Halloween Belly

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Yesterday we celebrated Caden's 31 week birthday and tomorrow I'll start my 8th month of pregnancy! Caden and I decided we should post pictures of ourselves in our Halloween attire to commemorate this special week!

Trick or Treat!

Milkshake Meltdown

Have you ever cried over spilt milk? No use, right? That is what your mom probably always told you. But what about a milkshake? Have you ever cried over a milkshake? You haven't? Well, then you obviously have not been pregnant. I think most pregnant women have had a similar moment. It may not have been a milkshake but a parking spot, a missing clothing item, or a dirty house. A moment where rational thought goes out the window and an overwhelming desire for something very specific takes over all thought, emotion and action. Often these moments are met with ultimate bliss, allowing you to satisfy your deepest yearnings, but there are still times when a need is met with utter disappointment... and this is where I begin my story. 

A few Sunday's ago now, with our coupons, list, and earth-friendly grocery bags in tow, Justin and I decided to stop by America's Favorite Drive-In for a little refreshment. I had been craving a chocolate milkshake all day! I had just taken my 3 hour glucose tolerance test the Friday before, and not sure what the results would be I decided I needed one last sweet fix just in case I was put on restriction... a chocolate milkshake would be the perfect "last treat." Justin and I, being budget conscious these days, decided that we deserved a splurge and chose a Sonic milkshake which runs a little over $2 for a small vs. a Burger King milkshake which are almost as yummy and half the price. What a perfect way to cap-off the week... a Sonic shake!

We decide on this particular night to go through the "drive-thru" rather than pull into one of the spots. My mouth is watering, I can see other tasty treats being cheerfully skated out to the customers waiting patiently in their cars. Only a few more minutes and I would be putting my straw into a savory cup of chocolaty delight.

"Welcome to Sonic, what can I get for you this evening," a young woman energetically announces. 

"I need two small chocolate milkshakes please ma'am," Justin politely requests.

"Two chocolate milkshakes. That will be $4.08, please drive forward."

Drive forward, drive forward! I can feel that cold Styrofoam cup touching my hands. I can see the ice that forms on the outside of the straw... How much longer must I wait?? Count backwards from 10...10...9...8..."Here she comes Justin, roll down the window!"

"Two chocolate milkshakes," the teenage, emo-wanna-be, carhop who wears a tie with her uniform and is allergic to energy and enthusiasm says. 

"Here's four (4) and here's 10," Justin clarifies.

Up from her lip ring and dark purple eyes, the carhop huffs, "Do you want your two pennies?"

"No that's okay," Justin offers. Maybe it can be a good start to some industrial strength make-up remover when she decides to wash her face, I think.

Finally, she hands us the two milkshakes, our straw next and then jingles back into the Sonic Shack. See ya later sister!

I rip open my straw, shredding just a small piece at first, then the rest. Come on you big, red tasty drinking instrument, cooperate! Paper is gone, now on the floor. I make entry... notice some resistance, but push on... entry complete! I put the straw to my lips and prepare my cheeks for what inevitably is always the hardest part of enjoying any milkshake, the first suck. 

I'm sucking, my cheeks are inverted like a fish, still sucking... I turn to Justin, looking more fish-like than the last time I looked over at him. I start to panic...

HOUSTON WE HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM!

I rip open my lid to find a tiny amount of chocolate swirled not so delicately into a NOT SO MILKY cup of NOT SO SOFT-SERVE! This is not a milkshake!!! This is a ice-cake! I can't drink this with a straw and I don't have a spoon... we're pulling out of the parking lot, and turning left onto a busy street, we can't turn around now!

Tears... lots of them. Sadness, extreme sadness. Then anger...that ignorant, teenage, black-eyed, punk of a carhop! No one takes pride in their work anymore... it is just a milkshake... how are they going to ever succeed? This is the problem with America, Justin. 

Still crying...

Justin panicked does his best to offer a solution..."How about a Frosty from Wendy's, it's on our way?!"

"I DON'T WANT WENDY'S, I WANTED A MILKSHAKE!" 

