January 2018

When the new year started, the kiddos were still on winter break, and we were still spending lots of extra quality time together. Good thing we were full of smiles and giggles (on camera).

rare but sweet moments when Maggie lets a kiddo snuggle close

Who doesn't love baby giggles?!

hippo helps

siblings (try to) help

Good morning, party people!

The following pictures are themed "Naptime." First, the 5-year-old who no longer takes naps but chooses quiet toys to play with instead. Then, the 3-year-old who decorated his pillow with stickers before nap (most of which are under his head). Then, the 10-month-old who sometimes chooses to poop instead of nap:

When the baby doesn't sleep in his crib,

he may be a little tired.

I fought the baby, and I won...

Although, I think we see who the true winner is here...

As Nana and Zayde's megahouse continues its building process in Driftwood, we've been enjoying their visits to Texas to check its progress. (Disclaimer: Spencer actually likes Zayde.)

Spencer continues to bloom and blossom. Next month, before we know it, is big man's 1st birthday somehow! He loves standing, cruising, and pushing any object to walk (including holding our hands) but hasn't quite figured out how to take steps independently. He is milking his stranger and separation anxiety and enjoys flipping from happy to screaming upon seconds of me leaving the room.

caught!

helping Daddy with the chores

happy for now

"I go where I want."

Guess we should look for those straps.

We discovered that throwing just about any random object in the air is just about the funniest thing. Ever.

loving Daddy

Sometimes it's just too challenging to pick the *right* book to read.

Spencer's fine motor control saw improvement this month as he started deliberately putting balls in toys with a purpose (in addition to other new playtime fun).

And then this happened on January 24, yikes. One more month...

Big siblings Gabi and Ethan, while far from perfect people, truly love their baby brother, enjoy making him happy, and treat him like a real human with thoughts, wants, and feelings. It is a lot of fun to watch.

Potty Peekaboo

rough and tumble but slightly gentle

And Spencer just wants to be a part of what the rest of the gang is doing.

a normal day in the Cohen casa

They know he has feelings; they only sometimes care?

you snooze, you lose

More brotherly love:

Part 1

Part 2

sweet sweet boys

Baby Shayna turned 3 months (!) in January, and the Cohen kiddos are still trying to figure her out.

Obviously Uncle Craig needed help getting her to sleep.

Spencer's trying to figure out his game plan.

#twinsies #unclecraigpride

Playing at the mall one morning, these 2 got brave with their climbing:


These 2 get along so well MOST of the time!


My Ethan:

chicken whisperer

watching 4-year-old Daddy on guitar

rarely a dull moment

I have no explanation.

pajamas optional apparently

BUT she does look mighty cute and cozy in these new pajamas from Grandma and Grandpa.

Aaaand scene.

Half a Decade

Gorgeous Gabriella Daphna has been in our lives now for FIVE years. We have been parents for FIVE years. Woah. Gabi may have been born tiny, but she hasn't been small since. She is a full head taller than her same-aged peers. At her well check, she measured 3' 10" (98%!) and weighed 56.44 lbs (98%!).

At 5, Gabi can sound out words and blend them together to read, enjoys listening to sounds in words to spell and write down letters, and loves asking questions to learn all that she can. She has expressed that she wants to be a "mommy scientist" when she grows up. She is incredibly creative and artistic and can sit at the craft table forever coloring, creating, designing, cutting, taping, and decorating. 

Gabi is quite the leader (aka bossy and controlling), very active, and LOVES her brothers. She is stubborn, dramatic, and independent. She continues to challenge us as parents, and we are incredibly grateful every day that she is in our home and our family! We are so proud of the little girl that she is and can't wait to see the big girl she becomes.

We started celebrating a few days early at school with some treats for her classmates!

ready to sing with her friends!

Both younger brothers were there in support:

Perhaps one brother got more out of the occasion than another:

Cohen cuddles with the birthday princess:

Birthday fun continued the entire weekend, starting with a "birthday challah" with tons of sprinkles! (And of course, lots of special family was there with us too. Sweet big cousin Ethan and baby Shayna will have to represent.)

By Saturday, Team Cohan had arrived from Houston. We opened up a couple of presents (just to keep the party going) and had an indoor pool party (unpictured).

girls time!

pop snap beads from Gigi

On Saturday evening, we honored this crafty creator with a painting party! We had cousins, friends, food, and lots of fun!

The children were given a choice of cute animals to paint. (The first picture illustrates how well everyone was listening to the teacher's instructions...except for one child...)

Everyone gets focused on the task at hand:


Time for Cohen classic cupcake cones!

This went much better than last year.

Gabi and Julia have been school besties since Gabi started 2 years ago. They're pretty darn cute together.

We were so grateful that many friends came out to celebrate with Gabi too!

Charlotte

"friend" Jacob

Graham

Siddhant and Shreya

Nora

Lorelei

cousin Jacob

Joey enjoyed himself!

Mira chose not to paint and be the baby cousin whisperer instead.

Group hug before we call it a night! It was such a fun party.

After a day full of pool and painting fun, cousins bath was in order!

The next morning was January 28th, Gabi's ACTUAL birthday. We started the morning by opening more exciting gifts. Here are a couple highlights:

new doll from Grandma and Grandpa, so far named "Scarlett"

soccer player jewelry box from Aunt Mandy, Uncle Mitch, Noah, and Sam

It turns out we were invited to another friend's birthday party that morning, so it was a great excuse to visit the Thinkery! Baby helper Mira was back in action.

Of course, this is what my birthday girl chose to do with her time: art and cleaning

My sweet sweet boys:

After some well-earned birthday rest, Gabi was gifted some super cool (and loud) remote control cars from Nana and Zayde!

The official lyrics are: "ONE TWO THREE FOUR- Bang bang bang; catch me if you can. If you get me started, we could have a party."

My label maker may have taken some abuse that afternoon...

Mira worked really hard on this beautiful piece of art the entire weekend!

Before Houston cousins needed to depart, we snuck in one more birthday treat: ice cream cake!

As we did on her 4th birthday, Gabi got treated to a movie theater date. This year, big Ethan was deemed old enough to join! Ethan enjoyed his very FIRST big theater experience watching Ferdinand and comparing it to one of our favorite books at home.

Clingy momma's boy Spencer was confused when he was stuck with babysitters Nana and Zayde who helpfully assisted the movie-going experience.

Happy 5th Birthday to the beautiful and beyond special girl who teaches us patience and love every day!

PS: If you're wondering where Daddy was in the last half of the pictures (you probably weren't), he flew to Florida to spend some days with Grandma and Grandpa while Grandpa was recovering from a recent surgery.