The Selfish Mom

Little Moo woke last night crying. He usually is a pretty good sleeper but has had an ear infection so I wanted to be sure he didn't need some medicine. When I went in, he stood up. I picked him up and it was clear all he needed was a hug, but I was selfish, I offered to rock him for a few minutes. I was The Selfish Mom. Why would it be selfish to rock your 2 year old in the middle of the night? Because he simply needed to be righted in his crib, re-covered, and pat his back and he would have gone to right to sleep. But I was willing to rock him for some extra cuddle time. Considering I stay home all day with him it could be assumed I get enough Little Moo time, but that is simply not true. I am greedy and steal any mommy moments I can because as he gets older I know there will be fewer. I doubt you can "stock up" on stolen moments, but I will take them when I can get them. To be honest, with the exception of when he is REALLY sick and inconsolable, I don't mind getting up with him, even if we don't end up rocking. Because as wonderful cuddling and rocking with him is, it just as nice to snuggle him into bed and in his half sleepy voice say "I love you mommy" in the dark and quiet of his room. It is about that time that my heart usually bursts and I can't help but smile. Definitely worth getting out of bed.

There Were Two in the Bed and the Little One Said "Rollover!"

Well actually he says "peek!" but still. Little Moo's new favorite game with Daddy is to lay on either end of the couch under a blanket. He either "yoinks" (taking Daddy's toy or seat) or peeks under and above the covers. Sometimes he's even content laying there and playing with his cars quietly. Still, it is too cute to see. Very special those two!

The Latest Moos!

A couple things happened this last week. First, we had out of town guests . We had a great time and the kiddos got to play together! I can't believe how big they are getting! The visit was far too short!

Next we flew to Western Washington for Zippercow's Grandma and Grandpa's 65th Anniversary. The ceremony was beautiful and it was nice to see all of his family (his Dad's side). It was kind of a whirl wind weekend as we flew there Saturday and flew back on Sunday. This was the first time Little Moo ever flew on a plane! Unfortunately we found out he had an ear infection which would explain his refusal to smile for any pictures on the flight back. Well, that and the fact that it was an incredibly busy weekend with little to no napping.

As much fun as we had in the last week we are now recovering from terrible head colds, sinus infections, ear infection and just general exhaustion from the busy week. Hopefully the weekend will provide us with some rest and relaxation. We'll see what surprises this weekend brings!

Here are some more fun photos of the last week!

The Great Pumpkin

We took Little Moo to Green Bluff this past weekend and he had a great time. It was a bit chili but he didn't seem to mind, in fact he was content with stripping himself of his coat and gloves just to be that much closer to the pumpkins! He really thought the gourds were interesting and enjoyed sitting on a Little Moo sized pumpkin chair. We are hoping to try and go frequently this month since he likes it so much, and to be honest, so do we!

Downsizing

How much space do we really need? We have been asking ourselves this question while looking for a home to buy. At first we insisted we needed no less than 1800sq ft in a home. Of course this space could be split between the main floor and the basement but we absolutely did not want anything smaller than where we currently live. What we were finding though were homes that needed a lot of updating whether cosmetic and/or large and complex (like updating the wiring) or the house had a horrible floor plan that would sacrifice family living space, which is really the most important to us anyways. And of course there was the combination of the two above mentioned scenarios. We are realistic people we know what we could get with what we could afford but we were hoping to find a "diamond in the rough" something that had recent enough plumbing and electrical that our only real worries would be some paint, carpet and a good weed eater. We liked a few, and even put an offer on one (which was not accepted) and then we found it, our perfect home! Or half of it...

At only 1008sq ft it is much smaller than we set out to find but we fell in love the first time we saw it, despite viewing it with flashlights, we knew this was the house we really wanted. So now we had to re-evaluate what we really wanted and needed. We wanted a place with a basement so we could expand if we had to and so we would have space for our hobbies, storage and pets. But how much space do we really need? Here's what we had to consider;

• No it does not have a basement, but it has 3 bedrooms, a 2+ car garage and it is on approx. 12,00sq ft lot
• Unlike every other place we looked at it is 100% move in ready no updating or major work needed (contingent on a reasonable inspection, but no obvious flaws) with exception of creating a lawn, which is something Papa Moo enjoys doing
  
• We are not really construction people, nor can we afford to hire someone else to do it (don't get me wrong, we will learn and fix things, but we want family to come first, not our old broken house)
• While I like having my craft room, I never use it, so it just stores unused junk. I use my craft stuff, but not liking to feel isolated, I bring everything out into the dining room so I can visit with Papa Moo while I work on my various projects.
  
• We don't currently use the basement except for storage (hello! huge garage and just one car?) and laundry (which is in the house)
• This house is nearer to Papa Moo's work (he won't even have to get on the freeway!) and unlike any other home we looked at it is not a block away from train tracks, the freeway, a busy street or in a terrible neighborhood
• Did I mention we like the neighborhood?
• Can we accommodate the second child we would like to have?
  

After much deliberation we felt it was far better to be in a house that was in good condition in a nice neighborhood even if it is a little smaller. But hey, it will save on energy costs right? We will have to creatively organize to maximize our space, but we are convinced this is our best possible option and we love the location!

~Our next conversation of course was how we can rationalize anything amongst ourselves :)

Peanut Butter Jar

Sometimes I wonder why we bother buying children toys. Of course they all have their place, our Little Moo loves building with all kinds of blocks especially his duplos and enjoys "cooking" in his kitchen. Right now however, his very favorite toy is an empty peanut butter jar. Yes, I did say an old washed out peanut butter jar. He takes it everywhere with him opening and closing it, putting things in, taking them out, eating snacks out of it. This jar has become his carry all. It seems fitting since he loves peanut butter everything (toast, crackers, sandwiches) but of all the toys he has it is curious that something I would normally throw away (or recycle if I remember to) tops his list of favorite toys. Sometimes simple really is better.