Merry Christmas

...sugar cookies...

I have been promising Tyler and Cohen that I would make sugar cookies for over 2 1/2 months now. Thanks to my first "Snow Day" in my life, I was able to finally be a little baker. Cohen was a really good helper and assisted me in mixing the dough, but I put him down for a nap while I did the baking. As I frosted cookies last night, I told Cohen he could help me next year. Well next year is a long time for a little boy so I decided to let him "help" me now instead. Cohen was armed with a spoon to frost with (which he spent most the time eating off of), a cookie, and a small amount of red frosting in a bowl. I know what you are thinking, and yes, it was a small disaster, but completely worth it!

Before

After

Cohen loved every minute of "frosting" his cookie. When I went to take him out of his high chair, he said, "I want MORE!" Luckily, for me, it was bedtime. Overall, I think we had a successful baking day. I can't wait to continue the tradition next year with two little boys!!!

...19 months...

Wow! I can't believe Cohen is 19 months on Saturday. He is turning into a little boy over night. Recently, Cohen learned to jump/climb out of his crib. At first, he only came out when he didn't want to go to sleep, but now he has learned, he can jump out any time he wants. In return, we get a 6:00 a.m. wake up call. Yesterday, I went to hit the snooze button on my alarm clock and there was my little guy. He was up and ready to go; unfortunately, I think I hit my last official snooze on Saturday!

Even with the early wake up calls, we still love our little man to pieces. Cohen is trying to copy everything we say and can string a 2-3 word sentence together. Some of his favorite sayings include: "I want bite", "I want Dad", and "Brock school". On Tyler's day off, he taught Cohen that Mom goes to school and now when you ask him where someone is at, he will reply with school. It is really cute because he says it in the saddest little voice with his eye brows squished together.

Cohen is enjoying the holiday season. He LOVES lights. Everywhere we go, we hear about the lights. When we drive pass Christmas lights, he loves to say, "WOW!" I get the biggest kick out of hearing the expression he uses in his voice. He also is obsessed with turning on our Christmas lights in the house. Usually after out 6:00 a.m. wake up call, he wants to go turn on the lights. I am afraid he will be disappointed once they are gone.

At 19 months, Cohen has many favorite things. Tigger and his baseball bat are still on top of the list. He takes these things with him everywhere he goes. He also loves his uncle Brock and talks about him constantly. I have found that everything in our house belongs to Brock and that includes all the Christmas presents and MY BOOKS! Cohen also loves going to his grandparents' houses. He gets excited when we pull up to either house and especially loves seeing Grandpa Shoe because he will take him to get all the mental bats and hard balls available.

The last week or so, we have been trying to teach Cohen about family prayer. He has started to learn how to fold his arms, but doesn't like to close his eyes yet. He is too interested in watching Tyler and me during the prayer. My favorite part to our family prayers is hearing him say "Amen" at the end. He says it so sincere and reverent.

Cohen has turned into the best little helper. Tyler and I decided he knows exactly what we ask him to do, but he selectively chooses when he wants to listen. This last week we organized the garage and cleaned the house. Cohen was right at our side helping us along the way. For the most part, he listened really well and was good at taking things to the rooms they belonged in, but when Grandpa Shoe showed up, he needed a break. He decided he enjoyed hitting balls off the tee with Grandpa more than cleaning the house. I guess I don't blame him. I would have much rather been outside playing as well!

Boy, Oh, Boy!

Yes, it is true! We have another little boy on the way and couldn't be more excited about it. Cohen will get to teach Baby Talon how to be a trouble maker like his big brother! When we went to a 14 week ultrasound, I told Tyler that I was sure it was a girl. I seriously was so surprised to find out we were having another boy. On the way home, I kept telling Tyler how shocked I was that it was truly boy. Even though the 14 week ultrasound looked like it was a boy, I was nervous for my 21 week ultrasound. I had convinced myself of the gender and even had a name picked out, but with my luck, I thought it was going to be a girl now.

Fortunately, it was still a boy! Yay! No painting Cohen's room, buying clothes, or making more quilts this time around! Cohen has more clothes and quilts than any one boy should ever need so I am glad we will get to re-use all of his old stuff. There are a few things like shirts and shoes that Cohen destroyed, but for the most part, I can use everything again. I even have a few blankets that Cohen didn't even touch because he had so many made for him. With Baby Talon coming in a few months, we decided to put Cohen into a toddler bed. We actually have a twin bed we planned on using, but since the two boys will be sharing a room, we felt the toddler bed will work best for us; it won't require nearly as much rearranging of furniture and toys in their bedroom!

Cohen still doesn't understand that we are having a baby. I don't think the reality of it will hit until we bring Talon home, but for now, he is really cute about the baby. Whenever we say where is Baby Talon, he lifts up his own shirt and points to his belly. It is so sweet!

November...

I am not sure where November went this month, but before I knew it, it was gone! I always love this time of year and it is especially fun to have Cohen enjoy it with us. These are a few pictures from Brock's birthday dinner.

For Thanksgiving, we ate a delicious dinner at my mom's house and then had dessert at Grandma Gloria's. We are lucky to have family live so close especially during the holidays. When most people have to choose where they are going to spend their holiday, we can always work out spending time at both places. Here are some pictures of Cohen on Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Halloween

Halloween was a little different for Cohen this year. For one, everything scared him. We took him to Target a few weeks ago and he was terrified of the huge witch and ghost on display. After seeing those things, he was scared of anything that made noises especially the toy dolls! Cohen was also into everything. I think he only broke half of our Halloween decorations in the house! He also hated his costume at first and wouldn't wear his pirate hat. By the third outing in his costume, he was better at keeping it on though.

