Happy Groundhog day

We've been tossing the idea around for almost a year, and we finally pulled the trigger to get a different car - a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. It's pretty much a win-win. Gas mileage, space, and a great deal. We know there's always risk when you get a used car (this is an '06) but we can only hope this turns out better than our experience with the Honda - which we traded in and never looked back. We're still trying to figure out how to get the 30 ish mpg, as our sources say it should. So far the best we've had was a little over 20. We know it can do better, so we'll keep doing our homework. We love it! And the heated seats are coming in handy as this winter lingers on.

Besides that, January has been fairly non eventful. For New Year's Eve, we had Pevestorfs and Upahs over. We invited Giffords too but little Ava had a sinus infection. It actually turned out to be a little crazy (imagine that - a party going on till past midnight at OUR house!). We love our neighbors and friends.

Kraeton was here from Dec. 27 though Jan 5. I'm always amazed at how mature and responsible he's becoming (I know I say that every time he visits). There were a couple days Dominic and I had to work while he was here, and he he slept in, made himself breakfast, made his bed, locked the house and went over to Pevestorfs on his own. We love having him here - he brings so much fun, laughter and liveliness to our house.

Cohen is getting to be a big boy. Lately he's discovered "yes" which I'm really enjoying. No more guessing game when he wants something. Now I ask a series of questions until I get a "Yeah yeah yeah" or simple nod, and mystery solved. He understands practically everything. This morning I asked him if he wanted cereal for breakfast, and not only did he nod, he also went over to the cupboard, studied the boxes, pulled out the Cheerios and handed it to me. Every day there's something new. Tonight at dinner he wiped his own face with a napkin. I find it rather amazing that not only does he pay attention to our actions, but he retains it and mimicks it appropriately in perfect detail.

Funny things I don't want to forget about this age:

• He tries putting his socks on by rubbing them on his feet


• He brushes his teeth vigorously and flaps his other arm like a bird


• How he enters a room singing, stomping, or babbling, walks up to someone very non-covertly and says "BOO!"


• He's walking up and down the steps like a big boy (that's not funny but it's a milestone worth noting)


• He can hold a dialogue with us for 10 minutes and a we don't understand a word of what he's saying.


• Hand him a brownie and don't blink... it's gone that fast.


• His stuffed animals' faces are all crusty from his perpetual slimy kisses.


• How tidy he is. He always puts things back and closes the cupboard/drawer. Tonight he put a fork in the dishwasher. By himself! God I pray that quality remains!


• When we won't help him get on the couch, he pushes the coffee table over and climbs up himself.


• How he sings "La La La" when we watch the Elmo DVD.


• He counts in Cohen-speak: "Do, Bah, Tah, Datta, Doe, Bie" etc.


• When he's looking for a cat, he peeks in every doorway and says, No... No...No... Dare! (there)


• Our ritual of feeding the cats in the morning. He gives them 3 treats in a perfect row, then pats them and says bye bye.


• His desire to drink the germiest water he can find. Bath water, a melted snow puddle, the cats' dish, and yes, the toilet.


• How he eats yogurt and applesauce like it's finger food. Pinches it.

He's just a little comedian and is getting sweeter every day. Being his mommy just keeps getting better!

Turn your computer sideways to see this video of Dominic and Cohen sledding.

Finally, see a resemblence?

A few pics of Cohen

Fall odds and ends

Heavens, I haven't updated the blog for weeks. Here's a hodge podge of photos from this fall.

Kraeton came to visit over a 4-day weekend in October.

Believe it or not, this isn't posed.

Our darling, adorable new baby nephew Drew.

First "real" haircut. Think he looks sad? You should have seen mommy.

At daycare, every day during Halloween week had a different theme, including Crazy Hair Day.

The monkey and kitty (our neighbor Ava, and her mom Amy)

Dominic replaced the kitchen faucet while Cohen supervised.

1 year, 1 month and 14 day photos

Here are Cohen's 1-year (and some odd change) photos. We love K and E Productions! We worked with them for his 6-month photos too and once again we couldn't have asked for better creativity, service and patience with our getting-hungrier-by-the-minute guy. Enjoy!

Fun at the Orchard

We went to Center Grove Orchard on Saturday and had a blast. What a great place! Cohen had so much fun looking at the animals, playing in the corn, and riding the tractor. We stocked up on hand-picked apples and scored a perfect pumpkin. It's definitely worth the trip (take exit 102 between Ankeny and Ames and go east for a couple miles).

Up with people

So we had this recliner in our basement that we didn't want anymore. I put an ad on craigslist and asked $15 for it. After a week, it hadn't sold so I made mental plans to bring it to Goodwill. Then I received an inquiry about it, and a lady said she'd come over Friday night to check it out.

She was probably still a teenager and was... just... weird, talking about random stuff and acting nervous. Then she realized she forgot her money. It hit me that she was trying to scam us. Along with a rather inplausable rationale, she offered to take the chair home and "come right back and pay us." Here's what went through my head in the mili-second before I responded: Girl, you must think we're really stupid to fall for this strange story but if you take the chair that means we won't have to go to Goodwill so everyone wins. "Okay" I said. So she left with the chair and Dominic and I felt weird. Kind of like we gave someone permission to take advantage of us. We were glad to be rid of the chair but sad too. This girl became symbolic for the crappy state of the the world. And we didn't like the idea that she was probably laughing at how gullible we are. Anyway, we convinced ourselves to put it behind us and we ate dinner.

Nearly an hour passed... and the doorbell rang. She came back. And paid. When the transaction was completed (we gave her a discount for her honesty), Dominic and I closed the door and gave each other a hug.

The chair has been easily forgotten and I'll never see the girl again, but the whole thing really boosted my spirits and belief that people are good. It was a nice ending to the week.

Cohen at 13 months

The man is a full-time walker now, which I'm pretty sure increased his level of enjoyment of life considerably. It's so much easier to explore with this new mobility and speed. My job just got tougher though... yesterday as I was applying mascara (looking away for no more than 30 seconds), I realized he was missing. I quickly found him in Kraeton's room wrestling with the teddy bear. So far all his adventures have been harmless and injury-free, but this phase definitely requires more preparedness and baby proofing. It's nice though too. I've always felt that holding him close is the greatest thing in the world. Well, walking finger-in-hand is pretty darn wonderful too.

He's having a problem at daycare with a biter. One of his little classmates seems to have singled Cohen out as her favorite biting target. I stopped counting, but I think there have been at least 10 accident reports related to biting since he moved to his new room 2 months ago. The worst one was on his cheek and it looks like it's leaving a scar. What's worse, his 1-year photos were schedule the day of his face bite, so we rescheduled for October. So frustrating! They don't have a policy that offending biters are expelled, so I'm not sure what options we have. I will talk to the director (again).

Anyway, he's loads of fun, more opinionated and confident every day. He doesn't talk much, which I find kind of weird considering he said several words a few months ago. Maybe with all his newfound freedom, it's beneath him to say "woof woof" and "hot"?

Peek a boo around the bathtub door