Laughable language of a two-year-old

Here's our little chatter man just chillin’ on a phone call. He likes to talk on the phone far more than a two-year-old boy should. It seems that on a daily basis Ethan has some new word or phrase that is added to his ever-expanding vocabulary. At times these can be frustrating, humorous, sweet, and everywhere in between.

Some of his favorite phrases of late include the oh so independent, “I do it!” or “watch dis” for every little thing he’s doing. The frustrating “pwobwy (translated probably),” which seems to be his answer for everything. When I tried to clarify, “do you mean probably yes, or probably no?” his replies with “maybe.” What?? Do Jairo and I speak in such vague terms? Then we have the “NO WAY mom” response to such simple questions as, “would you like some lunch” or “do you want to go to the park?” You would think I just offered him poison by the tone he uses. My favorite is when I give him an instruction such as, “you have 5 more minutes then time for bed, got it?” He responds with a slow, “goooot iiiitt” to which, if only I could see his face, I’m sure his eyes would be rolling like a slot machine. I can’t wait for that same response as a teenager.

Of course, there are plenty of sweet little words like, “luv u mommy” or “miss you” as he says good night. There is also the cute little way he comes to comfort me when I stub my toe or cut the corner too close and hit the wall (unfortunately these things happen to me more often than you think). He’ll come over and put his hand on my back, pull his face close to mine, and with a sympathetic voice and puppy dog eyes say, “I soorrry. Kiss it?” Then he leans over to give me a kiss. Melts my heart!

Thoughts On Shopping & Getting Old

I decided yesterday that I’m old. Not because I just had another birthday … although that doesn’t help the situation, but because of the words and phrases coming out of my mouth that I used to hear as a youth and think, “you’re just saying that because you’re old and don’t get it.”

So, this new revelation came to me during an evening of frantic and frustrated shopping. I hate shopping when I need something and, of course, I was shopping last minute for the perfect item to wear for our family pictures. I say ‘perfect’ because somehow I had this ideal that just the right outfit would hide the extra baby pounds that linger on and conceal any well-into-my-mid-30’s wrinkles. Oh how disappointed I became as I just looked like myself in everything I tried on. I digress.

Anywhooo … in my quest to find something youthful I decided to visit some stores that frankly, I haven’t been in since college and a few I’ve never ventured in at all … and for good reason. The first store I go into is so dark I can hardly see three feet in front of me, let alone discern whether I’m grabbing the navy blue or chocolate brown sweater. Of course, this is coming from someone who is one contact prescription away from being legally blind! Second, the sizing in this store was enough to throw even the thinnest of women into an eating disorder. I had to go almost three sizes bigger to get anything to fit half decent. Then there was the blaring music!! I couldn’t hear myself think (see, I know we all remember our parents saying that when we were younger and just rolled our eyes!) Jairo called while I was in this store and wanted to know where in the world I was. He probably thought I had a particularly bad day at work and decided to stop off at the local bar for a pick me up.

I finally headed out of that store and over to another well known store of my college years when I was practically knocked over by the scent of cologne and perfume even before I entered the store. Oh yeah, and then there was the blaring music again and the low lights. I guess the poor lighting makes your look better?? Anyway, I could hardly talk loud enough to get the sales associate’s attention or so I thought. I finally realized it wasn’t because she couldn’t hear me, but that she was in the middle of a very important social conversation with her very handsome male counterpart about who was going to such and such party that night. Aaahhhh, yes, you guys just carry-on. Don’t mind me.

So, long story short, although I left the mall feeling like I hit my mid 60’s instead of 30’s, I finally found a sweater that I love in a store with bright lights, soft music, and sales people that we’re actually more interested in assisting customers than each other.

Birthdays and Sick Days

So, this post is a bit late, as it has now been almost a month since Ethan's birthday. Bad mom!! Anyway, I wanted to share a little of Ethan's birthday. I can't believe he's two already and starting to look like he's ready to head off to school. Time flies! Turning two has brought along his desire to be Mr. Independent, dramatic breakdowns that really test my patience, plenty of funny sayings that keep us laughing, and a little chatter box who loves to call people and give repetitive accounts of eventful moments in his day.































For his birthday we had a little party with some play-group and neighborhood friends. We played, decorated pumpkins, ate lunch, and opened gifts. Ethan had a great time. He especially loved everyone singing Happy Birthday to him and has requested it several times since when we have had desserts of any kind. Thanks to Jairo the kids had fun pumpkin shaped PB&J sandwiches and thanks to my great friend Emily, we all enjoyed her delicious cream of potato soup. MMmmm!
















