Brotherly Love

Cohen absolutely loves his brother. Here is what happens when Cohen finds Kent asleep...

Fun with Nana

Pete's mom came to visit for a week before school started. We had a great time going to the park, playing "Cars" and watching movies. We all love it when Nana vists. She is an excellent cook and one of Kent's favorite playmates!

Chicago

I have been such a bad poster lately and I really do apologize. I have not been allowing myself to put anything recent up until I finish the highlights of the last four months. You will all just have to bear with me as I recap our activities. So, I will pick up where I left off, our trip to Illinois in July, JULY...I know, I'm terrible!

While we were visiting family in Illinois, we took a side trip up to Chicago with my parents. None of us had ever been there and I had wanted to go to the Art Institute for quite a while, so we were all pretty excitied- especially me! I mean, I don't get to go to the second largest museum in the United States everyday!

The first place we went after we checked into our hotel was the museum. I dragged my family all over that place, telling them all kinds of information that they probably didn't care to know. We definitely overstayed our welcome with the two crabby kids we had with us. Cohen even managed to pee all over the floor in the sculpture garden in the Art of the American West gallery!

We decided to take some pictures right outside of the museum. Everyone was fine with this plan except for Kent. There were many Kentless photos on our little trip.

Here was Kent's reaction when we tried to get him to take a family photo with us.

I even tried to make Kent jealous by showing him how much fun Cohen and I were having. He didn't care.

We made our way to Grant Park next along with a million other people because Taste of Chicago also happened to be going on. We made our way through a sea of people and took a few photos in front of the Buckingham Fountain.

Pete's main request of Chicago was real Chicago style deep dish pizza. We found a great place and after a VERY long, standing wait with two overtired children, we were able to sit down and eat. All were excited, especially Cohen and Pete.

After dinner, Pete and I went up the Willis Tower (Sears Tower) to look at the city from the new sky decks that opened the same weekend. Here is the view from the street.

This is the view of the city at night from the 108th floor.

And, this is the view from the sky deck looking down 108 stories. My knees feel weak again just looking at this picture. We were literally standing in a plexiglass box suspended from the side of the sky scraper!!!

We spent the next morning at Navy Pier. The weather and the view were beautiful.

It's always a happy day for Cohen.

So much money was spent riding this carousel. Kent loved it and Pete was able to get all of us in one shot. Pretty talented! It was a quick trip, but we definitely had a great time.

TEETH!!!

For the first time ever, I am pleased to announce that Cohen has two teeth coming in! We have been waiting for this day for months. Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if there were teeth in there at all! Cohen is a little over 1 year and 1 month old, but has been eating strictly solid food for about two months. Apparently no teeth was no big worry to him! You can't really see them well right now, so I'll put up a picture a little later, but he has one top front tooth and one bottom front tooth making their way in!

Wheat Free Play Dough

While watching one of our favorite shows, Shark Tank, we heard about Soy-Yer Dough. It is wheat free play dough!!! This mom is so excited! Kent can now play with play dough that is safe for him. Homemade versions worked, but were sticky and just didn't hold up the same as regular play doh. You can fundraise with it and put customized labels on it. So cool!!! Yay for Soy-Yer Dough!

Kent's Fish

Kent loves to go fishing in my Aunt Susan's pond. While we were in Illinois this summer, Dad, Pete and Kent spent one morning seeing what they could catch. Dad caught zero, Pete caught two and Kent caught NINE! The older boys may have been a little distracted with helping Kent, but nine!?! Wow- all with that Spiderman pole too!

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Summer Flashbacks

Well, I've not been very good at keeping up with our blog the past couple of months. I've heard from a lot of you and all I can say is that I'm sorry and I will do better!

July was such a fun and crazy month for us; I was instantly overwhelmed with how to report all the day to day happenings.

