JARED, LEENA, AND COHEN

Christmas List

2011-12-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

So this morning I helped Cohen write a letter to Santa. I've been trying to teach him who Santa is lately. I don't think he is really getting the concept, although I do think he is catching on to the idea that he is going to get new toys. I asked Cohen what toys he wanted Santa to bring. Usually Cohen doesn't respond and I have to coach him to get him to say what toys he wants. Today he responded qucikly to the question. "I want a green motorsicone(thats how he says motorcycle), formers movie(transformers movie) and um a red truck." Then I asked him if he wanted an airplane too, "no i already have one mom!" So it looks like I'm not going to have to spend much money to make him happy. I hope Santa can find a green motorcycle! :)

Lincoln's Home Coming

2011-11-22T07:14:00.000-08:00

So Cohen's best friend in the whole world, his cousin Lincoln, went to Washington for two weeks. I thought for sure after the first week that Cohen would forget and stop asking about Lincoln. Nope, he was still asking about Lincoln up to the day he finally came home. One day while Lincoln was gone we were at Grandma's house. Grandma asked Cohen who he loved(she was hoping he would say her) and he thought for a minute and said I love Lincoln. On Sunday Cohen finally got to see Lincoln. They both were thrilled to see each other and quickly began chasing each other around Grandma's house. Cohen usually enjoys teasing Lincoln, but on Sunday he was extra nice and protective of his friend. If Lincoln wanted something Cohen saw to it that he got. He scolded Lincoln's mom at one point for not giving Lincoln a drink fast enough. At the end of the night when it was time to go home Grandma asked for a kiss good night. Cohen quickly ran to Lincoln instead and gave him a dozen kisses. Then Grandma got a hold of Cohen and kissed him. Cohen responded to her kiss by saying eeewww gross! Sorry Grandma you just can't compete with Lincoln.

Tent

2011-11-14T07:42:00.000-08:00

When you're little there is nothing cooler than a tent or a fort made out of blankets. I recently made Cohen a tent out of blankets and he thought it was the best thing ever. Now I have to make him a tent everyday and its worth seeing his cute smile.

HALLOWEEN 2011

2011-11-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Every year we try and do a few fun things for Halloween. Some of things we did this year was go to the straw maze, frost Halloween cookies, make a haunted ginger bread house, carve pumpkins, go to BOO at the ZOO, and of course trick - or - treatingFor some reason this past year Cohen has started to really love sharks. So when we saw this shark costume we knew it was the perfect costume for him. He thought he was pretty cool stuff too.

After Trick or Treating we took all the kids to Grandma Jones' house. They all looked so cute!

Potty Training

2011-10-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

Last week I finally decided to get serious about potty training. I want him completely trained before the new baby comes. I don't want to be buying two sets of diapers it would just be a waste of money. Potty training has been something that I have been putting off for as long as possible. I honestly think Cohen has been ready for a while, me not so much. Potty training is a commitment. He has tried to go to the potty quite a few times since before he was two. He also has been able to control his pee in the bathtub since he was about 18 months old. If he started to pee a little I'd say no Cohen we don't pee in the tub and he'd stop himself and then I'd put him on the potty and he'd finish peeing. I know what you must be thinking wow he must be easy to potty train. Truthfully he really has been pretty easy. From day one he has only had about 1 accident a day 2 tops. These accidents usually occur when he is outside playing and too busy to go potty. He hasn't had a poopy accident because he waits until night time when I put a diaper on him for bed or he just holds his poop for two days. I have found that he isn't motivated by treats or stickers. Sometimes I go to give him candy and he says no. He thinks me allowing him to wash his hands in the sink after going potty is reward enough. I have found that the key to potty training Cohen falls on me. I have to make sure to remind him to go potty. I can tell when he needs to go now he tends to play with himself if he needs to go. If I slack on keeping on top of reminding him then he ends up wetting his pants. Last night and today he finally decided to poop in the toilet. I am hoping by the end of the month he will be completely day time potty trained and I'm pretty sure he will be . After he has day time training down I'll try and tackle night time training.

