Table for five...we'll need two high chairs (GULP)

So, we got some exciting news last week. We are expecting another baby! When it rains, it pours. Eight years of infertility have come to a screeching halt, as we will have two children, two and under! WOW! Granted, Phillip will be two years and nine months old when the baby is born...but still, two is two :) We are really excited about it! Olivia is hoping, praying, bargaining, begging for a girl! Mike would prefer a boy. As a mother, I am supposed to say that I don't care, but honestly, I would like another girl :) Tune in later (probably six months later, knowing me), for more details!

Anti-Vacation

So, my parents are on vacation. For most 32 year olds, this does not affect their life in any way. Maybe they have to stop by the house and pick up mail or water a plant, but otherwise, not biggie. If you work for your parents, it's a biggie. An anti-vacation, if you will. I am doing all three of our jobs this week. Which means working from 7:30 a.m.-5:30/6 p.m. For six days. I am tired. A crazy, bone deep tired.

My children are missing me. Normally in the summer, Olivia comes to work with me. Phillip comes to work with me year round. However, I knew I couldn't swing it this week. There is no way to be this busy and play with/watch the kids. So, Monday Olivia went to the lake with my friend Kim and her daugher and neices and Phillip stayed with my grandparents. Tuesday, both kids stayed at home with Mike. Today, tomorrow, and Friday they will be at our churches day care. My good friend is the director of the day care and she is letting them stay this week.

I am so glad I don't have to leave Phillip every day. Olivia went to day care when she was his age and did fine. He is not going to do fine. He is a mama's boy. He will behave for them, he's not a cryer, but he will be sad. When I left, he was sitting in a high chair, about to eat his breakfast. He just looked at me, with his lip quivering and blinked those big blue eyes. Yeah, so glad I don't have to do that everyday.

The good news is that Mom & Dad are having a great time in Cancun and they needed a break. I will need one by the time they are home :) Only four more days...

DAY OF BLOG SILENCE FOR COHEN

I'm Back...

Wow, I really suck at blogging! Well, a lot has happened in the last six months. The kids are both growing like weeds…especially their feet. I think both of them may have to special order shoes by the time they are adults! Phillip is a full fledged toddler. He runs, plays, talks, and absorbs everything like a little sponge! He is learning to identify his colors right now, and it’s quite adorable. Wellow (yellow) is his favorite. Whenever he has crayons, he immediately takes out the wellow and hides it.

Olivia is excited about starting 5th grade! How did this happen, she was just a baby! She just went to camp for the first time last week. She had a blast. When I picked her up, she said “Mom, I don’t want to hurt your feelings…but I didn’t miss you one bit!” Ha! Poor mom, she’s just not cool anymore. She is planning on spending a week with her grandparents in Louisiana before school starts. Maybe she will miss me then. She is almost 5’ feet tall and beautiful, if I do say so myself!

Mike and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary in April and our 14 year “date-iversary” in June. In April, he and I went to Florida for a week. It was bliss. We slept late, went wherever we wanted, laid around on the beach, and ate like pigs. It was so much fun! I went deep sea fishing for the first time ever! It was a blast.

Well, I would like to say that I will be back soon, but you never know. Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Olivia getting ready to leave for camp

Phillip on Easter. He bit through his top lip three days earlier :(

Mike & I deep sea fishing!

TIRED

Mike's parents arrived from Louisiana today. They are staying with us through Christmas. Everyone was super excited to see Nana and Grandpa. Phillip was a little hesitant at first, but warmed up and performed the rest of the evening! Olivia gave them a piano concert and had some bedtime snuggle time with Nana.

I'm very thankful that my kids have grandparents that love them! My kids are the only grandchildren on both sides of the family. That spells S-P-O-I-L-E-D! Phillip sees my parents everyday, Olivia sees them a few times a week. We don't get to see Mike's family as much, but the kids love them just as much!

Mike's parents have already bought the kids' Christmas presents. Olivia got a new quilt, sheets, shams, throw pillow, curtains, and bed skirt. It's super cute, I can't wait for her to see it! Phillip got a GIANT toy box, which I am sure will be full by Christmas day.

We bought Phillip a toddler bed today. He LOVES it! He went to bed right away in it and fell fast asleep. Too good to be true, right? If you said yes, you are correct. He woke up 45 minutes later, crying hysterically. He then tried to climb into my bed. I found him hanging onto the sheet sobbing. He fell right back asleep though, so I'm optimistic that it's going to work out.

I am really bad about letting him sleep with us when he wakes up at night. I did the same with Olivia and she was almost 5 when she finally quit crawling into our bed at night. Occasionally, she still has relapses. The night we brought Phillip home from the hospital was one of them. Coincidence? I don't think so!

I am exhausted and about to turn in. If Phillip gets in my bed, I guess I can sleep in his :)

Pictures from the Parade

This girl LOVES coffee, thanks to her Aunt Bethany!

Snug in the stroller...for now...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Ah, the Christmas spirit is flowing freely in the Bell household. Tonight, we took the kids to the Christmas parade in "town". We live in a tiny little suburb, so the next city over is considered "town". It's still a relatively small city, but it's a lot bigger that the tiny hamlet we live in.

We had a delicious (seriously) dinner at Subway and then headed downtown for the parade. We were early so we stopped in a local coffee shop on the town square for hot chocolate (for me) and coffee for Mike & Olivia. Olivia, of course, got decaf. She loves the taste of coffee, too funny.

The kids both loved the parade. I had Phillip swaddled in blankets in his stroller, but that didn't last for long. He wanted to stand beside us and wave at the floats. He refused to keep his mittens on, so I'm sure we looked like very negligent parents.

Phillp is really coming out of his shell. He loves to wave and say "hi" to everyone he sees. He is developing a great vocabulary, this morning he told his sister to "hush".

Speaking of sister, I am really having a hard time with her. I guess it's just growing pains, but it seems like every conversation we have ends with yelling and tears (on her end). She is very emotional and quick tempered right now, I have a feeling that puberty is right around the corner. I just keep loving her and hoping that we wind up with a functional mother/daughter relationship when it's all said and done.

My in-laws will be here Wednesday. They are staying until after Christmas. This is the first time in 10 years of marriage and 14 years of togetherness that they have been here at Christmas. Mike is super excited. I am a little worried. I love them and all, but I am just nervous about having to adjust all my traditions. That's what marriage is, I guess.

They did get the kids some great presents. My MIL is super about that. She just calls me up and tells me to order them what they want and she will pay for it. Olivia has a whole new bedroom collection coming, a new quilt, curtains, sheets, bedskirt, etc. Phillip is getting a big toybox.

Mike's parents are getting older, they are 72 & 77. His father has Parkinson's disease. I know my kids won't have them around forever, so we are going to cherish this Christmas.

That's all for now, I got all of 3 hours of sleep last night, so I think I'm going to crash!