Cohen Turns 3!...Celebrating at Turtle Back Zoo!

Last Saturday Cohen turned 3! It's been an amazing year and I can't believe how old he is getting. I feel like every night Jeff and I sit and tell stories of the funny or cute things he did during the day. He sure brightens up our lives.

A couple of weeks ago Cohen and I were going down in the elevator to go to the park. A women got on and Cohen said, "My name is Cohen and you are a person." This started a conversation between the two of them. Cohen told her how old he was. I told her that he would be three in a couple of weeks. She then asked Cohen what he was getting of this birthday. He looked at her and said very confidently, "A DIGGER." Luckily Grandma came through. Grandma sent me everything I would need to make a "digger" cake. Cohen LOVED it! He has been carrying around the little tractors from the stop of the cake for the past couple days.

Celebrating with Friends at the Turtle Back Zoo!
Once again we did a very low key birthday with the Kalrin Family (Oskar and Ben were born 6 days before Cohen), but this year we went to Turtle Back Zoo! We invited the Klems and Veras. We had a blast! It was cold, but totally fun riding the train and the carousel and seeing all the animals. Beth and the kids made some AMAZING cupcakes!

Highlights from Cohen's 3rd Year!

Top Memories:

• Trip to NYC for Christmas to the Rockefeller Center Tree (2015)

• Grandma, Grandpa and Kari coming to visit for Christmas (2015)
• First time to Turtle Back Zoo (Christmas Lights)

• First time playing in the snow...Thanks Winter Storm Jonas

• Celebrating Grandma Anderson's 60th Birthday in Washington!

• Dyeing Easter eggs for the first time....with Auntie Harmizzle

• Making Sugar Cookies with Grandma Anderson (March 2016)
• Working in the yard with Grandma Anderson and planting onions (March 2016)

• First trip to the Enchanted Forest (March 2016)
• Going to Cousin Chris's wedding in Utah
• Celebrating Grandpa Anderson's retirement in Washington/Oregon
• Trip to Minnesota for Uncle Jons funeral. Visit family and play with cousins.
• The older cousins were playing a game where they would throw a ball and say a number. Whoever caught it would get that many points. Well, Cohen would stand in-front of the person throwing and copy them by throwing something and yelling a number. He still does this at home. :)

• Going to Disney World and on a Cruise with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Kari, Aunt Sharon, Uncle Ben and Cousin Atticus.
• Meeting Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Chip and Dale, Mickey, Minnie, Woody, Buzz, Donald Duck, Daisy, Goofy

• Moving to a toddler bed!
• Moving to NYC. Our broker was named John. We kept telling Coehn we were going to the city to see John when we were looking for apartments. After we found one and I was packing the house, Cohen kept asking about seeing John in the city. Then when we moved into our new apartment, Cohen turned to me and said, "Where's John?"
• He was Peter Pan for Halloween
• Whenever we ask Cohen to do something he shakes his head and says, "No, No, No, No, No" really quickly. (Totally Cute)
• Mixing (he learned this from Daniel the tiger) - Cohen is now into making cake, cookies, pancakes...anything that allows him to mix. 

I can't believe Cohen is 3!

Cohen turns 3 today! He's not my little baby anymore. He's turning into such a big kid and I'm loving watching it happen. My dad and sister gave Cohen this monkey when he was born, so I could take pictures of him with it and we can see how big he's getting.

I made him a cake and had him open presents in the morning and now we are heading down to the Turtle Back Zoo with our good friends the Klarins, Klems, and Veras to celebrate! (Klarin boys turned 3 last weekend!) I will post pictures of the festivities and list of Cohen's stats on Monday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COHEN!

Disney World: Day 1 - Birthday at Epcot!

In September, Dad, Cohen and I headed to Disney World for a week before heading on a Cruise with the rest of the fam. It was HOT! Too hot for my liking, but we still had a good time. Cohen LOVE it! He was so excited to see all the characters. We didn't really do much at Epcot because we flew in that morning and it's not our favorite park. Cohen did enjoy riding the boat over to France :) and grabbing some sweet treats. We then headed back to the Reef Restaurant for my birthday dinner.  It was a nice day and a fun way to spend my birthday.

Birthday Dinner with the Klarins

So, like I said before, we didn't do a birthday party for Cohen this year. Instead we invited the Klarin's over for dinner and had cake. It was so much fun! Cohen always enjoys when the Klarin kids come over to play and Jeff and I love the parents, so it's really a win win for everyone! Jeff made an amazing dinner and Beth brought a delicious ice cream cake that we put some trains on. Totally a great night!

