Tuesday, September 30, 2008

These make me smile!

Ethan's school proofs are here! I like #2. I am so relieved he actually smiled this year. I can never get him to give me a normal smile.


Cohen's new fetish, cont...

I failed previously, to include this picture from E & C's bathroom. This is just E's drawer of toothbrushes. Cohen's is in the next drawer down. They BOTH have a problem. See that one at the bottom with the white neck and the green and blue bristles - that's MINE! Such kleptos.

Loving this

Isn't this kitchen amazing? Maybe it's just me, but I was reading Domino the other day and saw this kitchen and had to rip it out for future reference. I couldn't find an image of it online so it's a picture of a picture but still you get the idea. It's from the home of the creator of DwellStudio. Drooling.

To do list

Amanda, a friend from college, who writes likes no other, whose blog you should all be reading if you aren't already, who inspires me to think about trying to be a better mother, just had a birthday. She saw on another blog, a woman who wrote down a list of things (the amount corresponding to her age), little things that she would like to accomplish before her next birthday. I am thinking I need one for myself, but since I'm already 5 months down I am going to be pretending I am 21 one last time (instead of 31) and shoot for 3 items/month. Here goes.

1. Read with Ethan more.

2. Save as much money as possible to speed up the student loan repayment.

3. Start washing my face at night, no I have never done this.

4. Lose the weight that babies and marriage have given me. Oh and cookies and brownies and everything else I have eaten along the way.

5. Raise money for Ethan's JDRF walk.

6. Maybe do some visiting teaching?

7. Clean out my closet.

8. Sell old things on ebay.

9. Smile more.

10. Go to bed earlier.

11. Apply for a patent on such things not to be discussed without a patent.

12. Take C to the park more - once it gets below 80 degrees here.

13. Write up a will.

14. Sew a skirt with the sewing machine that is getting dusty and the pattern Diane picked up a few weeks ago.

15. Finish the books I have started and put aside.

16. Take the boys camping again.

17. Have a low key Christmas. Do not go overboard on gift giving - try to prepare ahead of time.

18. Buy myself flowers every once and a while, if I didn't it might never happen.

19. Replace soda with water at home.

20. Learn how to edit our home videos so that I can burn them onto a DVD.

21. Be grateful always.

As for my hair

I went shorter, about at my collar bone, a tiny bit layered and highlighted once again. I can't find my Photobooth program anywhere on my computer so not only can I not take a picture right now but my babysitter is now gone. Ugh.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Buy a Mac, get a free babysitter.

I sat down just now to take that picture for my last post and I found all of these pictures that E & C had taken of themselves. There's only one of C because the majority of them were just his forehead (he needs a taller chair). And E's are a little repetitive because he only uses the mirror setting, it's his fav. Anyway, enjoy!


Help













This has been my hair for what seems like my entire life. Always below the shoulders, slightly highlighted, layered, brutal. Please help. Are there any stylists out there that would like to weigh in? I have always been jealous of banged people. I cannot do bangs. I have a huge wave at the top of my forehead. Comments please, I have an appointment on Monday.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Cohen's new fetish
















The kid loves everything dental. Floss, toothpaste, toothbrushes, toothpicks - he can't get enough. I have lost three toothbrushes in the past few months. Many of them have made their way outside. He will eat toothpaste too. Nasty.

Visitors!

This post is long overdue, considering our visitors were here a week ago, but anyway the Ehat's came to visit us! Stephanie and Carter had a few free tickets so for the boys birthdays we planned a fun weekend for the two of them (Carter turned 5 a few days after Ethan). We went to Legoland, it was Carter's first time there, but after our last visit to Legoland Ethan was very unadventurous. He refused to go on any of the big rides thanks to the traumatic experience on the roller coaster. They still had a great time. It was nice to go on a Thursday where there was hardly anyone there. The next day we headed to the beach. It was all going smoothly until Carter got some sand in his eyes. It wasn't pretty. The tears brought sunscreen into his eyes which didn't make it any better. Saturday, Eric watched the kids and Steph and I went shopping and got pedicures. It was nice to shop without kids for a change. Steph just happened to know a few people in our ward so she got to catch up with them at church. Mix in a ton of swimming in the pool and it proved for a very busy, tiring weekend. It was still a great time, our first real visitors - who's next??































Sunday, September 14, 2008

Birthday, part 2

Ethan had a few friends over on Saturday to finish off his birthday week. I was a little nervous about the whole thing because I invited four boys from church/school - and left it open for their parents and siblings to hang around too if they wanted. Ethan just wanted to have a pool party so the more the merrier, right...? But the problem is that this left the door wide open for an unknown amount of people so I was stressing about not having enough food. I planned for 12, but we ended up with 17 - luckily we had some frozen hot dog buns and plenty of chips! Ethan had a great time and I got to know his friends' moms a little better. They ended up staying for over 3 hours, and I am not the chatty/social type. It was a good time though. If nothing more it made Ethan ok with going to Primary today. He had no problems - unlike two weeks ago when he was crying before hand because he didn't want to go.




Cupcakes for dessert













Cohen, post cupcake...











Ethan and his new friend Jacob

Thursday, September 11, 2008

That's my boy!















