Baby Mozart

Look what I found my cutie pie doing this morning!

All while I prepared my breakfast....

MM mmm YUM YUM CPK BBQ Chicken Pizza and CF Diet DP! You gotta get you some!

Attack of the Nerds!

I think there is a downloaded program into the brain of every 2 year old. It's main program objective states," Dump anything and everything OUT everywhere!!!" Today's VICTIM:

Ryan's V-Day Nerds candy... and the picture doesn't show all the candy on the floor...DID I FORGET TO MENTION THE MOVERS STOLE MY BROOM!!!

The new glamorous JOB!

Seth's new job is soooo important. Sooo important that he dressed up everyday in fine linens....NOT! Sits at a regal desk made of the finest wood......NOT!!! Has the upscale address of an office.....NOT!!!

You don't beleive me? Here is the evidence!

1) Custom made desk (kids cloths storage bins, desk top is crib base

2) Fine wool shirt with added air conditioning under the pits

3) space heater b/c it's sooo cold in Texas...NOT!!

We gotta love our hard working daddy who has so far been easy on the budget, but NOT easy on the eyes, but that is a matter of opinion. I'm sure somewhere like Dayton, OH this may look very normal and may even be SEXY? (Yes, that one was for you Larson Girls!)

bROTHERLY lOVE

From the day Ethan was born, Ryan has LOVED his brother. He NEVER showed any jeolosy...only love for this new playmate. There are occasional bashing him over the head with large objects by accident as they rumble around, but this is normal I am told. (I would not know, not growing up with members of the opposite sex). My sisters and I just threw things at eachother. Shoes, circus peanuts (you know who you ARE!) The plot of the movie above is this. I'm downstairs cleaning up the kitchen and Seth does the yell wisper, "Come here!" "Ryan is reading to Ethan!" I run and get my camera and runs up the stairs and this is what we have. Ryan is quite the reader these days and I'm so proud that he shares this skill with his little bro!

Snacky Meal

Every day of my life I have known my father to eat this most picular little feast of a lunch that respectlvely has become known as "The Snacky Meal" It may be how he has kept to slim and trim. The ingrediants:

Raw Veggies: Cauliflower, Broccoli, Carrots

Fresh Fruit: Apple, Plum, Cherries, Peach, Grapes

Cheese: usually chedder, but could be anything

Crackers: Wheat thins

These are the main parts, but can be accompianed with applesauce, yogurt, cottage chesse, e.t.c.

The other reason this meal is interesting:

1) eat it standing up to the counter

2) no plates (You cut and eat, cut and eat until full.)

As I grew up I thought everyone in the world had "snacky meal" for lunch. Little did I know. My husband watched this little ritual and thought it was the funniest thing he ever saw. Anyway, this is a common lunch for my boys. But I put it on a plate and they sit down.

Sick is NOT pretty

So yesterday I came down with the plague. I haven't had a fever since H.S. until yesterday. I guess you could call this the flu...fever,chills,muscle aches, plus the whole gammit of mucous related yuck. So what is worse is being this way while still taking care of the monkey and the monster (Ryan and Ethan). Changing diapers while your eyeballs feel like they are going to pop out. Fixing breakfast and getting nauseas. I guess it is one of those moments where I became eternally in awe of generations of women who have cared for children while being less than themselves. Thanks Mom!

No. 2 fav thing about Austin

This is the view from my front porch. Playscape, tennis, swings, basketball. And with the 60 degree average weather these days we still use it about everyday! The kids are loving it and I am having fun meeting all the moms in the 'hood.

My favorite thing about Texas...so far....

I...

L- Low fat

O- oven fresh

V- very quick

E- easy dinners

...these things... H.E.B. tortillas (short for Harry E. Butts) Yes, you know why the guy shortened that. Anyway, they press them out every day and they are soooo yummy. If you have ever had a fresh homemade tortillas you know what I'm talking about. I eat them constantly. Egg and Cheese Burritos for breakfast, Cheese and Bean for lunch, warm them alone for snacks, and I may add salsa and sour cream to make them "fancy burritos" for dinner. I bought bread when we moved here and now havent touched it! Seth doesn't seem to mind. He's trying to loose his F.U.P.A (see the chubby blog) from all those months of eating on the company and eating good if you know what I mean. Buts Burritos are No. 1 on my list of favorite things!

The Move Yall!

So I LOVE IT! There were a few normal snags once we got here. One of our lenders thought Seth was a independent salesmen and wouldn't fund our loan, we got a new lender and a lower rate to boot! Then we close, grab the keys and walk up to our new glorious front door..."Hallejie...yah" "Carry me over the threshold" I say to Seth. He frowns, but agrees. I jam the key in the front door. No movement. What! Ok calm down, try again. No movement. You've got to be kidding me. We just spent what and can't even get in? A few phone calls later and a long wait, we had keys and walked through the front door. Here we are. It's our home. A place that we will call our own. It looks like this....

Pretty huh? This will be our future office. I can't wait to do the "before and after" blog and hopefully it looks something like the HGTV's before and afters....well, step one. We bought our first washer and dryer. I'll call it my lil HE. We also bought new coach lights for the house, but we have no ladder so they remain in the box. Step Two was buy new appliances in our kitchen. I do have a before and after for that.... Step Three: New granite countertops

Step Four: Paint kitchen cabinets and downstairs walls

Step Five: Frame in office and put iron ballisters in stairs.

Step Six: Buy Furniture

Step Seven: Decorate!!!!

So I spend most my time looking at design ideas and at home depot.

What's you favorite color?

Am I doomed to being chubby the rest of my life?

So I have to admit...I have been chubby my entire life. Before you protest let me explain....as a baby, think rolls, cheeks that I still remember little old ladies coming up to me and squeezing. Must have made an impression since I remember is 25 years later. As I grew I may have gotten taller, but muscles have never pierced through my ever so thick layers. In H.S. there was a girl in my church and school that had guns(arms). Natural beautiful muscle tone. Her name was Michele Weaver. I don't think she even lifted, there was something on her genome GNCA that stood for "BUFF" I admit, that by my Sr. year of HS I was still chubby. My chubby peaked at 20, interestingly enough the peak of my "finding my eternal partner, really need a high self esteem-time of life" No luck with that-dang it. Couldn't put down the Twinkie. Got married-starved myself for 3 days straight before the wedding. Count them 1-2-3. Not even a carrot till the day of the wedding. My disclaimer- don't' try this at home girls. My honeymoon, I ate and ate and ate, plus flying makes me bloated...thus I had a F.U.P.A. (Fat upper pee-pee area) You know what I'm talking about girls. Oh, speaking of girls. That's the ONLY good thing about being chubby. The "girls like it" I liked it. Yes, I once had a nice large rack...but I was chubby. Then the most interesting thing happened. Pregnancy. Gained a fair amount of weight 35-40 poundaroos and then out comes this 7 pound baby. You read in magazines that the baby plus water and placenta equals about 15-20 pounds...they LIE!!! Post delivery I get on the scale and I had lost 10 pounds tops! But don't start to feel too sorry for me. I started nursing and nursing some more. Ryan was 20 pounds at 9 months old. So you can imagine what I looked like. I was now skinny FAT. You know the term. You are a shrunken version of your once flabby self only smaller. It may look like this.....

No real muscle tone, still have the skin and puffiness. I do appreciate that I can cover this up in cloths mostly and I like the skinny fat vs. the chubby fat version of myself. So this leads me to my quest..or question...could I ever be BUFF? Like athletic and muscly. Could muscles exists under my layer or layers of facist tissue and fat?

Could I look like this
No! I'm offended, ok maybe not too much, this is a picture of the reigning Ms. Fitness. So I'm not going to go crazy, but I have started this new class that makes me feel like rubber when I'm done. (That's good right?) And I am going to try to let my muscles shine, well at least SHOW. Am I going to show you a pre & post picture of myself in a bikini holding a newspaper...ummmm what ARE YOU CRAZY??? Just now that if I never talk about it again. I look more like the girl in the above picture and less of Ms. Fitness. Alas, I am grateful to have a healthy body that functions fueled mostly by flour tortillas and ghiradelli brownies, SORRY!!!

Welcome to Ourhouse, TX

Home of Lake Travis, Live Music, Warm weather, and introducing.....the COCHRAN FAMILY!!! We chose an area where I am 1/8 mile from the elementary school, across the street to the park, 1/2 mile to the mall and TARGET!!!! Ok so you wanna see. ok. TAH DAH...

We close on Jan. 7th. So in the meantime it's time to get ready paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork!

I'm BIG sick, mommy!

Last night at 4:30 in the morning, I hear Ryan breathing in my ear (or maybe I smelled him breathing first) "ugh, mommy,uh, I'm BIIIIGGGG sick! I need purple medicine,ugh" "Ok", as trip out of bed and and fiddle around till I found the grape triaminic. Can't blame the boy for loving the stuff, I remember being quite fond of it myself.

::::::::Gulp, Sip, Suck, Swallow:::::::::.

"OK, I'm better. That got all the buggies. Thankyou mommy. Goodnight" And of he walked. Oh the wonder of being 5 and soooo BIG!

A New York City "Black Friday"

So since Ryan had been asking to go to NYC TOYS R' US for two weeks now, we gave in and decided to go on the busiest ,craziest, most crowded shopping day of the year....BLACK FRIDAY!!! So after a fun-filled day before in the city, the next day we were once again headed into "the city" as people around here refer to it. There was ONE screaming difference between yesterday and today....THE TEMP! It was 65 on T-DAY and 32 on BLACK FRIDAY! And the wind, oh my the wind. We were prepared though, armed with some major layers and Vaseline!

Ok back to TOYS R' US, it was wall to wall people. My stroller became my tank, plowing down the people in front of me one by one. Our first stop, mom's choice...the candy shop to buy chocolate covered gummy bears (what? did i hear you say eww gross, they are the yummiest candy ever and my life is not complete without them, ask anyone close to me, they know)Ode to the chocolate covered gummy bear!

What was I saying? Oh ya, next we moved along (I plowed along, sorry to all my victims) to the Lego World where Ryan was picking out Legos like it was his last chance on earth. It was a dream come true. They had bins and bins of Legos and you could fill a bag for $20.00!

But then we found out the line was 45 min. long and mom and dad had to dash that dream. We bought NOTHING on Black Friday thanks to our pocketbook- friendly LONG LONG lines!

Then we said lets go see the dinosaur! Ryan said," No, I don't want to, it's scary!" But because I force my children to do things they don't want to do, we did it anyway! See how happy that made Ryan! :)

We wandered around there for a LONG LONG time. Ryan was playing with the over-sized Thomas the Train display and walking up to all the kids saying, "Can I play with your train?" They just looked at him like he was crazy and chugged around. At last, a family had to leave and Ryan got to play with Percy. Thankfully we were right next to Fisher Price Toddler toys. So while Ryan cho cho'd Ethan tryed out every Fisher Price toy known to man (I mean kids). Here he is on this interactive game bike.

Then we walked to Macy's. This name is synonymous with New York, Shopping, and the thanksgiving day parade. A history of Macy's- It was started by a struggling business man. After 7 failed business attempts, Roland Macy opened his department store in 1858. It is know the biggest department store in the world. GOOD! This is why they have the most awesome Christmas experience EVER!!!! At first we didn't want to go, because we wanted to avoid the inevitable long lines to sit on a old man's lap. But we had nothing better to do so after a NY slice of pie, we headed for the crowded but excellent store. After walking around in the madness for about 20 min. we found our way to the elevator which was our vehicle to the north pole! The eighth floor is converted into a wonderous mock-NorthPole.

We got in this line to get on a "train" that would take us to the north pole. I really thought we were getting on a train. But the very savvy creators of this experience really out did themselves. They turned the line into a winter wonderland. First, you go through a mock-train were the floor rumbles and windows are tv screens that make you think you are moving through a winter storm. Then you "EXIT" into the North Pole. It's a winding room full of singing trees, beaver's chopping wood, penguins ice-skating, trains, trees, lights, and all the wonders one can hold.

Then we went around the final bend until we were on the brink of the main event...the CLAUS!

A little elf named Tinker said, "OK, right this way" She lead us to this wooden room where the red man sat all full of redness and fun! Ryan became shy, Ethan started screaming and crying. Seth appears to be the happiest person in the room.

This is Ryan trying to think about what he wants for Christmas.

It was brilliant. Entertainment while you wait! One last look at Time Square...

A New York City Thanksgiving!!!

"Guess what Ryan? What? We are going to New York City to go to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!!! Oh. Well, I don't want to. Why Not??????!!!! Because I want to stay home and make crafts."

Clearly we have not taught our child how to have proper fun? This was our fun-filled day..at least for some of us!

9:20 a.m. Macy's parade starts!!! Yah!!!

11:45 A date with the slides and swings in central park!

1:00 p.m. See Enchanted at the Lincoln Center Movie Theatre

Ethan fell asleep in his stroller just as the previews started! (How perfect is that???? ) Ryan ate his rice-crispy treat and watched the entire movie like a champ! I loved it because at heart I am an 11 year old girl who loves the fairy princess and princes and happy endings and all that oeey-gooey stuff!

******A side note- last night out of the blue Ryan says, "Gimme a Kiss , because I love ya!" I giggled at the gesture, but knelled down and kissed him and smiled and he said, " Was that a true kiss?" I said, "Do you mean a true love kiss, the most powerful kiss in the world from Enchanted?" He said, "YES!!!!" And I said, "Yes it was, because I love you more than anything in the world!" I said, "Gimme a kiss, cause I love ya" He said, "No, I already did that." "I don't want to do it again." ********

After the movie let out we walked and we walked and we walked to Session 73 for Turkey!.....Singing..."NYC children complained as they walked and walked and walked from the west side of NYC, through the park, to the east side 1st AVE. ! " Anyone who is not familiar with the city, that is about 11-12 blocks. Ryan was moaning! "ugh my legs are breaking!!!!!!" Poor thing. This was all because Seth thought a cab would cost too much. Rookie (We took a cab home after full tummies and rain and it only cost $8 bucks! :)

3:45 Session 73 - Jazz club turned thanksgiving buffet event (supposed to be 3:30, but b/c of our long hike we were sweaty, exhausted, but boy did I have the perfect appetite for a big,yummy turkey dinner!)

Here was the menu:

-Mixed greens salad

-Rolls (This was all Ryan ate, with butter)

-Ham (This was my fav, I'm no Turkey!)

-Turkey

- Yams (with marshmallow and candied walnuts, YUMMY)

- Mashed Potatoes

- Stuffing

- Green beans (the real kind with butter,onions, and mushrooms)

- Pumpkin Pie (with whip cream!)

It was sooooo yummy, I was content after my first plate, but I stood up and piled up another plate and ate that all too. Then I was uncomfortable full and unbuttoning my pants! Oh, but then there was pie and I wasn't going to let any amount of uncomfortable stomach cramping/pant unbuttoning stop me!

I scooped some of my food onto Ethan's and he ate everything in sight! He had to eat it himself though. If I tried to feed pie too him he would shake his head and say No! But if I put pie in the spoon, he would pick it up, eat it, and pass it back to me. I put more pie on it, set t down in front of him and we repeated this until my pumpkin pie was GONE!

Not that I'm bragging, but I didn't lift a finger. No cooking, no cleaning, no leftovers :( It was delicious!

We jumped (ok no jumping because of my swelled, hurt middle area) in the cab, just as it started to rain, and that is the conclusion of our New York City Thanksgiving, IT WAS SO FUN!!!!!

Bedtime Fun!!!

Just to document for all history. You may not want to continue reading, though according to Oprah, this is people's favorite thing...to see how other people live...so this is our bedtime routine.

6:00 Bath-time song "Bath-time, Bath-time (clap 5 times) repeat)

Both lil guys start singing and clapping as we march upstairs. Ryan strips down in his room, throwing his cloths into his closet hamper, I strip Ethan at the tub while he screeches and giggles (this is his favorite time of day!) At this moment he has been known to relieve himself on the floor...hehe

At this point we have 2 styles of bath-time

1)Quick bath: used when we are late starting the routine or Ryan wants to get back to crafting before bed

2) Swimming-pool bath: This is a longer version than the one above, usually 10-30 minutes long. This time is used dumping out the shampoo bottles, coloring on the walls, playing with water toys, blowing bubbles, washing up, giggling, singing our songs:

-Bah, bah, bah Balooh, you got me rockin and a rollin, rocking and a rollin ba BALOOH!

