Pumpkin Pickin'

This past weekend the sun was shining and the air was crip and cool; the perfect fall day for visiting the pumpkin farm. We had our first visit to The Farm in Snohomish. They have all sorts of fun family activities. We picked out a pumpkin, ate fresh corn on the cob, visited the petting zoo, jumped around in the hay barn, and played in the corn kernel box. I think Jairo and I had just as much fun as Ethan. In the hay barn we piled the hay high and let Ethan jump and fall into the piles. The texture of the corn kernel box was cool on our hands and feet and fun to bury each other in. We didn't make it to the corn maze, the hay rides, or about a dozen other little activities. Needless to say, we were all spent by the end of the afternoon and Ethan was dozing before we finished pulling onto the main road.


We're getting excited to share in Ethan's first Halloween. We have a cute little costume (we'll share pictures later) which he loves to wear and he is already having fun checking out the Halloween decor that is popping up on the block. Should be fun!

Our Little Pauper

Ethan holding his first self-earned dollar. A new Warren Buffett? If so, he needs to work on his wardrobe! Seriously, how did this outfit come together?? Dad?

A few weekends ago we went out for dinner and as usual, Ethan was smiling and giggly with everyone that walked near our table. Only this night he was particularly 'flirty' with everyone because he was tired, which for him just amps up his playfulness. During our meal I kept trying to redirect his attention from the booth next to ours. He was just laughing and smiling and driving me crazy because I could not get him to eat anything - people were much more interesting than food. I was fearing that he was ruining the nice quiet meal of our neighboring diners. Finally, the people in the booth next to ours began to leave and one of the gentleman came over to our table. I was fearing a brief lecture about how to better handle our child. Instead, he hands Ethan a $1 coin and says, "We just had so much fun watching him during dinner. Go ahead and put this in his piggy bank." Then, everyone from their group proceeded to come over to say goodbye to Ethan - only fueling his clowning!! I guess I'll take goofing and laughing over a screaming fit. Although, we will have to teach him that a time will come when others will not find his two tooth smile so cute. For the mean time, we're thinking of hitting the assisted living facilities on the weekend to jump start his college fund.

Finally ... a Swing and a Smile

This is the face we typically get from Ethan while swinging. Does it look like he's enjoying himself to you?


Today we finally got these great smiles while swinging!


I realized the other day that I’ve been quite a blogger slacker. With Ethan changing so quickly I thought I better get back to capturing some of these fleeting moments.

Luckily we’ve been able to enjoy a relatively nice fall for the northwest so we’ve been able to have a few days outdoors. Today we took Ethan to the park down the street and for once I was able to capture Ethan smiling while on the swing. Usually when he swings he just scowls and you would think he is not enjoying himself. However, the second you remove him from the swing it’s a total meltdown until he goes back into the swing or we leave the park. While his expression does not show it, I take it he likes swinging. So, today I was psyched to get some great smiles out of Ethan.

You may note from his smile two lonely little bottom teeth. Yes, he’s nearly 1 year old and still just two teeth. I can finally see buds for some of his top teeth, so there is hope that he won’t be toothless forever. But for now I just love his two tooth grin. Aside from trying to grow teeth, Ethan is getting sooo close to walking. He stands a lot on his own and if you can distract him he will take a few small steps. Once he realizes what he is doing he quickly sits down. He also loves sliding down the stairs on his stomach and loves to play chase with us.


Playing with fridge magnets. What fun.

Hola vaquero! (Hi cowboy ... for the non-Spanish speakers out there.)


Being silly after nap time. Love those two teeth!

Vancouver Island Camping, Victoria, & Butchart Gardens

So, I would certainly recommend camping on Vancouver Island. As for camping with a 9 month old ... yes & no. Overall we had a great time. However, Ethan is at that stage where he wants to get into everything and his only means of mobility is crawling. So, you can imagine how time at the camp site was with him crawling all through the dirt, rocks, and pine needles and trying to follow Maddie around and getting tangled in her leash. So, time was spent trying to keep him busy and exhausted with hiking, playing in the ocean and rivers, and entertained in his stroller as he watched the other kids at the camp grounds.

We spent one night at China Beach which was your bare bones campground, with pit toilets and occasional water spigots. While I prefer a few more amenities, the grounds were very well maintained and the scenery was amazing. We were a short walk from the beach which was beautiful, but very cold. Despite the cold water, Ethan was eager to play in the ocean and played until his little toes and lips were purple. Our first night in the tent was restless, as Ethan is used to having his own sleeping space, so he had a very difficult falling and staying asleep. Luckily he figured out that we were all going to be sleeping together and decided that was OK and slept well the remainder of the trip.

Our next two nights were spent at Goldstream campground which had flush toilets, showers, and sinks for washing dishes. What a treat! Here we found lots of beautiful hiking trails, waterfalls, and warm (compared to the ocean) streams to play in.

All showered and clean, we decided to take a day to visit Victoria. In planning our packing for this trip I decided to save one 'nice' outfit for Ethan for our day trip to Victoria so we wouldn't look like complete vagabonds. As soon as we arrived we had a picnic lunch on the front lawn of the parliament building and Ethan unleashed serious furry in his pants! Jairo was so kind to offer to change him, but as it seemed there was some struggle I decided to go help. Too late! The blowout was of epic proportions and we ended up 'bathing' Ethan with baby wipes on the front lawn for all to enjoy. So, needless to say, I didn't get to make the impression on the Victorians that I hoped for and Ethan spent the remainder of the day with just diaper bottoms. After a 'poopy' start to the day, we had a great day in Victoria. Beautiful architecture, wonderful ocean views, parks, museums, and GELATO (we had some after lunch and dinner)!

On our last day we spent the afternoon at Butchart Gardens ... GORGEOUS!! I'm so glad we finally visited. The gardens are beautifully designed and the flowers were so colorful and fragrant. Ethan seemed to enjoy all the color and fountains as well. While there, we ran into a group from Colombia so Jairo took time to reminisce about home with them. Also, for gelato lovers, there is a super tasty gelateria just as you complete the tour of the gardens. A perfect way to end your visit.

On the ferry ride home through the San Juan Islands our trip ended with an awesome sunset. So, my recommendation for anyone planning to visit Canada, I would say, skip Vancouver and go straight to Vancouver Island.

9 Months and Gettin' into EVERYTHING!

So, lately Ethan likes to hang around the dishwasher while I put away clean dishes. He reaches around the edges and pulls out whatever he can reach, plays with it for a minute or two, then drops it to the floor so I can wash it again. Because of this, I typically empty any sharp or dangerous objects first. So today I turned my back for maybe 30 seconds to put the knives away and when I turn around I find Ethan as pictured above. Man he's a fast little dude these days and he's so quiet about too. Needless to say, all safety latches and gates are up and we are quickly learning by the minute about any other dangerous areas of our home that we previously had not thought of. He has a much more creative mind than Jairo and me.

At 9 months he's crawling all over the place and climbing up whatever he can find. He has even mastered the stairs! He now weighs 21 lbs and is 2ft 5 inches tall. I'm just realizing he's about 1/2 of my height ... he may surpass me by grade school! Anyway, Ethan also experienced his first bike ride, as a passenger anyway. He really enjoyed it and totally conked out on the way home. By the time we got home he was well rested, but I was exhausted. Next time I'm joining Ethan in the cart so I can take a nap and let Jairo get his energy out.