Big Boxes = Big Fun!!

So yesterday we finally got around to getting a new stove and dishwasher. My poor, abused, over-worked countertop roaster probably breathed a sigh of relief. As did my poor, chapped, reddened hands. I used to have kind of a fond affection for doing dishes the "old fashioned way", but I now know that was because I had a dishwasher that did the majority for me. So doing dishes was kinda... fun! But this last month, oh man... I don't think I really comprehended just how many dishes and pots and pans a family of six goes through on a daily basis. I mean, I knew that the dishwasher did about three loads a day, but you never really get just how many dishes that actually is until you have to hand-wash every last one.

The new appliances we have are absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I had to really push to get Tyler to agree to a stove with coils instead of the flat-top. In my mind, it seems like it would be much easier to burn yourself on the flat-top because its a flat surface, seems like you would forget they're actually heating elements. Any flat surface in my kitchen tends to be a mass piling area for stuff. The curse of the Procrastinator. Plus, I don't really get what the big deal about flat-tops are, you're paying like $500 more for flatness?! So we now have a beautiful, gleaming white stove with coils and I'm so excited to cook something in it! Now if I make cookies I can actually use a real cookie sheet (the roaster didn't fit one) AND I can do more than one batch at a time! The joy that brings me is laughable. (Until you've had to experience for yourself, taking three hours to bake cookies.)

My new dishwasher is also a thing of beauty. Also gleaming white, with four different cycles and five different options. I'm in love. I feel desire. For an appliance (one that doesn't require batteries, heh). But if only a dishwasher were as easy to install as an oven. With the oven, we just slid it into place and plugged it in, done. Not so with the dishwasher. We're still trying to figure out how to install it. I told Ty I was leaving it in his (capable?) hands, so hopefully it'll get done sometime this century. My poor water-logged hands are desperate.

So, ANYWAY... the point of this blog post is the boxes that the appliances came in. To be more specific, the insane joy and manic hyper-ness that these two huge boxes brought the kids. The oven box is HUGE, like as tall as me; the dishwasher box is maybe a foot shorter. You'd think those kids died and went to heaven, how they were carrying on. They immediately had those things flipped over on their sides and were pretending they were forts, castles, pirate ships, army tanks....

Then I, yes me the brilliant one, came up with the idea to slide Ryder's little foam couch in there. Well. You've never seen a one-year old as crazed as he was. Running full-tilt in the box, throwing himself on the couch, scrambling up and racing out of the box, then doing it all over again. And again, and again. For like half an hour straight. I swear No.3 and No.4 were so thrilled and excited about those big dumb boxes, Christmas paled in comparison.