We spent the first part of the month in Illinois with my family. It was so great seeing everyone and spending the fourth with them. Kent absolutely loves to go vist Great-Grandma, Great-Grandpa, Aunt Susan and Aunt Peggy. He asks every few days if we can go back- that 11 hour drive fades from his memory pretty fast! Kent is quick to remind everyone how easy it is to get to Aunt Susan's house. His directions-- "Make the turn, go up the hill, go on the straight-a-way, around the bend and that's it!" We didn't really know what he was talking about, until we were driving down the driveway/road to Susan's house. Pete and I heard Kent repeating the directions as we were driving and we both realized he had it right! He was describing the driveway!

Cohen went on his first swim! It was a little cold for me, but Cohen didn't seem to mind at all. I had a bunch of pictures of other family members from this day, but everyone was in their swimsuits, so I didn't post them. I have a no swimsuit policy for those over 20. ;)

Here are the boys on the fourth of July. Everyone came to Aunt Susan's for fireworks. Kent HELPED set off some of the fireworks--(I was told it was a guy thing...). We'll just say that part of the evening was extremely stressfull for me...

Cohen loves to watch fireworks; the sound doesn't bother him a bit. Kent fell ASLEEP before the firework show was finished. He can fall asleep under any circumstances if he is tired enough.

Kent and his cousin Beckett had fun running through the sprinkler.

We had a picnic at the park. Cohen loved swinging. Kent had a very eventful evening. First, he pulled his pants down and tried to pee right in front of the slide. I caught him just in time and drug him to the edge of the park, but I'm pretty sure the woman across the street was looking out her window watching the whole thing. Later he got hauled off the playground for continuing to climb up the slide the wrong way. He then spent a good 20 minutes in the car in time out for calling me "stupid mommy"!!!!! Thanks again Toy Story! There were consequences, tears, and a long discussion, but I'm glad to report that the episode has yet to be repeated.

Happier times of Cohen swinging before the drama.

Here is Cohen with his Great-Grandma Jean.

Kent and Pete had a great time playing baseball with our cousins.

This is part of the peaceful ride home. Note the flat, wide openness seen out of the window. No claustrophobia inducing trees or space choking kudzu here!!!

11 Months Old!

Cohen is 11 months old today and I just cannot believe it! It has been almost a year! Hands down the fastest year of my life.

I could just eat up my baby boy! He is such a lover, always giving kisses. Despite his early months, he is super happy most of the time, except when we are at church. What can I say, he just misses me those three hours! Besides church, smiles all day long.

Right now Cohen likes:

• Any solid food I will give him- having ZERO teeth doesn't stop him one bit!
• Drinking out of a glass
• Laughing at his big brother
• Moving any way he can- he took his first steps yesterday! Yep! Walked about three steps from the couch to daddy!
• Bath time with his brother
• His crib- part of the problem with church...his bed is not there.
• Any electronic device- put away your computers! Whenever he goes near mine keys go flying. I don't know how he does it, but he touches the keyboard in such a way that breaks the keys right off.

Cohen does not like:

• Red lights
• Holding still
• Letting go of things
• Helping you when you hold him- he prefers to hang limp as you struggle to keep him on your hip

I love my tough guy!

Unbelievable!!

If I hadn't been there, I wouldn't have believed it myself! I promise this is 100% true, not exaggerated, and I really really wish that I had videotaped it so we could've won $25,000 from America's Funniest Home Videos....

We were all in the living room last night, just hanging out. Kent, Cohen and I were playing on the floor and Pete was laughing at us on the couch. I was laying on the floor exhausted from being climbed all over, with Kent still on top of me. Cohen was all wound up and doing his little hopping thing- he will either get on his knees and hop up and down, throwing his arms up in the air or get his feet up underneath him like he's squatting and hop like a frog. He was doing the first version and laughing pretty hard so we were watching him, entertained by all his cuteness. All the sudden, mid hop, Cohen got his feet underneath him and jumped up to a STANDING position. He stood up, completely unassisted from a sitting position, in the middle of the room. We were all in a state of shock, expecially Cohen. He stood there for about 4 full seconds with his arms flung out and his knees wobbling, laughing hysterically. He looked like he was surfing! A little 10 month old surfer. We all had our mouths wide open- Kent included. Then, Cohen tried to take a step forward and fell to his knees.