This last picture is a sad little Ethan a couple of weeks before his birthday. He was quite sick for a couple of days ... I'm pretty sure it was the swine flu since he had all the symptoms and it was cycling through our ward at church. Anyway, for the first few days he just looked so sad and just wanted to lay around and be held all day. As one good friend said, as long as we know they're going to be ok, sick days are kind of nice because we get to hold and snuggle them ... a desire that has long since passed in a healthy Ethan.

Beautiful October

It seems with the start of each new season I hear myself say, "I love spring ... or summer... or..." I guess part of the fun is the change from the norm with new things to do. That said, I love the fall! It's so beautiful with all the colorful leaves and the crispness in the air seems to usher in the start of the holiday season. So far we've kept ourselves busy with a visit from my parents, Ethan's birthday, a trip to The Farm for pumpkins and more, and of course the start of Halloween festivities. So, here are a few pictures to highlight what we've been doing.

I decided that making progress in raking the leaves was nearly impossible with a 2 year old. I would make a pile and Ethan would jump in and throw the leaves out of the pile. He did help with the raking a bit, but it was usually in the direction of re-spreading the leaves rather than piling.

Ethan was all psyched about getting to ride the cow train. He had talked about it the whole time we were at The Farm. He even waited in line patiently for about 15 minutes (which, for those without 2 year olds, is an eternity!). The we got in, took and few pictures, and once the driver headed to the tractor to get the ride started Ethan wanted none of it. Full out scream, "OUT OUT, OFF OFF. NO MOOOORE!" Can someone please tell me how to predict a 2 year old.

With grandma and grandpa Rubalcava at The Farm in Snohomish.

Ward Halloween Trunk-or Treat party.

Yummy blackberry pie!

All around our home in undeveloped fields, along hiking trails, and nearly everywhere there are green spaces you can find blackberry bushes. Each year as these wild blackberries ripen I always say that I will get out, pick some, and make a treat. We've been here 4 years and I finally did it!

Last week while I was with some friends we stood around and picked berries from the bushes surrounding the park near my house while our boys were playing. While enjoying how sweet and ripe they were, we decided to get together the next day, do some real berry picking, and make a few pies. The next day after being stained by berries, scratched, pricked, and rained on we finally had a few bowls full of juicy berries. Too bad we didn't have pictures of the berry picking because it was quite comical!

Thanks to Anjee, we were all successful in making some delicious golden flaky pie crusts and delicious berry fillings. I have a few berries left that I plan to use for a peach berry cobbler. Man ... I sure don't have to wait for the holidays to put on 10 lbs! Oh well. :) I'm happy to have another project off my perpetual "someday" list.

Bran Flakes

Just wanted to share this picture of Ethan trying to take care of himself. We had already finished breakfast and I had gone upstairs to get ready for the day. As I'm up stairs I hear the sound of a crinkling cereal bag and head over to take a look at what's going on. By this time Ethan had already grabbed his used cereal bowl and spoon off the counter, found a box of Bran Flakes, emptied the entire box into the bowl and was shoveling it in, sans milk. Maddie was also joining in the affair by cleaning up anything that didn't make it into his bowl. When I went down to confront him on the situation he was just so proud that he was able to help himself that I just didn't want to take the wind out of his sail by saying that he shouldn't do that. So, I just sat by and watched while he got his daily dose of fiber.

Our First Squash

When Jairo and I bought our first home in Utah my plan was to get the yard in order and plant a garden. Well, we moved before we finished getting the yard in order. So, we've now been here in Washington for 4 years and I finally started a garden! I admit, it is quite small, but at least I finally got something started. I planted tomatoes, summer squash, zucchini, and red peppers. I got started a bit late so I used starts for all of the plants and the zucchini didn't make it past the first week. I was actually shocked by this as you always hear how easy it is to grow zucchini. So, I wasn't holding out much hope for the rest of my plants, but luckily all of the other plants have done well. Here is our first squash. Yum!!

So, Ethan has been dying for a scooter for some time. It does amaze me that at 1 1/2 he already has his mind set on things he would like to have for his own. When we visited Utah in May every time we went on walks he kept stealing scooters from the yards in my mom's neighborhood. Here, whenever we go outside if he see someone on a scooter he looses interest in whatever he is doing and runs over to try and wrestle his way onto the scooter. So, I finally broke down and bought him a scooter last week. I assembled it while he was napping and when he came down stairs he was so excited that he forgot all about wanting a snack. He just jumped right on and kept saying, "Outside! Outside!" It was fun to see him so happy with his scooter. To my surprise, he's actually quite a coordinated rider. The unfortunate part to the scooter story is that we have been dragging that thing around with us for days! I have to load it in the car just to get him out the door without a total meltdown. Hopefully that part of his scooter excitement will soon fade. :)

Spring into Summer

As we enjoyed the first full day of summer I got to thinking ... what happened to spring. It flew by. So, a quick update for those who are far and for my general record keeping.

