Guacajodie, Joy in Peculiar Places

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

My Gators

2011-03-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

is 3.

And, I can't believe he was out in public in that outfit. Yikes!

And...here the kiddos (minus Torah) are sporting their 'Wadebot' shirts I made for Wade's big day!

Gluten-Free Goodness

2011-02-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that I don't eat gluten anymore. And, somewhat recently we've taken gluten out of Wade's diet to see if it resolves some...issues. Anyway, I have had a really hard time baking my own gluten-free bread. It just doesn't ever seem to come out right. In all honesty, I haven't spent a lot of time trying to bake bread because of the failures I've had. Why try to make something you used to love and then have something come out of the oven that doesn't even come close to resembling it? Sometimes, you just can't imitate the real thing. Bread was one of those things for me. But, I decided to try again today because I made shredded bbq pork and wanted to put it on a bun. I remembered seeing this recipe around Thanksgiving time, but hadn't tried it. So...I decided to try it today. The result was fabulous! I think I'll be making bread again (rolls specifically).

To anyone out there looking into gluten free eating/living, you've got to try the flour blends from Gluten Free Mama. I admit the name is lame, but her flour blend is awesome. You can buy it on Amazon with subscribe and save making it something like $18 for 2 4lb packs of flour, which really is a good price if you've looked into making or buying other gluten-free flour blends. So, seriously...give it a try. I've used it in many of my other gluten-free recipes from other people and the end product is always better than I've experienced with other blends. I have her first cookbook (which I don't actually recommend...except for her pizza recipe). But, if you're looking for an amazing (and decently priced) flour blend...this one is it! And...the rolls were amazing. I think I've eaten like 20...ok maybe not!

Spoiled

2011-01-24T20:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas was absolutely wonderful. And by Christmas, I mean from Black Friday to New Years Eve. We had SOOO much fun, but most of all, we were spoiled by having Myriah here. Myriah is....simply awesome.

She got the girls to pose on these posts:

And to do push-ups (butt-ups) on the Morro Bay boardwalk:

And she even stood near the stinky swings:

But most of all, we all wish she would come back to California forever. We miss her!...this much!

And this is how it makes us feel:

Can you guess...

2011-01-24T20:06:00.000-08:00

what we did for FHE?

1st tooth!

2011-01-20T14:19:00.000-08:00

Before:

After:

The blood.

Elle choose Boxing Day to lose her first tooth. She had been wiggling that thing like crazy and reserved the honor for Grandpa. He did some crazy magician trick that left us all wondering if he had actually pulled out the tooth. Turns out he did! And Elle couldn't be happier!

MLK Day

2011-01-20T13:53:00.000-08:00

What makes you do this?

And this?

Elephant seals on the coast of course!

For MLK Day we went to see the Elephant Seals up in San Simeon, and it was amazing. There were more Elephant seals there than I had ever seen before (and I've been several times). I'm guessing it was just good timing. There were big (actually humongous) males fighting, baby seals nursing and mama seals doing their thing. It was incredible and the kids enjoyed it WAY more than I thought they would. So, this may become a MLK Day tradition. On the way back, we stopped at Cambria and walked along the Moonstone beach boardwalk thinger. We went down to the beach for a bit and drug the stroller along the beach (not the best idea). Wade is doing one of his classic dance moves here on the boardwalk and you can see our stroller tracks down on the beach. And, if you ever find yourself on the moonstone beach boardwalk and need to use the bathroom, just cross the street over to the Moonstone Bar & Grill. Use the door after the entrance, and voila...a bathroom!

T-Rex

2011-01-20T13:40:00.000-08:00

Torah got a new tooth yesterday (or at least that is when I spotted it)...so that makes 3. But you probably don't care, and I don't blame you. On a slightly (very slightly) more interesting note, we are trying to figure out a nickname for Torah. Here are some we have used:
T-Rex
Torah-saurus
T-Bone
and...wait for it....

T-Shirt.

Any other suggestions?

And...Torah eats food. She likes to feed herself.

And is just so stinking cute.

Egg Nog

2010-12-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again...Nog Time. Brandon really likes egg nog. He has been on the hunt for "Custard Nogg" with no success. Instead he found 6 kinds for a taste off. Since I'd rather taste anything else besides egg nog, he got to do this test solo.

I think 'Producers' won or was it Cal Poly...not sure.

Anyone else this excited for egg nog?

Toasty

2010-12-22T14:45:00.000-08:00

With a warning like this:

You'd think the kiddos could resist. But they couldn't. Poor Toasty! I hope my kids haven't poisoned themselves.

Toasty left us a most excellent surprise....Mint Hot Chocolate! How did Toasty know this was my absolute favorite?! Hot chocolate is delicious, but add mint and it is FABULOUS! Toasty also left some eatable marshmallows and some Christmas books! Thank you Toasty! The girls are 95% sure that Toasty is either Grandma or Grandpa because of the snowflake stamps. They have seen them somewhere before!

Apparently Wade likes mint hot chocolate just as much as me.

Winter Wonderland 2010

2010-12-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Winter Wonderland was much warmer this year than last and it was fabulous. The kids got to go sledding down the fake hill with the fake snow again, but I didn't get any pictures as I was sledding with them. Brandon had an ART conference in Vegas that weekend, so Brandon's family came with me so we'd actually be able to do stuff...thank you family!

So...the sledding was our first stop, then we went to see Santa and Mrs. Claus. And then...we found the carousel. I don't remember seeing this last year. It was by far the oldest carousel I've been on, but it was free and the kids loved it.

We stopped an were listening to the High School choir performing by one of the designated 'snow zones' when kids get to play in the snow. I wasn't about to wait in the 20 minute line to play in fake snow (or ice), so luckily there was some that came out of the fenced in areas. Bryn gave it a try:

Then realized that snow is really cold and she didn't like that. Oh...and that hot chocolate will definitely burn you when it is hot, making it especially easy to spill down your shirt.

And Torah is just sticking cute:

Pics from A Walk Around The Lake

2010-12-13T20:08:00.000-08:00

Making Christmas cards at the zoo:

Finished product of the snowman marshmallow eatible craft in front of someone's house:

And Elles:

Playing at the Gingerbread setup at the zoo.

Santa

2010-12-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, we went to 'A Walk Around the Lake'. Everyone leisurely walks around the lake to look at all the Christmas lights and listen to the different musical groups and performers while eating complimentary hot chocolate and popcorn. It was completely fabulous and entirely too much fun. We started off at the zoo and met Santa...and a...much younger Mrs. Claus.

This may be Wade's first real experience with Santa (or at least that he remembers). He didn't get it at all and was super confused...like why does this guy want me to sit on his lap??

Elle is a veteran Santa sitter and of our children, she was the only one to actually venture onto the lap.

I think Bryn could tell that he wasn't the 'real' Santa.

And then on Friday night, we went the Winter Wonderland and found the real deal:

Brandon....

2010-12-04T10:50:00.000-08:00

did this to his thumb on the way to check out....

this:

Worth it?

WALL-E....is alive

2010-12-03T07:46:00.000-08:00

We were out last Saturday...you know, the day AFTER Black Friday and were shopping. I was in World Market getting some chocolate advent calendars made in Germany in the hopes that the chocolate would at least taste like chocolate instead of waxy ... not chocolate. Brandon had the 3 older kids as his 'partners' and they somehow ended up outside the store. When I came out, Wade came up to me SUPER excited. He is a little hard to understand (understatement) still...even for his Mom. Anyway, he decided to just show me what he was trying to tell me instead. So after some, come on Mom's...we ended up here:

And then I realized he was saying WALL-E over and over! So..it's true...WALL-E is real or at least as real as Santa Claus.

To seal the deal, this morning we were making a sign for Grandpa Cohen and Wade spotted him immediately:

October/November

2010-12-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

So...a LOT has been happening around these parts. Elle dressed up for Halloween for school:

And then immediately after school, we left for Phoenix for Brandon's Great Grandmother's Funeral. We stayed the night at some random place...

And got up at like 3:30am to make it to Phoenix for the graveside service. It was an absolutely crazy trip as we were schedule to be moving that weekend. In order to get to Phoenix, we moved a two days earlier...which was...crazy. Anyway...we were really glad we made it to Phoenix and to the service. Great Grandma was an amazing woman, which is part of the reason Bryn has Erma as her middle name.

We were at the hotel in Phoenix on Halloween...so this is how they got candy.

Oh I could just...

2010-11-30T13:12:00.000-08:00

EAT HER UP!!

Colony Days

2010-10-18T06:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Colony Days...and it was fabulous! We started out with the parade:

Then we came back to Grandpas for lunch:

Then back to the Colony Days celebration and a visit to "Tent City" (which was compeltely awesome)..and ice cream cones:

And we ended off with a trip on the Elk's Lodge train. Unfortunately for Elle, this will be her last year on the train. She was at the top of the carrot. Next year, she will most likely be too tall.

Little Pim Giveaway

2010-10-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

I didn't know what Little Pim was until I read about this giveaway on my SIL's blog. Check it out. I've now ordered the first DVD in Spanish from the library for my kiddos to try out. Since Bran and I both speak Spanish...our kids should really speak it too!

An Amazing Giveaway

2010-09-29T08:33:00.001-07:00

My friend Nemiha is an amazing photographer. She is offering a pretty awesome giveaway on her blog. Check it out here! So, if you live in Utah or the Central Coast take a second to check it out and sign up. Definitely worth your time!

The Start of a Great Day

2010-09-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

How would you like to wake up to this??

Now...imagine it's your birthday!

Soccer Season

2010-09-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

The girls had their first soccer games yesterday. Bryn's team (after entirely too much deliberation for 4 year olds) are the Snow Leopards. Bryn had a relatively great time, but spent a lot of time close to Brandon (asst. coach) on the field.