Cohen and his Bike

2011-10-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Cohen finally learned how to petal his bike. I didn't realize what a big step this is for a little two year old. Its hard for them to be able to petal. It takes strength and coordination. Once he got it down there was no stopping him. His favorite thing to do is to"turn" and go "real fast". Before the weather got too cold I took him to the park a couple of times and let him ride around the walking track that is around the park. He did great! At first I could just walk beside him but now I have to run to keep up with him. He thinks it is hilarious to go fast and watch me desperately running to catch up to him. Its a good work out for his pregnant mom.

Cohen also has been doing something else new the past few weeks he has been taking his socks off and putting them on his feet. I guess he does't like wearing his socks on his feet he prefers them on his hands.

I came outside one day and he was on his bike in his underwear (we are currently potty training Cohen)with his socks on his hands. I thought it was a pretty funny sight. Cohen is definitely his own little person with his own little ideas. It is so much fun to watch him grow and try and see the world through his eyes.

Summer 2011 Recap

2011-10-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Summer 2011 was a pretty laid back summer for us. We didn't do a whole lot because I was too tired to move most of the time. Gotta love the first trimester of pregnancy.

One thing that we did get to do was take a 10 day family vacation to the Washington Coast. Jared's extended family, the Iverson's, was having a big family reunion. This was a much needed vacation. Between work and school schedules it has felt like we are never able to take vacations together. I saved up all my work vacation for the year and didn't take a single day off so that we would be able to go.

I have never been to the Washington or Oregon Coast. It is beautiful! And kind of cold for summer time. The temperature for the week was in the low 60's most of the time. But we did get a couple of sunny days. We stayed in really nice condos right by the beach. It was nice to be able to walk down to the beach when ever we wanted.

The view from our condo window.

Long Beach Washington is known for its kite flying. There was lots of cool kite shops that we were able to go in. The pictures are of Cohen and Jared flying kites on the beach. Cohen thought kite flying was great. Jared and I really enjoyed it too.

One day that we were in Long Beach Washington we rented mopeds and road them on the beach it was really fun.

This was Cohen's first time seeing the ocean. The water made him nervous and he would only get in it if I was holding him. He loved playing in the sand it was his favorite part of the trip.

Although it was only in the 60's outside and swimming in the water was not suggested because of the under tows and rip tides we all got in anyways. There is just something about the ocean that makes you want to go swimming in it. We all had a blast playing in the waves. The water wasn't bad either once you got use to the cold.
Jared's immediate family that was able to go on the trip to the coast.

The last few days of our trip we spent in Selah, Jared's hometown in Washington. Grandpa Iverson took Cohen for his first ride on the Harley and Cohen was thrilled.

Aside from our family vacation we did a few other fun little things for Cohen during the summer. One of those things that we did was take Cohen to the Drive in Theater. Jared and I were excited to bundle Cohen and put in the back of the truck with us. But our plan was ruined because we made the mistake of inviting Grandpa and Grandma Jones to come with us. Cohen wanted nothing to do with mom and dad he only wanted to sit with his Grandpa and Grandma. Grandpa and Grandma Jones are two of Cohen's favorite people in the whole world. They love spoiling Cohen rotten.

For those of you that don't know I manage a Men's Student Housing complex. We throw an event every semester for all of our residents. We had a rock climbing wall at the summer event. Cohen watched all the students climbing the wall. To my surprise he walked up to the guy running the wall and said "Cohen's turn." He didn't get too far but did pretty good for a little two year old.

We spent a weekend in Bear Lake Utah and Jared's dad rented Jet Skis. It turned out to be a cold day and Cohen didn't care for the cold water spraying in his face. But Jared had a lot of fun!

Jared bought a dirt bike this summer and Cohen instantly fell in love. He is now obsessed with dirt biking. Jared took Cohen on a few dirt biking trips over the summer. Cohen loves wearing his helmet. You can tell that he thinks he is pretty big stuff in his little dirt biking helmet.

Cohen and Jared Dirt Biking.

Another bun in the oven

2011-09-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know....I'm pregnant. We are expecting our new arrival March 10, 2012. I am 14 weeks pregnant. Jared and I are sooo excited for another baby. It is definitely time! Little Cohen isn't so little anymore and is turning into a little boy too quick. He is also getting a little spoiled too and needs some friendly competition in the house. What better competition is there than good old sibling rivalry? ;)

This Pregnancy vs. Pregnancy with Cohen

I had a really easy pregnancy with Cohen. I remember being tired at the beginning and having to pee a lot at the end, but those were the only negative things I experienced. I also was extremely nice during my pregnancy with Cohen. It was like I was on an anti-depressant drug, nothing could upset me. When people would complain about pregnancy to me I couldn't relate. I couldn't help but think that other pregnant people were winey and annoying and just like to use pregnancy for an excuse to rude.

This pregnancy has so far been pretty easy too. As long as I eat something every 2 hours I don't get sick which I have been very thankful for. I haven't gotten fat quite as fast as I did with Cohen which is always a plus, but it is still a little early to tell. Now let me take a few seconds to complain. HOLY COW I've been tired! I don't know if I have ever been this tired before, and let me remind you I am a Narcoleptic, which means I'm used to being tired. Its not just a "I want to fall asleep kind of tired." Its more of a "I literally can't move off the couch" kind of tired. But now that I'm in the second trimester I can feel my energy coming back. Thank Heavens! The other thing that has not been fun about this pregnancy is my skin. I didn't have any zits with Cohen, but this pregnancy I have had full blown acne. I even sold out and ordered Pro Active, and yes its actually helping a lot. I definitely have not been as nice as I was with Cohen. I've been pretty cranky. I don't know what it is but the little things that don't usually bother me irritate me to death. Other than those few complaints this pregnancy has gone really smooth and I hope it continues to go smooth.

Things I am looking Forward to....

There are so many things I am excited for this pregnancy. One of those things is waiting to feel this little thing wiggling inside me. I don't remember exactly when I felt Cohen move but I think it was around 20 weeks. Cohen was a quite the little wiggler and I could feel him all the time. I could even see him move. I'm really hoping I can feel this baby move a lot too. The other thing that I'm looking forward to is the ultra sound where I find out what I am having. Once I know the sex of the baby everything just seems more real.

Do I want a Girl or a Boy...

This is a question that people love to ask me. When I really think about this question the more it seems rather silly. There are so many people who have trouble having children and would give anything just to be able to have a child. Honestly all I want is a healthy happy baby. Boy or girl this baby will be loved unconditionally. With that being said does a small girly part of me want a little girl that I can dress in pink and put lots of flowers and bows on? What girl doesn't. But the idea of having another little boy for Cohen to be best friends with is equally as exciting.

BEST FRIENDS

2011-06-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

Cohen and Lincoln are the best of friends! It is the sweetest thing. They love playing together. They even have nicknames for each other. Lincoln calls Cohen "Coco" and Cohen calls Lincoln "Linkys." I babysit Lincoln during the day and it has been the best thing ever for Cohen and Lincoln. When ever Lincoln or Cohen do something naughty I put them in time out in Cohen's room. They never stay in time out very long because they always seem to rescue each other. I'm so thankful that Cohen gets the chance to have such a good friendship with his cousin. I hope that their friendship will continue to grow over the years.

Meet the Jones's

2011-05-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have never watched "Modern Family,"a television show, you are really missing out. I absolutely love this show. Another show I love is "Raising Hope." Tonight as me and Jared were watching both of these shows on Hulu it hit me why I love these shows so much. They both in some way remind me of my own family. The only difference is my family is more hilarious than both these shows. My husband is always saying that my family could seriously have a reality show, especially my dad. So I have decided that I am going to to start sharing some of my families stories on my blog. I hope the few of you that actually read my blog enjoy these stories as much as I do.

Before I start telling any stories there are a few things you should know about the Jones's:

-We are loud, boarder line obnoxious, and a little crazy.

-We are all a bunch of over grown kids, and we believe that we should be allowed to participate in activities that are usually just for the children (ex: easter egg hunts, hitting piniatas at 2 year old's birthday parties etc.)

-We have NO BOUNDARIES, whats yours is mine.