Since March we've kept ourselves busy with …

1. Hosting my parents and aunts at our home for a couple of weeks.
2. Taking Ethan on his first backyard Easter egg hunt.
3. Dressing Ethan in his cool Easter threads. He was styln’!
4. Taking Ethan on his first Father and Son’s camp out at Cascade Park in Granite Falls.
5. A visit to Utah to help my mom, let Ethan play with his cousin, and enjoy the sun!
6. Visits to the park, hiking to twin falls and camping at Lake Easton to enjoy the dry weather here while it lasted.
7. Naps whenever we can sneak them in …. Zzzzz.

Snowshoeing Heather Lake

This past weekend we decided to get outdoors for the day and make use of our snow shoes which have been gathering dust in the garage. We headed for Mountain Loop Hwy which offers several great trails to choose from. We decided on hiking to Heather Lake at the base of Mount Pilchuck in the North Cascades.

All dressed up in our winter wear, including a new pair of hiking boots for me (yeah! Gotta love REI), we threw Ethan in the back pack and took off with Maddie leading the way. She was overjoyed to be out running through the icy streams and snow … she’s a true lab! We were able to hike most of the way without snow shoes, but sure appreciated them for the last ½ mile when the snow became soft and deep. Ethan loves heading out in the back pack and found it so relaxing he slept for about an hour on the way up. At the top we stopped for lunch alongside the frozen lake and enjoyed the serene views of the glaciers of Mount Pilchuck.

On the way down the mountain, just a few hundred feet from the parking area, we got a bit careless with the protruding tree branches and Ethan took one to the face! We didn’t think it really did much because he just made a little squawk and that was it. However, a few hours later he had a black eye and cut on his cheek. Ahhh, his first hiking battle wounds!

A poor little homeless child in Alaska ... oh wait, that's Ethan playing in the sludge of the parking area. He didn't care what color the snow was.

Evidence of Ethan's brush with nature. Thanks a lot mom and dad!

Being cheesy ... Ethan taking pics of himself.

A few more thoughts on Colombia ….

One thing that is for sure, you can find all kinds of entrepreneurs in Colombia. While cell phones are common in Colombia, not everyone has one like here in the U.S. But never fear because you’re sure to run into “pay by the minute” cells all around town. I snapped this picture on our trip to downtown Bogotá to a commercial area called San Victorino. These cell phone ‘booths’ are all over. You just walk up to the guy in the middle, ask for a phone, make your call, and pay him when you’re done - quite convenient if you ask me. As you can see, precautions are in place so people don’t run off with the phones.

One of my favorite day trips from Bogotá is to the town of Sopó. It’s a beautiful town against the mountains north of Bogotá. We usually make the trip there to visit the Alpina factory where they make delicious yogurts, cheeses, and desserts. Next to the factory is this new cabana where you can purchase some of their treats and sit outside and enjoy. I had the best cream puff ever!

At the Alpina Cabana in Sopó with Jairo's aunt Yolanda and her daughter Valerie.

We were also able to take a short weekend trip to Melgar. This is a small town about 60 miles Southwest of Bogotá. I have to admit that it seemed much further than 60 miles because it takes about 3 hours to make the trip because the terrain cover many steep mountain ranges so your traveling on two-lane roads up and down steep curvy mountains. It is a beautiful drive. In Melgar we enjoyed nice HOT weather so we spent lots of time in the pool soaking in the sun … although I packed on the sun block so I’m sure you couldn’t tell!

At the hotel in Melgar we found this tree with these amazing flowers that covered the ground below in a beautiful fuchsia that caught Ethan's attention. I still have yet to find the name of this tree. Any arborists out there?

Last, Ethan enjoyed meeting his grandfather, great-grandpa and great-grandma and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He had lots of fun getting to know everyone and of course enjoyed all the attention.

Us with Jairo's grandparents Juancho and Pepita.

Ethan playing with his grandpa Jairo.

Fingerpainting with Ethan's cousin Valerie.

Missing Colombia ~ Glad to Be Home

Returning from a trip is always bitter sweet for me. Many things I’m sad to say goodbye to, yet many things I’m sooo happy to be back to. So, a few thoughts since returning from Colombia (in no particular order).

I’ll miss …

1. Gorgeous weather! Bogotá has the most perfect weather with a year round average of 68 degrees (I realize this may seem cold to my Phoenix friends). Bright, sunny, warm days with showers in the early evenings to keep things green.

