Cute Pic

So I stole this picture of Abby and her cousins from my cousin-in-law's blog. Cute, eh? Megan (my cousin-in-law) is an awesome photographer who specializes in kids, families, etc.... so if you are interested in photos go to www.holdsworthphotography.com.

You like that Meg.... can I collect an advertising fee? :)

Mama's Little Rascal

Now that Taylor and I are over this traumatic experience I feel like I can now post without having a nervous breakdown. You see since my little boy has turned two, he has come to be very independent. You know how two year olds are....wanting to get into the car themselves, wanting to put their shoes on themselves (despite the fact that they cant do it)... and you know....taking midnight walks through the neighborhood by themselves. Oh wait, did I startle you with that last one? Let me explain.

So two weeks ago, at about 10:30 at night Taylor was sitting on the couch in the living room when all of a sudden our little man came running through the front door. Taylor completely confused---since Parker had been put to bed hours ago---stood up, only to hear a knock on our partially opened door. It was a security guard and a little old lady. Apparently, Parker had somehow unlocked the bottom of our door and stealthily escaped the confines of our apartment to find the freedom of the night sky. Let me reiterate the fact that we thought he was safely sleeping in his bed.

The little old lady had found Parker playing near the parking lot of our building. I guess he was out there for over 20 minutes. She called security, who tried to talk to him and ask him where he lived. Parker...apparently kept saying...."mama....mama" but eventually he led them back to our apartment as if he knew what he was doing the whole time. However, this was not before the little old lady and security had called the cops on his neglectful parents!

So when Taylor answered the door, not only was he shocked to see Parker, and was feeling so horrible as to what had happened, but he proceeded to get an earful from the little old lady about what type of parent would let something like this happen. When the sheriff arrived to talk to us, he was quite nice, obviously this thing happens more often than you think. He just made sure we were all okay, that we indeed were not neglectful to our son, and recommended we get extra locks on our door. Parker did not seem at all bothered by any of this. I am sure he thought he was only going for a quick stroll before bed and could not understand the big deal.

I wish I could say that was the end of the story, but the next day another little old lady saw me taking out the trash and she had to lecture me about the whole situation leaving me in tears. (Apparently word travels fast from one little old lady to another around here.) As a side note... I must say thank you little old ladies of our neighborhood for your advice. I had no clue it was inappropriate to let a two year old go walking around an apartment complex by himself in the middle of the night. Next time I will make sure not to let him go outside. I know it has been 65 years since you had a two year old in your house....but you're right....you know best! ( Can you see the sarcasm dripping from my words?)

The most important thing is that Parker was okay. I dont even want to think about the possibilities of what could have happened. For many nights after these events I had a hard time sleeping. Taylor and I had been sick to our stomachs about it all, especially since only days before this Parker ran away while we were all on the beach at our family reunion. However, we are now recovering from these parental traumas, and I have learned that I just cannot take my eye off of Parker for one second and must keep all doors locked at all times. Parker has a mind of his own, one of no fear and a love for adventure...something that I love about him but worries me at the same time. Despite the fact that when he is not running away, he is relatively easy to handle, I think Parker has officially earned the title of "mamas little rascal."

The Most Beautifulest Dress Ever Part 2

Abby has fulfilled her dream. She was a gorgeous flower girl a couple of weeks ago. My cousin Karen finally had her wedding and it was beautiful. They had it in San Francisco at a cute wine tasting place with an amazing view surrounded by redwoods.

Abby was so adorable walking down the aisle. First I don't think she had ever been so excited in her life. She walked the whole way down the aisle in deep concentration with her tongue sticking out. The funniest moment was when she accidentally dropped the petals on the cement instead of the grass and she started picking them up again. ( The wedding coordinator had told her specifically to only drop them on the grass portion.) He, he.

Here are some photos of this wonderful day. Congratulations Karen and Chris. We love you guys and thank you for making my daughters year!The beautiful dress

My stud muffin

The happy couple

So handsome!

Us in our finest!

Walking the aisle with the ring bearer. Notice the tongue.

The ever- so-anticipated crown of flowers.

The wedding party

Father and bride

Back Home

As many of you know...we are BACK in the land of the free! We have spent the last three weeks in a whirlwind of travel from Costa Rica to San Francisco for a week, to San Diego for another week, and now home to L.A. ....but it is over, and now we can take a deep breath and somehow return to a life of normalcy. Looking back on Costa Rica, here are the things that I will miss and the things that I certainly wont. I hope you enjoy.

Things I will miss about Tico life:

1) There is no one to impress, and no one looking over your shoulder about how you parent.
Latins are awesome when it comes to this. If your child is misbehaving in a restaurant, like climbing under the table, no one cares, they all understand. In addition, I cant tell you how annoyed I get when I have other people comment here in the U.S. about my parenting. I cant tell you how many times I have heard "you know it really isn't safe to have your child stand in the shopping cart" or "isn't he a bit young to be climbing that high." Really, people mind your own business. I know my child's limitations and would never put them in danger! Trust me for goodness sakes. Costa Ricans trust you and that is a large bonus.

2) Materialism is non-existent.
I have to say that overall people are happier in Costa Rica. Taylor and I have come to believe it is because everyone is concerned with just providing for their family and no-one is concerned with keeping up with the Jones's. They are happy just to be. This is something I need to remember in the future.

3) Fresh bread.
You have never had real fresh bread until you have gone to Costa Rica. There is nothing like waking up and walking a few meters out of your house to the bakery. Man, I dont know what they put in it....but my mouth is watering thinking about it right now.

4) Random animals walking in the street.
I know this sounds weird but I am going to miss the random bulls, chickens, goats, etc walking through our sub-urban neighborhood. It was always entertaining!

5) A life of adventure.
For the first time in my life I felt I was living an adventure. This is something I never really felt I had to do....but now I am so glad I did it. I will miss that.

Things I will not miss about Tico life:

1) Hard beds and loud noises all night long.
Ticos really need to invest in comfortable beds. Every bed we slept on was rock hard....and was accompanied by weird noises outside. Come on people....have you ever heard of a pillow top!

2) Taxis
Read my taxi post for more information. I love my car!

3) Daily trips to the grocery store.
Every single day I had to walk to the store for our food and could only bring home what the kids and I could carry. Not to mention I had to walk on dangerous busy streets with two young kids and arms full of groceries. Talk about a moms worst nightmare. The first thing I did when we got home was make a mad dash for Costco.

4) Toilet paper in the trash.
The pipes are not developed to handle toilet paper in Costa Rica. Everywhere we went (besides our own home) we had to throw the toilet paper in the trash receptacle next to the toilet. It was so gross and smelled horrible! I kept thinking...if I was president of Costa Rica, this would be one of the first things I would change.

5) Rice and Beans.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I certainly had my fill and would be happy never to see them again. Too bad Taylor still wants me to cook them for him now that we are home. Yuck!

Overall, Costa Rica was an amazing experience but I am glad to be home. God bless the USA.