And...playing on the dome climber. Definitely their favorite spot in the backyard.

And Elle's team is the Red Dragons. Elle had a super blast. I didn't get to watch her because I was on the other field with the other half of her team. They take each team and split them up to play 2 games of 4 on 4 (and Brandon and I are the coaches for her team).

For the next 2 and half months our Saturday mornings will have SOCCER!!! I can't wait!

While Elle is gone

2010-09-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the things we've been doing to keep busy while Elle is at school.

Bryn's school:

An 'E' you can eat. Delicious.

And...it's really never too early to get ready for Halloween. Especially without pants on.

And, I promise that Torah is alive. She just sleeps alot.

August of Craziness

2010-08-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

August has been a busy one. We left just before August was over to the Freeze Family Reunion in Utah (more on that later). Before we could leave, we needed to say farewell to Aunt 'Riah who was moving to Chicago while we were gone. We had a great photo shoot with her, but this was my favorite shot. BTW....We miss our Aunt 'Riah!!!

Here's a mini photo recap of August so far.

Wade wanted a pony tail like his sisters.

Elle at our tour of the Conference Center in SLC.

Bryn also at the Conference Center. Bryn apparently is VERY sensitive to the sun. She insisted on wearing my sunglasses...everywhere.

Brandon came up with us to Utah for a few days of reunion fun. On the way up to the reunion, we checked out BYU. Brandon's locker in the Eyring Science Center is still there.

And the Clyde Building looks almost exactly as I remember it.

The Bookstore had some great hats (that we didn't buy).

And Torah has an amazing smile (I took this picture today).

Elle also started 1st grade this week, but her first grade pictures didn't turn out...so I'll 'retake' some and post later. August!!!

Wade vs The Cucumber

2010-08-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

I love cucumbers in vinegar with salt and pepper. We had some yesterday and Wade was chowing down on them when he made the most hilarious face I've ever seen from someone eating cucumbers. His face made me spew out my water and Brandon and I were laughing quite uncontrollably for several minutes. I attempted to capture the face on film and after about 3 minutes of Wade freely eating cucumbers...he made this face (not quite as good as the original...but it will do!)

B-Day

2010-07-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

We blessed Torah on Sunday. Brandon's brother and family are in town for a little reunion, so he blessed his son as well. It was great!
Here is Torah in her big white dress glory...3 1/2 weeks old!

Bran and I on the swing in Brandon's parents backyard.

Wade looking...tired.

Bryn spying around a tree.

The swings at Grandmas are always the best!

Sisters!

The evening ended with putting up a tent and Brandon sleeping with the kids outside (minus Torah). And...we stayed up (meaning the adults) until around 11:30 playing games...so fun!

All-Comers

2010-07-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

So...every Wednesday in July there is a track meet in Atascadero. It is an 'All-Comers' meet, meaning that anyone can participate in any event they would like to. You just pay an athlete entry fee and go sign up for events. Brandon has been volunteering at it since Torah's birth (the first day of the 5 week series) and we went a couple weeks ago to check it out on the way home from dropping Mom off in San Fran. We didn't make it in time to sign the kids up for any events. But...this last Wednesday...we made it and signed the kids up. They had been excited about it all day, even getting their running outfits ready several hours in advance. When we got there, they found out they would be running the 4 x 100m with 2 boys and freaked out, bursting into tears. Around this time, Torah decided she was absolutely starving and I was thankful that Myriah and Grandma C were there to save the day!
Since there were only 2 available spots on the 4 x 100m for the under 7 crowd, Wade was on reserve, which turned out useful.
Notice Brandon's new stylish sunglasses..

Elle ran the first leg of the race.

Bryn was supposed to run the 2nd leg, but was freezing. Thankfully Wade was there and he took off running. Bryn is catching Wade here to give him the baton.

And to top off the night, they did the long jump.

Goodbye Mom!

2010-07-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

My Mom is gone now. I think I would have died if she wasn't here to help out. She is amazing. We drove her to San Fran on Wednesday for her flight home. We took the long way up along the coast on the 1. It was absolutely beautiful. Here is one place we stopped while I fed Torah. Gorgeous.

We kind of got lost, but eventually made it to our pre-airport destination. Pier 39. Proof of the GG Bridge behind us..it was windy!

My Mom and Alcatraz.

And the giant macaroni. The highlight for the girls was the double decker carousel that I couldn't seem to get a decent picture of. Goodbye Mom...we miss you like crazy!

Montana De Oro Hike again

2010-07-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

Bran took my Mom and the kids (minus Torah) to the Montana De Oro Bluff hike. It is somewhere I wanted to make sure my Mom went while she was here. Today they were there for low tide and were able to find some great creatures in the tide pools.

I'm told they stopped for snacks.

Elle held a Sea Star that might have been eating a crab.

And a Sea Urchin. I'm not sure if Bryn or Wade were as brave as Elle today.

Compare If You Dare

2010-07-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

We were looking through old baby pictures of the kids, so I thought I'd post a newborn shot of each kid...just for fun.

Elle:

Bryn:

Wade:

Torah:

Torah

2010-07-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't have facebook....

Torah is 2 days old here.

This is the sign the kids made with Grandma Freeze to welcome Torah home. Nice work kids!

Torah is here!

2010-07-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know...I had my baby yesterday! I just finished writing the 'story' in my journal and figured I'd share it with you, to make it so I don't need to tell the story 50 times to people over and over again. So...here goes (please note that this is from my journal and may not make much sense and I don't really care...read at your own risk!)

Here goes:

At 1:30am this morning, I finally got out of bed and decided I was probably having Torah today. I had been having contractions that woke me up and were the intense kind that accompanies true labor. I told Brandon while in I was still in bed that I was probably going to have the baby today, but that he could go back to sleep because I didn't need him yet. Apparently that didn't work and he was not really able to go back to sleep. He was out earlier that night playing basketball until 11 and probably didn't lay down for bed until 11:30...so he was pretty tired.

Anyway, I dinked around for a couple more hours while having contractions until I figured it was time to get people situated...mostly Brandon, my Mom and Bran's parents. I believe it was around 4am when we got my Mom up and called over to M and W. They got to the house around 4:30 and we hung out for a little bit more while I worked through contractions. They had went from about 7 minutes apart to about 3 minutes apart and they were intense. After 'one last big contraction' we headed to the hospital. Bran and I went in the van while Mom and M went in the truck. That was a really LONG hard drive to San Luis! I was glad when we made it and I could sway through the contractions instead of being stuck sitting upright in the van. I guess I didn't fully realize how far a long I was in the whole laboring process. Basically it was go time, but I didn't know that.

I figured it out quickly though as we were on the way to the Birthing Center. It is situated at the back of the hospital, so you have to walk about a quarter mile (it seemed) before you are actually there. I had 2 fairly large contractions in the parking lot that I swayed through before we even made it in the hospital. And I think I had probably 4 more in the hallway on the way to the Birthing Center. Just inside the hospital, there was a man with a wheelchair that said he would wheel me over there, but the last thing I wanted to do right then was to sit down again and relive the van ride to San Luis. So, we would slowly walk until another contraction would hit, and then I would lean up against the wall and sway/groan/count through the contraction.

By the time we finally made it to the Birthing Center to check in (at about 5:15am), I was pretty sure the baby was coming soon...either that or I was going to die. The first thing the nurse said to me was, "I need you to pee in this cup". Now, I've given birth to 3 other children before and never before do I remember a required cup pee prior to having a baby. Maybe I just don't remember. Miraculously, I somehow made it onto the toilet, but another large contraction hit and I peed before I could get the cup. I was able to get a little more out to put in the cup though. I still don't know what they did with that pee.

The next thing I heard from the nurse was, "I need you to lay on the bed so I can check you". I was like...'seriously???' I told her it wasn't possible for me to lay down on my back for that long and asked if she could check me on my hands and knees...turns out she wasn't skilled enough to do that. She tried to recruit another nurse to do it, but somehow I managed to get onto my back long enough for her to check me and...surprise...I was 'complete' as she called it. This was a new labor term for me...so I said...'What does that mean?" I figured it out soon enough as she said 'I need a table in here, NOW!" and "Call Helen!" Suddenly a swarm of people (nurses I'm assuming) were in the room getting things ready. At this point, I was beyond ready to push and contractions were coming very strong and I wanted to push the baby out, but the nurse said 'Don't push yet, the doctor is not here yet!". I didn't really care, because I wanted the baby out, but I kind of held off as I didn't really feel like Torah was totally in birthing position yet....but she may have been. Luckily Helen (my favorite midwife of the group) lived only 5 minutes away, and made it in less than 5 minutes. While we were waiting, Mom said something to the effect of "Can she push yet?" And the 'pee Nurse' said "Well, do you see a doctor here?" Mom was like..."I don't know!" This nurse was minutes away from finishing her 12 hours shift, and seemed ready to be home.

When Helen arrived I was still on the bed on my knees with my head up on the back of the bed while squeezing like crazy the hands of my Mom and Brandon during each contraction. She said I could push, but by that time it seemed that my contractions had subsided some. My body seemed to kind of shut down. I'm not entirely sure why, but I wonder if it was because I had some really good pushing contractions that I didn't push with, so maybe my body just slowed itself down some...who knows?? Anyway, I wasn't progressing on my hands and knees so the midwife said it would be good to change position. She had me go sort of on my back, but with my knees up on my chest and I was supposed to pull my knees towards me with each contraction and curl up towards my knees (that probably didn't make much sense). At this point, it was hard to distinguish between pressure pain and contractions. It felt like I should push, but I didn't have any contractions to help me do it. I tried to push a couple times without contractions and Helen said something like "Jodie are you even having a contraction right now?" To which I replied "I'm not sure". She explained (very well I might add) that the baby will come out much easier if I just waited for a contraction and that I will be feeling tonnes of pressure, but that is not necessarily a contraction. Once I had that figured out (this was all something new and different from past labors...my contractions had never stopped mid push mode), I waited for what seemed like a really long time till I felt a contraction and then pushed like crazy to get her out...and she came! I was so glad. Helen had me push a little and then wait to help me not tear so much, which was easier said than done and I pushed even at times she was telling me to breath. She would say "push a little, now breath, little push, breath, little push...breath...etc". This again was something new, but it was to help me not tear (but I still tore).