Justin too, was perturbed by Sonic's futile attempt at making a chocolate milkshake. What we spent on milkshakes is what we saved at the store using our coupons... $4! So much for breaking even! 

We pull into our spot at HEB, I'm still in tears. I grabbed both of our milkshakes and tromped up the driveway into the store's entry, found the biggest trash-can and slammed the two cups into the black hole of filth and rot with all of my might! VICTORY! I had conquered the milkshakes!

But as for the question of my sanity... there was work left to be done.

And that my friends concludes the story of the 'Milkshake Meltdown.' Until next time... Always choose Burger King!

Happy Tuesday!

Caden's Corner!

Happy Saturday! My apologies for yet another long delay. I have lots of great entries prepared for this week, so be patient and hopefully I'll find the time to get them all up!

We've had many requests to put our progress pics up of Caden's room. We still have a few things left to do but for the most part Caden's room is ready to go. It turned out better than we could have ever expected. Justin and I find ourselves sitting in there almost every night, sitting in silence daydreaming about the day we bring him home and into his very own room. It has been such a surreal experience seeing his room come to life. 

This little bookshelf is a $19 Walmart find... not the best quality but it serves a great purpose. The lamp was a little glue gun fun I have with some extra fabric that my mom and I used to make his window treatment and crib decoration. The frames are yet to be filled... we have special plans with the middle frame... we'll post more on that soon!
This changing table is the SAME table that both my brother and I were changed on as babies! It used to be a dark wood. We had great intentions of sanding and re-staining it to match the room, but after the coarsest sandpaper we could find was no match for its varnish we decided to make use of our extra navy paint. The pictures make the navy look like a royal blue, but it is the truest navy you can find! Lime green and navy blue, Caden's signature colors! 
This little shelf is one that hung in Caden's Uncle Josh's room when he was a little boy. After a little TLC it was the perfect fit for the room. We have Caden's winter jacket all ready to go. Caden's Aunt Emmie bought him his first Patagonia Fleece when she was visiting Denver earlier this fall. Justin's mom bought us the great piece of art that sits on the right... boy it is true, how we have prayed for this little boy! And the little piggy bank on the left was a Hobby Lobby find not too long ago... we couldn't resist! 
Caden's crib! Caden will be learning his name as he sleeps! 
A view from the doorway... see the colored worm along the wall? My mom bought this for Caden a few weeks ago... isn't it adorable?! I have called Caden my little squirmy worm since I started feeling him flutter around in my tummy and the nickname stuck! Caden is going to have more fun with this life-size worm! Each section makes a different noise, squeak, rattle, crinkle, etc. 

I can't forget the best part of the room... the RUG!! I first saw this rug online at Pottery Barn Kids for $160, but LUCKILY my mom happened to stop through San Marcos on her way to Austin a few weeks ago and found the SAME rug... my rug... at Pottery Barn outlet for $40!! Can you believe it?! I almost feel guilty... do they realize we basically stole this from them?! 

I hope everyone has enjoyed another great day in college football. Stay tuned for much more excitement this week... LOTS of good things to post!

Beautiful Nail...

Against Justin's best wishes, I just had to share this special moment with the rest of you! So it has become increasingly difficult to do all things where bending at the waist is required... what waist you ask? EXACTLY my point!

When we were in Colorado for the Evans Family Vaca, my mom, Emily and I each got pedicures, but since then I have severely neglected my toes. Now I know what you're thinking, why does it matter, you can't see your toes anyway?! Well, I can when they are propped up in front of me, and it just wasn't a pretty sight. Who better to come to the rescue than my wonderful hubbie?! He was even excited about the challenge! Check out his determination...

We are just in the removal process here. "I thought this stuff just wiped right off," Justin exclaimed! Not when it is blood red and it has been on for 2 months!
Now for the paint job! He got my toes on all angles... I was so impressed. There is nothing worse that a pedicurist who misses that one sliver of nail. He took his job very seriously!
Here is the finished product! If you can get past the fact that my feet are just a little unfortunate looking the actual paint job can certainly be appreciated! Thanks honey! 

