and interesting patterns of flora as well. The pilot light on our water heater keeps extinghuising, and I'm only one more cold shower away from having a complete breakdown. At least we won't have to worry about being charged for any damage done to the walls and carpet by our children. I'm glad we'll have an attorney in the family soon, because I smell a big, moldy lawsuit coming on if this problem doesn't go away tomorrow morning. Aaaaarrrrggggghhhh!