Torah came out looking up with her hand up by her face. As soon as her head was out she started screaming and I was so excited to see her. Helen said, reach down and get her, so I did and I pulled her up to my chest. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was the one that actually pulled her out of me, which is super cool. I laid there with Torah on my chest for a long while and just kind of sobbed. What a relief! Brandon said that he lost it at that point, which I didn't realize. We looked at her cord and after the cord stopped pulsing, Brandon cut it and I nursed Torah. I got a few stitches...that took forever to get in because I wouldn't relax and then all of a sudden I felt light headed and I couldn't hear people very well. I almost passed out! They got me instantly on oxygen and lowered my bed, so I didn't actually pass out. They took my blood and found that I was super anemic...so they hooked me up to an IV and starting pumping fluid in me. Unfortunately my blood count is still super low and I am beyond pale. I wasn't anticipating anything like this happening to me. My concern has always been that there would be something 'wrong' with the baby, not me. So, to have it be me that is in need of something has been a little strange and it will be a challenge for me to relax and take it easy enough so my body can heal. Thankfully my Mom will be here for 2 more weeks to help with that! Thank you Mom, you are a life saver. Anyway...after Torah was born and my little almost fainting episode, Helen showed us the placenta complete with sac. It is a weird thing, but it was still cool to see.

Oh...yeah...Torah was born at 5:49am, just about a half hour after getting to the hospital! So, all this stuff happened fairly quickly. She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz and was 22.5 inches long (a whole inch longer than Wade!). She has blondish hair with brown tips and a great furrowed brow. She also has chubby cheeks and a longer face shape than Wade and Elle. I think she looks like Brandon's baby pictures. She is super cute and so far is a super sweetie. She doesn't cry much and is pretty easy to please. She seems super chill! I have had a somewhat rough recovery so far because of my low iron. I feel very tired and somewhat lightheaded. I feel like I'm healing alright in the birthing area, but my body just feels sluggish and I feel weak. I'm on strict commands to 'not clean, cook or pick up Wade' and to take it extremely easy for a while. That really isn't my style, but if I want to recover, I'm going to need to really take it easy. They offered to give me a blood transfusion like 3 times, but I feel like I should be able to recover by increasing my iron intake (from vitamins and diet) and to just lay low for a while. They said my iron was at a 7.4 today (July 1st) and yesterday it was 7.6. Anemic is 9 and normal is supposedly an 11...so I'm pretty low I guess.

Torah is absolutely beautiful and I can feel her tender spirit already. Thank you for coming to our family little lady! We are so lucky to have you!

Oh...and behind the scenes...Grandpa Cohen took care of the kids while I was in labor and Mom and Melanie were at the birth. He did a fabulous job with them and they were so cute when they got to see Torah. Elle and Bryn seemed just to know just what to do while Wade was a little cautious. Elle made Torah a drawing that was our house with Torah and I in the window with it labeled "Welcome to the Cohens, Torah!". Super cute. Bryn's picture was me turning into a lion. I'm not sure what to make of that one! They also brought me all sorts of excellent gluten free food which I was craving...so thank you!

I just realized that I didn't really mention Brandon's role in all of this. Let me just say...he did FANTASTIC. He said just the right things and was very supportive and I'm positive I couldn't have done it without him. Thanks Bran!

If you made it through this, I am amazed. I don't really have pictures yet, because most of the pictures were taken with Brandon's Mom's camera. I look pretty sick in all the pics because of the low iron. It is kind of scary to look at...but I'll still post some when I get them. Yeah for Torah!

Sibling Class

2010-06-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we took the troops to the hospital where I'll be having our baby at for a 'Sibling Class'. We didn't really know what to expect, but I think it was a good time. Each kid got to choose a baby to take care of.

They learned how to change a diaper.

And how to swaddle and rock a baby to sleep while singing 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. They also got a 'I'm a Big Sister/Brother' coloring book and a Certificate declaring them ready to be a 'Big Sister/Brother'. There was a 12 hour newborn in the birthing center that they got to see too. Great fun!

So...baby Torah, your siblings are ready for you to come...and so am I. I'd like to be able to bend over again and relieve my toes from being little sausages. Plus...we're ready to meet you!!!

School is Out! Summer is HERE!

2010-06-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

This was a shot of Elle's last day of Kindergarten! Way to go Elle! It is crazy to think that she will be in 1st grade in the fall. She has done an absolutely amazing job in Kindergarten and is definitely ready for 1st grade (I keep saying Grade 1 and she always corrects me..."That is NOT how they say it here, Mom!"). It has been fun having Elle around all day so far this summer and we will certainly miss her in the fall.
Bryn got to come with me to Elle's last day party. There was a great magician show and pizza and cookies...delicious! Oh..and face painting!
Summer brings heat (thankfully not super hot yet), so we have been spending time at our friend's pool. The girls are so excited to have swimsuit tan lines. How cool that it looks like you are wearing a swimsuit even when you don't have a swimming suit on??!!!
And finally...Elle completed Headsprout (an online 'learn to read' program) which got us to Yogurt Creations (the girls' most favorite place in the world). Way to go!

Bryn is 4!

2010-06-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

So...Bryn turned 4 last week, which was absolutely fabulous. She starting requesting and announcing a Monkey birthday cake before I even knew about it. My cake skills are poor, so I think I did alright. Bryn has been 'saving' a pink cake mix for this occasion for about 3 months. It was great to FINALLY get to use it :)

We were going to have her party at our house, but decided to ask a couple in our ward (with a killer pool) if we could have it at their pool. Thankfully, they agreed and it was amazing. Not only did all the kids have a great time, but I didn't have to plan any games or activities (which is why my 9 months prego self liked the pool idea so much). I'll be forever indebted to our ward friends that let us use their pool. It made a 4 year old's day (and mine) for sure!

Here is Bryn scoping out some of her gifts wearing a new swimuit from Grandma and Grandpa.

Wade is hilarious in the pool. This was a new one for us though. Normally he just wears the life jacket, but...he decided...just to be safe...to have the life jacket, pool noodle and a tube around his neck. He was quite content..and fairly safe too!

To top off the day, we went as a family to see the new Shrek movie (3D style). It was great fun! Happy Birthday Bryn!!!

There are many things that make Bryn especially cool (besides the 3D glasses). Here are some:

She is quick to give up a fight and find a solution. This is amazing to me for her age. She compromises well and comes up with solutions much better than I would (as long as she is not tired).
She is a very happy girl (granted she has enough sleep). It is hard to not be smiling when you are around her. Plus, she has great jokes.
Bryn is very athletic and coordinated. She rides her 2 wheeler like a champ and is currently working on mastering the jump rope.

We also re-celebrated her birthday yesterday at Grandma's and Grandpa's which was entirely too much fun. Who doesn't love beating Tinkerbell to death?? Bryn finished her off with a few kicks to the gut. Take that Tink!

Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival

2010-06-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

We also went to the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival this weekend, which was fun and a little crazy. One of my favorite vendor booths had this:

They had really cool African (from the Ivory Coast) wood art. I especially like the giraffe. Brandon was quick to spot this one. If only we had the $1250 to buy it for Rixa.

There were plenty of 'name' booths, where they would put your name on something. And fortunately for Brandon, his name was displayed at most of these booths. We almost bought this one:

I think my absolute favorite booth was the soccer collies. Wade could have stayed here all day. And yes...he is wearing a pink hat.

We happened to be there during a demonstration, where they let kids go in the goals and the dogs would score on the kids. Great fun. And it made we want to get a border collie.

We ate lunch at the only shaded place we could find...behind the dumpsters and past the port-o-potties. Somehow it wasn't stinky and no one threw trash on us. The girls did find some killer flowers though.

When I asked the girls what their favorite part was, they said...without question....THE BUS RIDE! We parked our car at one of the 'free parking lots' and then bussed into the event. Next time, we'll just stay on the bus for 3 hours.

Bob Jones Bike Trail and Memorial Day

2010-06-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

We started Memorial Day by heading to the Bob Jones Bike Trail in Avila. It's a 2.3 mile paved trail that goes right to Avila Beach. When the girls figured out how to ride 2 wheelers a while back, I thought it would be a great trail for them to ride on with Brandon (since I can't really ride a bike right now). So, we decided to give it a try. I dropped them off at the trail head and they successfully biked in.

This was Bryn's first time going on the 16 inch bike for an extended trip (she has been using a 12 inch bike from some friends, but we gave that bike back on Sunday). Still she did great.

Brandon's parents got to the trail ahead of us and I met them near the end of the trail. We all walked back on the trail till we found the troops. Then Grandma and Grandpa helped them walk their bikes across the bridge to the trail end.

Wade chilled(as usual) in the iBert. The kids then played at the Avila Beach playground for a while before we went home to get ready for a killer barbecue at the Grandparents. It was a most excellent Memorial Day!

Grandmother Song

2010-05-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

I taught the girls this song today to help cheer up gma after her mouth procedure. Next time I'll give her the heads up that the song is 3 verses.

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Lost my Key

2010-05-22T05:01:00.000-07:00

We went to Morro Bay with some friends this week. It was SUPER windy and sand was flying everywhere. Still we hung out on the beach for about 20 minutes. We got back to the van, loaded in and got some food. Then I went to start the van, and my van key was GONE....only the van key. The remote was still there. WIERD ALERT!
We spent some time scouring the beach and van and everywhere in between with no luck! So, I called Bran and he was there faster than AAA (maybe). Since we cut his work day short, he decided to stick around and we headed to the playground, where it was still windy, but the kids didn't care.

