A Day in the Life of Cohen...

My favorite days are the ones when Mommy wears sweatpants and a ponytail. That's when I know we are staying home and playing all day.

I like to start off my day playing with my Handy Manny tools. They are not noisy like some of my toys... maybe that's why Mommy always suggests those first thing in the morning when she is still waking up.


Then I check out what's in my piggy bank. I mostly just like to dance after I put the coins in.


Sometimes Mommy calls me by my first and middle names -- like when I stand up and rock in my rocking chair.


Next it is time to play with Bailey. She never gets tired of chasing the ball and bringing it back to me when I throw it. We are such big buddies!


When it is warm enough, Mommy takes me outside to swing. I love to swing high and I get the biggest smile on my face when the breeze blows my hair.


Thanks for stopping by my crib!

Yesterday we had a great time visiting with friends. For lunch, Cohen and I met Jackie and her daughter Jenna at Panera. Jenna was also born in Guatemala and is just three days older than Cohen. The two of them were so sweet together holding hands and smiling at each other. Cohen would lean over and act like he was giving Jenna a piece of his bread. As she was about to take it, he would quickly change his mind about sharing. Of course everyone in the restaurant loved seeing the two of them together and both Cohen and Jenna loved all of the attention. I think a few people thought they were twins. I hadn't realized before how much they do look alike. Can you believe I took no pictures during lunch?! Jackie and I said we would definitely plan a playdate soon, so pictures of Cohen and his future prom date will be coming soon!

We were so excited to have Laura Beth and Cory over for dinner last night. Laura Beth and Cory are missionaries in the Dominican Republic and we met them in Antigua while they were in language school. We quickly became good friends with them and were so excited to find out that Cory's parents live about 30 minutes from our house. They are in the States for Christmas and we are so happy they were able to come over for a visit. Of course we took no pictures with them either so I am posting a picture of all of us from this past summer. Notice Cohen's expression... think he was definitely ready to leave the restaurant and take a nap!


I think I've shared Dick Rutger's blog before, but if you don't check it you've got to just read his entries from the week of Christmas. Dick is the missionary we met in Guatemala who took us to several orphanages while we were there. He travels all over Guatemala providing wheelchairs for children and adults with special needs. Many missionaries serving in Guatemala live in gated and very private communities. Dick took us by his house in Chimaltenango and I love that he lives on a typical street in that town. The kids on his street play soccer in his front yard, eat supper at his house most nights, and ride into Antigua on Sundays to go to church with him. Just reading about his experiences makes me miss being in Guatemala.

In a recent post, Dick wrote: "Even though most of the people living in Maria’s area appear to have very little as far as material goods are concerned, we were told that nearly every one of them are Christians. Judging by the songs that they were singing and the smiles on their faces I wonder if perhaps these people are a lot richer than we realize."

Happy New Year!

As I look back through our Christmas pictures this year I realize I didn't take nearly as many as I thought I did. But I did enjoy every minute of having Cohen with us this Christmas! He loved opening presents (whether they were for him or not) and dancing to the Christmas music we played around the house. Probably his favorite part of Christmas this year was the food. Our family loved spoiling him and giving him treats that he usually doesn't get to eat.

Last night was a big night for us... Robby and I went out to dinner with friends and left Cohen with a babysitter for the first time! He has stayed with his grandparents for an hour or two here and there, but this was the first time we actually called a babysitter. We couldn't have asked for better sitters -- my twin cousins Katie and Aubrey came over to our house and Cohen had a great time playing with them.

There was only one moment of panic for me... when my cell phone rang toward the end of dinner. Katie and Aubrey were watching two of our friends' kids along with one of our friends' dog. Much to my relief, they were just calling to ask if it was OK to let the dog out since our yard isn't fenced in. We all laughed that it was Amanda's dog that was giving the girls the most trouble.

We hope you all have a happy new year! We are looking forward to another exciting year in 2008!

Christmas Card Out Takes...

If you haven't received a Christmas card from us yet, no it hasn't been lost in the mail... I still haven't mailed them! At this point, I am hoping that the cards make it to your mailbox by New Year's. I really hope to drop them off at the post office this afternoon, but my list of things to do is getting a bit ridiculous at this point. :)

Besides being busy like everyone else, things are going great. Cohen continues to make us laugh countless times each day. He really enjoys the colder weather -- the other day we got him out of the car at Target just as the wind started picking up. It took his breath away at first and then he just got the biggest smile on his face. Now each time the wind blows he starts laughing and kicking his legs with excitement.

If I don't post any more before Christmas, we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas! Our present arrived early this year and we are so thankful to be able to celebrate Christmas with Cohen this year.

Making Gingerbread Houses

How much do I love getting all the nieces and nephews together to make gingerbread houses! Of course every year we joke that the next year we are going to leave the kids with their dads and just make the gingerbread houses by ourselves, but the truth is that I absolutely love the excitement and noise that the kids bring.

We tried to get the kids to sit by the tree for a group shot. Hmmm...getting eight kids to sit, look at the camera, and smile. Add two crazy dogs to the mix and you begin to understand why our pictures turned out the way they did.

