Happy Halloween!

I'm PREETTTYY sure Cole is the only kid in the world who is spoiled enough to have TWO Halloween costumes.  You see, we had a Halloween party last weekend, and since I made his costume nice and warm and toasty for trick-or-treating, I thought he might be a bit warm for an indoor party.  Plus, I've been DYING to be Mary Poppins for years - so he needed a second costume to fit in with the family:

Chris as Bert the Chimney Sweep, me as Mary Poppins, and Cole as the MOST adorable little penguin ever.

Hope your Halloween was as happy as ours!

my favorite

If I had to pick just one thing that is my favorite part of being a parent, it would be this:

This face - this absolute, complete joy.

And all we did to deserve this happiness from our child?  We took him to the park.  Just a simple park with trees, and dirt, and acorns.

Lately, I've been a little caught up in my have-nots.  Our goals for this year were seemingly so simple, so achievable: to have a second child and to buy or build a house.  But here we are at the end of the year, with neither one.  I feel disappointed and cheated - haven't I worked hard to be the best parent I can possibly be?  Why am I sitting here with an empty womb?  Haven't I patiently waited and moved so many times - how is it that I am still in limbo, with no feeling of permanence with our home?  

It's so easy to focus on those parts of our life that I want to improve, that I want to make better.  I often think it's a GOOD thing - to recognize what makes us happy and to go confidently in that direction.  But right now?  Right now, I DO know what needs to happen - and it WILL happen, eventually - but I can't let myself get so focused on making our dreams happen that I forget that so many of my dreams have already come true.  Right here, right now...being a mama, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend.

If my beautiful son can take SO MUCH pure joy from a simple, hour-long trip to the park, shouldn't I recognize how much delight MY life can bring me, right this moment?  Shouldn't I remember to wallow in those euphoric moments, without tainting them with thoughts of what I feel my life is missing right now? 

This boy of mine.  Sometimes I wonder who is doing the teaching around here.

Halloween Costume!

One of Cole's favorite books is "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak.  I think he makes a pretty good "Max", don't you?

 I asked him what his favorite part of his costume was - he said, "TAIL!"

 I die from the cuteness!

 Some of my favorite memories growing up are of the beautiful and creative costumes my mom always sewed for my sister and me - many of them I still have!  I know it probably won't be as important to Cole, but I still hope he knows how much I loved sewing his costumes for him!

Two

Two is hysterical giggling during wrestling, bubble blowing, running, chasing...during just about anything.

Two is old enough to be an awesome sleeper, but young enough to still want to snuggle.

Two is opinionated about just about everything.

Two is pointing emphatically at himself and saying, "COLE! COLE!" when he wants to do something.

Two is being amazingly (and truly) helpful, able to follow directions and take responsibilities.

Two is counting and letters and new words every day.

Two is amazing and fun and exhausting...and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Carving Pumpkins

We've been reading book after book about Halloween and pumpkins - so Cole has anxiously been awaiting for the day we were going to carve his pumpkin:

 He drew the face on by himself - when I told him to draw the eyes, he wrote the letter "I"!

 He wasn't too into the guts this time - but he was DYING to sample the seeds!

 Cole's finished product!

Future Quarterback

Chris has been working a lot on teaching Cole how to catch and throw a football - training Cole for his future career as a 49ers quarterback, you know.

So here he is, ready to catch.  It takes a lot of concentration to make sure his hands are in just the right position, you know:

 "Look at the ball, Cole!"

 And yup...he catches just like his mama - with his face!

 He doesn't care - he's so proud of himself!

Quarterbacks mostly throw the football, not catch, right?!

The best kind of day

Every morning, I ask Cole what he would like to do today.  And his answer is ALWAYS the same:

"DAD!"

"You want to play with Dad?"

"YEAH! DAD!"

"Ohhh, ok.  We can try to make that happen.  Is there anything else you would like to do?"

"YEAH! MAMA!"

"Aww...you'd like to play with me, too?"

"YEAH! BOTHF!" (both)

"Sounds like a plan, little mister."

This boy.  He sure knows how to warm a parent's heart. 

So of course, the best days are the days we have time for us all to play together as a family:

 Of course we brought the "HUFF-BALL!" (football) so Cole could practice his skillz:

 This is his cheesy grin...I know, I have no words:

 Again, I have no words...but in a different way :) :

Yup.  For sure one of the best days.