So, if you happen to be in Morro Bay and see a Honda key on the beach, pick it up...it's most likely mine.

Get Up And Dance

2010-05-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

A while back Myriah got a great exercise video from Netflix. Naturally we (meaning the kids) had to try it out. Elle got really into....Bryn not so much and Wade tried his best.

Who can resist Paula???

Nice work Wade.

Montana de Oro Hike and Sandspit Beach

2010-05-03T08:27:00.001-07:00

Finally, Brandon didn't have to work on a Saturday (this has essentially been his first Saturday off since we moved here in September). We orginally planned to go to the Wildflower Triathlon, but we found out that it cost $15/person, so we decided against it. Instead, we went on a very family friendly hike and to the beach. Here are some pics. You can see more in my facebook album.

A nice older couple volunteered to take our picture all together. This is near the beginning of the hike.

Elle took this picture and it's actually on one of the juts that walks out to the ocean, but at the beginning of the jut.

You can go down to one of the secluded bluff beaches and search in the tide pools. We were there when the tide was high, but a guy told us that when the tide is low you can walk out about 20 meters farther than we were able too...we'll definitely have to come back!

Sandspit beach was pretty sweet. You've got to walk about a quarter mile from the parking lot to the beach, but it was totally worth it. There was hardly anyone there (at least it seemed) and the sand was hot and it was beautiful. The kids could probably have played there for the rest of their lives, but we left after about 2 and a half hours. Don't you hate it when you put both legs in the same hole of your swimming suit??

Time

2010-04-22T16:31:00.001-07:00

This morning I was very frustrated. I found out that the clinic I was going to for my ultrasound did not allow children under age 7. I happen to have 3 of them that I had originally planned on taking with me (along with one over age 7 husband). Thankfully Brandon's Mom was able to watch the kids, and we didn't have to reschedule to another date/clinic. Had I known this earlier, I would not have scheduled my ultrasound with them...but I couldn't handle waiting any longer!

Unless you've scoured the comment section of my blog or attentively read each sentence, you may not know...I am pregnant. I let the news slip on the blog because of my pride back when I was posting about the Freeze girl cruisecation. I couldn't fathom the world thinking I would normally run a 5K so slowly...so I let it slip...drat! Dang pride! I'm not exactly sure why I didn't want to announce it on my blog, but here are some possible reasons:

1. I really don't like people acting like I'm some kind of alien because I am pregnant. I don't like to focus on the uncomfortable physical sensations that come during pregnancy. People won't ask you dead end questions like...'So, how are you feeling?' when they don't know you are pregnant. (It's not that I don't like people asking questions, but if you are asked about it every 5 minutes, it is hard to focus on anything else). I prefer to try and focus on life around me (and there is a lot to focus on) instead of every ache, pain or discomfort I feel from pregnancy. I am not offended when people ask me questions about pregnancy and I do enjoy talking about it...it's just not the ONLY thing I like to talk about. Now that I am over 30 weeks along...it is VERY obvious I am pregnant and most people can't help but comment on how large I am, which is fine. Funny story: this Sunday at dinner, GG C made some sort of comment about how pregnancy is easy for me. I'm not exactly sure how she came to this conclusion...maybe cause I don't talk about all the things that have made pregnancy not so fun. Compared to some...I do have it extremely easy, but I wouldn't say that pregnancy is easy for me. It is still very very hard.

2. I wanted to wait to let the blogosphere know about my pregnancy AFTER I found out what I am having. I assumed I would find that out around the usual 20 week time, but securing insurance and a midwife proved difficult. I met for the first time with one of my midwives when I was 29 weeks pregnant. Thankfully, everything is fine and the baby is super healthy. So, I kept pushing off the announcement until the ultrasound...I even left out the purchase of our van so as to not raise suspicions. That is kind of lame and funny at the same time. Anyway...I had my ultrasound today and FINALLY found out what we are having.

We are having our 3rd girl and are very excited. Elle and Bryn have chosen names like Sunshine and Girly, which are interesting. Elle was hoping for a boy so that she and Bryn would each have a dance partner. I guess they'll just have to take turns with Wade.

I am overly excited about this pregnancy and having a little babe in our house again. Now that I know we are having a girl, we need to figure out a name...any ideas? If you know me well, you know I like 4 letter, one syllable names. And, if any of you are wondering, I'm due June 30th. That is my actual due date. I've told most everyone here (except family) that I am due July 2nd, to give people the idea of July instead of June. Mostly it helps me think July instead of June. Other people probably don't really care too much. I'll most likely be late, so thinking about July seems like a good idea for me. Anyway...that is the Cohen news today....a most likely arrival of a JULY baby GIRL! Maybe I'll be lucky enough to have her on Canada Day. That would be unbelievable.

Cohen Chiropractic

2010-04-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

The lack of recent posts is mostly due to this:
We have been CRAZY busy getting everything ready for Brandon to open his own Chiropractic office (Cohen Chiropractic) right here in Atascadero. He has been open for just over a week now and things are going alright (it is always slow starting out). It is a total miracle that we could find a space and get everything ready to open said space in the time we did. It would have been completely impossible without the help of my parents during their spring break (what a fun vacation!) and Brandon's family on a daily basis.

We secured our location on April 5th and opened one week later on the 12th during which time Brandon was still working 6 days a week as an Independent Contractor in 2 other Chiropractic offices.

I, naturally, have the task of the website and all things web related (among other things) and have been working on all that as well. I originally designed (I use that term loosely) the logo using GIMP, but decided to learn how to use Illustrator to have vector files to avoid annoying distortion problems for printing promotional materials...so that has been keeping me busy as well. Anyway...
If you feel so inclined, take a minute to check out:
The website at www.mydrcohen.com (you can also get there from atascaderochiropractor.com or templetonchiropractor.com or mydoctorcohen.com...so many choices!).
Our Cohen Chiropractic facebook page....feel free to 'like' us.
Cohen Chiropractic twitter feed, I send out tweets about upcoming races and fun things going on in the area.
Cohen Chiropractic youtube page...there is really nothing there yet, but we should have some videos up soon enough...feel free to 'subscribe'.
Cohen Chiropractic linked in page...are you linked in??

Everything is still a work in progress, so if you have any suggestions...don't hesitate! We got REAL signs up earlier this week (instead of my large printed banners) and the office is looking great. I'll take pictures soon (once Brandon's new table gets here) to show you all how it looks.

Completely random note: for the past 2 days a bird has been trying to fly into our kitchen window. The bird will try repeatedly for about a half hour, then take a break and try again in a couple hours. What???? I just hope it doesn't kill itself and we'll have another Cute to deal with.

PV/Mismaloya

2010-03-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Laura has the pictures to prove we actually made it onto the ship, but this was our second night on the ship and it was fancy night. Here we are...fancy (Please note I am actually the tallest of the Freeze girls, I just don't wear super high heels..or horny shoes as my girls call them):

Puerto Vallarta was our first stop on the cruise. Uncle Parry and Aunt Kris were meeting us there, but while we were looking for them, we found these friendly folk.

Uncle Parry and Aunt Kris got us on our first Mexican bus of the day. We went up to where they live in PV and got instructions on what bus to take to Mismaloya where we had intended to snorkel. The Mexican bus seemed very similar to a Gautemala bus, but they did seem a little more safe and controlled. I believe this was a first Mexico trip for all of us, except Mom and for Megan a first out of the US/Canada trip. Yippee!

We made it to the beach and it was gorgeous. To the unexperienced snorkelers (Me, Megan and Laura) it seemed unlikely snorkeling was an option, but Mom gave it a shot anyway. We made friends with Jose who had fairly good English and worked at the restaurant we sat/ate at. As Mom was trying to get out of the ocean with snorkeling gear, the tide as pulling her back in and Jose saw the distress, so he ran in after her and helped her get out. Mom really was OK and didn't need help, but it was funny to see Jose run out into the ocean to her rescue. Lets just say, he earned the tip we left him! Thanks Jose.

Plus, the fresh squeezed lemonade he brought was delicious.

Token local.

Me on the beach looking for shells.

Mom at our place on the sand getting ready to leave.

This is only half the day in Puerto Vallarta. Uncle Parry took us on an insiders tour, which was super cool. Stay tuned!

LA

2010-03-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

Catalina was entirely too much fun. After Laura, Mom and Megan got their medals, we hit an eariler ferry back to Long Beach. At this point, Mom was exhausted. This may have been the only time she was exhausted the entire trip.

We made it to the parking lot, only to find that we had left the interior lights on in our van. Yikes. It was totally my fault, but Mom called her Canadian equivalent of AAA and there was a man there trying to sell us a battery within 15 minutes (not bad). We declined the battery purchase and were on our way after he jumped the van.

That night we made it (barely) to the LA Temple. We realized that it was the first time that all of us had gone to the Temple together, so it was really cool and I'm glad we were able to make that happen. It was also the first time I'd been inside that Temple and it was pretty awesome. By far the largest one I've seen!

Finally the time arrived to get on the shuttle to go to the boat. Laura could NOT contain her excitement and grabbed Megan in a lovely side hug. It was SO exciting.

Catalina Gold!

2010-03-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

The first part of our Cruisecation was a trip over to Catalina Island to run a 5K together. It was SO much fun! We have all been training for this race for several months, so we were all excited to run it together. Here we are outside our hotel room before the race. We were all sure Mom was going to beat us all. She is speedy.

The race went fabulously well, with Laura beating everyone! Megan was next, then Mom and then my pregnant self. Here we are waiting around until the medals ceremony. There was a morning race ferry coming from Long Beach that didn't make it on time for the race, so a second race group started out for the half marathon and 5K over an hour later than the original start. So, we had a lot of time to wait until the results came in.

