Cooper and Marisol

Well, Walter started it. He's been sick since Thursday. Cooper got it on Saturday. He's seems better finally this evening. I started to get sick yesterday evening and feel terrible today. I stayed home from work. We thought that Marisol was getting it, but now I'm not sure. She slept a lot today, but doesn't feel feverish.

 

Anyway, Walter is still feeling cruddy as am I. I think Cooper will be back to school tomorrow.

Well we FINALLY ordered our Flor carpet tiles and got rid of the livingroom 30 year old disgusting carpet. And guess what?! There's beautiful hardwood floors underneath.

 

Before

 

And after ....

Well, Nov. 20th is the last time I blogged. That's bad.

 

We've been really busy, I swear. Let's see, uh, there was Thanksgiving ... and then Hanukkah and then Christmas and then New Years ...

 

So let's see ... The Browns came to our house for Thanksgiving. That was fun. The food was really good as was the company and the weather. Lyle and Elicia went to their Dad's for turkey day, so we didn't have them this year and we missed them a bit. :) We only have two or three pix from Turkey day ...

 

Here's Marisol in her party dress. So cute!

Valerie probably talking to Mary.

How many boys does it take ...

I feel like I always write about Marisol, as she is making such big and obvious developmental strides. But Cooper is ever present deserves equal press. Unfortunately for Walter and I, Cooper's current developmental gains involve independance and obstinance.   Cooper says no to everything. Tonight he told me that he didn't like anything I would make for dinner. It was like he was saying, don't even try to make me anything, I'll just hate it.

 

However, when he's not being difficult, he's a truly wonderful little boy. He's just gorgeous and polite (to other people). He's teachers think he's great. They say he has a calming influence over the other kids (!) and that he's emotionally mature. His teach Ms. Nia says that he is really helpful cleaning up after free choice time, so I know she's lying because he never wants to clean up at home.

 

Cooper loves Marisol and she idolizes him (in fact, her order of preference in the family is: Cooper, Daddy, and then Mommy). He does try to take every toy she is playing with, but she forgives him for this.

 

Walter wants to add that Cooper rocks. He really does. He's so much fun. We draw together. He's really really into dinosaurs. He pretends he find dinosaur bones and shells. He's so smart and self sufficient. He opens the fridge and helps himself to what he needs. It's amazing really.

 

 

Marisol has mastered walking. She definitely topples over a lot, but she can walk "great" distances without stopping and without falling. She walked from her room to the middle of the living room, for instance without help and without falling. I guess all those laps Walter walked her on in the house did the trick. Sometimes though, she still likes to get some help ...

 
 
Video: hitching a ride

 

Marisol is also talking and signing up a storm.

 

She says: