GRATEFUL at Thanksgiving, but Only One Pic!

Despite the four us of having the "cold that would never end" we had lots to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! One of those things was that we were contagious the weekend before and only managed to KK sick (which we felt terrible about) BUT we were still able to travel and see all of our family without spreading the plague... we prayed so hard that we wouldn't! 

We were fortunate enough to get to travel to Abilene to be with SO many 20+ of our family members this Thanksgiving! My Gram opened up her home to the sickies and as always made us feel like we weren't the tornado that we actually are and put up with our mess, sneezes, snots and of course our sweet, adorable faces! :) 

We missed Aunt Emily and Uncle Josh this year, but we were thankful they were enjoying their time in the Piney Woods! We had a great Thanksgiving meal in which everyone did their part. My cousin Michelle who is working mom extraordinaire opened up her home to all of us and let us come and celebrate all that we had to be thankful for with a feast fit for a king... 

After Thanksgiving lunch we kept our long-standing family tradish of going to the movie up! We saw Perfect Pitch and I was pleasantly surprised! I had never heard of it but came out singing and ready to throw my own dance party! If you loved the show "The Sign-Off" you'd love this movie! 

The highlight of our trip to Abilene for me is seeing the littlest in our crew interact and play together. Caden and his cousin Cy had a BLAST playing tackle football for at least 5 hours on Thanksgiving day. Caden had bruises all over his back and shoulders and had the BEST TIME EVER! A memory he will not soon forget! So despite the fact that again it wasn't our best parenting decision seeing as he was battling a cold and a double ear infection at the time, we are so thankful for the relationship that he and Cy have and we are excited to watch it continue to grow! Cousins are your first friends!  My heart is full!

And the next little ones... Ryan and his Lady K's were fun to watch too! Kaki and Kendall were very into their dolls and strollers and such and Ryan just took it all in... poor guy is in for the long haul with those two girls bossin' him around! :) Of course it won't be long before he'll be joining in on the tackle football fun too!

We were so sad not to be able to see my Aunt Kay and Uncle Roger (are you happy I FINALLY blogged) but we didn't blame them for not wanting the snots and coughs crew to entire their peace! Better safe than sorry! :) 

Thanksgiving in Abilene is one of my favorite things each year! I look forward to it always! Abilene is one of my favorite places on earth simply because of the precious memories it holds within its' city limits! 

Thank you so much Gram for hosting us for a few days! Your grits were almost as fabulous as your company! And to the rest of you... we are blessed and I am thankful for each of you!

Next up...

WACO...

Wacko, Waco...

We blew into Waco on Friday morning ready for a fun Thanksgiving celebration with the Cox crew. The Agnews rolled in just before we did, as well as, Gran and Poppa... they were all primed and ready for Kaki and Caden to break loose!

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner, coordinating and cooked fabulously by Nana! We had warm Apple Cider that was the prefect remedy for our sore throats and enjoyed our time with our family.

The next day was dedicated to all things Baylor and the football game... we took Christmas pictures for Nana and Bop's cards (hitting a mailbox near some of you) and we had our very own in-home pep-rally complete with our own rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, Baylor Fight Song and the like... it was special...

During the game, Caden and I retreated to the back yard to soak up some vitamin D and play some football of our own. The mood inside was a bit tense since the Baylor were off to a slow start, so it was just as well that we were outside and Kaki was napping! :) 

We had to leave early the next morning to make it back to church for some prior commitments, but we enjoyed our time with the Coxes as much as we always do. It was fun having Graham to add to the mix this year and hard to remember what life was like before he came... we love him so and are excited to watch him grow and explore each time we see him! It all happens too fast and we feel blessed to see him as often as we do, although of course never often enough! His parents are doing a great job and have even passed some hints down to our Kaki who is already prepping for motherhood... she is an expert SHUSHer thanks to Aunt Ree Ree and Uncle Tag's example! :)

I wish I had more pictures to show for our Thanksgiving, but our memories are bright and colorful, full of love and gratefulness! 

We have so many things to be grateful for and our families make the top of the list!

Happy Thanksgiving...

Here is a pic from our little Indian or alien as Caden thought it was called at his school Thanksgiving feast... hehe! :)

Second Set of Visitors and History

So the weekend after we moved in we had our second set of visitors... yay! People were so glad we were done with the apartment and they no longer had to choose between the floor of our kids' bedroom and a hotel! :) So KK and Albi came to visit us and we were thrilled to have them!

AND of course they brought sussies... 

Hi-Ho Cherry-O for Caden and a pack-n-play for Kaki's doll babies for! Awesome-sauce!

We must have played 13 games of Hi-Ho and watch Kaki put her babies to bed over and over again... those babies need a lot of sleep... clearly!

After hanging out with KK and Albi for most of the weekend, Justin and Caden slipped out for a little dude time at what would be their last football game of the season...