-Splish splash I was taking a bath, on one Saturday night WOH! thinkin everything was alright, then I stepped out the tube, put my feet on the floor, I wrapped my towel around me and I opened the door and I said, splish splash I was taking a bath, how was I supposed to know there was a party going on....WOH!

So then I take shapoopie out and sing the cook-a-racha song while I lotion up Ethan and push him into his jammies

Ryan dresses himself, hangs up his towel, and brushes his teeth. I throw Ethan in his crib so we can read scriptures and say prayers. Ryan's prayer goes like this: "Dear Father in heaven, please keep me safe tonight, tomorrow, today. Please bless Gordan B. Hinkly and Jesus, in the name if Jesus Christ Amen." Then we have family prayer, give Ryan a drink from the small skinny tube, make sure he has Dokey (his pitbull Webkinz), and put an large amount of Vaselline all over thier faces.

During prayer and scripture Ethan sucks his thumb, holds his blanket and rest his head on the edge of the crib.

Then I kiss them, tell them I love them, and shut the door: ALL by 7:00 p.m.!!!!

Fall Leaves

Ryan has been asking to have a "leaf party" for about a week now. We keep putting it of, b/c I HATE cold weather! But I finally didn't have any more excuses and today we bundled up and trudged out there. IT WAS FUN!!! I raked for about 15 minutes until I made a pile that was tall enough to impress Ryan with my mad raking skills and told Ryan to run and jump in. Shapoopie is no dumby. He understood what jump in meant and he followed suit. I couldn't help myself, kicking leaves at them. What an example ah?

Ryan decided he wanted to play a new game and I was naming off as many as I could think of, basketball, soccor, kickball, baseball. None of these seem to interest Ryan. All the sudden I look over at him and he is very still with both hands in front, fingers spread. He looked like a statue. I asked what are you doing and he said, " I am a timer, and you have 10 min. to think of a new game!" He proceeded to count down as seen below, it was too cute!

This is a shout out to grandpa and grandma Adams. You KNOW how much Ethan loves playing in the water hose outside. So Ryan and I are doing leaves, playing games and Ethan is wandering around the yard. I was watching him just wander as if he were looking for something. Then he found it, and then I Knew he had been searching for it all along. He knew that this was a yard and there had to be one somewhere....a spicket! Found at last, found at last!

This was the shot of the day, he was sooo happy and cute as a button!!!

Aye there matee, It's Hallowed Eeen!

What are you this year Ryan," I am captain Jack Sparrow!" Oh ok pirate Jack! We went to our ward Trunk or treat activity and the kids set a new record for the amount of candy you can collect in 15 minutes. Once the bags were overfilled we stopped! The hit of the night for me....this is strange, but a ballpark frank....it tasted so darn good to me. When I returned to ask what brand they were, I was told they were ostrich dogs...very funny Jesse Turley!

Ryan's 5 "Wonder" Years

My sweet Ryan. Sent from up above, you are the one I love. Ryan Cebu Cochran turned 5 years old and what a blast we had celebrating it! Ryan has always loved his birthdays and it in turn has always been fun to watch as his little eyes light up and cheeks stretch to fit a wide mouth grin! Not having access to a Walmart bakery I took to baking my first birthday cake. Just like my mom had done before. I poured the batter in the round tins and thought, "this is not nearly enough to make a two tiered cake" I forgot about the whole rising thing. Anyway, about 3 hours and two tubs of icing, I had myself and perty and tasty cake. Seth came home from work and said, " SO, WHERE DID YOU BUY THE CAKE?" I replied with a big ol "UGH???" "I MADE IT!!!" It was so tasty, I think I'm going to do this more often!


Then it was time to open presents...Ryan had plenty of help from a little Llama! Better known as Shapoopie!

Then we had party number two, for the whole family in Ohio. In attendance were Seth's parents, (Grammie n' Papa) My parents (Grandma Judy n' Grandpa John) , Aunt Amy and Uncle Shawn, Mark and Rachel n'Crew, and Stephanie and Oli! It was super fun and Ryan got a trunk full of games and craft supplies and cloths! Thanks everyone!