-We don't have great driving records (the good news we rarely hit moving objects)

-DRAMA QUEENS

-Grandma Jones wears the pants in the family, although on occasion Grandpa Jones has been caught wearing Grandma's pants.

- Grandpa believes we should all live by "The Code of the West."

-We are NEVER wrong, seriously, we are NEVER wrong.

- We love life and each other.

SOCKS....

The first story I'm going to tell is a tale about socks. Growing up there were never enough socks in the house. On occasion I would just suck it up and go with miss matched socks. I know what you are thinking, "man those Jones's were poor." Although we didn't have tons of money we definitely could afford socks. Mom would buy socks and they would disappear. Perhaps the dryer ate them. Well in August 2007 the Jones's ongoing problem of not having enough socks was solved. The answer to the sock problem was my husband Jared. We moved in with my parents that summer. Jared had an abundance of socks. Apparently his socks were a one size fits all kind of socks, because the whole family started wearing them. One day Jared comes to me and says "I think your mom is wearing my socks." Of course I just laughed at his comment, forgetting at the time that Jared was not yet use to the, "whats yours is mine," way of life. After mom started wearing his socks everybody else in the house did too. In fact even my sibblings who didn't live in the house showed up wearing Jared's socks. Over the years Jared has gotten to know the odd Jones way of life. And its now safe to assume that anyone might be wearing his socks, in fact I'm wearing a pair right now! Thanks Jared for being such a good sport and loving my family almost as much as I do.

Another Great Weekend!

2011-05-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Utah to visit Jared's family. All of his siblings were in town so it was nice to see them. All of us girls stayed up until 2am just talking. We just sat around and relaxed and ate snacks. It was a great weekend. I love Jared's family so much and feel extremely blessed to have married into such a great family.

Jared and his siblings Derek, Janae, and Terren.
Jared, his mom center, sisters Janae and Terren, and brother Derek.

Cohen and his cousins Sophie and Peyton.
We are suppose to act like we were on a roller coaster. I totally look like I'm riding a roller coaster haha! I think Cohen looks stinkin cute in this picture too.

COHENS 2ND BIRTHDAY

2011-05-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that Cohen is already two! Time flies by way too fast. The past two years have been the best of my life. Cohen has truly changed my life for the better. He is growing and learning sooo much everyday.

Cohen's Birthday turned out just as I had hoped. I reserved the lounge and pool at Alpine Chalet a sister property to the property I manage. The theme that I picked for Cohen's birthday was Disney "Cars." He loves the movie Cars. What little boy doesn't? I had my friend Megan Plaisted make Cohen's cake. She did a fabulous job! It turned out exactly as I had hoped. Believe it or not the cake actually tasted as good as it is cute! Cohen definitely got spoiled in the present department and got so many presents that I think he is going to need a second bedroom just for his toys!Isn't the cake sooo cute!

Cohen got a toy drill that actually drills and decided that it would be a really good idea to drill holes in his cake. The whole time we sang him happy birthday he just continued to drill holes.

For party favors the kids got coloring pages with different Cars characters, Cars crayons, and Cars stickers.
The perfect Gift for Cohen was given to him by two of my residents Wes and Brock. They got him a little toy dirt bike that looks exactly like his dad's that he his riding on in the picture below. When he opened it he said "Daddy's motorcycle." He even had to sleep with it when we got home that night.
After presents, cake, and hanging out. Everyone went swimming. Cohen loves the water sooo much. He made me so proud. He can swim with floaty's on all by himself. Cohen would go under the water and everything. Swimming was the perfect ending to a perfect day!

Say Prayers Please...