Cohen thought the day was fabulous. We had two tables covered with candy and I put him in his highchair. He immediately began signing "more" which means he is ready to eat! I gave him some bites of a gingerbread cookie (which he loved) and he didn't stop signing "more" until I took him out of the highchair. Usually he sees when the food is all gone and signs "all done," but with the amount of candy we had on the tables, he was never going to be "all done."

Today we went to Robby's parent's house to take a picture for their Christmas cards. Robby's mom had the best idea last year -- to take a picture of all the grandkids sitting in Christmas pajamas as Granddad read them a story. She even planned what the cards would say -- "Hope this Christmas season finds you surrounded by love." We were so touched when she decided to wait until this Christmas to make these Christmas cards so that Cohen could be in the picture too.

On The Move...

Cohen is still as busy as ever. He hasn't gotten the nerve to walk on his own much, but he is still taking a few steps at a time with our encouragement. This past weekend we went to visit my sister and her family. Cohen loved playing with his cousin Ethan's truck filled with blocks -- especially when he realized he could walk behind it!

Today I tried to have a little photo shoot with Cohen, but he wasn't very interested. I think I am definitely going to need Robby's help when we take pictures for our Christmas cards!

I am getting so excited about our first Christmas with Cohen! We always get a real tree, so we will be putting the tree up one day this week. Then it will be time to start wrapping Christmas presents... wonder how long those will stay wrapped with little Gorito cruising around. :) On Saturday, our moms, sisters, and all the nieces and nephews will be coming over to make gingerbread houses. It is always so much fun getting everyone together.

Catching Up...

Seems like we have been running in a million different directions these past few weeks! With this being our first Thanksgiving with Cohen at home, we've had so much to be thankful for. Cohen absolutely loved Thanksgiving -- going from one house to the next eating delicious meals and playing with cousins -- what's not to love?

Yesterday was an exciting day for us -- Cohen took his first steps on his own! We were at my parent's house and my dad was playing with Cohen. Cohen stood on his own for a few seconds and the next thing we knew he was practically running in my direction! Won't be long until he is walking all over the place.


"I think I'll just help Mommy organize the diaper bag..."


Cohen & Daddy warming up for the Dash for Adoption


Cohen waiting for Nana & Granddad to come over


After waiting in the doctor's office for 45 minutes, I broke down and let Cohen play with the germ-infested toys. He loved giving the baby doll a bottle.


Playing with Drew and Nolan on Thanksgiving -- They all looked so sweet playing together I just had to take a picture.


Cohen met his Uncle Tommy who lives in New York for the first time on Thanksgiving. Cohen loved riding on Tommy's shoulders!


So many blessings this year... Cohen is going to be a big brother! Robby and I submitted our application for the El Salvador program on a Friday and the next Monday were surprised to find out that I was expecting! The agency we were planning on using requires that if you become pregnant you have to put your adoption plans on hold until the baby is six months old. We have had losses in the past, so we can't help but be a little nervous this time around, but the doctors are keeping a close watch on this pregnancy (and I am taking daily shots to ensure that my body is able to maintain this pregnancy) and right now we are just praying for a healthy baby.

We hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We are so thankful for each one of you!

I Saw What I Saw

We would like to thank everyone who came out yesterday morning to support us in our Second Annual Dash for Adoption. It was a beautiful day and with your help we were able to raise $725. We have decided to put our next adoption on hold for a while, so the money will be going to our church's adoption fund to help another family this year.

I came across this song and it expresses perfectly how I feel after having spent so much time in Guatemala. We saw such a totally different world and I will never be the same. I can't keep the questions out of my head. Why am I able to sit here comfortably in my home while there are so many throughout our world without a home? How can I say, "There's nothing to eat" when I open a refrigerator and a pantry filled with plenty of food? But mostly importantly, what am I going to do about it? I am going to be meeting with someone at my church this week to discuss the possibility of supporting an orphanage in Guatemala and future mission trips, but I'm not convinced that that is enough...



I saw what I saw...

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday Cohen had the best time at my aunt Maryann's house playing in her leaves. We've never had an easier photo shoot -- he was perfectly happy sitting in one spot just studying the leaves. He pulled them apart, listened to them crunch, and even tasted a few. So much fun!

We didn't go trick or treating since he is still a little young and let's be honest I would be the one eating all of his candy. :) Cohen did get a taste of a Tootsie Roll Pop and thought that was fabulous. He quickly learned where Maryann's stash of candy was and would hold out his hand when we got near it.

It's Almost Time to Dash for Adoption!

Thank you to all who have already mailed in your registration forms for this year's Dash for Adoption. This year's race is almost here! I plan on calling the t-shirt company this afternoon with the final number of shirts and sizes, so if you haven't let me know about a shirt size please call today.

We are so excited about our second annual event! We have some great prizes from some of our favorite stores and restaurants. And I think the shirts are going to be adorable this year. It should be another great day -- we are expecting a range of people from the runners at Georgetown College, new runners just starting out, and of course my favorite -- moms with strollers! If you live nearby, we hope to see you at Briar Hill Park on November 10th!