The results:
Megan was 1st in her age group with a time of 28:28
Mom was 1st in her age group with a time of 28:48
Laura was 3rd in her age group with a time of 27:55
and I was 6th in my age group but I'm not sure my time (I just know I ran it under 35 minutes and 'ran' the whole way, which was my goal).
Here the ladies are waiting for their medals:

Yippee!!! Way to go Ladies!

Race Day

2010-03-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not posting on my most amazing Cruisecation that I got back from about a week ago, but there are entirely too many pictures to choose from and I would need to spend some serious time arranging them and combining thoughts before I could realize a blog post on the subject...so it's not going to happen anytime soon. There are all sorts of crazy things going on in this Cohen household right now, but I'll just share some photos from this morning's race. Brandon ran in the 5K "Hares N Hounds' Race and the kids ran in the 1/2 mile kids race.

You can really never stretch too much.

Elle and Bryn mid race. They did such a great job, until Elle slipped and fell on the pavement. Brandon ran out to help her, and went with her for a while until she regained confidence and started running again, and then slipped again scrapping up her knees. I was closer to Elle at that point and ran to her and we started running together again. Then she slipped her 3rd and final time successfully bloodying up her other knee. Somehow, she managed to finish. We'll have to go shopping for some less 'slippy' running shoes!

I did't sign up Wade for the race, which was a mistake. I think he was the most independent runner of the troops. When he saw the girls take off, he took off and ran the whole way. Brandon ran with him the majority of the way (unless he was helping the girls) and at the end of the race, Wade just took off running towards the finish line right into the finish shoot. You can see Greta (on leash with Grandpa) in the background trying to keep up with him!

Congrats on your first 'number' race! It was a great morning and something I hope we can do every year!

Gators!

2010-03-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Wade turned 2! The girls practically opened all of his presents. We gave him Harry the dog, which he has been carrying around some.

Wade really likes dogs, so we made his cake in the shape of his favorite pup, Bolt. I was going to try and recreate Bolt's face, but instead we just decided to put the piece of paper on top. The girls choose the candles to put in his eyes. Elle chose the Sheriff star and Bryn the cactus.

Wade blowing out his candles.....

And right before he took a big bite out of the #2 wax candle. Delicious! Happy Birthday Waders!

I Know A Lot About That

2010-02-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

Bryn: Do you know what 'funned out' means?
Me: What?
Bryn: Funned out
Me: No
Bryn: It's when you are too fun and think everything is silly.
Me: Oh
Bryn: I know a lot about that.

12 More Days

2010-02-15T09:50:00.001-08:00

In 12 days (yes...only 12), my 2 sisters, Mom and I are taking a vacation together. To say I am excited is a super understatement. We have never done anything like this before. But, since none of us (my Mom included) has a breastfeeding infant (this hasn't happened for at least 5 years...someone can do the math) or is entirely too pregnant for travel, we decided to take the opportunity. It all started with a mutual desire for all of us to become more fit. The negotiations between all of us quickly turned into a more elaborate plan and soon my Mom volunteered (thanks Mom!) to take all of her daughters on a cruise. So...here is a glimpse into our most excellent 'Freeze Girls Cruiscation'.

Next Friday, my Mom and sisters fly into LA. I'll pick them up and we'll take a ferry over to Catalina Island. We'll stay the night there and run the 5K in the Buffalo Run on Catalina Island. Later that day, we'll take the ferry back and stay one night in LA before getting on the Carnival Splendor for a 7 day Mexican Riveria cruise. Did I mention I'm excited???? When the cruise is over, Mom and Megs head back to Canada, but Laura gets to come back to MY HOUSE for a few more days. Yippppeeeee!

Of course, none of this would be possible without the help of Brandon's family. They'll be watching the troops during the day when Bran is working (an infinite thank you!). This is definitely the first time that I'll be away from my children for multiple nights....should be interesting!

My Mom is an experienced cruiser, but for my sisters and I, this is a first. Any tips for first time cruisers? I CAN'T WAIT 12 MORE DAYS......YEAHHHHHH!

Apple Tree

2010-02-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

We have an apple tree in our backyard. It's been around for a few years and according to our apple tree expert friend, it needed to be pruned. So, Grandpa got some pruning lessons from said friend and figured out just how to prune our apple tree.

This is a shot of the apple tree unintentionally taken when Elle and Wade were sitting outside by the dead bird "Cute".

Grandpa in action having pruned over half of the tree at this point with Greta as helper (and Brandon's hand).

And here is the final product. Pretty impressive. If you look closely you'll seen an entire stump section sawed off. It was rotted. So, hopefully we'll see lots of great apples this coming season. I LOVE apples.

Birthdays!

2010-02-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

February is a fun month, especially because of the birthdays around here. We celebrated Marie's birthday on Sunday with a "non-birthday" cake that GG C made.

Wade almost ate the flame from the candle when they were helping Marie blow out the candles. I hope Marie had a fabulous birthday. She is such a funny lady and it's great to get to see her every Sunday at dinner. I don't remember exactly how old she was turning, but I think it was early 90's. Way to go Marie!

Last night was Myriah's birthday celebration. Elle was completely sick the day before, but bounced back and seemed relatively healthy yesterday. I didn't think we would actually make it to the party because of that. But somehow we did! I try and get my kids to sleep around 6pm (because they wake up in the 5am hour regardless when they go to sleep), so staying up for Aunt Riah's 6:30pm party was a treat. I traced each kid on this paper as a gift and let them each color their own person. I'm pretty sure that Wade got some help coloring his.

And, about an hour and a half before the party was to start, I decided to make a cake for the party. The girls came up with...'a dog' shaped cake idea cause Aunt Riah LOVES dogs. So...we did it. You can't really see the dog very well in this picture. I tried to make accent lines on the dog with white icing, but it just melted all over the face. So, this dog has a white glaced face. We stayed entirely too long at the party and the kids were absolute disasters on the way home, but it was still fun and I'd do it again. Sometimes you just have to break routine. It's what makes life fun, right?

More Jokes

2010-02-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

Wade isn't the only one around this place that likes jokes. The girls will tell 'jokes' to each other daily, usually during the time we are waiting in the van for Elle to go to Kindergarten. But, last night I heard the best joke ever from Bryn. It went something like this:

Bryn: Why was the horse running down the street?
Us: ???
Bryn: To get to the gym! (Obviously)

Oh...that's a good one.

Here's another funny Bryn story that happened a week or so ago. Elle and Wade decided to throw their toothbrushes to me after they were done brushing their teeth. Bryn decided to throw hers into the bathroom instead. She was about 4 feet away from the bathroom door and gave it a good chuck. She started crying and I went in to find out why. She had thrown her toothbrush directly into the toilet. So...new toothbrush day! Those are the best!

RIP Cute

2010-01-30T13:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the girls made a discovery in the backyard. A dead bird. Elle immediately named her Cutie and then shortened to Cute, simply because she was so cute (gross). I went out to inspect the bird just to make sure she really was dead...and she was. A few minutes later I looked outside only to find Elle and Wade with chairs right beside Cute.

Then Elle felt the need to draw a memoir of Cute, with the word sad, because it was so sad that Cute died.

Brandon didn't get to see Cute until this morning. He took the kids over to Grandpa's to get some shovels. It's nice to have a Grandpa close by that has shovels for EVERYONE.

Brandon shoveled up Cute to the front side of our house and they made a hole and put Cute in it. Elle and Bryn made Valentines for Cute that needed to be part of the burial.

And they sealed the deal with flowers.

Lots...

of flowers. RIP Cute. We don't know how you died, but you were loved because you died in our backyard and 2 girls found you there.

An Excellent Day For Adventure

2010-01-29T07:04:00.000-08:00

The rain had stopped (at least for now) and my kids all seemed relatively healthy, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to head out to see the butterflies. And miraculously, Myriah had the day off...so I knew it was going to be a killer day.
I've been once before with Brandon before we had any kids. When I went last time, the butterflies weren't doing much moving but it was still cool to see all the clumps of butterflies all over the place. Today, they were flying EVERYWHERE, which was super cool. I felt like I was in some mysterious oasis butterfly land. Very cool. Of course pictures don't really do it justice.

I tried to support the butterflies by buying the kids a...coloring book...

and butterfly tattoos!

Proof we made it there, for real.

How could I resist the opportunity to hit up the beach? I couldn't. Some say I'm obsessed (yes, you Myriah) and I think I am. We hadn't been to Pismo's beach yet, so we HAD to go. And, the highlight...swings!

and the cool guy swinging by Elle.

and triangle benches...and palm trees!

Have you Ever Been

2010-01-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

this tired?

Currently...

2010-01-25T14:25:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, this is NOT where the Freeze Family Reunion will be taking place this summer.

We went earlier this week to check out the waves again. The beach was almost completely gone because of the past week of storms we've had, so we sat on a bench.

And looked, from a very safe distance, at the ocean.

My old purse is entirely too...old. It is almost embarrassing to wear as it has torn parts and the main zipper occasionally decides to stop working. So, I've been in hot pursuit of a new cross-body purse. I found a most excellent one when we were in Las Vegas, but I couldn't bring myself to buy it because it was out of my price range. Since then I have yet to find a purse that comes close to the Vegas gem I found. In an attempt to get a purse, I ordered one online from Kohl's (with free shipping and 30% off of course!). It arrived on my doorstep Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, I returned the purse to Kohl's this morning. The color wasn't what I thought it was and it didn't quite fit everything right. So...it had to go back to Kohl's. The main thing holding me back from returning the purse was this:

It came with an enormous 'Elle' key chain (it was an Elle purse). Elle had been waiting to attach that Elle key chain to herself (or backpack) for school today. When I told her the news that the purse was not meant to be, she was distraught, but was happy to at least get a picture of the key chain. Thanks Elle, for understanding that the purse was not a keeper.