2. Delicious food. I really love Colombian food, particularly that the big meal of the day tends to be lunch so you're not left all bloated before bed time. Plus, all the fresh fruits you could ever want. Check out this site for some great pics and descriptions of typical Colombian comida (food).

3. Grandma Pepita’s juices. Jairo’s grandma Pepita makes the most delicious fresh fruit juices with fruits that are typical to Colombia … Lulo, Maracuya, Curuba …mmmm. She really could make a killing with her own juice store.

4. Family. Jairo’s family in Colombia is so kind and fun. Sad that we only see them every few years.

5. Peluquerias. Translated … beauty salons. These seem to be on every corner in the neighborhoods and the women take their trips to the salons seriously, visiting every 1-2 weeks to get nails done, hair cut and styled, etc. I always make sure to stop in and get a mani and a pedi … only $7 for both!

6. Panaderias. These little bakeries are also on every corner so walking around anywhere you can stop in and get some fresh bread or other little treats. Ethan’s favorite was Almojabana, a sweet roll made with corn meal, cheese, butter and eggs. Very yummy!

Some Almojabana.

7. Public transportation. Bogotá is such an easy place to get around. There is a lot more walking … why not, the weather is great, and you can always catch a bus, taxi, or take the Trasmilenio – a bus system that operates similar to a metro.

Glad we’re back because …

1. No more long plane rides … at least not soon. Ethan was a trooper with about 12 hours of air plane time each way. Plus he developed a bad case of diarrhea the morning we were heading home so we had many diaper changes on the plane. I packed extra in our carry-on just in case and we made it home with one to spare. Can’t say how happy I was to get off the plane last night. Halleluiah!

2. Glad to be back to my own bed and house. I can relax and let Ethan roam free around the house. No more worrying about him breaking other people’s stuff or cracking his head on all the tile floor and glass tables.

3. No more crazy driving. I swear I return from trips to Latin America with an ulcer from all the crazy driving. Driving in L.A. or New York is a treat in comparison.

4. Back to a schedule. The great thing about vacation is not having a schedule. But all the running around, staying out late & getting up early really wears on everyone, especially Ethan. He did great, but he was definitely in need of some regular nap and bed times.

5. Time to myself. I’m an introvert by nature and love time to myself. Everyone knows how it is on family vacations where there are people around all the time.

6. Open space. Bogotá and the surrounding area has a population of about 8 million people so you can imagine how crowded city life can be. We did get out of the city, which is gorgeous, but most of the time was spent in tight spaces and busy streets. At times I love the ability to go out and have people around all the time, but, as stated above, some times you want a bit more peace and quiet.

Landscape north of Bogota.

7. No more food guilt! As I mentioned above I love Colombian food, but we often received very large portions and we were always offered little extras between meals. Not wanting to offend, Jairo and I ate more than our usual share of food, yet we were still encouraged to eat more. I think if I stayed longer I would need to buy a new wardrobe before returning home.

Some pics of the trip coming soon ...

Bike Rides, Ice Climbing, Massages, & Children’s Museum

Again, I’ve been terrible at keeping up with this blog. I wish I could say it was because I’ve been out rubbing shoulders with big wigs, swamped with very important work, or busy redecorating the house for spring … but none is true. I really can’t say where the time has gone. I guess it just gets lost in changing Ethan, making breakfast, feeding Ethan, feeding the dog, cleaning up after eating, then changing Ethan again, laundry, making another meal, feeding Ethan again, cleaning up again …. the excitement never ends!

Luckily we’ve had a few nice days here and there to break out of the rut.

Here we decided to take a bike ride with Ethan and his bud Ryan. We had a beautiful ride along the Centennial Trail. The boys loved chatting it up as we went and shortly into the ride all was quiet … Ethan had finally conked out. As you can see, he was quite the space hog!

Jairo had an awesome opportunity to go ice climbing with some friends from church. They went up to Mt Baker and climbed a frozen water fall – Jairo doesn’t remember the exact name of the climb. Jairo loved the experience and came home with a battle wound where a piece of ice fell and cut his upper lip. Of course, this is a great way to talk about his latest outdoor expedition. Since he took a day with the boys, I had an equally wonderful day to myself. Jairo took an extra day off work and made an appointment for me to have a massage and then I went shopping in the evening. Ahhh the satisfaction of a little alone time relaxing and shopping.

Last, Ethan and I took a trip to The Children’s Museum of Seattle to explore the Curious George exhibit. We joined a few friends for the visit and really had a great time. Ethan was one busy little boy, just interested in everything that was there. The museum really had a ton of fun stuff to keep Ethan occupied. Ethan had a great time and was out like a light once we hit the car. I wish I could have joined him, I was pooped myself!