AND WHAT A GAME IT WAS...

First up... the tailgate...

With the G-Dawg!

Graham has several legs-up on Caden with all of the football he has attended at the ripe 'ol age of 3 months! He is already hard core like his mom and dad... and we are all proud! :)

Caden loves him a good tailgate party, especially if it includes games... bean bags, ladder ball, catch... and the like!

He loves getting to see his aunt, uncle and cuz too!

And his Nana and Bop... who are the hosts of said tailgate party... 

But we all know that Caden really goes to the games to watch the Golden Wave Marching Band...

I'm pretty sure the band members can spot "that weird kid who likes us more than the football players" from a mile away... and they are always so sweet to let us snap pics!

His favs... the cymbal crew!! He knows their routines as well as they do... 

He has high hopes of being in the band come January... since he'll be 4 and all... he is assured that that is all that is required... be four... know the routines... wear a cool hat... done and done!

Meanwhile back at the house... Kaki and KK were playing a mean game of patty-cake... Kaki loves to say ROOOOOOOLLL it, PA-PA... (or pat it)

After Kaki went to bed, KK, Albi and I stayed up to watch what would be a historic game for the Baylor Bears! I was actually getting a bit bored watching since my parents were BLOWING UP social media, tweeting and texting all about the Bears. I suddenly felt very uncool and wondered how I'd reached this point in my life where my parents were tweeting and texting and I was simply watching...what has happened to the world? The iPhone... 

And Siri... who my dad wishes was a real woman and I think might actually think she is. Bless his heart!

Well, it was QUITE a game and my three year old was ever the devoted fan and rushed the field to celebrate with the rest of Floyd Casey...

And he happened to find a few football players to hoist him up and say Sic 'Em with while Daddy snapped COPIOUS amounts of pictures!

COOLEST 3-YEAR-OLD EVER!

This weekend was the beginning of what I like to call the cold that would never end... Caden started Friday (all-star parents letting him stay out to midnight with a cold), Kaki started Saturday... Me, Sunday and Justin Monday... 

We brought on Thanksgiving with the snots and coughs and even managed to pass it to our sweet KK... 

But more on that in my next post about our Thanksgiving Travels!! 

I'm Going to Pretend It Hasn't Been Over a Month

So it's been over a month... but I'm going to pretend like it hasn't and try to just pick right back up where we left off... 

Which was Homecoming...

After Homecoming...

We MOVED... 

Which meant that Justin and I might have both eaten an entire sleeve of Double-Stuffeds...

Which is also why I started running... TODAY... the double stuffeds were the gateway to the more hardcore things that make all things plump... 

But I digress...

Back to moving...

Boxes...

Piled high...

By the sliding glass door with care...

In hopes that we really WOULD get to move into our house this year...

It has been one of those too good to be true experiences for us... the new house. We are so grateful for the opportunity and SO excited for our next adventure in a new home and in a new town that there was a time where we just didn't think it was really going to happen.

Sometimes I still look around and ask myself, "Is this real?"

Needless to say we were doing some serious table dancing when our dream became a reality and we kissed our sweet little apartment goodbye for (now and hopefully ever!)

And more than anything else our kids are LOVING their new digs... their playroom...

Their backyard... 

And even their first visitor... who happened to be our favorite cousin, Chatty...

She got to try out our Murphy Bed for the first time and give us the full report!

And we've enjoyed getting to know our neighbors who happen to be horned and have four legs...

It was a crazy moving week with a few curve balls, but in the end we found ourselves at home... 

And for that we are eternally grateful!

Y'all come visit The Coxes!!

Baylor Homecoming 2012

Baylor Homecoming 2012... 

On Friday afternoon we headed out

For a fun weekend in Waco without a doubt

Up IH-35 we drove with care

But because of traffic it took longer to get there

But once we did, we were ready to eat

And lucky for us we had a Mexican treat

The Agnews were there with Mr. G

Which made our two kiddos as happy as could be

Just before bed Caden complained of an ear ache

But we thought he more tired, for it was late

The crying kept coming, even once in bed

So we took him to a doc who had Bop's cred

Two antibiotics and a Mickey Mouse Drum surprise

It was off to bed again for early we had to rise

The next morning smiles and bursts of joy

If only his ear had not burst too, oh boy!

Now feeling better with the pressure relieved

We headed out to partake of the fun we had conceived

To the parade we flew in the fog and drizzle

Bop had saved us a spot that was off the hizzle!