Big Waves

2010-01-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week we headed to Morro Bay to check out the big waves. Apparently there was/is some storm that is making some super big waves along the coast. Myriah and Pops joined us for a most excellent picnic lunch. I didn't get any pictures of really big waves...sorry.

Later, we headed to the Cayucos Pier. We are at the end of the pier here so you can't really see any waves. But trust me, they were BIG. The end of the pier would shake when the waves came in. Elle and Bryn were fairly scared of the whole pier situation, so we didn't spend much time there.

Wade mostly just wanted to climb the railings on the pier. Thankfully, his very alert sisters freaked out any time he came close.

The waves are supposed to get even bigger this coming week, so we might head over there again, maybe after we check out the Monarch Butterflies in Pismo. I also read that we should be able to see whales right now. I guess it is migration time for them. There is so much to learn about this place!!!

New Years Eve

2010-01-02T11:10:00.000-08:00

Early on New Years Eve, we went down to Morro Bay to meet up with Brandon after he was done work. We hiked up Black Hill to overlook Morro Bay and the ocean. Pretty sweet.

Is that Sharpay???

It was an amazingly beautiful sunny day....I could get used to this place!

Notice Bryn's new running shoes. She lost them the day after we bought them. Thankfully we found them New Years Eve morning. It was a New Years miracle.

Then we came home and watched G-Force (suprisingly funny) and celebrated the New Year at 7pm. After that we realized our fridge wasn't refrigerating anything. That was fun. Yeah for 2010!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

We tried to make it to the annual Polar Bear dip at Cayucos, but we didn't make it time to get a parking spot, so we settled for a stroll on the beach down the coast a little. Elle wrote all the kids names in the sand.

Wade wouldn't stand by his name...this was the closest shot I could get of him.

Happy New Year everyone. I'll think of some resolutions soon enough...

Finally....SUNGLASSES

2009-12-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

Bryn broke her much coveted "Uncle Michael" sunglasses a couple months ago. She has been DYING to get sunglasses ever since. And Elle...well...she has wanted sunglasses since the second we stepped on California soil. Apparently, the sun is VERY bright here. Luckily, Santa fulfilled their desires. Elle, as Sharpay from HSM and Bryn as somebody from Wizards of Waverly Place. I'm not sure who though.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Dance Recital

2009-12-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

The girls had a semi-dance recital last night. They had it outside in the parking lot open to all public to see.

Bryn is SO excited. These pictures were before the dance with them full of anticipation. They were supposed to dance at Winter Wonderland, but there was too much rain on the stage for a safe performance. There is really nothing quite like rocking out to "Here Comes Santa Claus"...Mickey Mouse style.

Christmas Fun

2009-12-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

They made 3 snow hills for Winter Wonderland this year. To get the snow, they had a big truck with blocks of ice on it. They then put the ice through a tree chipper and voila...snow! The kiddos went down this slide at least 3 times.

Here are the 2 Ws.

And Elle.

And Bryn.

Then we went to Vine Street last night to see all the lights and shows. By far, the Grinch was the favorite. Even though Elle isn't familiar with the character, she could have stayed watching him all night. She told me not to worry because she could tell he wasn't real because of his gloves (which you can't see in this picture). Well done Grinch! Max did a stellar job too.

There was an Alpaca.

And of course, Scrooge.

Then we came home and made Marshmallow cuties for the first time ever from a recipe that my Grandma Ellingson always made at Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Not an Alien Head

2009-11-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

You might this this is an alien head. It is not. This is most certainly 'Tiny's' head from Dinosaur Train. And she does have 2 eyes.

You just can't see them at the same time. We like to make our pinatas, and this was Elle's request for her birthday party today. It really cracks me up. I am in no way an artist (obviously) but I think it is still a blast to give it a try. And the pinatas always turn out hilarious and then you can't help but laugh when you see it. Seriously.

Elle takes some hits at Tiny. Tiny's right eye didn't last after the first hit.

And this was all that was left. RIP Tiny. he he he.

Strange

2009-11-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago, Bryn told me she couldn't get her granola bar and that it was "on the fan". I was a little confused until I saw this:

Apparently, she was throwing her granola bar around the living room and it landed on the fan. Slightly hilarious. I'm not exactly sure why she was throwing granola bars around in the first place, but in the second place...where was she throwing them? She cracks me up. And is certainly 'kilarious'.

Tonight, I brought out 3 pairs of pjs for the kids. Wade would NOT give this one up. He insisted on wearing them. I'm OK with that. I think pink complements his skin tone.

With the Birthday Girl

2009-11-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here are the ladies posing with their 100 year old Great Great Grandma.

If I remember right, she bribed them by using Cheetos (notice Bryn's Cheeto-face). My kids will do almost anything for Cheetos.

Unfortunately, this was as close as Wade would go, even with the Cheetos. But, hey...he's smiling.

Like I've said before, this woman is amazing. She remembers EVERYTHING and is quite with it. She kept saying how she couldn't imagine why a girl (one of her great grand-daughters) would wear a skirt that goes up to her crotch. She'll offer hair clips to anyone that has hair in their eyes. She won't let you eat chips out of bag...you need to put them in a container first. She makes scrapbooks all the time and has more spunk than most eighty year olds. I hope I'm that together at 100!

Lemons, Bad Ants and 100th Birthdays

2009-11-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

Bryn found the first lemon in the backyard of a house Brandon's parents rented in Arizona.

Elle wished she had one too.

So, Brandon found one for her.

This was of course BEFORE the bad Arizona ants starting biting their feet. We were searching for ripe lemons when Elle starting screaming and doing a weird foot dance. It took me a second to realize that something was biting her feet. By that time, Bryn started getting bitten as well. Luckily, we got all the bad ants off of them

We were in Arizona to celebrate Brandon's Great Grandma's 100th Birthday! She is quite an amazing woman and I was glad we were able to make it out for such a momentous occasion.

Myriah, Elle and Bryn celebrated with strawberry cupcakes (with sprinkles on top). I hear they were pretty tasty.

And for the first time since before Wade existed, all the Cohens were together. Not a bad bunch!

Witches Unite

2009-10-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

Yes...Wade was mistaken for a girl multiple times. I guess that what happens when you wear a unitard.

First Field Trip

2009-10-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

Elle (and all of us) went on her first field trip for Kindergarten. We went to the Avila Valley Barn Pumpkin Patch. Elle and Bryn both chose 2 pumpkins

Bryn didn't actually keep this one...turns out it was rotting.

Then the whole class (and us) went to the Avila Beach Park...yes that is the ocean behind us.

I am totally falling in love with this place. I can get used to this!!!

Fun in the Sun

2009-10-12T10:03:00.001-07:00

Elle is in Kindergarten!

2009-10-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

Last week we found out that the kindergarten deadline in California is Dec 2nd! In Pittsburgh it was Aug 3oth, so she didn't start in PA. I started to make some phone calls and somehow got Elle into a great school (one that is apparently hard to get your kids into) because someone had just moved away. Anyway, she started kindergarten on Oct 8th and is absolutely loving it. She has an amazing teacher and fabulous friends. Way to go Elle!

This is Elle on her first day. I'm not exactly sure why she looks petrified...she really was excited...I promise!

IKEA Half Marathon

2009-10-12T08:53:00.000-07:00

Brandon ran the IKEA Half Marathon before we moved from Pittsburgh. He shattered his previous time and did a fantastic job.

The kids...cheering him on.

He just finished. I had 'camera difficulties' so I didn't get any good shots of him actually running...sorry!

We miss you Andersons!

2009-10-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

Nothing brings family closer than riding illegally in a van.

Makeup Trial

2009-10-06T18:02:00.002-07:00

On Sunday, I solicited help from two of the most makeup savvy people I know. Mary and Myriah. If you know me at all, you know I don't really wear makeup. Occasionally I'll pull some out for Sunday or something 'special'. But as I near the tender age of 31 (yikes), I wonder if I should take more control of my outward appearance. I mean, I take control over how my body looks and feels...why not my face? Here are the reasons holding me back:

1. It takes too long to apply and to take off (how annoying is mascara and eyeliner to remove anyway!!)
2. I don't know how to do it. I'm not joking on this. My previous makeup knowledge was mascara, eyeliner and very subtle complete lid/upper eye single color eye shadow (on a good day). I've never taken the time to learn how to apply makeup properly so that it will look right.
3. My make-up stash is sparse.
4. Do I really need it to look nice?

Anyway...Mary and Myriah taught me how to apply makeup correctly and I think it looks pretty good. So, I've decided to try a week of makeup so as to retain the knowledge they lent me. What does this mean? Every morning as I get ready, I take 5 minutes (at least) to apply makeup. Foundation (subtle stuff), blush, eye shadow (more than one shade), liner and mascara. The whole deal. At night, I wash it all off (this is a big one for me...even when I would wear makeup I'd wait till I showered the next morning to get it off and I don't normally wash my face at night (gasp!)). I've done it 2 days in a row (by myself!). By the end of the week, I'll decide if it is something I want to keep doing or not. The hardest part for me is getting the eye makeup off at night. Am I the only one that doesn't like washing their face? I guess that's where my kids get it :)

October CC 2009

2009-10-04T16:12:00.001-07:00

The Cohen Chronicle

October 4, 2009

Don't call it a comeback.