In the spirit of nails, for those of you who have not seen this comedy act, you MUST watch. I can recite the entire routine by heart and yet I laugh EVERY time I watch it. Click on the link below and ENJOY! 

Beautiful Nail

Happy Saturday! Hook 'em!

HGTV Who?

Happy Saturday everyone! What a day... in between all of the excitement in the college football world, Justin, my mom, and I worked feverishly hard on Caden's room. Mom came in for Caden and I's first shower, so we'll start there and get back to our fancy decorating skills a bit later...

Yesterday, my office threw a GREAT shower for Caden, Justin and me. We all left the office about 1:30 and headed to my co-worker Molly's house for the big celebration. I work in a small office, and we are very much like a family, so it was great to share my very first baby shower with them. It is sad to think I won't be with them each and every day here in a few months, but the trade-off is certainly no comparison no matter how much I love my job now!

Didn't they do such a great job?

I loved the clothesline. The only other time I've seen this done is at a bachelorette party, and well that just isn't quite is cute is it? 
Yummy food: turkey meatballs (Justin's fav), spinach and artichoke dip (my fav), fruit, salad, and chicken salad sandwiches!
Hey Cupcake! The best cupcakes in Austin, and maybe anywhere! They are sold from an airstream trailer on South Congress. For a little extra you can get an extra dose of sweet with a shot of whip cream in the middle of your cupcake, just like a twinkie. Best thing about the cupcakes...we had left-overs! You better believe Justin was not shy about asking for them either! 
And the happy mom and dad...we had a great time at Caden's first party! Thanks UWT!! Y'all are A-MAZING! 

Now back to the Cox's Debut on HGTV...

If you've been frequenting Cox's Corner, you've seen that we have chosen a delightful color of green for Caden's room. Well turns out that delightful color of green with the bedding we picked out was a little bit much, so we had some accenting to do. Rather than go with any one theme, Justin and I decided to go with colors: navy and lime green. So today was dedicated to all things NAVY! 

We started with paint...Mom and I traced squares down one wall of Caden's room, taped them off, and got paintin'! Check us out...                                                 

My paint brush lost a bristle... I'm not painting with my hands! Look at KK go!! 

Checking out our tape job! Caden even came out to give his opinion... can you see him?
Pulling up the skirt... it's a workout skirt... if you haven't tried them they are awesome! My mom actually gave me this one thinking it might be comfortable to wear while I was pregnant... she was right! I wear it ALL the time! Although today I had a little run in with the navy paint, so we are praying that a little prayer and a lot of Shout will do the trick!
This was Justin's job today... a big navy block behind Caden's crib. Mom and I taped it off... definitely not as easy as it sounds, and then he filled it in! The color looks a bit off in the picture...think true navy!

We had quite a few other projects today... making a window treatment and other wall decorations out of an extra bed skirt, putting together a bookshelf, hanging letters... my glue gun got quite a bit of action today! We're getting closer and closer...we can't wait to reveal the final product. Seeing his name on the wall and most things in place was certainly an exciting close to the end of our day!

A huge thanks to KK who used her thrifty brain and patient persistence to help Justin and I create the room we want for Caden! I love you momma!

Back to college football I go!

Bumpin' the Budget

Happy Sunday everyone! I know, I know ... I'm late posting this week. I got in the habit of posting on Thursdays, but this week was another crazy week in the Cox household and Cox's Corner did not make the priority list.

Remember last post, when I mentioned that I had WAY more interesting things to talk about than Dance Party Fridays and spinners... I told you to be patient and in time I would be able to share yet another God-given lesson! You ready?? 