Who is this crazy kid!?

Summer Photos

Here are the photos we had taken of the boys by our good friend and photographer Elizabeth. Check her out at elizabethduvallphotography.com

The Dog Returns

So, we had another run in with the dog last week. Of course, he came by the same day we were getting our new roof, so it was absolute chaos all around. I opened the front door with both kids about to head out to my mom's house, when I see the dog in our front yard bounding towards our open door. Pete was home (thankfully!) monitoring the roofers and I called for him to come help me. I did not want to repeat my last crazy run in with the dog...me, two kids, way too many bags, running and screaming around the yard, getting jumped on- all around 7 am in the morning!

I carried Kent, who was screaming, and Pete carried Cohen, who was laughing. We started down the steps, dodging the shingles being thrown off the roof and I noticed a ball in the yard. The dog did not come alone; he brought a toy with him. It was at this moment that I realized that this crazy, energetic dog was not trying to terrorize my family. I think he is just neglected and comes by every so often to "play". Pete grabbed the ball and threw it as far as he could out of the cul de sac and told me to run. The dog took off with his broken leash dragging behind him.

I was strapping Kent in and I could hear the dog coming back towards me really fast. All I can remember thinking about was how bad it was going to hurt when the dog jumped on me and his nails scratched my legs. Can you tell that I'm not what you would call an animal lover? Thankfully, the dog brought the ball straight back to Pete who threw it off again so I could strap in Cohen. As we drove away, I waited for Kent to quote the part of Toy Story that I heard him say over and over a few weeks ago, "Stupid Dog!". I was so proud when he didn't say that, but he did choose some Toy Story inspired words. Reminding me of one of the final scenes in the movie he said, "Mommy, I want to jump on that dog's back, spank his hiney and pull on his eyelids!"

I'm glad it didn't come to that!

9 month checkup...a month late

I realize that Cohen is now actually 10 months old, but I wanted to go ahead and post the stats from his nine month check up. I mean I remembered to take a picture at the doctor's office and everything!!!! He had a great visit and we are all really excited about how clear Cohen's skin has been lately. Maybe the eczema is going away! His blood test came back with him not allergic to milk, (the mystery continues), but positive allergies to eggs and peanuts. We are now headed to the allergist for his opinion on the milk issue and skin testing to help verify the other allergies.

Cohen is a really happy baby who loves to play and crawl everywhere. He is pulling up on all the furniture and walks along the couch and tables with one hand. He still can't make it up the step from our living room to our kitchen, which keeps me a happy mommy. ;) I know my days are numbered with this though and he will soon be roaming the house. He is just starting to babble and dance and is still flashing those big smiles all the time. Such a joy, Cohen is always so fun to be around. Kent loves having his brother to play and laugh with. Cohen's laugh is so cute, but he gets the hiccups everytime you get him laughing.

Here are Cohen's stats:

Height- 28 1/2 inches

Weight- 19 lbs 8 oz

Kent at 9 months:

Height- 30 1/4 inches

Weight- 22 lbs 7.5 oz

Weddings 2009

We have been travelling off and on for the last three weeks, which explains the lack of updates. Hopefully I can get back on track and figure out the best way to report all of our adventures!

June was wedding month for us. Pete and I each had a friend get married and we had a lot of fun at both weddings. We were childless, thanks to my parents, and had two weekends in a row to ourselves! My friend Julie's wedding was first. Julie and I went to college at UGA together and we now teach art together everyday! The wedding was on a plantation in Conyers. Outside and in the evening, it was warm (100 degrees), but absolutely beautiful. You will all have to trust me on this because I did not take any pictures!!! Sorry Julie! I hate watching things happen through the screen on my camera, so I am a notoriously bad wedding picture taker. I danced very late into the evening with all of Julie's sorority sisters from college and Pete and I stayed up even later chatting with the other people staying in our cabin on the plantation. None of the other couples our age at the wedding besides us and the bride and groom were married. They were all quite amazed that we had been married for seven whole years and had two kids already....

