Happy Halloween!

Catching up

Sheesh! I am one busy lady.

I'm a mommy, wife, interpreter, photographer and the activity chair for our church. Its taking a lot out of me. Its a miracle that I am even able to blog this without having a brain hemorrhage. STRESS.

But, we're having fun in the Aprecio home. Matt is staying extra busy with work, school and jiu-jitsu while Sammy and I have had some fun day trips of our own.

We take lots of walks to the pond behind our house. Its an easy way to get outside and lose some energy (not that I have any.) Sam loves it in the forest where there are lots of bugs, sticks and rocks. Matt found us back there the other day and took some pictures of us two. We are rarely in pics together so I am very thankful for these.Oh yeah, I have dark hair now. Not sure how I feel about it, but its cheaper than getting highlights every 2 months and I like cheap.

Sam is the coolest boy. He is learning how to talk, share and climb. Every day is something new with this kid and we never get bored.Sam's cousin Alex turned 1 last week and we attended his party. Sam was very supportive of him eating his birthday cake.We loved seeing Matt's uncle and aunt and cousins that were visiting from Hawaii and LA and I'm pretty sure Sam loved all the attention he got from them as well. I guess we'll have to go visit them soon :)

We also took a quick trip to the pumpkin patch and Sam loved playing in the fields. We met up with the Loftus's and the Richey's and Sam was thrilled when he saw his girlfriend Makiah get out of the car. They are so in love!We didn't get to go with Matt, nor did we get to spend a lot of time there so we are hoping to go again before the holiday.

On Tuesday I got to photograph my friend Shannon's labor and delivery. It was amazing. Baby Knox is so cute, and I am so thankful that he came into this world a little early. So is his mom. This weekend I had the opportunity to photograph the wedding of one of my best friends from High School, Nathan Bosseler. It was so great to be a part of the big day and it was fun to catch up with a few friends from school. I would like to add that we really haven't changed too much :)Well, that about does it for the last week or so. This week will be full of photo sessions (including one of our own!) and lots of chores and preparation for another busy weekend!

Toddler

Yesterday it hit me hard. That moment when a mom realizes that their baby isnt quite a baby any more. This kid is his own little man and is needing me less and less.Luckily, even though he prefers to do most things on his own, he still loves to cuddle with mommy and daddy and hopefully that will last a few more months or better, years.

The cherry tree

On Wednesday morning we woke up to a bunch of workers digging out the trees that line the road in front of our house. I asked one of the men what they were doing, and he informed me that most, if not all of the trees were dying from a fungus. When he explained that it was cheaper to plant new ones over spraying them all with "fungus-ide", I asked if I could keep one and try to save it myself. He was more than happy to pick me out a healthy one for our back yard.


The tree is over 5 years old so it was quite a chore to dig a hole big enough for the mature roots let alone carry that thing into the back. But I had help!Sam and I got up early on Thursday and before we got cleaned up for the day, we put on some scrubs and got down and dirty in the mud.

Sam was in little boy heaven. He helped me dig, played with worms, collected rocks and climbed in and out of our newly dug hole.

When we had completed the task of planting our tree, we played in the backyard and then carefully marched ourselves strait into the bathtub.

We had tons of fun getting nice and filthy, and now every time we look out at our tree (that we hope survives!) I will remember the very dirty day I had with Sam.

Thursday night

Sam proves that he is part Filipino and part Hawaiian by eating 3 whole Loompia and lots of Haupia cake. Also he tans like a native and lives life pretty laid back.

For Peter & Linda

Peter is Matt's uncle who lives in Hawaii (must be rough) and Linda is Peters wife.

They are the best great-uncle and aunt a little boy could ask for.

They sent Sam PJ's and toys when he was born. They sent Matt and I earthquake glue for our vases and candies for our tummys at Christmas. They bought Sam a lovely quilt when they noticed me coveting it in Alexanders room (their grand baby) and they sent him a picture frame/growth chart on his birthday.

When I found out that they didn't get our special "Thank You" email, I felt pretty bad. So, here it is in blog form. This was made just for you!

I got nothin'

My dad likes to call and complain when I don't update the blog. I know he wants pictures of Sam, but the truth is, I haven't touched my camera for a few days. We have been busy here taking care of the house and all the work that it requires.

Dishes, vacuum, mow, organize, rinse and repeat.

I am finally caught up (for a few days anyway) on editing and today I am hoping to have a little r&r here at home. My goal is to get rid of this yucky cold I have been sporting by dinner time tonight.

We finally have Matt back. He actually surprised us by coming home a day early and we found him in the kitchen with a bouquet of roses and a giant yellow balloon. It was glorious, and so is having him home again.

Matty has family in town from Hawaii and California so we are excited to get together with everyone tonight and eat Loompia. I highly recommend having Filipino chefs cook meals for you. Its pretty awesome.

So Dad, not what you wanted in the way of a post, but you do know that Sam is also available to be viewed in 3D right? I hear (and firmly believe myself) that he is a whole lot cuter in that demension. :)