It is amazing what two years will do

Cohen is quite the character. It is interesting how his vocabulary increases I get a better understanding of what goes on in his little head. He is funny and animated, crazy and has tons of energy, but in public he is still very shy and reserved. He loves the park and slides. Every time we get in the car he states he wants to go to the park and go down the slide even if its pouring rain. He loves basketball and Mickey still. We all love the the hot dog dance:)  Oh and he destroys my house. This is what my house looks like at night. I feel like my life's work is to continually pick up this house, however it never seems to be clean?

So our time here in Tennessee is coming to a close. Erik will be graduating in May. I can't believe it has been almost four years. But what an experience it has been. I have grown to like, maybe even love it here. And I am sad to leave. We have met good people I will be sad to leave our little place, which i also love. But we are both ready to graduate from student life and we want Cohen to grow up near his extended family. We both can't imagine our lives anywhere but the West. We don't know for sure where we are moving yet. A few last minute details need to be worked out but we know we wont be farther than a couple hours from either set of grandparents.

Cohen is 2!

On Valentines Day my baby turned two. I can't believe it. I am still in denial, but we had such a fun day! We went to one of Cohen's favorite places Wallabies. He had a blast. He is such a little dare devil. It takes him a while to get warmed up but once he got started he wanted to do the big slides all by himself. After we came home we had cake and ice cream and opened presents. We scored this time with the presents he was way excited. He got a fire station and truck, air plane, and construction books and a tractor ball from Grandparents. My cake decorating skills have only improved slightly. Next year we will hire a professional :/

And Lastly Go Vols!

All Cohen knows is the Orange.

Chirstmas Morning

Santa Clause delivered! Cohen wasn't really into ripping open the wrapping paper. He was satisfied with the first present and content to play with it instead of opening the rest. He was happy with his presents though especially with the HUGE train set he got. I swear it didn't look this big in t he store. Aggie was actually really good at opening presents he seemed to know just what to do! And the weather was perfect!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we made "special cookies" for Santa. Then I  wanted to start the new tradition of opening new pajamas on Chirstmas Eve. Well my plan was thwarted by stubborn stinker pants. As lately he refuses to wear anything new. He doesnt like new shoes for sure. But I hadn't thought the pajamas would be a problem since they had Mickey on them and him and Mickey are pretty tight these days. So he opened his another present happily naked and wore old pajamas that night. Aggie got to open a present too and wear his antlers which he was thrilled about.

Speedway in Lights

May parents came for Chirstmas this Year. It was nice not to have to travel since Cohen was so delightful on the last flight(That was sarcasm by the way).

In the weeks leading up to Christmas the weather was very Utah like .  My parents felt at home. It was kinda a bummer because  a lot of the things I wanted to do we couldnt because of the weather. We did get to see Speedway and Lights. Which was pretty amazing. And also more enjoyable as we got to see the lights from the warmth of the car.

The famous "World's Fastest Half Mile" In Bristol, Tennessee is about 20 min from our house. When Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhart Jr. aren't racing in one of the largest arenas in the world, it is decked out with millions of twinkling lights. And is definitely a holiday tradition for many East Tennessee families. I am glad we got to see it! In the middle of the arena they have rides, food and a little train for kids. It was freezing though we didn't last long in the outdoor activities.

It was hard getting any decent pictures through the window of the car. Pictures don't really do it justice.

Cookie Decorating Playdate

Yay for decorating Christmas Cookies and pouring sprinkles all over the floor!

Chirstmas Parade

 

One night when Erik was working. I took Cohen to the Chirstmas Parade in Jonesborough. It was cute and i think Cohen liked it a lot. He sat in his stroller the whole time watching. I think his favorite was the tractors. And of course the candy. We went with my friend Anne and Cohen's little friend Holli. After we went to the Chirstmas tree exhibit and drank hot chocolate. 

Holli had the candy cane stuck in her mouth most of the time as her gloves were to big to be able to grab it and take it out:) Cohen didnt have that problem since lately he refuses to wear gloves or anything warm for that matter. It is a wrestling match just to get on the coat and hat.

21 months

I can't wrap my mind around the fact that Cohen is almost two! He is so fun and crazy and learning things and words every day. He is still very bossy and thinks he can do everything himself. If you do something for him he can do himself for example: get something off the counter or put him in his high chair he will climb out again then back in just to prove he can do it himself.  He is starting to put two and three words together now. He refers to himself as Coco:) So we hear "Coco Do!" (translates to Cohen wants to do it himself) all the time. We hear "Coco come too" if we are going somewhere he would like to go. His newest words are "Tismas tee" (Christmas tree) and "Gosh Dang!" (Dont know where he learns the foul language).

His favorite things to do right now is:
play with his "dough" and "tools" (play dough, rolling pin, cookie cutters)
color
he is getting really good at puzzles
still loves trains
bubbles
still loves Woody and Buzz, Thomas the Train, and newest addition Mickey Mouse

Playtime with Daddy

Playtime gets pretty crazy sometimes i feel like i am living in a animal house Erik, Cohen, and the dog are all crazy! I grew up a single child so my house never got very loud. I think its only going to get worse. Cohen and Daddy are playing with Mister Potato Head's teeth and tongue in this picture. Sometimes they are very creative.

Starting to Look Like Christmas

This is the most excited i have been for Christmas in a long time. I am just excited to share and experience a Christmas with Cohen now that he is old enough to have some understanding and to get excited about new toys! This year we (which really means mostly me) put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Cohen "helped" by shattering a few bulbs.

The weather is also cooperating and being very Christmas like which i am not a fan.