Kaki was wearin' her green and gold

And had her pom-pom ready to hold

Caden was decked out in his favorite yellow

And a HUGE smile we got when the tuba did bellow

Little G just sat and caught up on his zzzzz's

While the rest of us did just as we pleased

Kaki sure wished he'd wake up and play

She wouldn't pay much attention to anything else all day

Every picture we tried was of her looking down

Her little cousin G sure does wear a big crown

But we kept snapping and calling her name

It was becoming quite the entertaining game

And who could blame a girl for loving those little feet

When he gets older and wiser he'll be in for a treat

Cousins are said to be our very first friends

To love you and be there with you to the ends

And aunts and uncles are also pretty cool

They let you have fun and don't impose the rule

Kaki has all the men in her life sewn up

From Bop to Albi and even her boy pup

And we all know who loves the band more than anything

For a tuba is what he is hoping Santa will bring

As much as he loves them I find myself so too

Even his Daddy hums their tunes until his face blue

We saw David Murphy make his alumni debut

Snap, snap, click, click we got 'em, phew

This is just before the parade came to a halt

And some were uttering words not very seasoned with salt

Just as we were about to give up on Kaki

We got a pic of her looking and I was so happy

Her smile was less than enthused and that's ok

I'll take a pic with my girl any 'ol day

Because most of the weekend she was always with Bop

She wouldn't let him go far, she wouldn't stop

Just a few weeks ago she wouldn't even give him a hug

But now these two are as snug as two bugs in a rug

And that boy was over the parade after the band

For they are the biggest, the best, so grand

So he played some catch with his ball and his Dad

Until he was dripping with sweat and smelled pretty bad

We tried to get some sweet family pics

But Kaki girl is always up to a trick

Grabbing, lunging, not looking or smiling

But at least she was not screaming, flailing or crying

Our favorite aunt and uncle from way out East

Came down to the parade to see the beauty and the beast

We loved getting to chit chat and even snap a pic

And we even got Kaki to look at the click

After the parade Mommy was in the mood for a shoot

We tried and got close, and got flowers to boot

Dr. Pepper floats were served as we were walking around

A favorite for anyone who was Baylor bound

Blogger isn't working and it's driving my crazy

My pictures are out of order and I'm not being lazy

So please give me grace as we take a step back

One stanza for this pic is all we lack

The Cox fam extended, our best pic

Not bad considering we only get one click

We love these memories we share with this crew

How blessed we were when for families God drew

And now we're back in order with the fam photo opp

When someone asked to snap I couldn't dare stop

She was so sweet to offer and snapped so quick

I was so excited to see that we got a good pic

Now off to the stadium we flew as if in the air

Because we knew some of our favorites would be there

Food and fun and football, oh my

But we missed the Band as they marched by

We walked by lots of tailgates but this was a fav

Both uncles and aunts were there and cookies they gave

Before it got too late we went back to home base

With tired legs, full hearts and maybe a red face

The game proved victorious for the Bears this time

To not win the homecoming game would surely be a crime

Kaki and I opted out of the heat

While Caden and Justin watched Kansas get beat

Of course this was after Mommy lost her car

And cried as she tried to call for help from afar

Bop saved the day and came to the rescue

While Justin had yet another story for his queue

After a lightening delay most came home a bit early

To have pizza and relax and not be in a hurry

What a great weekend, one to remember

Can't wait for next year's Homecoming adventure!

Introducing, The Cox Family Circus

Our costumes for Halloween this year certainly did us justice, because together... all for one and one for all, we were ...

THE COX FAMILY CIRCUS!!

Complete with...

THE MOST HANDSOME ONE-MAN-BAND...

A MOST FEROCIOUS TIGER...

AN ADORABLE, HUGGABLE, LOVABLE KAKI- CLOWN...

AND THE MAN WHO EVERY ONE WANTS TO SEE...

THE CIRCUS VENDOR...

We were quite the quad for a fun, costume party one of our sweet friend's hosted, but on Halloween something terrible happened...

Our circus vendor went mad...

And turned into this...

And you should have seen the circus that ensued after this picture got passed around our house!

The face paint, the teeth, the SCAR... 

All we could say was...

OH MY!!

Happy Halloween!! 

Top of the 16th... Month!

Well, this may be a first... a "monthly" post on her actual "monthly" birthday! A-mazing! I am not going to do the WHOLE she-band this post, but I thought I would do a little Happy 16th Month Shout-Out for Kaki by showcasing her t-ball skills for her grandparents (and other adoring fans). She has been picking up lots of tips watching her brother twice a week... it's all we can do to keep her from charging the field... we're thankful she LOVES collecting rocks! But, when we're at home she's decided to give it go and try her hand and her bat at the game! 

PS: I bought her FANCY Baylor Cheerleader outfit at HEB today... yes, that's right, HEB... I couldn't help myself... I bought the smallest size, and it's a little big... and she happens to have a Christmas PJ shirt from her nap today on under it... BUT I think it makes her look all the more rough and tough and baseball worthy! :)

PPS: Please excuse the MESS of an apartment! We are moving in TWO weeks... or 12 days if you ask Justin! So... we are in survival mode until then... your grace is appreciated! :)

Happy 16th Months Sweet Kaki-Pants! We love you to pieces!!