The next weekend we headed up to North Carolina for our friends Chris and Emily's wedding. Pete has known Chris since high school and I have known him the entire time I have known Pete. Chris was a groomsman in our wedding and we were just so excited that he and Emily were finally getting married! We headed up a few days early as Pete was a groomsman. I decided to take pictures after my absentmindedness the week before. The wedding was at Lake Junaleska, a popular Methodist retreat. It was absolutely beautiful and I really think that we Baptists need to get with the program and create some type of organized retreat like this!!! We got to take part in all the pre wedding festivities, explore the downtown area, shop, and spend time with Chris' sweet family.

The little stone chapel where Chris and Emily got married. The stained glass was beautiful!




Chris is in the center, his older brother John (single!!!) to his right,

and then my handsome guy!

Emily wore her mother's veil.

We stopped to take a picture of the view on our way back to Georgia.

While Cohen is Sleeping

Kent and I have been having lots of fun while Cohen has been napping. We have been doing things that we simply cannot do when Cohen is around getting into everything! Kent is loving putting puzzles together and it's best when his little brother is not tearing them apart as he does it. Here he is with the first puzzle that he put together entirely by himself. He was super proud!



Later we went out and cut some flowers for a bridal shower that I was going to. Kent had a great time helping me and carrying the basket.

7 Years Ago Today!!!

7 years ago today, Pete and I got married! We've actually known eachother much longer (11 1/2 years) and I've been going through pictures today. I came across a lot of memories during Cohen's naptime today! Kent is quite dismayed at the fact that there are memories of mommy and daddy without Kent. He keeps saying that he doesn't like any of these pictures because he is not in them! Well, I warn you now that this post is lengthy and it will not contain any pictures of the boys! ;) Happy anniversary Pete!

Pete and I met my senior year in high school at a friend's house. Our first scheduled date was my senior formal. We actually went out a couple times before that and by the time senior formal (Valentine's Day) came around, we were officially a couple. Here we are in thinner and younger days.

Later that year, during the summer of 1998, we both went to the Cornerstone music festival with a bunch of friends from Noonday.

This is at UGA's Baptist Student Union's annual Christmas Dance my sophmore year. My hair is getting shorter and shorter and Pete's is getting blonder and blonder!

Here we are again at Cornerstone in 2001. I know it's 2001 because we got separated one night- there were only about 10,000 people there!! Anyway, Pete drew a cartoon drawing of me with an arrow pointing to my blond hair and a very large ring on my finger, so we must have been engaged. And yes, if you can spot it, Pete does have black nail polish on!

Later that summer, we were in Illinois at my cousin Abby's wedding. In 2001 boy bands were big and all the younger girls would ask Pete for his autograph. They thought he was Lance Bass from N'Sync!!! Seriously, this happened at least four times that I can remember!

In the fall of the same year, we took our engagement photos. Looks like we were both back to more natural hair styles!

Here we are dancing at our wedding! Pete is always making me laugh!

Very happy on our honeymoon at Universal Studios. It was our compromise- I wanted the beach and Pete wanted lots of entertainment, beaches were boring to him then. Neither of us had been there before and we had a great time.

One of the last pre kids photo I could find of the two of us. I think we were at Six Flags.

Sadly, the last time we went to the beach in September of 2007. This is our favorite beach to go to, Gulf Shores!!!

Mom and Dad kept the boys for us Saturday night and we went out for our anniversary. I managed to remember to get a photo taken of the two of us. Pete, no one makes me laugh as much as you and I thank you for loving me even though the clothes you want to wear are never clean and dinner is never ready when you want to eat! I Love You!!!