Casa Time!

Lindsay, me, Bridget, Shea, Kristen and Crystal

Last night, us gals got together for our 4th Girls' Dinner and Chat. As expected, we had a great time enjoying some good food from Taco Casa and some great laughs. I may add that I got the same thing that I would always get and prepared by the same guy (with a little bit of grey hair) 13 years ago. Kristen brought some old pictures as far back as middle school and it was hilarious looking at some of our old classmates. This group of girls are such wonderful ladies and a pleasure to hang out with. I am glad that we have continued to get together and hopefully we always will.

A Day with My "Cool Dude"

Since I had the day off with my little man and it was going to be a pretty day, we decided to get out and enjoy it. First, we needed to go shopping for a new pair of tennis shoes for Cohen. What appears to be little feet, they sure are growing really fast. After a few more stops, we headed home to enjoy some lunch and play time outside. Cohen loves it outside and would stay out there all the time if we let him. The only downfall about hanging outside is that Cohen's attention goes straight for the road. You definitely get exercise when you are outside with him.

Lil' Mr. Gibson, Where are you going?

Since we couldn't find the big ball, I manage to locate a smaller one inside. Cohen would get tickled after I would kick it and he would chase after it. The sleepy signs started to show, so we headed inside to settle down for a nap.

This is what I found after I had been in the kitchen cleaning up from lunch. I knew he was making noise with all toys but had no idea that he had actually climbed in.

"My little Jack-in-a-box"

Childless week cut short...