This year we took Cohen to his first Trunk-or-Treat. Other than the hail storm, Cohen enjoyed it. He didn't understand what was going on, but he did love the free hand fulls of suckers he was taking from people. We had a great Halloween this year! From Halloween parties to carving pumpkins, we were busy. I can't wait to have both our little ones next year to enjoy it with!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Cohen from this Fall! Isn't he adorable?

And That Makes Four...

We are having another baby and couldn't be more excited about it. Baby Nelson #2 is due April 13, 2011. Cohen is going to get a sibling to play with it! He has no clue about what is going on, but I know he will love this new baby. Cohen and the baby will be 23 months apart. I have been thinking this one is going to be a girl, but Tyler thinks a boy. I truly will be happy with a healthy boy or a girl. I would love a girl to shop for, but if it's a boy, we have everything for him. Cohen has clothes he never wore and blankets he never used. Either way, I know we will be so excited!

10 Week Ultrasound

14 Week Ultrasound

14 Week Ultrasound

A Toddlers Mission

Two little eyes

Discovering what's new

Two little hands

Touching everything in view

A sweet little voice

Asking you why

A mischievous smile

And a whimpering cry

Two little feet

Jumping on the floor

A toddler's mission

Is to explore

I came across this 'Toddler's Mission' the other day and felt that it was a great description of my dear little boy. Sometimes Tyler and I wonder if Cohen's daily activities of: biting through dry wall, jumping off the highest part of the couch, falling off chairs onto the wooden floor, throwing the remote in the toilet, hitting the flat screen with his bat, spying on our next door neighbors, gagging himself until he throws up, and destroying our house until it is unrecognizable are 'normal toddler behaviors'. After reading this mission statement, I believe this is Cohen's mission: to make my parents not want any more children. Well...I truly hope that isn't true, but I do think Cohen is an explorer and has to be involved with everything around him. We took him to lunch at Cafe Rio on Saturday. Instead of eating his quesadilla, he chose to watch a bunch of girls talk. His head was like our Mickey Mouse Bobble Head. It bounced from one girl's comment to the next.

Even with all of his crazy toddler behavior, he still is my favorite kid in the world. He makes us laugh non-stop and love him more than we ever could've imagined. I love that he is at an age where he is trying to say new things. Some of the words he says are: ball, Nolan, Jase, Co Co, go go, pack back, Jesus, Jeter, Brock, NO, yeah, and yes. Cohen is also fluent in Chinese so if you are ever in need of a translator, please let us know! These pictures are from the cemetery this last week. Tyler's Grandpa Wayne (who Cohen is named after and looks a lot like) passed away almost two years ago. It was his birthday last Wednesday so we went to the cemetery and then Grandma Gloria took us out to eat.

Goodbye Summer...

The end of summer is always a bitter sweet time for me. I hate the fact that I have to leave my little boy as another school year begins, but I love meeting my new kids. August was especially busy for us. Between my brother's wedding, a quick trip to Park City, and getting a classroom ready, we were a busy little family. Cohen is just as fun as ever. He has learned to walk up and down the stairs (with and without a bat and ball in his hand), learned to jump off furniture, and has successfully bitten out some of our drywall. We are so glad we have our little guy to entertain us. I haven't been the best at taking pictures the last month or so. Here are a few documenting some of the things we have been up to.

Look at How You Have Grown!

I decided it was time to record Cohen's stats for the last 15 months. It is fun for me to look back and see where he was at each stage of his life. It is amazing to see how much he has grown in such a short time!

Newborn: 5-18-09
Born at 2:07 p.m.
Weight: 8 lbs 10 oz
Length: 19 3/4 in.

2 Months:
Weight: 13 lbs 5 oz (84 percentile)
Height: 23 1/4 in. (62 percentile)
Head: 15 1/2 in. (34 percentile)

4 months:
Weight: 16 lbs (72 percentile)
Height: 26 in. (84 percentile)
Head: 16 1/2 in. (39 percentile)

6 months:
Weight: 18 lbs 4 oz (65 percentile)
Height: 27 1/4 (76 percentile)
Head:17 1/4 (50 percentile)

9 months:
Weight: 20 lbs (39 percentile)
Height: 28 3/4 in. (66 percentile)
Head: 17 1/2 in. (24 percentile)

12 months:
Weight: 22 lb 5 oz (43 percentile)
Height: 30 3/4 in. (81 percentile)
Head: 18 1/4 in. (50 percentile)

15 months:
Weight: 23 lb (41 percentile)
Height: 32 1/2 in. (93 percentile)
Head: 18 1/2 in. (52 percentile)

Family Pictures...

Family pictures is not something I look forward to on a regular basis, but it is something I want to have when looking back on my life. Tyler, unfortunately, has a strong dislike for pictures. I told Tyler it was time to get a "real" family picture together. To my surprise, he agreed. Cohen is at a horrible age and I luckily have a great sister that took the pictures for me. Tyler and I seem to prepare for everything we can in life. For these pictures, we of course found the perfect locations, Legends Auto in Springville and the railroad tracks in Palmyra. We drove by each location a few days ago to scope them out. I was excited to get pictures at both locations. Well as we get to Legends Auto today (which the sign said they were closed on Saturday), we found a ton on motorcycle dudes hanging out. Dang...cross that place off my list. I thought that has just been our luck this week. Fortunately, the railroad tracks were abandon and we were able to get some fun shots there. I thought the pictures turned out great. My sister has shown me some fun editing actions that I used for the pictures. Thanks Linds for taking the pictures! We love them! Here are just a few of my favorites: