A Little Help From My Friends

They are always there for you at just the right time.

We had such a great time (without kids) talking, laughing, and EATING!

Happy Birthday Princess Amy!

(The only thing better would be if Tracye were here too!)

Hop, Skip, and a Jump!

Logan tried really hard to hopscotch. It turned into galloping.

Look quick, my memory card was full, and I didn't have much time for video.

Now I Know My ABCs.

Memorial Weekend 2008....What a Difference a Year Makes!

Memorial Day 2007 was history we did not want to repeat. We managed to ski part of Friday afternoon that year before Papa's boat caught on fire (I had to swim to shore), and the rain came and flooded the river for the rest of the weekend.

This year was so much better, aside from being pregnant and not being able to ski! We had beautiful sunshine, beautiful weather, and beautiful family and friends to share it with!

Some highlights: Noah rode on daddy's back while he skied. He rode in the tube with his cousin Eric and loved it. I think his favorite part was jumping off the dock and swimming back to Papa's boat to climb out. He also helped Grandma reel in a catfish, which he said was a cookie cutter shark! Just as I thought, Logan really wanted nothing to do with the water. He rode with me on "Papa boat" while "daddy geee (ski)." Then he sat on the edge of the water and threw rocks.

Here are a few pictures that I took. Of course Chey took some fabulous ones, and as soon as I get ahold of them, I will post them, too.

This has to be one of my most favorite places on earth.....

So I Don't Forget.....

This afternoon I was changing Logan's diaper. Noah went and got his step-stool so he could "help." He got up close to Logan and said, "I love you, Logan." Logan said, "I love you too, Noah." (in his Logan-speak, of course) Melted mommy's heart!

Splash Day Videos

Splash Day!

Today was Splash Day at Noah's school.

This kid LOVES the water!

Brothers

I still don't get how people can tell me these two look so much alike! Noah is a total Cothern right down to the blue eyes and fair complexion. Logan is a total Brehm. They have the same nose, they laugh the same, and they both came out of me. I think that's where the similarities end!

He Finally Clued In

Waiting for a table at Chili's today. Noah sitting next to mommy on a bench:

Noah: (rubbing mommy's tummy) Mommy, are you going to have another baby?
Mommy: Yes, I am. Is that ok?
Noah: Yeah, it's ok. What is it?
Mommy: We'll have to find out. What do you think it is?
Noah: It's a girl baby.
Mommy: Would you like to have a baby sister?
Noah: No, I don't want anymore.

One More Picture....

Or 2. Just because I can, and I can't stand it. He's just too stinking cute!

21 Months Already!

Today Logan is 21 months old. That can't be right!

Some things that stand out at 21 months:

Favorite Food: "mac-noni, cheese"

Favorite Song: "appy, noah" (Happy and You Know It), "A,B,Ceeees"

Favorite Books: It's a toss up between the airplane book that goes "whoosh,"

"Smiley yark" (Smiley Shark), and Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.

Favorite Game: "ungee eeeepo" (Hungry Hippos)

Favorite Sports: baseball and golf

He's playing more and more with Thomas and Friends. (We will get to go for a ride on Thomas when we go to Durango in June.)

He's loving "Dadeeee" more and more, and gets really excited when he gets home.

He's very independent and plays well by himself. He counts to 10, followed by "bast off." He goes potty on the big potty every night before bath. He still loves to do puzzles over and over and over again. He can't wait until he's big enough to play the Wii. He's already practicing in the "air." His vocabulary grows by leaps and bounds each day.

And he thinks Big Brother Noah hung the moon. He wants to do anything that Noah is doing, and usually does.

Flash Forward

Tonight we went to Marble Slab for a much needed ice cream fix. I had a waffle cone with chocolate and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. As I was sitting at the table watching my 2 beautiful boys eating chocolate with m&m's, I glance at another table. Mom, dad and three boys (probably 10, 8, and 6). I looked at Matt and asked if he was having a "flash forward" like I was. I'm doomed. Will the Brehm curse live on?

Chandler Kay Battles

Big Brother Hayden looks pretty proud.

Welcome to the world, baby Chandler.

Comfort Food

Tonight I made one of my favorites: macaroni and tomatoes. My Grandpa always made it for us when we would visit. Mine aren't nearly as good as his, but, it brought back so many happy memories. The only thing missing was the side of GREENS! I can't make those like Grandpa. I won't even attempt it. Nothing like comfort food to take away the nausea for a little while.

Update: Baby Number 3

I had a 12 week visit today. Yes, I'm finally 12 weeks. The weeks have finally caught up to the size of the stomach! :) She found the heartbeat after some uterus shifting, and it was 152. My blood pressure was 110/70. For those of you who know the bp mess I went through prior to this pregnancy, that is very good news. The best part of all is that I only gained 2 pounds in the last 5 weeks! Hallelujah! It feels like a whole lot more, and I'm glad it's not. Aside from the 24/7 nausea, everything is great! I go back in 4 weeks. We should be able to schedule the sonogram for the next visit after that. It will be sometime in that first week of July. Maybe I'll be able to set off some "girlie" fireworks. Ha ha.

Speaking of girls, my cousin Amber had one this afternoon. Chandler Kay Battles made her debut around 1:30pm. She's a petite little thing, weighing in at 6 lbs. I'll post a picture as soon as I get one. My mom says she looks like Amber. Big brother, Hayden, is a mini me of daddy. I'm hoping to head to the hospital for a visit tomorrow. Could this be the year of the girl? First Claire, then Chandler? I'll know at the beginning of July, but we will have to wait to see what Jim and Chey are blessed with at the end of July or early August. Think Pink!!!!

Mother's Day Birdhouses

Hard at work. This was just before Logan decided to taste the yellow paint!

The finished houses. The boys were so proud of their hard work. And Grandma and Grammy loved them!

Brenham Fun

Meeting our new cousin Claire for the first time.

Teaching Grandpa how to dodge a punch when boxing!

Building tall towers with Grammy.

The new rocket blaster sprinkler from Conner.

Logan would only watch.

Claire Margaret Cothern

This is Claire, Noah and Logan's new cousin. She was born on April 8, 2008. We got to meet her for the first time in Brenham this past weekend. She is one month old, and almost weighs 7 pounds now. She is a sweet little girl, and I enjoyed every minute that I got to hold her!

Over 290 And Through The Countryside.....

To Grammy's house we go! What fun we will have with all of Matt's family together. A list of activities includes: washers, speedbird, basketball, swinging, sliding, riding the tractor, ping pong, golf, football, baseball, tether ball, cards, dominos, the toybox, Wii, and eating! How will we have time for it all. The boys are going to get to meet their new cousin Claire. She was 1 month old yesterday. I can't wait to post a picture of the three of them on here. Stay tuned. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers. You are all very much loved.

Shall Wii Box?

"Let's Go Round In Circles"

Dancing with Dad.

Super Secret Project

So I had an idea for a super secret Mother's Day project for Grammy and Grandma. Yesterday we went to Hobby Lobby and gathered all of our supplies. After lunch today, we tackled the project. It was one of those that was going to go really well, or fail miserably with me pulling all my hair out by the time it was done. Thankfully the former happened, and we had a fun afternoon. Everything was great....that is, until Grammy called. Noah is not very good at keeping secrets. The first words out of his mouth: "Grammy we made you a ......." I'm not telling it here because Grandma reads the blog, and she wants to be surprised. I'll post pictures later. We are off to Brenham on Friday to spend the weekend with the In-Laws. Rob, Julie and new baby Claire are supposed to be there too. I think I'll spend the weekend finding out what it feels like to hold, cuddle, snuggle, and love on a baby GIRL! :)

Potty Time!

Every night before bath, Logan has been going potty just like big brother. Today he went on his own! He ran into the bathroom after me saying "potty." I took his diaper off, he sat on the little potty, and TA DA! Potty Success! We put it in the big potty, he flushed and ran out naked saying, "Yay," and "fushhhh." Maybe a 3rd boy wouldn't be so bad if they potty train themselves by age 2!

This is where we go next.

We had our own personal tour guide at Sea World. I missed the first photo op, and luckily Noah showed Lauren again when I asked him to, so I was able to catch this priceless picture. Noah loves to look at the maps from Sea World and the Zoo. He makes sure to let us know what we missed at the last visit. Don't worry, we'll be back!

Finally.....The "I Love You" I've Been Waiting For

Tonight after bath, Logan was on my lap as I was drying him off. I said, "I love you Logan." He replied, "I uv oo, too, Mommy." There are no other words more precious than that!

Yippee! My First Blog!

So bear with me. I'm new to this, but after reading blogs of friends for a while now, I decided it was time to start one of my own. The purpose is mainly to keep family and friends updated with the happenings of the Cothern family in Austin. It's not always easy to find time to make a phone call to report new things. It's easier to sit down at the computer at 11:00pm and add it to the blog. (Unless you don't mind the 11pm phone call!) Hopefully the blog will get more interesting as I get better, but here's to the start.