Fall

I am so excited! Doug and I just splurged and purchased a very nice camera!! We got the Cannon EOS 50 D!!
Today, Annie and I took the kids to the pumpkin patch and I really got to try out the camera for the first time. I still have much to learn. I am considering taking a class so I can get really good at using this professional grade camera.
Because the photos came out so cute, Ann agreed to let me post some photos of our baby girl on my blog!
I love all the fall colors and activities!

Socks in the sofa!

Cooper is napping and I just sat down after cleaning, or should I say tidying up the whole house. Cleaning is another job all together that I decided I didn't have time for today. As I picked couch pillows up off the floor I found socks, small cars, chalk, and a teddy bear in the couch cushions. I found airplanes under the table. Under a pile of clean laundry, I found 5 books (hey, at least the pile was clean laundry). Now as I sit on the less occupied couch, I am noticing PJ's in the corner and a pile of photos that needs to be placed in a photo album on our hutch. Wait, didn't I just say that I just tidied up the whole house?
How does one keep a house clean when they have a child? To complicate things, how does one keep the house clean when they have a child, a job, a husband, a life outside the home at all?! As women and mothers of modern times we are expected to get out there and make a name for ourselves. Get fantastic jobs and save the world! Oh but while we are accomplishing all of those things, we must also feed our families, keep the house clean, raise smart and happy children and stay fit! It's a lot, what is expected from us ladies of the house. I can't complain too much, I don't do it alone. I have a wonderful husband who participates in most household chores and in equal parts of the child raising. Still, I am feeling whiny today. I just want to come home to a home that is clean and organized and not have to a thing myself. I want to read books to Cooper and play trucks and cars with him without thinking about the mess it will make. I want to cook a fantastic dinner every night and go to bed without cleaning up the dishes and for them to be done in the morning (I do enjoy cooking for my family)! I love my job and am proud of my line of work, but I want to work much less and be home much more with my boys. I don't want to have to say "sorry baby, mommy is grumpy because she is running on 3 hours of sleep" to a happy toddler who just wants mommy to be silly and not task oriented. We are expected to do so much!
Sigh, I feel much better now that I got that off my chest. I just want to give a few shouts of encouragement out to all you mothers out there who are doing it all! We deserve a lot of respect and praise!! Especially you single mamas who are working even harder (Shannon, you come to mind)!
So with that I say: Go out there ladies, save the world but don't be shocked if you find socks in your sofa when you get home.

"I do like Green Eggs and Ham!"

He has his favorites memorized. He can also spell his name now. Pretty good for just turning 2!

Seattle Flight Museum

Cooper may be the next pilot in the family. He actually looks at my dad's airplane magazines and is absolutely obsessed with planes. My dad said that he remembers a day when he was 7 years old. He purchased his first model airplane for a nickle and he thought to himself "will airplanes always make me this happy?" Well, the answer is yes. He has made history for Latino pilots in New Mexico. If Cooper wants to grow up and be just like my dad, his Po, that would be fantastic! Dream big baby boy! Today, Po and Grammy took him to the Seattle Flight Museum and you could see his dreams come alive.

In the Kitchen

As requested people want to see our house. I started by introducing you to our garden and now, meet kitchen, kitchen, meet family and friends. I would say that in selecting a home, the kitchen is probably the most important room. It is where meals are made, wine is had, dinners are shared, where family meets at the end of hectic days to re- group.
When we saw this kitchen with a wide open plan and a gas range, we were sold. We enjoy cooking together and have made it a priority to teach Cooper that we sit down and enjoy each other for meals. For us, a good kitchen was key.
We really love the "bar" type counter top that opens up to the stove. We have yet to purchase bar stools but that is next on our list. Also, please ignore the clutter! We are getting more and more organized as the days go on.

Terrible twos. Not here..

Everyone says that the twos are terrible. In fact, people have something bad to say about all ages. "Is he a good baby?" they ask when you have a newborn. What kind of a question is that? What is a "good baby". Would anyone really say "oh no, my beautiful new born baby is BAD!" When they start talking people say "once he starts, he will never stop!" Jeesh! And then now everyone asks us "Has he hit the terrible twos yet?" Well, no, he hasn't. I don't know if people think that a baby is supposed to sleep and coo all the time, or that a two year old will sit quietly with their hands in their lap and always mind there manners. Seriously people, there are children and babies we are talking about!
To be honest, we are absolutely loving two! He is so much fun right now. It is such a privilege to see the world through the eyes of a two year old. He notices everything. "Look at that spider, mommy!" "Look at the moon!" (at noon when I would never be looking for the moon) He doesn't miss a thing and never passes up an opportunity to learn something new. He has a love for reading, has really taken up art, and sings and dances so cute. I get a warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart when I see this tiny person walking through my house, humming, oblivious to any real troubles in the world. He has such a bright personality. Yes, you do have to put your patient hat on to live with a two year old. But if you stop and take a deep breath, you get to indulge in the timeless world that a two year old lives in. It takes 5 min to walk the 20 feel from our door to the car because he is noticing all the wonderful things on the way, like a spider or a cool rock. He does get impatient and frustrated and need time outs, but after only a few minutes he is good as new. I wish I could get over things that fast.
All in all, two is a pretty good number.

Busy, Angry, Happy

It has been a long time. On a busy note... our home was broken into last Wednesday. We were pretty shaken up about it. Luckily they didn't take much, just things they could pawn, the most valuable was all my jewelry (thank goodness I was wearing my wedding band) which included my grandmother wedding band. But, things can be replaced, our safety is all that matters and we are fine. It saddens me that you have to worry about someone coming into your home, your safe haven. There are some sad and desperate people in this world! So, my dad is installing an alarm system to help keep our home and us safe. Dad to save the day as usual, not sure what we would do without him! We are angry that we have had to deal with this but we are grateful that we are okay.
We have been very busy! Cooper started Co-op preschool last week. This mean that he goes one morning by himself and one day I go with him and work in the class room. It is so cute to see him be a little student. It is a great way to transition him into the school world and a great way for him to meet new kiddos and play. We love it. If anyone is interested, the Co-op preschools we are going through are the North Seattle Community College Co-ops. They are all over Seattle! Check it out!
Happy we are. We have a wonderful family, feel fortunate to have fulfilling jobs, and a have a blessed life. We won't let some looser who breaks into peoples homes get us down, no way!!