Cohen Turns 2!

Last week my sweet baby boy turned 2! He's not a baby anymore and I'm just not handling it well. I want my baby back! We didn't do a party (basically because I'm a lame mom), but we did get together with some friends that have twin boys that were born 6 days before Cohen. I will post about that later.

On his birthday, we gave him a cake in hopes of having him do a cake smash, but Cohen disappointed once again. He had really no interest in messing around the cake. He only really got into the cake when we handed him a knife and fork. What a total diva!

This was the year of trains! He got so many trains from Grandma and Grandpa Neu and Anderson. He was in heaven!

Highlights from Cohen's 2nd Year!

Top Memories:

• Thanksgiving with Ashley and Eric in NYC 

• Buying a Christmas tree with Grandma, Grandpa and Kari

• First trip to see Santa

• Cohen laughing his head off as Brie barked at the squirrel stuck in the screen door

• Got to meet ALL his cousins! (except Elias)

• Started going to nursery. It was really tough at first (for Daddy), but he's a pro now

• Broke his elbow climbing down the stairs at Aunt Sharon and Uncle Ben's

• Jeff letting Cohen run around naked before his bath and Cohen peeing on the floor

• Went to the Central Park Zoo, Cape May Zoo, and Adventure Aquarium 
• When we saw the bears he growled and when he saw the cow he mooed

• At bedtime Cohen always says, "Scriptures, Prayer, Song." I read scriptures while Jeff gets Cohen ready. Then we say family prayer and then Jeff sings Cohen a song.

• He says, "No" in a very sweet innocent voice.

• He runs and hides in the tent in his toy room when he knows it's time for a nap

• In the morning he wakes up and starts talking to himself.

• Several people have told us that he is one of the chattiest little kids ever!

• When Brother Evenson was giving a talk and was talking about Father, Cohen yelled, "Daddy!" Everyone laughed.

• He was Captain America for Halloween

• Baby Sitters: Alex, Jack, Rachel, Jilyn, Jenny, Kimmy

Favorites

• Foods: Yogurt, Sweet Potatoes, Dark Chocolate, Peas, Corn, Broccoli, Cheese, Chicken, Hot Dogs, Pear, Apple, Melon, Fries

• Words (most used): This, Help, Cookie, Chocolate, Train, No, All Done, Go, Wow, and Oh, Man
• Cohen started saying, "This" because whenever he would point at something, Jeff or I would pick it up and say, "This?" Now, everything to him is "this."

• Toys: Loves anything that rolls: Balls, Trains, Cars, Trucks. He loves playing with brooms and vacuums. He loves it when the cashiers at the grocery store (especially Trader Joes) give him stickers. Loves BUBBLES! His Jeep. He enjoys running the Jeep into different objects...and people!

• TV shows: We just started watching TV, but He seems to really like Thomas and Friends, Sesame Street, and Daniel the Tiger.

• Things to do: 
• Going to the park and going for a walk to play at the playground. He also loved going to the Spray Ground and getting wet.
• Jumping (he generally counts as he does this)
• Walking up and and down inclines (RAMPS!)
• Pushing his stroller
• Cohen likes to climb all over Brie and Brie just takes it. They are best buds
• Wearing sunglasses
• He likes the phone and enjoys talking to Grandma, Grandpa (G-Pa), and Auntie Harmizzle (Higgle). He generally picks up random objects and talks to them like they are a phone 
• Being tickled by Daddy!
• Run! This kid generally doesn't walk anywhere, he runs! It's most defiantly a toddler run/trot with little steps. Thump, Thump, Thump.  He also doesn't corner well...
• Books! Cohen loves having books read to him. Favorites: Bear Snores On, The Zoo Book, and anything with flaps.
• Play outside 

Travels:

• Utah (December) - To visit Grandpa and Grandma Neu and Kerrie and Laurent and Emilie

• Washington/Oregon - Spent Christmas with family and friends. Got to spend some time with Great Grandpa Anderson, Great Grandma Olsen, and Mommies uncles, aunts, and cousins!

• Southern Virginia University - Visit with Russ and Jeanie Tompkins

• Wisconsin - Visit Aunt Sharon and Uncle Ben for Atticus's Baby Blessing

• Atlantic City, NJ - Went with Daddy to his NJ State Bar Annual Meeting

• Utah (August) - Stayed at the Stein Eriksen Lodge with Aunt Sharon, Uncle Ben, and Cousin Atticus.

Things He's Learned:

• How to walk! (January 27th, 2015)

• He can count to 10, sometimes up to 15
• Jeffrey started teaching Cohen this when we were in Utah when we were staying at the Stein Eriksen Lodge. There were several stairs and every time Cohen climbed them Jeff would count each step.

• He knows several animals and what sounds they make.

• He can feed himself with a fork and spoon

• He's gotten very good at holding our hand when we walk somewhere

• Climbing 

Cohen's First Birthday!

Yesterday we celebrated Cohen's first birthday. We celebrated four days late because we were waiting for Kari to arrive. We didn't do a party. Basically we just did a cake smash and opened presents. It took only one present to realize that Cohen HATES the sound of paper ripping. He LOST IT! So, we had to quietly unwrap his presents for him. He loved all his new toys. Thanks Grandpa, Grandma, and Kari!

Cohen didn't really get into the cake smash. Aunt Kari had to help him out a bit. :) He didn't mind the taste of it, but he just wasn't into getting messy. I'm not really surprised since he's a bit of a diva.

Grandma and Grandpa helped me with the the one year photo-shoot on Friday. I have to say it was the best one yet! I think it was because Cohen loved smiling at Grandpa. Oh, and the fact that we were sneaking him treats. :)

I can't believe he is one years old! This year has just gone by so fast! It's been fun watching him grow and learn new things.

Cohen at 1!

Cruising!
Cohen can now get around on his feet! He loves pulling himself up and walking around the coffee table.

Sitting (Down)
Cohen learned to pull himself up to a standing position last month, but couldn't figure out how to get down. It was really annoying for the first week or so because he would pull himself up and then begin to whine or cry because he could 't figure out how to get down. Jeff and I would have to come to his rescue and try to help/teach him how to sit down. Luckily this didn't last long and Cohen figured out how to sit down!

Top Firsts/Memories of Cohen's first year

1. Traveling: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington, California "Disneyland", Washington DC, and Alaska
2. First road trip and first plane ride
3. First restaurant/bar - The Pour House
4. First Christmas and first Thanksgiving
5. Baby Blessing with Family and Friends.
6. First face plant off the couch
7. Three Haircuts!
8. Sleeping through the night and then not sleeping through the night and then sleeping through the night again
9. Rolling - His preferred mode of transportation for several months. He would roll and push off the walls
10. Figuring out how to crawl 
11. Flirting with all the ladies at the grocery store
12. First cold
13. Laughing whenever he starts crawling into a place he knows he's not suppose to go and mom and dad start chasing him
14. First baby sitter (Kimmy)
15. First pinched fingers in the door
16. First sporting event - Rutger Football game!
17. First trip to NYC!
18. First train ride (Disneyland and in Alaska)
19. First ride - Jungle cruise at Disneyland
20. Met two Great Grandparents - Great Grandma O and Great Grandpa A
21. His first sweat treat - Wendy's Frosty (Daddy got in trouble for that one)
22. Participated in the Apple Cider Donut Crusades of 2014

Happy Birthday Mom!

I hope you have the best birthday ever! I can't wait to see you in a couple of months. I know Cohen is super excited too!

How Old Are You?

You may be one old Chimp, but you're sure a good-looking one! Hope you have a wonderful birthday and don't get into too much trouble! Oh, and I hope you make it down to Disneyland this year :)

I'll take you to a show in May. Maybe we will go see Matilda. Wouldn't that be perfect! Taking an old poop like you to a kids show!

Two Months Old!

Guess who's two months old (as of yesterday)! Cohen! I can't believe it's only been two months :) Jeff says he feels like we just brought him home. I feel like we have had him forever! I'm a terrible mom!

Cohen at 2 Months
12lb 10oz
23in

Smiling

Just call him Mr. Smiles. I didn't really get a good picture of his smile. He seems to know that I'm preparing for a picture and then stops smiling when I pull out my camera. He's just like his dad. Cohen smiles the most in the morning. I love walking into his room and seeing him just smiling up at me.

Sucking on his fist

Cohen recently started sucking on his fist. At first I thought it was a sign he was hungry, but then he started sucking on it right after he eats. I don't know why he does it, but he sure loves it...and drools all over himself

Sleeping/Grunting

Cohen now sleeps 8 hours at night! Yay for a decent night sleep! However, he does wake up at 4 am or 5 am and grunts. He doesn't really wake up, he just lays there and waves his arms and legs and grunts. From what I read it's normal. Jeff use to get up and feed him, but after a few times we discovered he wasn't hungry he just grunts. He only does it for about an hour and then he falls back into a deep sleep. Due to the grunting, we have moved Cohen into his room to sleep. This makes me really sad, but Jeff couldn't handle the grunting and kicked him out. 