This one, fortunately, does not have anything to with Caden's health but it certainly has everything to do with Caden! Justin and I have always wanted, hoped and prayed that we would be able, when the time came, to sacrifice my income so that I could quit my day job and start my career as a full-time mom. In May 2007 I was bitten by the baby bug. I was sitting in church, listening to our pastor talk about purpose. While I had always felt that my purpose in this life was to be a mom, I was affirmed by the pulls on my heart-strings that Sunday, which ironically enough was Mother's Day. On the way home from church I told Justin through my happiest tears that I was ready to make preparations so that I could begin to fulfill my God-given purpose. I was ready to start talking seriously about the steps we would need to take to prepare. Now, I know what you're thinking... it isn't that hard, just go home and you know... the birds and bees... but it was more for Justin and I.

We had accumulated a pile of debt, nothing outrageous or record-breaking of course, but enough that strict action was required. So we prayed and asked for prayer from others as we went credit-card free and slowly chipped away at the total. And finally, this summer (2008) we managed to clear our name, we were debt free... check it off the list... we're ready to have a baby and good thing because Caden is on his way! 

While I'd like to say that that was the end of the story, it was only beginning. Justin and I even amongst the "get rid of our debt" plan decided that we needed certain things, a certain lifestyle, a certain set of criteria on which to base our successes in life and that criteria as you might imagine was not God's. It was a sick cycle of pride, greed and rivalry that got the best of us. Any of you who truly understand a man's heart you understand that these three things are some of their biggest struggles as a gender, and for Justin this is also true. Now I certainly do not want to pass the blame over to him, because I also liked living a certain lifestyle, I like expensive make-up and great hair cuts... and a nice pair of jeans, while we're at it, but I certainly don't believe that those things fulfill me on any level. My happiness is not determined by these things! Justin, however, was still fighting this battle...

A few weeks ago, this lifestyle, this greed, this jealousy, this pride got the best of both of us and took us to the lowest place we've been in our four years of marriage. Our finances were in shambles, we were in a constant game of catching up, never getting ahead. We were holding on by our fingertips and any minute someone was going to come along and let us go, but thankfully, we had God... and he didn't let us go, through a piece of fabric (long story), God brought light to our struggles and offered a solution. 

Now I wish I could tell you that God gave us a $750 million bail-out plan, but unlike the government, God believes that we have to take responsibility for our own actions and not be such bad stewards of what He's given us! Sigh! So Justin and I picked ourselves up from our sunken and low state of despair and sought God's wisdom and provision by sitting down, as a family and working on our budget. We laid it all out there... from co-pays to our mortgage no item was left undefined. Then we took this and put it into the 'Caden's Here Budget' and saw that we had some fatal flaws! How in the world would we make it? The numbers just didn't crunch!

Sacrifice time! Line by line, we went through and cut... getting rid of HD and our home phone service, selling both of our road bikes, changing cell phone plans, cutting our weekly grocery bill in HALF... you get the idea. Line by line the cuts were made, the sacrifices evident, but the reward SO GREAT! Working as a team, Justin and I knocked down our budget with intensity and fervor, and we're still making cuts, getting creative... with just a few hundred dollars to go! We're excited for the challenges and can see God's hand in our work. It took going through a few days of despair, a few days of budget making, and a few weeks and counting of budget cuts to see that God has not taken ANYTHING away from us, He's only given us exactly what we wanted. He has blessed us with our reward... we get to be the parents of Caden Ford Cox... no one else on earth gets to do that. We are his parents, and we have a job to do! So we pull up our boot straps and continue to press on towards the race marked out for us, understanding that God too experienced pain and suffering when He made the ultimate sacrifice.  He LOVED us and wanted a relationship with each of us SO MUCH that He turned His back on His son so that His plan could be fulfilled, and some day, God too will get His reward and will meet His children face to face, blameless and pure, the body of Christ, the Kingdom he created will reign with Him in eternity.  There is no sacrifice or reward greater than each of these... so what's non-HDTV, or a $40 hair cut and Cover Girl make-up? Nothing compared to our reward!

So that's that... our most recent lesson... another chapter in our book! 

Okay so I know the only reason that any of you really get on here is to see the baby bump pictures... and I hate to disappoint! You get two!

This was taken over a week ago now... this is my tight-shirted preggo look!
And a little closer... 

Enjoy the last few hours of your weekend... it is time for dinner! :)