Happy 5th Birthday E-man! You have become quite the little man. So sweet and nice at times and other times, well, not so sweet and nice. You are such a good big brother to little Coco, and he loves you tons.

Here he is trying to say cheese for a picture, but all that comes out is sheeeeezzzz and this funny thing his lower lip does.






















You really have a good heart inside that little body of yours. You are kind and social and always wanting to make friends. You are a brave boy - never complaining about finger pokes and having to drink diet soda instead of regular. I think you are enjoying kindergarten, but because you are a boy of few words (you take after your mother) I can't really tell one way or the other. I guess if you hated it I would know. I am so blessed to have you as my little guy. I love you so much.


















I don't know what we were thinking buying you more legos. And then both grandma's bought you legos. And then Martha bought you a set as well. I am toast. I will be putting together legos for weeks. At least we will have some new additions to the Lego Corner!

Don't you look so proud of your haul... like, check me out, check out what I got...hand on the hip and all. It looks like Christmas in September to me.

Ebert & Cohen

Why give you just one video of Cohen dancing when I can give you two? Here's another and it isn't short (3 min) so beware - Cohen fans will likely enjoy it though. Yesterday he sat down at the Mac to give his two cents about Apple's top 10 on Itunes. He started out with a little Rihanna, and seemed to like it somewhat. Then I scrolled down to Jason Mraz... Cohen was not a fan. BORING! Then came Katy Perry. She turned out to be his #1 pick, but Itunes has her at #6 - Cohen is just beside himself. So I went out on a limb and tried a little M.I.A., and that didn't do it for him either, so it was back to his true love, Katy Perry, and all was right with his dance party.

Just call him lil' tomahawk

Cohen is a dancer. A pretty funny dancer. The other day I walked past the boys' room while Ethan was playing our original Nintendo and found Cohen doing this tribal dance. He only enjoys the music at the beginning of the video game, the part that goes, duuuuuh duh duh, duuuuuh duh duh. Therefore, you will see him turning it on and off, over and over, even after Ethan has started a game, just to hear his favorite beat. What a nut.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Crazy Cohen

The other morning after Diane had prepared Cohen's usual (Eggo waffles), she went outside to turn on the sprinklers. This is what she found when she came back in...



















Cohen's mound of whipped cream. Naughty kid - he emptied the bottle.

And boy was he proud of himself. He can't get enough of it. He will stick his finger out and wait for Diane to put a dollop of it on so that he can lick it off.



















This was not staged... Cohen pretending to be Diane at the computer.

Black Sheep

Football season. It's Eric's favorite. Luckily, it's one of the shortest seasons played by professionals. If he was a baseball fan I think I might kill myself. Don't get me wrong, I like to watch football, just not nearly as much as Eric does, and today marks the first day of a full day of football. Not being able to see EVERY Packer game was getting to him, so what does he do?....convinces (I don't know how) his parents that they should switch to DirectTV so that he can order NFL Ticket. Great. Now instead of the regular broadcast games, which is usually around 5 games every Sunday, he will have EVERY game played that day available to him. And a DVR in case he can't watch seven at the same time...and this is just the NFL! I haven't even started about College football, so let me begin. I am the ONLY person in my entire family, extended family, and in-law family who cheers for the









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That means I have 2 parents, a MIL, a FIL, 5 BIL's, a SIL, 4 sisters, 2 grandparents, 4 aunts, 4 uncles, and like 68 cousins who all bleed blue. This doesn't include the multitude of friends that enjoy giving me a call everytime the U loses. So because so many of my peeps went to the WHY, this gives me a chance to cheer for some really random teams. Yesterday, I was all about the Univeristy of Washington, and last week you would have thought I attended Northern Iowa. My mom and dad are going to Provo next week for the UCLA game. GO BRUINS! I am invested this year, can you tell? And I will stay invested until November - because for the first time in a long time I will be back with those I feel at home with, in a stadium that hosted the opening ceremony of the Olympics compared to the Osmond 8th Generation concerts and Stadium of Fire. Yes, it will be good to be back at Rice-Eccles, oh how I have missed you.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

E-man is off to school

I am so grateful that Ethan has a desire to go to school. I would dread it if he was like, say, his brother when it comes to nursery (kicking and screaming). Ethan has been waiting for this day since we moved to CA. Probably, because I didn't offer much to be desired sitting at home all summer. I'm just kidding, we didn't sit at home ALL summer, but on those days that we did I bet he was dreaming of school. The school year wouldn't be right if we didn't start off with a trip to Target. I remember growing up in Minnesota and every year my mom would take us to Target to pick out all of our stuff. It was so exciting. Here he is with his bag of supplies.
















First day outfit and even gelled hair. He's so CUTE! Diane says I'm creating a little metro kindergartner... I blame Eric.






















His church buds that are also in Kindergarten. There are 3 K classes so just one of the boys is in his specific class, but they all eat lunch and have recess together. Hopefully, they will become good friends. I think Ethan is the youngest out of the four.















Mrs. Gustafson (mrs. g.) - doesn't she just look like a K teacher? She is very nice and has a great reputation for keeping the kids in line. I am hopeful that she will be patient with Ethan - and take into consideration that his blood glucose number plays a huge roll in his behavior.