...and that was O.K. with me. The previous post I had mentioned that Cohen was going to be gone all week, well things changed and he came home Wednesday night. And the reason why was not because a mommy was missing her little man (which I wish that was case in this situation) but my mom became sick and was running out of energy to tend to a toddler. Have one those? Then you might could understand. With that being said and having both GG and Pops still out of town, I was trying to figure out what to do with Cohen on Thursday. Friday would be clear since GG would be back in town late Thursday night. I have officially decided that in the future, we need to have an emergency contact if this was to occur again. But fortunately, I work for a place that doesn't frown on these kind of things and I decided to take the day off.

~~~

Now, let me back up to Wednesday. Since I was still at work and would not have time afterwards, I had Charlie go pick Cohen up from my parents. I knew that I was going to miss them getting home since I had my Life Group class that evening. Which by the way, IS AWESOME! Not only have I had the chance to meet some wonderful people but in our lesson that night, I can tell that it is going to be wonderful and I look forward to this good change God is bringing. With all the laughter and fun I was having, I didn't realize that it was already 9 o'clock. I better get home even though I knew Cohen would already be asleep. A part of me was hoping that he wasn't since I hadn't seen him since Sunday but had already prepared myself to wait until morning. As I was trying to come inside very quietly, Charlie informed me not to worry about it because that little boy was wide awake. As soon as he saw me, he got down and ran to me. Gave me the biggest hug ever. Hug after hug after hug and with some kisses in there too. We just sat in the middle of the floor having a mommy and son time. Oh, how I missed him and I could tell without a shadow of doubt, that my little man missed me too.

Bye Bye Baby...

...Bye Bye Baby, we hate to see you go. This is a little song that GG taught Cohen and he sings it all the time. However, mommy was singing it last night as we packed up Cohen to go stay with Grandma and Papa for FIVE DAYS AND FIVE NIGHTS.

As GG enjoys some girl time at the beach and Pops visits Papa Gibson in Georgia, my parents are taking on the challenge of keeping him all week. It is about a 30 minute drive and though they don't live too far, we felt it would be easier on Grandma and not to mention, saving the gas, for him to just stay with them. It started off with getting him this morning and keeping until Thursday night. But I already have plans Thursday evening, so I said just keep him until Friday. Then to save on mom having to get up so early this morning and since she was already going to be in the Greer area Sunday evening, we decided to send him on his way then.

The longest he has been gone is about 3 nights, so two more days can't be that bad. He was 2 1/2 months when I left him a few hours and that was with his Daddy and Uncle Clint. Then, he was about 3 1/2 months when he spent the night away with my mom for the first time. The earlier months was a very hard time for this mommy but as I was growing into this motherhood thing, it got easier and easier. Now, Cohen stays with GG and Pops on Tuesday nights and we try to, once a month, send Cohen off for a weekend to have mommy and daddy time. I am a true believer that a married couple needs to take time for themselves and have date nights often. "A happy marriage makes a happy family."

So what am I going to do all week? Since I already have Life Group class on Wednesday and my monthly girls dinner on Thursday, that only leaves me with tonight and tomorrow night. I am sure that this week will go by fast, hopefully. We plan to take care of some house duties and enjoy this alone and quiet time.

Preschool Ready!

As most you know, Charlie and I were truly blessed to have the opportunity to leave Cohen with my In-loves instead of placing him in a daycare. There are no words to express of how thankful we are for this. And we know that it gives much joy to them as it does for us. I am thankful everyday that God has placed me into the Gibson family and be able to have the close relationship with them as I do.

Although he is in some of the best hands in the world, we feel like he also needs to have some kid interaction before sending off to kindergarten. After narrowing it down to three and battling with which one to send him too, we have finally made a decision on which one to place him in this September. Being one of the first of many decisions that we will have to make for Cohen, I had a hard time deciding. All three had good reputations and very convenient to get to. With decision made, I feel good about and believe he is being placed in another set of good hands.

He will be attending a Two year old class, two days week from 9:00 to 2:00. We truly believe he is going to love it. For a kid that isn't around other kids that often, he seems to play very well. In our church nursery, we were informed that our little boy is a flirt and wanted to hold a little girl's hand during snack time. Even though it is cute and adorable now, I hope that this will not be a big distraction for him in the future and he will be able to keep his mind on school, LOL.

But we are excited, so excited this mommy couldn't wait until later this year to purchase his preschool backpack. But it has worked out, because I now use it instead of a diaper bag. And Cohen loves to books into it.

Butter, are you serious?

You never know what your little boy will get into. Last night, we were over at my in-loves to enjoy another one of GG's delicious meals. As we were waiting, Cohen wandered into the kitchen, ready to eat. He proceeded to climb into a chair and play with whatever his little cute hands could reach. Thinking that all he was messing with was the plates and silverware, I decided I better check on him and this is what I found. "Eating butter". Those butter hands seemed to touch everything in sight. Luckily he was so into it, I had time to get the camera and catch a few shots.

I am not too surprised though. Cohen loves to get into everything. We are constantly fighting with him to stay out of Bogey's food and water bowls and one time, I was sitting on the couch reading and Cohen was playing. When he walked up to me, I noticed he was chewing and had something in his hand. To find out, this little booger got into the trash can and pulled out left over toast from that morning. Can I say Gross! I am learning that "Boys will be boys".......And it is so much fun!!!

Lovin February!

It is so hard to believe that we just started the month of February. I feel like it just turned January 1st. But time does go by faster these days, especially having a child involved. I get excited about this month and it is sad to say, it isn't because of Valentines day. Charlie and I have never been big on celebrating this day. I don't care to receive chocolate candy, I can buy it anytime nor do I care for flowers. I mean, the flowers are beautiful and a very sweet gesture but they are going to die. I would rather receive flowers on a day that is totally unexpected anyway. If I was going to receive a gift, my preference would be something from him that I will be able to keep and remember that certain Valentines day. We all have our likes and dislikes. Who needs just a day to celebrate your love for one another, we should be expressing that love every day!

So what is it that I love about this month? Well, it is TAX TIME. Pathetic, I know. But I just cant wait to gather all the necessary documents, which by the way, Charlie's past employer did not have his W-2 post marked by the 31st, but we will not fuss too much, we got it yesterday. Then, I set up a time with my favorite tax advisor in the world, My Aunt Donna!

"If you need or looking for a tax advisor, let me know and I will be glad to pass along your information to Donna"

I love getting that call from her and letting us know how much we will be getting back. We have never had to pay so I hope we continue to keep it that way. It was great when we got to itemize, and then came the extra deduction a.k.a Cohen. This year, whatever the amount is we are putting straight into savings, Never know what will come up in the future!

A little flashback to February 2008, when our little boy stayed put in one spot. Oh, how he has changed!