End of Summer Vacation

All good things have to come to an end, at least that is how the saying goes. My summer vacation has come to an abrupt halt. I now go back and join the working class tomorrow and meet my adorable second graders. For my last week of freedom, I tried to do fun things we Cohen and Talon throughout the week, which was exhausting. One of my favorite things I discovered was Payson Pool. Tyler had a work party there and we decided to try it out. Everyone has told me how great it is, but I always replied by saying no pool works for Cohen. After actually visiting the pool, I was happily surprised to see that it was perfect for Cohen. The kids pool and adult pool are separated by a building so Cohen didn't even know there was another option. The pool doesn't get deeper than 3 feet and most areas are 1 foot. I could carry Talon in the pool while chasing Cohen as long as he stayed in the 1 foot range. The play place was a blast and Cohen giggled every time he went down the slide. I feel like I missed out on a fun place to take my kids all summer. This will definitely be on the agenda for next summer.

Nolan and Cohen spent one of the days destroying the house, slip-n-sliding outside, and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. To two toddlers, this was an awesome day. For me, I didn't get anything accomplished, but I did get to spend the day enjoying Talon while Cohen and Nolan entertained one another. I am hoping this is how it will be next summer when Talon can follow Cohen all over the house.

On my last day home with the boys, we met some friends at the city park. I didn't realize how perfect this park was for Cohen and Talon. For one, it is shaded completely so I could take Talon out of the stroller and let him lay out in the shade. Another reason it worked better than other parks is it isn't a huge park. The equipment is fairly close together which makes it easier to watch Cohen. I will have to bring my boys back there to play! Now on to BYU soccer and volleyball games! Fall here we come!

Hogle Zoo

After many attempts at taking our boys to the zoo, we finally made it last weekend! Cohen and Talon both enjoyed the zoo immensely. Tal loved riding in the stroller and hanging out. I don't think he made a sound until it neared lunch time and he wanted to eat. Cohen didn't love sitting in the stroller; he preferred to run in front of us to see what he was missing. The problem with a two year old at the zoo is they don't care to linger at the animals. I was fascinated watching the different animals and reading about them. Cohen, on the other hand, was always one step ahead of us, exploring everything around him. We did find out that Cohen is going to love Disneyland next Spring!!! His two favorite parts of the zoo were the carousal and the train ride. After a few hours of the zoo, we took the kids to my favorite restraurant, the Cheesecake Factory, for my birthday dinner. Yum, yum! It was delicious and to top it off, Tyler bought a whole cheesecake to take home for my actual birthday on Sunday!

World of Pretending and Splash Pad

This summer Cohen has discovered the world of pretending. On several occasions, Tyler and I have caught him talking to himself with his toys or pretending to eat something that isn't real. It is so interesting to see this new discovery come to life. The other night I watched him place his friends around the kitchen table and hand them each out a spoon so they could eat. Cohen is learning to communicate so well with us, but it is so fun to see him talk with his pretend friends and have conversations. Our little boy is getting too big!!!

Cohen, Talon and I have spent many days at the splash pad while Tyler was at work, but a few weekends ago, I convinced Tyler he needed to see Cohen's love for the water. Of course we go there and Cohen was as active as ever, running every which way. At first, Tyler tried to contained Cohen to one spot, but I knew that wouldn't work. I learned from experience that if I could keep him at the splash pad and not the playground, then we were doing good. Cohen loved filling his hat with water and dumping it on us. The only problem with this is he thought he could dump the water on the little girl that hated the water. Oops! I am pretty sure the mom wasn't too happy with him. After playing in the water, we spent the remainder of the time on the swings. Before this summer, I didn't realize the love Cohen has for swings. Every time we stop by the park now this is where Cohen wants to be.

Ball Game Tuesday!!!

After attending many Tuesday baseball games for Brock, Cohen decided all games were played on that day of the week. Earlier in the summer, Cohen started telling people he had a "Ball Game Tuesday". From this comment, several people asked what league my 2 year old was playing in. I had to then explain that he made up his own league and plays in the backyard for home games and at the Nelson's for away games. After several game delays such as: rain, field repair (Tyler sprayed for weeds) and a couple times of Mom forgetting, we finally got his game in on Tuesday. As you can tell, he was the star of the night and didn't want mom and dad interfering. He hit homeruns, ran the bases, slid home, caught pop-ups, fielded grounders, and played catch with his dad. This kid was decked out for some ball and had the time of his life. Talon enjoyed being a spectator along with his mom. Maybe next year he can make the cut and join Cohen's team. On days other than Tuesdays, we do this same routine minus the uniform. What a fun kid we have!!!