:: to Daddy ::

Dear Daddy,

Happy Father's Day!

I love you because you wrestle with me, and you play cars with me, and you teach me how to "Jimmer". You are the best Daddy that I could possibly have, and I love everything about you.

You are my hero and I want to be JUST LIKE YOU.

Thank you for teaching me, and loving me, and being my best bud.

I LOVE YOU DADDY!

Love, Cohen

And I, Melissa the Mama, add my DITTO to that all.

Brock is one of a kind.

Cohen could not ask for a better dad.

And I thank him forever for that.

I YOU LOVE, SWEETHEART.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY.

:: Cohen at TWO YEARS OLD ::

{playing with homemade playdough, made by Daddy}

My sweet little boy turns 2 tomorrow.

He is more fun than ever, and blows me away daily with how quick he is learning and catching on to life. Brock and I could not be more pleased with this boy of ours. We have VERY few complaints about him the past two years. Cohen is perfect for us and our little family. He turns our grey skies blue.

FACTS ABOUT COHEN:

• He loves our new ward, especially singing/instrument time in nursery.
• He has a love for music. Catches on to songs very quickly and could sing all day. A few favorites at the moment: Itsy Bitsy Spider, Popcorn Popping, Wheels on the Bus.
• Can count to 10, missing only 1 or 2 numbers at times.
• Knows how to say the alphabet and recognizes most letters when he sees them.
• Loves our new home and has adjusted very well. Whenever something comes up about Grandma's house {which is daily} he says "Gramma's house, too far away". Sad but true.
• Often tells Brock and I "Cute pants!" or he'll rub my face and say "Cute Mama!". This morning when he was eating Breakfast and I was standing in the kitchen he said "Mama, cool shoes!". I laughed out loud. Not sure where he got that one.
• A phrase he uses often "I don't want it." Even if we are asking him to say something or do something he'll still reply sometimes with "I don't want it" instead of "I don't want to". We're working on it.
• Starting to be more and more interested in the potty. Sits and flushes every now and then but hasn't actually gone in the potty.
• HE IS A DADDY'S BOY!! Finally. This is a NEW thing in our house and Brock and I LOVE it. He has always been 100% a Mama's boy and now Dad is the cool one. Cohen is his little shadow, literally, and he wants to do and eat everything Dad does. Which should be helpful when this new baby comes.
• Plays on his own better than ever. His funny imagination just runs wild. He talks to his stuffed animals like they're babies.
• Is very observant when it comes to locations. He recognizes when we are almost home, and when we are almost to "the lawn mower/blower store" {Home Depot}.

• Is becoming quite the tease. He'll hide his toes and ask where they went. Then pull them out and say "I teasing".
• Two new phrases he is saying "I sorry Dad" usually for no reason. Also "What ya doin' Dad?"

Happy Birthday my handsome 2 year old!

Can't wait to see what life has in store for you.

:: On the Border ::

 {Chels . Me . Em}

My sweet Aunt Davita welcomed us to Texas by taking us out to dinner at one of the many popular TEX MEX restaurants, On the Border. YUM. It hit the spot for my tummy, and the company was even better - Chels and Em brought their sweet boyfriends as well. Davita lives in Dallas, only 45 mins from us. I just love her and feel "at home" when I'm with her and her girls.

  {Me & Aunt Davita}

{Davita . Chelsea . Gabe . Me . Brock & Co . Emily . Corbin}

Thank you again Davita!

We are so lucky to have your love and support.

:: our first two weeks ::

 {Daddy & Co trying to cool off with a water fight}

What a different kind of experience the last two weeks have been. I'll start off by saying this post will be a novel full of recent thoughts and feelings, more personal and DEEP than I usually get on the blog.

I would call the last two weeks a major roller coaster ride for our little family. Most days are filled with good and bad news, excitement and disappointments. We keep smiling and remembering we are better off than a lot of people in our situation. With finances being VERY TIGHT at the moment {while we're waiting for our school loan to kick in} there is quite the amount of financial stress in our home - something Brock and I haven't experienced much of. Again, we remind ourselves money is only a SPECK of life, and we are blessed to have the savings we do. Last night as we were eating dinner we just started laughing. Our meal consisted of hot dogs, frozen peas and cold cereal. WOW. YUCK. RANDOM. Key word - CHEAP. As we were laughing, I noticed Brock switched his spoon to his left hand and continued to eat his cereal. I asked him WHY and he replied with a smile "IF I'm going to become a surgeon I have to be good with both hands." 

That created more laughter.

Sometimes you just need to laugh. It's healthy. Sometimes you need to cry, let it all out. It's healthy. We have been doing PLENTY of both the past two weeks, me being the hormonal wife I am these days all the crying has been on my part. Like I mentioned before, we are so blessed and better off than so many people. Even though these past two weeks have been ROUGH to say the least, they have not broken us down completely. We know that this is just a little speed bump in our road, and it too shall pass. To most it may be a very SMALL "hard time", but it always seems large in the moment.

I was reading in the Bible this morning and came across a verse and quote by an apostle that summed up my thoughts and feelings of the past two weeks pretty well...

Psalms 56:4

"In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; 

I will not fear what flesh can do unto me."

A quote by President James E. Faust:

"Remember the Lord has said, "Fear ye not therefore". He knows us, He loves us and He knows our needs. He will comfort us if only we will trust in Him and His goodness and wisdom. There are many things we cannot change. We all have difficulties and disappointments. But often these turn out to be opportunities. The Lord can measure how strong we are by how we handle these difficulties in our lives. As the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith, "Know thou my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."

Comforting.

I don't want to be too mushy or preachy on my "not so personal blog", but I do want to say this quote keeps me positive and helps me look on the bright side of things. TRUST is a strong word, but I believe it to be a great thing. So... that's what I will continue to try my best to do - TRUST.

Everything happens for a reason.

Sometimes the only reason is for us to LEARN.

I am grateful for what I KNOW.

For the love and support I have from my Heavenly Father 

and all the family and friends that surround me on this earth.

:: Stockyards in Fort Worth ::

 Yee Haw! We decided to brave the heat and head to the Fort Worth Stockyards, only about 15 mins from our house. There was a nice breeze, which felt good blowing on our dripping sweat. We enjoyed the stockyards. There's plenty to do at the stockyards, such as historical tours, a petting zoo that was pretty small and closed when we were there, shops and restaurants, and a visitor center, a human maze and the popular HERD RIDE. Being the cheap poor medical students we are, we left there spending NO MONEY which made the day even more enjoyable, if you ask me. We packed our own lunch and a lot of activities and sites are free.

 Not QUITE as long as a longhorn's horn span.

 Here is the ringleader guy who started the HERD RIDE down the main street of the attraction. He would throw his whip every now and then and let out a loud whistle, and every longhorn just followed right behind him. Good thing. Those animals could do some serious damage to a human. They are HUGE.

 A sweet lady in the visitor center gave Co a sheriff's badge and Brock and I Fort Worth pins. Co thought he was pretty cool wearing it, AND showing off his muscles.

 Mr. Cowboy here scared Cohen half to death. I had to go up and knock on him a few times, telling Cohen that he was fake and made of metal. I THINK he understood. Although he still didn't want to be close to him unless I was holding him.

If you ever visit Fort Worth, the Stockyards will be worth a little of your time. There is much more to do, but we just did the basic "cheap" day. Plenty for us.

Side note: The temperature yesterday was 111 degrees in Fort Worth, with a little humidity. Even though I am pregnant and have sweat dripping every place possible most days, I'm not complaining. I'll take HEAT of SNOW any day.

:: a funny story ::

 Saturday night sounded like a great night to go for a walk/wagon ride in our neighborhood. We left our house at about 8:00 pm when it was starting to cool down a little. We didn't make it far due to my HUGE belly. As we got home Brock walked to the front door to let us in and then we realized....LOCKED OUT.
YES we had our house keys with us, but NO we didn't remember that we have a second deadbolt lock on all our doors that only locks and unlocks from the inside, and we also left out of our garage. BUMMER! There was NO way of getting in our house! It's getting dark at this point, and we have nothing but our phones with us. SO I called our property manager to see if she happened to have a second garage door opener, NOPE. SO....we went to our next door neighbors to get some ideas and tools. Breaking a window or door was our LAST resort. After about 2 hours of trying every window and door, and with the help of Brock a few neighbors' clever brains they were able to get a bar and BARELY get through the top of our garage door to pull the emergency string to lift the door. YIKES. Almost 3 hours later we made it in.
Lesson learned.
I can guarantee we won't be locking ourselves out again.
On a positive note, Cohen loved his wagon ride.
Also, our neighbors are amazing. Very giving and willing to help with whatever we are in need of. They were getting us cold water and a chair for me to sit in. So grateful for them all.
One good thing that came from this nightmare was that we were able to get to know our neighbors a little better.

:: BABY BUMP ::

 8 months

I'm ready to be done.
I am uncomfortable most the time.
Still sleeping good once I'm asleep, huge blessing.
This little baby is running out of room! He is kicking all sides of me, and LOVES to kick my hip joints. Stinker.
My due date is July 22 but I'm thinking July 7 sounds like a great date to give birth. Everyone send July 7 thoughts out into the universe and maybe my wish will come true.
Still having Braxton Hicks alot.
My left hip and lower back definitely feels baby boy hitting a nerve most of the day. He better be cute is all I have to say.
Just kidding.
I have it VERY easy being pregnant I feel,
but still...
I'm ready to be DONE.
Any boy name ideas??? 

:: OUR NEW HOME ::

We are here, and we are ALMOST settled.

I forget how hard it is to move and get settled. I DO NOT recommend moving when you're 8 months pregnant and stubborn, and have a 2 year old. All I have to say is my husband is a saint. Brock has been so patient and hard working. He has done everything possible to make this transition good.

Here is a tour that our families requested:

 We LOVE it here so far.

Bring on the heat!
Our yard needs some work, but it will be so fun to have.

This area of town reminds us ALOT of St. George.
Our neighborhood is wonderful, especially our culdisac. None of our close neighbors that we've met our LDS so it looks like we have missionary opportunities ahead of us.  

:: the flight to TEXAS ::

Cohen's 1st flight

 I was dreading this day for quite sometime. Flying with an active 2 year old boy sitting on a 8 month pregnant lady's lap just doesn't sound right. With that said, the flight went fabulous. It did not even phase Cohen in the least bit. I was expecting his ears to hurt, for him to be a little uneasy or scared even, and thought he would want to get down and RUN up and down the aisle the whole 3 hour flight. NOPE. None of the 3 happened. The flight attendants and people sitting around us kept saying "you have an angel in our arms" or "he is a blessing", all in their texan accents.

 We kept busy with PLENTY of snacks and treats, watching CARS {thanks Josh for your dvd player} books, magnadoodle and taking pictures.

 My parents dropped us off at the airport in Vegas, and it was way too fast! We got stuck in traffic due to a wreck, so we had to be dropped off at the curb to make our flight. I wanted to throw up. I was nervous we were going to miss our flight, didn't want to say goodbye, didn't want to cry so Cohen would be ok and not scared. I was almost running behind my umbrella stroller and as we made it to our gate the guy taking tickets saw my face and said "go right on in dear" with a smile as I gave him my pass. The flight was completely full and the only seat left for us was on the second to last row. But we made it through the day and arrived in Fort Worth safely.

What a blessing.

When I saw Brock I just cried. Overwhelmed with excitement to see him and be in our new town, emotionally DRAINED from crying and stressing. WHAT A DAY. I thank my Heavenly Father for helping this day go as smoothly as it did. I saw blessing after blessing and am forever grateful for them.

Cohen's 1st flight = SUCCESS.

:: it's time to say GOODBYE ::

 {Corby, Cohen & Naomi riding in Grandpa's wheelbarrow}

Oh how I hate goodbyes.

What a wonderful experience this month of May has been. We were are so grateful for family that is so loving and generous to let us stay at their house, eat their food, take up all their spare time for a whole month. We will miss everything about ST GEORGE especially our loved ones who live there.

With that said...

Thank you family for loving us so much, for taking such good care of our little family, for teaching our son so many useful lessons and most importantly for making unforgettable memories with us that we will never forget.

We miss you like crazy multiple times a day, and can't 

wait for December to come when we get to come visit for the holidays.

A few moments I don't want to forget about:
-- watching Phil and Lois Hulme leave our family party, holding hands 
and smiling like they are so in love. {they are 85 years old}
-- reality check of how important my family is to me 
and the wonderful support they are to our family's future.
-- how amazing it is to be a parent. Absolutely DRAINING some days, but those days make me stronger. It's incredible to see how much Cohen can take in and learn by example. The pressure is on, but it's a good way of keeping me in line. Thanks Buddy. 

:: happy EARLY birthday party ::

JUNE 1ST

 We decided an "early" party for Co's birthday would be fun and a good opportunity for our friends and family get together.

Brock did the honors once again and made Cohen's cake. I thought baseball cupcakes would go just great with the bat and ball cake. Co loves sports but especially baseball. He swings everything like a baseball bat.

 He thought blowing out his candles was SO COOL that he asked to do it a few times, which he did.

 Dad told him he could dunk his face and have a taste, so he went for it. It didn't last too long due to his phobia of having his hands and face dirty.

 FAMILY & FRIENDS in attendance:

Papa & Nana Kitchen, Josh & Kai, Jade and Tiff, Uncle Matt, Grandma & Grandpa Mathews, Cort, Em & kids, Grandma Sheryl, Aunt Loni & Uncle Terrance, Meg & Aubree Wiest, Lexie & Ty Partridge

The park where the party was held was right across the street from a fire station. We walked over and the fighters showed us how they lift the truck completely off the ground to raise the big crane tower thing up high in the air. The kids were fascinated.

 Co was spoiled with such fun gifts. We thought it was hilarious that his favorite was the $5.00 lawn mower I grabbed for him from Kmart last minute. He would have slept with that thing if I'd let him.

Thanks to everyone who came!

We love you oh so much.

HAPPY "EARLY" BIRTHDAY BUD!

:: st george month is coming to an end ::

 {Co and Aubree Wiest at our swim party @ Lexie's}

This month just FLEW RIGHT BY just as I expected.

It has been wonderful, warm, tiring, stressful at times, well worth it. We are so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends to take such good care of us. We are going to miss all of them more than words can say. 

 {Ty Partridge and Co @ Lexie's swim party}

 {Co and Brightyn Boyer}

My sweet friend Mandy Boyer was in S.G. and was kind enough to stop by and see us. It made our day and felt good to be close to some Provo friends. They are in the process of applying for med school and we are crossing our fingers that they come to TX!

 

:: Happy Birthday Dad ::

May 27th

 Happy Birthday to you Grandpa!

I think Cohen said that exact phrase 100 times this day.

We had a great day, celebrating Grandpa.

He is a man I have always and will always look up to.

I LOVE watching him with his grandkids. You can tell they mean the world to him, and he would do anything for them.

A few words that describe my dad:

POSITIVE :: EASY GOING :: HUMOROUS :: LOVING :: GIVING :: SINCERE

We LOVE you Grandpa!

Hope your 51st year of life treats you wonderful.

I have good feeling about his year. 

:: COHEN ::

23 months

  IN a NUTSHELL....Cohen has been up to:

 -buckling buckles any chance he has

-being outside every waking moment

-playing with cousins and being in HEAVEN

-following cousin Naomi around whenever she's around

-fell down every one of the stairs in my parents house

{nearly gave us all a heart attack, but cried for about 15 secs and ran back upstairs to play with no injuries}

-has been talking like a big boy:

"hey mom!", "Mom, where are you?", "Baby, change you?" {change pretend baby's diaper}, if he bumps into me he'll say "Sorry Mom", says "hold you" when he wants to be picked up to see something above his eye level, talks about moving to "Teck-guess" {Texas}, now when he falls he gets up and says "I Ok", two of his most used phrases are "Oh Darn it!" and "Oh Man!". 
-LOVES to sing songs more than ever. A few favorites {with actions} are: Itsy Bitsy Spider, I am a Child of God, Twinkle Twinkle, Book of Mormon Stories, I am like a Star.

{Playing Grandpa's ukelele and Grandma's guitar}

:: call me crafty ::

 I did a little remodeling to Brock and I's old dresser.

Sanded it down a little, didn't even have to strip it...

 Primed it, and spray painted it...

 Did a little distressing and painted the knobs navy blue.

I was pleased at how it turned out.

It's going to look SO CUTE in Cohen's new room.

Also - I made a FHE BAG from scratch. My sister-in-law Emily gave me this idea for FHE with young ones. You fill this bag with items of all kinds {a boat, apple, little book, cotton ball} and you attach scriptures with each item to read. Then everyone can guess what the item has to do with the scripture.

The little ones LOVE to pull an item out of the bag.