Why So Serious? Life With LeiLei 2/52

It seems that more often than not, Lorelei is quite serious for the camera. Oddly enough, because she's a total hoot the rest of the time. She is speaking sentences and constantly babbling now. Most of the time she speaks very clearly, especially when saying "I love you." She has us smiling and melting into pools all over the floor/couch constantly. :) Yesterday I put on a necklace (very rare, I'm not much of a jewelry wearer) and she was obsessing over it so we went to Target and let her pick a little cheap one. I love having a little girl. Right now she is taking a nap, which pretty much doesn't happen anymore. So I get to blog about her. Hehe. She's going to be two in 3 weeks. I might die...

David put in his transfer request for the job in Tacoma on Friday, so we went and looked at the apartments to figure out which one we'd be moving into. Aesthetically, and functionally, the new apartment will be a huge downgrade, but it's going to save us so much money, get us off food stamps, and allow us to save money for our business. I'll admit I was so not gracious while looking at the apartments. I sort of had a laughing/crying meltdown trying to see the good parts of them while really being fixated on the bad.

The cons of the new apartment are:

• Single sink...this doesn't accomodate that I wash a lot of dishes by hand: bamboo cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, cast iron skillet, baking sheets, baby cup, etc.
• Unmatching, old appliances (this is really mostly aesthetic, but I've been spoiled with all matching, new, good working appliances.) I just hope they work, because I cook 3 times a day...
• No built-in microwave, so we'll have to take up counter space with a clunky one.
• No light fixtures in the bedrooms, so we'll have to buy some.
• Albeit the good closet space, the shelves are almost like unfinished particle board. Ugly and catchy.
• The cupboards are hideous, plus discolored and dingy looking.
• Closer to the "ghetto" part of the complex.
• The playground is in the "ghetto" part as well. 
• Farther away from Trader Joe's and PCC, where we shop every week.

The pros are:

• Savings in rent, and utilities, plus pay raise.
• 2 bedrooms.
• Fireplace.
• Gorgeous view of golf course and ponds.
• In a residential area. Our current apartment is in a shopping/commercial area, and that's not our thing so it's not really appealing.
• In Tacoma, which is an area that we do like.
• More opportunity for growth as far as David's employment.
• Gets us off of food stamps. This way we'll be able change our grocery shopping schedule and buy larger quantities of staples in bulk.
• Ample storage space. Coat closet, linen closet, pantry, walk-in in master, storage closet on large balcony, decent closet in second bedroom, and lots of cupboards.
• Linoleum in dining area. We currently have carpet. You can guess how that goes with a toddler.
• It has a little built in desk in the dining area, so I'll have a space for reading recipes, meal planning, list making, and putting on my makeup in natural light. 
• The living area won't accomodate our desk, so the computer will go in our bedroom. There it will be less inviting for David or myself to spend a bunch of time on, and Lorelei won't ask to watch so many movies. Out of sight, out of mind. 
• Vaulted ceiling in living room, and lots of natural light. 
• Having a larger kitchen again, maybe I'll start making more homemade breads like I did before...
• Closer to WinCo, a nicer WinCo than we have to go to now.

Obviously the ups outnumber the downs. I'm just hoping we're there long enough, and I get comfortable enough to decorate and such. I'm excited to have a little budget wiggle room to buy supplies for DIY projects I've wanted to do for a year. Wish us luck. I'll try to keep up here, no promises though. Hope your Sunday is going well! :)