The Cohens are officially moved in in California. It took a while, and they still are finishing their new "look," but we'll call them moved in. Their new house is much smaller than the behemoth in Pittsburgh, so they are struggling to put stuff away, but they have made great progress. Jodie is exceptionally excited to be in a smaller house. "Its so much easier to keep the house clean and clean up," she was overheard telling a neighbor. She also is a big fan of the hardwood throughout and the copious cupboard space in the kitchen. Elle and Bryn are overly excited to be rocking the bunkbeds, and were so excited their first night using them they didn't calm down and go to sleep for about 2 hours after going to bed. Honestly, who could actually sleep in bunkbeds with HSM sheets and pillow cases?! Brandon is also quite excited about the children's bed upgrade. You see, Byn went from sleeping in a Toddler bed to a Full, and Elle went from a single to a twin, so this means that if anybody is scared in the middle of the night there is plenty of space for a dad to keep you safe. The first night Bryn required one such service, and as she snuggled up on 1/13 of the bed, Brandon spralled in the other 12/13 quite comfortably. He said regarding the evening, "It was actually quite lovely."

The Cohens stayed for about 2 weeks at Grandma and Grandpa's (Brandon's parents). The Cohens are very greatful for the Cohens allowing them to stay there for the interim before their house became available. It, for the most part, was a wonderful time. First the drawbacks, there were 5 Cohens sharing the same space that 2 Cohens shared many years ago (Paul and Brandon), and even then it could be a little bit crowded at times. The positives of staying at Grandma's are innumerable. Reading Fancy Nancy anytime you want!? Who can compete with that, or helping Grandpa clean up the back yard while wearing full coverage ear plugs, playing what time is it Mr. Shark, doing puzzles with Grandma, swinging on swings, or riding bikes in the front yard? Not much.

In order to make the move, the Cohens enlisted the help of Bill from New Brunswick who works for a company based in Ft. Lauderdale, and is stationed in Maine. He pulled up to the Pittsburgh house in a magnificent 53' trailer, which required very fancy driving to back it up the hill in front of the house on Pittview. Bill is also a master packer which is fortunate because the Cohens recruited help (namely Boyd K) needed to return home before the truck arrived. Other than the fact that Bill showed up about 28 hours later than expected, it was a perfect experience. He helped to load all of the Cohens stuff into the truck, provided good conversation, explained some of the nuances of trucking, and the intricacies of teamsters. Brandon particularly enjoyed the explanation of how snow actually insulates the ground, which is why pipes don't freeze in years where there is a thick blanket of snow. Fascinating. The Cohens also shipped the Subaru through a shady company which was not the company that was reccomended by the Egans. (You see, All Auto Trust Transport offered $300 of free groceries, so the Cohens didn't want to pass that up...) Big mistake. Fortunately everything arrived in relatively good condition. With all their gear and auto packed and on the road, the Cohens were able to fly into San Jose, where they were picked up by Grandpa and Grandma and driven down to Atascadero. It was much better than driving would have been.

Brandon started work the Monday after they arrived, and things have progressed more rapidly than expected. Due to some health problems for the doctor, he worked with her for 2 days (one in each office) before taking over full time. There have been a good amounts of challenges, as all the staff was hired within the last 3 weeks, and Brandon is new to the California rules. Its been pretty crazy for him.

Jodie has been busy buying up the items that they sold in Pittsburgh, and has done an excellent job. Against their desires to not have cable, the Cohens accepted a trap by the cable company for internet, cable, and phone for the same price as the internet (which is all they wanted in the first place). With this issue and Jodie's need to do the 30 Day Shred with Jillian, it became necessary for the Cohens to get a tv, and for the first time in their married lives, they purchased one. It was a sombering moment sitting in pajamas one morning and clicking "proceed to checkout" on Amazon. Jodie assured Brandon, who is ridiculously cheap...er...frugal, that they got a good deal on the 32' flat panel. You see, with the sale, free shipping, and all the $5 gift cards from Swagbucks, it was actually less expensive than a comparable 24". You can't argue with that.

In addition to the bunk beds, the girls are loving being here. The are very excited that they can ride bikes to Grandma's house, that there is a swing in the tree at the house, and that Aunt Myriah reads stories so well. (Incidentally, owls in Myriah's stories are always British....its amazing). They continue to share everything, except their "running shorts," which are those buns shorts that volleyball players and elite female runners wear. The most important part about them is that they make you "super fast," even if you aren't wearing shoes.

Wade on the other hand hasn't moved into the toddler bed yet, mostly because his parents are too tired to try. He's busy chasing Grandpa around, and anytime there are two Wades together you better look out. They make quite the duo, one-two punch, couple, or any other saying for peas in a pod, or pair that you can think of.

It's not so much the crowd, as the individuals within the crowd.

--Bertram Pincus

Until Next Month--The CC Staff

Spaghetti Squash

2009-09-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Challenge Begins

Brandon's favorite thing about Spaghetti Squash: the flavor
Rob's favorite: Father Abraham used to eat it.

The Cohens go to Washington

2009-09-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

We made it to Washington DC yesterday. It was a fast day trip that started around 7am with doughnuts (see facebook for all the pictures).
Here are some highlights....the Star Spangled Banner.

The Capitol. Some other Mormons took our picture.

And rocks...or the Washington Monument...take your pick.

Washington DC is really cool and I'm glad we went before we moved West. I think I could spend several days there. And...the kids could spend several days playing with the rocks.

Goodbye Piano

2009-08-31T03:38:00.000-07:00

I tried to take off all the white and green paint and make you beautiful again.

But now, I'm just glad someone else took you home. To Cheong: Enjoy!

10,000

2009-08-30T18:32:00.001-07:00

A gchat convo with 2 of my brothers earlier today:

Kent: Pittsburgh is Zion

995 days in Durham

ericfreeze: I would miss the Pitt

me: me too

Kent: 961 days in Utah

me: wow Kent

so specific

ericfreeze: these things are important

Kent: then 658 days in Melbourne

9:13 PM The 197 days in Ottawa

ericfreeze: how many at BYU

Kent: Then 102 in DC

me: how many days old are you?

China?

Kent: Then 55 in Alberta

152 days in China

9:14 PM ericfreeze: hmmm

Kent: but I have it broken up by province

I am exactly 10000 days old

that's kind of creepy

exactly

9:15 PM Kent: holy snap

me: and you didn't know that?

Kent: I just calculated it

me: this is really weird

Kent: go on excel

ericfreeze: that is weird

Kent: type dates in the format 4/15/1982

you can subtract dates

me: I'm freaking out

Kent: and it will tell how many days have gone bye

ericfreeze: hmmm

me: this must be a sign of something to come

ericfreeze: the end is near...

9:16 PM Kent: wow

ericfreeze: that would mean you don't have to finish your prospectus

Kent: such significance

ericfreeze: type in how old I am

may 18 1974

Kent: 12889

ericfreeze: hm

boring

9:17 PM me: you should have a birthday cake or something

this is huge...10000

Kent: I can't believe I am exactly 10,000 days old

ericfreeze: that is quite the milestone

Kent: this is like a Christmas miracle

Happy 10,000 day to you Kent!

Just One of the Reasons

2009-08-28T17:53:00.001-07:00

I'm going to miss Pittsburgh when we move in 3 weeks.

The Natural History and Art Museum is killer. My personal favorite is the stuffed camel scene. I'll try and get a shot of that next time we go.

Totally unrelated, but...guess who can now jump getting both feet off the ground simultaneously???

Here's a hint...he's camera shy.

Klavons Trip

2009-08-20T05:16:00.001-07:00

We finally made it to Klavons a few weeks ago. What's better than a chocolate sprinkle covered ice cream cone? A chocolate sprinkle covered ice cream cone with a sparkle stabbed inside.

I think the ladies were more excited about the sparkle.

Bran and I had Sundaes that blew us out of this world. Obviously.

For my Ellingson relatives....see the WIDE assortment of metal cups??? There was even a metal pitcher. Looks like the coveted float cups from my youth were actual float cups. I almost asked to buy them.

Reader beware: The Klavons site will play music. Just now when I found the link to add here, Bryn screams out...THE ICE CREAM PLACE! So...beware.

Lesson Learned

2009-08-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

Before....

Lesson 1: A popsicle will not distract your 1 year old son from getting his hair cut.
Lesson 2: Popsicles attract hair. Seriously...avoid popsicles when cutting hair. It's just not a good idea. Next time, I'll use TV.

After. The girls styled his hair.

Fishing Cup

2009-08-19T07:01:00.003-07:00

A couple weeks ago we went to a fishing cup thing in town.

We didn't take many pictures, but I felt like we were somehow transported down to the south.

It was great and the first time when it seemed like I (and my family) were the only ones that weren't from the south.

This guy won $50K for winning his fishing contest.This guy with the red sleeves won $1000000 for winning the Fantasy Fishing League. Crazy...there were even fireworks inside Mellon Arena...it was beyond crazy. Who knew fishing could be so much fun?

Cousins Rule

2009-07-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's not every day you get your hair done like this. Only when Cousin Brianne is in town.

Wade and Declan are finding the joys of lego.

Wade couldn't really get the pieces to stay on so he just shoved them into the hole.

It's so much fun.

Fooseball Championship 2009

2009-07-06T06:53:00.000-07:00

In true Freeze form, we had some competitions yesterday...namely the Freeze Fooseball Championship of 2009.

There was some fierce competition.

Kent had to wear gloves. He was getting blisters and his wrist was hurting.

Oddly enough, Rob Anderson didn't win.

So cool

2009-06-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

Michael fulfilled one of Bryn's wishes for her birthday. He purchased his featured white sunglasses in Hawaii when he was there for Show Choir earlier this year. In Raymond, he found an almost identical pair at the local Pharamacy. Being the caring Uncle he is, he got them for Bryn for her birthday (which is his birthday too) so they could be twinners. Bryn LOVES her sunglasses. Seriously, what's not to love?? Thanks Mike. You're a great Uncle!

Father's Day Dresses

2009-06-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

You probably figured out that I finally emptied my camera card onto our computer. So...posts galore. Plus I leave for the Great White tomorrow, so I've got to get these on before I leave!