2011-05-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

Often times as a mom I feel like I'm just not doing a great job. Maybe because Cohen's babysitter is often the television while I work from home. Maybe its because my child is usually the one getting into stuff at grandmas. Maybe its because Cohen refuses to go to nursrey. Maybe its because Cohen says oh f*** when hes frustrated. Maybe its because I babysit my nephew Lincoln who takes four hour naps at age two and when he is awake is a perfect little angel. He is the complete opposite of Cohen. Cohen loves getting into things he shouldn't. He also enjoys disecting his toys to find out how they work. He is definitely a smart little bugger. I walked outside to check the mail the other day and he dead bolted me out. When I started pounding on the door I could hear him laughing. Thank heavens Jared happen to be home. He also got in Grandma's fridge and broke 18 eggs. Climbed on my work desk (which I leave the chair tipped on the floor so that he can't climb on it) and got a pair of scissors and cut Jared's head phones in half. I can't turn my head without him doing something he shouldn't. Jared assures me its not that Cohen is naughty but just has a lot of personality.
But just when I think my mothering skills are useless Cohen does something great. A couple of weeks ago he surprised me when he was counting to 6 with almost no effort. I guess me counting things with Cohen actually taught him something. And then last night Cohen did the sweetest thing ever. I was tired and in a hurry to get Cohen to bed so that I too could go to bed. I got him dressed and got him a bottle(yes hes two and still takes a bottle) and started putting him to bed when Cohen cried out, "say prayers, say prayers please!" I was in such a hurry that I completely forgot our little nightly routine of saying family prayers. My sweet little Cohen had to remind me of whats important. I guess being a mom isn't just about what we teach our kids but its also about what our kids can teach us. I love being a mom! It is definitely the most fulfilling thing that I have ever done.

TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG

2011-05-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

To blog or not to blog.....that is the question I have been asking myself lately. I've been debating whether or not to just delete my blog or to start blogging more regularly. After a lot of thinking I have decided that if I keep the blog I need to commit to updating it at least once a month. It's a great way to keep a journal. So starting today I am going to be better about blogging.

Family Trip to Utah

2010-07-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

We spent a few days at Jared's mom's house. It was fun. All of his sibblings and their spouses and children were there. It is only the second time that they have all been together since we've been married. Cohen was such a momma's boy while we were there. That made the trip a little difficult for me. The picture above was one of the few times he let someone else hold him. Grandma Halvorson had a book about Cohen's favorite thing on earth, dogs!

Cohen loved the pool he especially loved how his cousin Levi would swim around him. Cohen didn't want to stay in his floaty after he saw Levi swimming around. He wanted to swim like Levi, he didn't even want me to hold him he wanted to do it by himself.

Cohen wanted to sit at the big boy table for dinner. It was really cute. He didn't eat anything off of his own plate, but he ate plenty off of the other boy's plates.

Our little family swimming in the pool.

Me, Cohen, and Levi swimming in the pool.

4th of July in Utah

2010-07-05T12:45:00.001-07:00

This year me, Cohen, and my mom drove to Utah to spend the 4th of July at my older sister Denell's house. In the picture above my mom was holding the two boys Crew and Cohen. Cohen kept on rubbing Crew's head. I guess Crew's hair is really soft. It was really funny.

Me and Cohen watching fireworks. Cohen was in awe of the fireworks. He kept saying ooohhh.

Two little guys hanging out on the chairs. On this trip Crew really showed Cohen who was boss, it was funny. In the past Crew was slower than Cohen so Crew wasnt the tuff one. But now Crew walks, and he kept on pushing Cohen and taking his toys. They even got into a tug of war over Cohen's favorite silky blanket, and Cohen of course lost. Crew certainly isn't the little runt any more.

My creative older sister made the cutest fluffy skirts for her girls for the the 4th. The girls looked so adorable that I had to take their pictures. Oakley and Lexi are such beautiful little girls!!!

Trip to Washington!!!

2010-06-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

We spent the last week in Selah, Washington, Jared's hometown, with his Dad and stepmom Debbie. Cohen surprisingly warmed up quick to everyone!
We went to a Seattle Mariners game with Jared's Dad and Debbie, and his sister Janae and her husband Nathan. It was a lot of fun and the weather was actually really decent. The Mariners even won the game! We had really good seats. A couple of balls even landed right by us.

Cohen really enjoyed riding down the slanted driveway with his dad on this trike that was way too big for him. It was really cute.

Aside from our Washington trip Cohen has been getting so big. He has really started trying to say new words its so cute. The words that he can say really good are: momma, dadda, whats this, dog, look(his favorite word to use when he points at things), and juice.

COHEN'S BIRTHDAY PICTURES!!!!