Watching

Cohen is totally enamored by all the colors in his room. He catches his eye on something and just stares. He loves watching the mobile in his crib. He sits there and laughs and smiles as it goes round and round. Jeff likes to lean over the crib and the two of them make faces at each other.

Cooing
A couple of weeks ago Cohen started chatting it up. He makes all sorts of noises and generally does it when he's smiling at us. I love hearing him!

Mutual: March Birthday Party

This is long overdue. I've been very busy as of late.

In March the Young Women celebrated all their birthdays with a big birthday party! I wasn't able to go, but it sure looks like they had a good time.

Below are pictures from Alleen. I wish I could take credit for them, because they are sooooo cute, but I can't :( She's the one with the skills.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy 59th Dad!

Your 50's have been full of some wild good times and I'm glad that I could be part of some of them.

Bike trips down the West coast and up the East Coast

Several trips to New York and New Jersey

Yankee Games! (New and Old Stadium)

Too many Broadway shows then I can count

A trip to Maine and Massachusetts

Several trips to Disney (Land and World)

A couple backpacking trips

Chilled with the Amish

Crossed the Atlantic Ocean to visit London and Paris

and many more adventures!

The real question is what adventures will fill the last year of your fantastic 50's!

Whatever it is....I hope I can be there!

Birthday Brunch at Gracie's

We had Kari's Birthday Brunch at Gracie's. I just LOVE brunch! I had the eggs benedict and it was really really good! I actually had eggs benedict agin the next day at Norma's (favorite brunch place in NYC) and I will have to admit Graci'es is better! I can't can't believe I said that! I really hope I get to go back again someday :)

I then took some pictures of the streets around the hotel before heading to my parents house. It was just so beautiful with the leaves changing color. Portland is really charming.

Afternoon Tea at the Heathman

Kari and I went out for afternoon tea after our facials. I just love afternoon tea! We went to the Heathman Hotel which was only a couple blocks from our hotel. While it wasn't as good as the Palm Court at the Langham in London (not surprising...It's LONDON!), it was a really nice treat and Kari's first time having afternoon tea.

Pinkies up!

Birthday Breakfast at Voodoo Doughnut!

On Saturday, Kari and I got up and went to Voodoo Doughnut for breakfast before getting facials at the Aveda Institute.

These doughnuts are out of control! There were so many choices and we couldn't decide, so we had them give us the Voodoo dozen where they just throw in 12 random doughnuts. I will admit that these doughnuts were a little sweet for my taste, but the were still really good! I so want to go back and get more when I visit for Christmas.

Kari's Birthday Dinner at the Rheinlander

My parents took Kari to the Rheinlander for her birthday dinner the Friday before her birthday. What Kari didn't know was that I would be there too! She was so surprised!

The Rheinlander is kind of an Anderson family tradition. My parents have celebrated many a anniversaries there and I celebrated my 21st birthday there.

They have a man walking around playing the accordion....awesome! When it's your birthday they give you a "Birthday Strudel" and sing to you while feeding you. Classic!

I then surprised Kari by taking her back to her decorated hotel room! Once again, she was surprised :) We then went and saw Breaking Dawn Part 2. All in all it was a good night.

A Trip To Washington.....Happy Birthday Kari

This is totally late, but that seems to be my mo these days :)

A couple of weekends ago I flew home to Washington to surprise my sister, Kari, for her birthday! Mom and I had planned this for a several months and were just so excited! The plan was for Kari and I to spend the weekend in Downtown Portland in a nice hotel and live it up! And live it up we did! I'll follow up with some of our adventures later :)

The pictures below are of the hotel and the room that Mom and I decorated for the festivities.

The Perfect Day!

Saturday was the perfect day! We slept in and then went to brunch at Sarabeth's with Ashley. I had Almond‑Crusted French Toast with Cranberry‑Cherry Sauce and fell in love with Sarabeth's all over again.


We then caught the matinee showing of Bye Bye Birdie. What did I think? I will let you know about that later. I will say I heart John Stamos!


Then the fam took me to Tavern on the Green for dinner. I have wanted to go to Tavern on the Green since moving to the city, so I was super excited when they told me that's where we were going. The food was amazing! The fam also ordered me a cake! The only downer on the evening was that Mom wasn't there.