Back To The Motherland

The kids and I are in New Mexico enjoying some very relaxing time with my parents. It always feels so good to be home. It also feels great to dry out and get some serious sun. For those of you who are not familiar with New Mexico in the winter. No, it is not warm. It is cold but always sunny.
I know you will all be shocked but no, I did not bring my camera. I know a few of you NM freinds inquired about photo shoots while I was here but I really needed a break so I am not doing any this time. Perhaps this summer I will come and do some.
Traveling with both kids was easy peasy. Cooper even had to get a pat down at the airport (seriously). They were so good on the flight we even got complemented by fellow passengers who were originally nervous to sit around a mama alone with two young kids.
I will be back to this space next week with a sneak peak of a Senior photo shoot I did for my friends twin girls, they were so much fun to photograph!
Take care!
Elena

Skuut!!!

A balance bike may be one of the coolest things EVER. Cooper got a balance bike for his birthday and it just so happened that his BEST BUD EVER also got one. Thankfully, his BB was a natural on his bike and Cooper quickly learned how to use his after watching his BB on his. Every time we are out on this bike people stop us and say "how old is he?" or "I have never seen someone so small on a bike without training wheels before!" Or a simple "that is the cutest thing I have ever seen." His BB has moved on to an actual two wheel bike and I think Coop will be ready for a big boy bike very soon too.
These bikes are awesome because they teach the child to balance and ride a bike without petals so that they can ride a regular bike with ease. They totally skip training wheels. It really is amazing to watch. We have to run to keep up and Doug even rode his bike along side him last week.

Six Months Old!

Can it really be? Is my baby girl already 6 months old?
Yes, she sure is. And she is so lovely. She is so pleasant. She LOVES her brother and laughs at his every move. Does not like solid food so far. Sleeps with her Mommy and Daddy every night. Delights everyone that she meets. Is a pure joy. We are so blessed to have her in our family. How in the world did we live without her for so long?









She really does smile all the time but is usually a bit skeptical of the camera so she tends to get a serious face when I put the camera in her face (which is every day).
Her stats
17lbs 8 oz
26in long

She is a healthy, happy girl. We are so thankful.

A Typical Evening Around Here

While we are all proud of Doug's coaching high school b-ball, we are counting down the days until the season is over! He is home very late which makes for many evenings where it is just me and my kiddos!
There is usually lots of playing with planes....


Lots of playing on the floor for Fifi. She can play on the floor for a very long time. She has a built in entertainer by the name of Cooper who keeps her quite occupied.




There are lots of giggles...








And there is usually a bath. Fina and I start out in the bath with Cooper then she hangs out on the floor (again) while I finish lathering him up. Poor girl is on the floor a lot, isn't she?






I choose not to photograph the flood caused by Cooper splashing water out of the tub while I was dressing Miss Fina. I also choose not to photograph me freaking out about the flood causing Cooper to cry and protest getting out of the tub. Also did not throw in a photo of me holding down the boy while brushing his teeth.
Love them. Love them a lot but I was glad when they fell asleep. Hey, just being honest!
Sweet dreams!

Today is Fina's 6 month birthday! Her 6 month shots to come tomorrow......

A Naked Apple Eater

One of the nice things about non school days is that we can just go about our day at our own pace. Cooper happens to favor wearing his birthday suit and it is often a struggle to motivate him to get into clothing. On Monday, I just went with it and I think it was 11am before he got dressed. I do love this boy! So much. If only we were all this comfortable in our own skin. We can learn a lot from a three year old.

In The Morning

In the morning the kids are always cuddly and always playful. It's mornings like these that remind me why we choose to have a family bed. Cooper sleeps in his own bed until the wee hours of the morning and Fina naps in her bed but we always wake up together and I wouldn't change that for the world.

Her Close Up's {photo shoot}

I have been practicing my photography a bunch and decided to work on some super close ups. We have many of Cooper when he was a baby and I LOVE them. They remind me of all the time I spent super close to him, nursing him, cuddling him, tickling him, loving on him. I am glad to have these of Fifi now too. She is so wonderful. I hope you get the same yummy feeling I get while looking at these! I know there are a lot of photos here. There were so many I loved and I had a hard time deciding which to post. Now the challenge is deciding which to frame!
Have a great Sunday!

Happy New Year

Our friends C and S and their boy L, and my sister and her family came over on new years eve. We decided to celebrate New Years on New York time, which was 9pm for us so that the kids could participate in the fun. Livia didn't last so they had to go but the boys sure did. Who knew noise makers could be so fun and so cute! We got the ball drop in Times Square up on the Internet so if felt like it was actually New Years, which technically it was, right. Who are we kidding, we wanted to get to bed early too. Our New Years Eve partying days are over, or at least for now. We don't care about getting out and partying anymore. All we need is good friends and family. We were so glad we included the boys and I think this will be a New Years tradition from now on.















I really can't believe another year is here. How fast time goes by. I have many resolutions that I feel I am always working on. This year, I plan to simplify and focus. I am a major multi tasker and I think that takes away from my ability to fully enjoy life's simple moments. I am often thinking ahead about what needs to be done or what I want to accomplish when really what I need to do is take a deep breath and relax. I am planning on saying "in a minute baby" less and just putting down the dishes, or whatever I feel must be done and just doing what it is my boy wants me to do. He is only going to want to hang out with me all the time for so long, right? I plan on putting the blackberry down and not checking it all the time. In fact, we canceled the Internet on our phones a few weeks ago and it has been quite freeing. I plan on being more organized so that I can do things quickly and simply. I know life goes by so fast and I just want to drink in every minute of it. I must say that my hubbie is really good at sitting back and just enjoying life and I have learned so much about that from him. I love you Dougie!
I am at a time in my life where I truly feel blessed and sublimely happy. I have a supportive, loving, husband who I still catch myself daydreaming about while he is at work. I often find a shirt on the floor that he was wearing and bring it up to take in a big whiff of it because I love the way he smells. I have a son who is bright, funny, and so loving. I love watching the person that he is becoming. I have a daughter who has only been with me for 6 months and has managed to touch my heart in ways I didn't know possible. I have the best family in the world who I could not live without. I have awesome friends whom most of which I have been friends with for at least 10 years if not 20! I am loving my career change from NICU to very part time level 2 nursery and am very excited to train in L and D this year.
Wow. I am happy. It will be a wonderful year.
Happy 2011~