2010-05-13T13:45:00.001-07:00

Little Karter trying out Cohen's Swimming pool.
Luis(Jared's friend) and Jared
Family Picture you can tell Cohen is starting to get tired.

COHEN EATING HIS BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!

2010-05-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

Cohen didn't hesitate digging right into his cake!!! He had a blast eating and destroying his cake!

Cohen made his mom proud! He completely destroyed the cake! Good thing I made cupcakes for everyone else to eat!
Grandma getting Cohen into the bath. There was cake everywhere!!

COHEN OPENING BIRTHDAY PRESENTS!!!

2010-05-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Cohen's favorite gift was his puppy. He is very picky about stuffed animals so we let him pick it out at wal-mart before. Of course he chose the ugliest stuffed animal. But he was so excited when he opened his present and saw the ugly dog.

Playing with his new toys with his dad. Pretty sure he is too heavy for that plastic wagon but oh well!
Hanging out with his favorite big boys in his new pool. Of course his dad wanted to blow it up right then and there!

Cohen's First Birthday party!!!!

2010-05-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Cohen the birthday boy!!! I can't believe he is already a one year old! Time Flies!

Cohen's birthday cake. In case you can't tell what it is, it's a barn and the cupcakes are animals. Yes those are my toes at the top of picture I had to stand on the table to get a good picture! Not too sanitary I know.
Cohen's party was a farm party! I thought it turned out cute.

Cohen is Walking

2010-03-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Cohen could stand up at 8 months and had great balance. We thought that he would be walking by nine months but that didn't happen. He did however start taking 3 to 4 steps the beginning of nine months . He couldn't quite get the hang of walking and after a week of trying he quit walking all together for a couple weeks. Then as soon as he turned 10 months he decided to try again....and has been doing quite well the last couple of weeks. He doesn't crawl much unless he is in shoes, for some reason walking in shoes is just too much work.

I can't believe how big my little guy is getting! But along with getting bigger he has been getting cuter and cuter! Sometimes I think he is so cute I can't stand it! He has so much personality now! He is into everything! I don't know why I buy him toys, if its a toy he knows and won't play with it!

CHRISTMAS MORNING

2009-12-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

WE HAD A NICE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR. WE STAYED AT GRANDPA AND GRANDMA HALVORSON'S HOUSE (JARED'S MOM'S HOUSE). IT WAS SO QUIET AND RELAXING THERE. IT WAS A SHORT BUT GOOD TRIP! ITS ALWAYS NICE TO SEE FAMILY! CHRISTMAS MORNING WAS SO MUCH FUN WITH COHEN! HE LOVED HIS TOY HE CAN RIDE ON AND WALK BEHIND. HE CAN EVEN TAKE A FEW STEPS WALKING BEHIND IT. HE LIKED HELPING JARED OPEN PRESENTS. HE THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT TO EAT THE WRAPPING PAPER.

2009-12-15T10:49:00.000-08:00

Yes I decided to blog again!

2009-12-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

Whats New?

Cohen just turned 7 months on saturday. I can't believe it! He is getting so big! Cohen started scooting the day before he turned 6 months. At about 61/2 months he started trying to crawl. With a lot of practice he is finally starting to get good at crawling. The past couple of weeks he has really started pulling himself up. Everytime I turn around he is standing up holding onto something. All this standing up stuff has created a bit of a problem because he thinks he can stand on his own and lets go and hits his head!!! I have to keep a close eye on him! Every day Cohen just gets cuter! He is soooo much fun!

2008-12-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

It's a Boy!!!

The day before Thanksgiving we found out that we are having a little boy!!! We are both really excited. Leena is now 20 weeks and able to feel the little guy moving. We also had our 20 week ultrasound where they make sure everything is growing and developing normally. So far our little guy is developing perfectly.

What else is new....
Jared's hard work finally paid off and he got a promotion at work. He got promoted to assistant manager. Leena's little singing and dance group had there first performance and they did amazing! We also just got back from a quick trip to Idaho for Christmas. It was short but nice. The roads were a little scary but we are back home and safe. We will be having our 2 year anniversary next week on the 29th of Dec. We can't believe how fast time has gone by. That's about all the news we have, mostly just same old same old.