Grandma Cohen has been busy! She made dresses for the girls and some sweet overalls for Waders. Guess I forgot to take a picture of Wade in the overalls....sorry!

Bryn and Elle were both so excited to open these. They opened them just minutes after we got back from the Anderson's house. I think the allure of the presents actually made them wake from their slumber.

Elle mid dance move in the 'Father's Day Dress'.

Ohiopyle

2009-06-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, we managed to make it on our first camping trip of the season.

The girls LOVE smores. I'm pretty sure they get this from Brandon.

They must be related. Wade was the MOST excited out of all the kids. There was so much to explore. Next time we'll have to camp somewhere not close to a road. He kept running out to it.

From our campsite we could walk down to the rivers and the town. The troops hiked it pretty well especially the steep ascent back to camp.

3 Trophies

2009-06-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

As a Canadian and Pens fan, I felt it necessary to go to the Penguins parade in celebration of bringing home the cup. This was on Monday. I parked near Heinz lofts and walked across 16th street bridge to Brandon's office. We picked him up and headed out. I had Wade in the backpack and the girls ended up either in our arms or on our shoulders. The hurt shoulders and aching arms/backs were totally worth it when we saw this:

and this:

lets not forget this:

Lucky

2009-06-04T05:32:00.001-07:00

Our back yard is essentially a clover fest. I taught the girls about 4 leaf clovers and how Uncle Kent can find one anywhere. Imagine Elle'se excitement when she found one under the swingset!

She is sooo excited!

Bryn 'found one too'. Obviously another weed growing in our yard of clovers.

Close up.

Stinger

2009-05-18T19:02:00.004-07:00

Our back street neighbors gave us their old swing set this week (Yipee!). I have it positioned outside so I can look out the dining room or kitchen window and be able to watch the kids. So, the troops were all out there when I hear Bryn let out a scream. This scream meant business. It was a 'I've cut off my arm' scream. A scream that would send my sister Laura into cardiac arrest. So, I go outside to see Bryn bowed legged and walking on her the tiptoes of her left foot and normally on her right foot. Strange. It was a warped version of the dance she does when she is just about to go pee. I was confused, brought her inside and tried to figure out what was wrong. She kept pointing at her foot. So, I looked and saw a splinter like thing in her left foot. I pulled it out and realized it was the stinger of a bee (or a wasp...I can't tell the difference). Luckily she is not allergic to bee stings and she had some minor swelling. Nothing some Phineas and Ferb can't calm.

This was first experience with a bee sting. Do you remember yours?

Raymond 10K Training

2009-05-13T04:42:00.002-07:00

Ever since I knew we were going to Alberta this Summer, I've wanted to run the Raymond 10K. I grew up running it every year, so it will be great to run again. Brandon made me a most excellent training program and I've been following it pretty good. So far...here is my training log. This just has running, I've left out the cross training days...maybe I should start adding that. I'm not very fast, but it's fun! I'll try and post my progress every couple weeks to keep me honest.

Jodie's Training Log
Wed May 13
5 Min Warm Up: 10:57 pace

2 Min H: 8:13 pace
2 Min M: 9:38 pace
2 Min E: 10:22 pace

2 Min H: 7:33 pace
2 Min M: 9:05 pace
2 Min E: 10:19 pace

2 Min H: 7:56 pace
2 Min M: 9:11 pace
2 Min E: 9:37 pace

5 Min Cool Down: 10:03 pace

Mon May 11
5 Min Warm Up
1 Mile: 8:07
5 Min Rest
2 Min: 8:05 pace
2 Min Rest
2 Min: 7:57 pace
2 Min Rest
2 Min: 7:51 pace
5 Min Cool Down

Sat May 9
5 Min Warm-Up
5 Miles Progression...I did really well at the start, but by Mile 4 I was beat and running up a hill. I need to do progression steps every 2 miles, not every mile...whoops. And I had the GPS set wrong, so I don't know my mile paces, just the average. I walked half of mile 5 uphill, so yeah!
Average Pace: 9:43
5 Min Cool Down

Fri May 8
Ran 30 minutes just easy. The GPS wasn't working, so I don't know my pace. I felt good and just took it easy.

Wed May 6
5 Min Warm Up
15 Min constant fast...I didn't know if I had the GPS set right and I thought it wasn't working. I came home after only 11:21 with an average pace of 8:42. I needed to get home so Bran could get to work too. Need to wake up earlier!

Mon May 4
5 Min Warm up
2 Min: 9:01 pace
2 Min Rest
2 Min: 8:07 pace
2 Min Rest
2 Min: 8:34 pace
2 Min Rest
2 Min: 8:37 pace
2 Min Rest
2 Min: 8:02 pace
5 Min Cool Down

Sat May 2
4 Mile Progression
Mile 1: 10:32
Mile 2: 10:04
Mile 3: 9:50
Mile 4: 9:21

Wed April 29
5 Min Warm Up
15 Min: 8:51 pace
5 Min Cool down

Mon April 27
5 Min Warm Up
1 Mile: 8:52 pace
5 Min Cool down

Egg Wars 2009

2009-05-10T12:35:00.002-07:00

The Bracket

Blue, Green and Red Elle

Yellow Bryn, Orange Bryn and Recycle Renegade

LLS and Rain S Warrior

Shaky and 1Yr Torpedo

Team Pain 1 and 2

The Winner!, Red Elle!
Final Bracket

Easter Baskets

2009-04-11T16:30:00.004-07:00

Brandon did a fantastic job at hiding the eb this year. He tried to put them somewhere 'important' to the person.

This person likes to pull everything off our storage shelves. They also like to throw the items down into the basement. There are several cans of Pringles there right now. He/She enjoys finding cereal here and standing on top of the boxes.

It is especially fun to hide behind this chair in the corner of our living room. It's a perfect little cave to hide in when you feel like coloring the walls a beautiful shade of highlighter yellow. You can also go here when you sneak some forbidden chocolate or gum. Beloved Raindrop comes here a lot.

Who doesn't like the paper/cardboard recycling pile?? I fear this one might be too easy. Our eco-friendly recycling composter will find this entirely too quickly.

How well do you know the Cohens? Whose basket is whose?

Happy Easters everyone!

Cousins and Temple

2009-04-11T16:28:00.003-07:00

We met the cousins in Columbus to go to the Temple there. With a pool, business center, hot breakfast and Kroger, we were set. There aren't many pictures to document an actual cousin visitation. These are some of the few.

Did you know that hotel paper pads are the COOLEST thing?

TV is also very cool.

It took a few tries to get this picture right. The first one we have is of me running to pic up Wade. I guess I wasn't fast enough for the timer!!

I told Elle to pick a place by the Temple for a picture. She liked the flowers.

Bryn would have chosen the rock bench, but Elle insisted she was by flowers. Notice Bryn's ketchup clothes from a tasty hot dog.

Sisters at the Temple.

The ladies wouldn't leave Wade alone. He's so popular.

tc tc.

Elle wanted to take a picture of Brandon. She told him to stand RIGHT THERE...and he did.

A Running Group!

2009-04-08T16:11:00.002-07:00

Anyone out there want to come running with me? I started a new Pittsburgh group at SeeMommyRun.com. I'm hoping that this will help me actually get OUT of bed in the morning. Maybe I'll even hear Brandon's alarm go off!

Also, follow me on Twitter.

$20 in Amazon Gift Cards already from Swagbucks

2009-04-08T04:52:00.003-07:00

I'm amazed. On March 3rd, I signed up for Swagbucks and now I have $20 in Amazon giftcards. It's that easy. Not bad for just searching. And when you sign up through me, I'd get your swagbucks too and we can get swagbucks (or swashbucks as Brandon likes to call them) together. Once you have 45 swagbucks, you can get a $5 giftcard too. Thanks to Megan, Brandon and Kent for signing up!

Millvale Easter Hunt

2009-04-05T04:53:00.001-07:00

We managed to make it to the Millvale Easter Hunt this year and it was a blast. For each preregistered child, they had an Easter basket full of treats and a bag of other goodies. There were also fun games for the kids to play. What I liked most was that they had the 'hunts' separated by age group. The 0-3 group hunt was in the gazebo behind us in the picture and you can see a sign for another age group to the right(ours) of us. Each kid got to have 10 plastic eggs that were filled with candy and Wade was even lucky enough to get a number for a prize. He is now the proud owner of a Ballernia Bunny!

This all went down at the Riverfront park in Millvale. We visit this park at least once a week for bike riding. It is just one very steep hill (Logan street) away from our house. The trail there runs along the river and is very flat which makes riding a bike for a 4 year old and 2 year old (on tricycle) very easy. This trail connects to the fountain between the stadiums and to the Science center. Soon, we'll be able to bike the whole way there!

Staples $1 Paper

2009-04-03T11:18:00.003-07:00

After seeing this great deal on my reader from hip2save, I headed out to get my paper! Here's the deal:

I paid 6.99/ream of paper. I will get 5.99/ream back by submitting my receipt online. There is no limit to how many reams of paper you can buy. I bought 9. I tried using the Office Depot $10 off $50 purchase coupon, but Staples didn't accept it. Still $1/ream of paper was too good to pass up. So...stock up now!

I also stopped in at Walgreens to get some free chapstick and shaving gel. What a great shopping trip today!

For all my non couponing friends out there, these deals don't require ANY coupons...just go to the store and enjoy these deals...do it...do it NOW!

List of Marathons on Saturday

2009-04-02T05:21:00.002-07:00

I decided to create a list of Saturday marathons. It's on my runpittsburgh site. For all the Sunday marathoners out there, that list will be completed soon too. Eventually I'll have a marathon by state section too. Going to all these different marathon websites has gotten me thinking about training for one. I've got to train for the Raymond 10K first...stay focused Jodie!