Go Daddy...It's Your Birfday!

It's been a few weeks, but I bet you guys still remember how the Cade-man likes to start off his weekend recap posts... 

WHAT A WEEKEND! WHAT A WEEKEND!

Caden here, bringing you the latest and greatest from my daddy's 27th Birthday Weekend. Hopefully you had a chance to read the little poem I cooked up for daddy, but now it's time for the good stuff...PICTURES and LOTS of them! Prepare yourselves...

It all started Thursday night when the just the Cox family of three went out to celebrate Daddy's birthday with dinner at one of our Austin fav's... Z Tejas. The night was perfect, the patio was hopping, the margs were half price and so were the apps. And what about me you ask? Well... I was the perfect gentleman... sitting patiently in my awesome umbrella stroller playing with my friend Mr. Duck while Mommy and Daddy celebrated over dinner!

Here's the BIRFDAY BOY... my daddy!

Awww... sweet Daddy!

Here is my Daddy 3 margs, one surf and turf and a slice of cheesecake later... he's looking nice and happy! 
Designated Diana aka Mommy!

Dinner was super fun. My mommy and daddy had the best time talking and laughing... reminiscing about the good 'ol days... when they were young... HA! Not anymore... you guys are parents... and you're old, and I'll continue to remind you of that as I get older, don't you worry!

Dinner went right up to my bedtime... with Mommy behind the wheel I knew I was in good hands, so I hit the hay as soon as the engine purred! For some reason Mommy and Daddy thinks it's funny to take pictures of me while I'm catching my beauty rest. Some would call it rude, but Mommy and Daddy call it memories!

All tuckered out...
I guess they felt bad for their candid photo-ops of me and decided to take an impromptu picture of themselves... what cheese heads!

Daddy's birthday celebration didn't end there... more to come from Wacky Waco!

Mommy, Daddy and I loaded up late Friday afternoon and headed north to Nana and Paps' new house in Waco. We were SO excited to see their new digs and couldn't wait to check out the sights and sounds of one of our favorite Texas cities... 

Okay so truth... I've never been to Waco, but Mommy and Daddy seem to think it's a GREAT place. I was pleased with what I saw, but unfortunately we didn't have time to see Waco's finest by visiting Baylor... in time, in time!

As soon as we got there it was time for me to eat my dinner and my rice cereal... and afterwards I decided it would probably be best to chill in my blue Bumbo while the big people cooked their own dinners. 

Black or refried beans, you ask??? Hmmmm hard choice!

Nana provided the food and I provided the entertainment... I think I did pretty well because at the end of dinner they all stood up... can't complain with that standing-O!

Paps was unable to join us Friday evening because he had to go to graduation and then to Ft. Hood for Project Graduation... principals have a tough job, but like all other jobs, somebody's got to do it! Those kids are lucky they've got my Paps!

The next morning while Paps caught some well-deserved shut-eye we headed out of the house for a little walk. Nana was super excited to grab the reigns of the Bob and take me on a tour of her hood.

On our walk we saw three baby duckies... can you see them by the tree? They were so cute... I decided it would be nice to stop and chat with my new friends!

But then, out of the shadows lurked their Mommy and Daddy... EEK! I was a little nervous. I know how protective my mommy is of me, so I understood what their beef with us was. We were just looking... no harm! And I know to wash my hands before touching babies... Mommy taught me well!

We worked up quite a sweat during our walk so you know what that means... POOL TIME!! BUT... we decided to walk to the pool too, so we were doubly sweaty. The girls and me... ready for the pool. Oh yah, and my frog floatie, I'm not sure if he/she is a boy or a girl... sorry Mr./Mrs./Miss frog floatie!

Splish, splash I was swimmin' around... 

After two walks, and almost an hour at the pool I was one tired kiddo! So I chilled in my Bob for a while when we got home... Again, Mommy and Daddy think 'sleepin' Caden' pictures are SOOOO CUTE!! Goodness gracious...

After my nap, Nana, Mommy and I headed out for a little shopping! Nana bought me some new threads and a great new pair of swim trunks... I am all set for the summer! Not long after we returned home my Great Gran and Poppa came over for dinner. 

Again... a little pre-dinner entertainment.

Saturday was quite a day... so naturally, I slept like a champ that night and woke up ready to go Sunday morning... 

Mommy and Daddy cooked breakfast for everyone while Nana and Paps played with me. I am a HUGE fan of sitting in my Bumbo on the counter, but Mommy always makes someone stand right next to me... she's afraid I'll fall or something?! I mean it's not like I've ever tried to escape before?!?! Oh wait... actually, I ALWAYS try to escape... if it wasn't for my muscular (chunky) thighs I'd be outta that thing! I still get a case of 'Bumbo Butt' everytime I sit in it...I have one thing to say to Mr. Bumbo...S, M, L and XL... not all of us babies have chicken legs... come on now!

Today, Aunt Cori and Uncle Tag met us for lunch in Waco. It was such a nice surprise to see 'ol Baldy and Cori for a few hours! I didn't get to snuggle with them as long as I would like to, but I'll take what I can get!

Our trip to Waco concluded on a high note when we visited Mommy and Daddy's friends Emily and Bryce! They just moved into a new house so we stopped by to see it... it was super pretty and very nice just like my Nana and Paps house. 

Now we're home... enjoying the rest of our Sunday and saying goodbye to a great birthday celebration! Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUSTIN/DADDY!!

You say it's your birthday? Well it's not mine quite yet

But Mommy and I would like to propose a little birthday bet

Let go of your wallet there's no money involved

Your birthday won't be complete until this matter is resolved

The bet involves a number so special to mommy and me

The number of years that it took you to turn into the man I want to be

27 is your number, today, tomorrow and for the rest of the year

And if we want to finish this poem before then we better kick it into high gear

You possess many, many traits that make us love you more each day

But we'll just share 27 in honor of this landmark day in May

1 is an important number, we all must start with this

I love how you always plant me with the biggest, wettest kiss

2 is for you and me and all the fun that we'll have

I love that I look like you from my head to my calve

Right now our family is represented by the great number 3

I love knowing that no matter who comes next you'll always have room for me

You and Mommy both came from a nice family of 4

I love the sound you make each night when walking through the door

If you count Max and Maci our family adds up to 5

I love how you keep mommy well-fed so I can continue to thrive

6 is a three letter word and it's also a number too

I love how you like us to match from our shirt to our shoe

7-11 is the place where we can get a slurpee, right?

I love our time in the rocking chair each and every night

Between 8 and 8:30 it's time to rest my head

I love our nighttime routine before you put me to bed

9 is fine and so too can be hair and dining

I love how you always manage to see the silver lining

10 is our first double digit but there's still more to go

I love how your face shows excitement in the form of a cheeky glow

We've made it to 11, this has been way too easy

I love how your sense of humor is always nice and cheesy

12 months are in a year and as a baby I celebrate each

I love that sports of all kinds are the things that you will teach

Our first stop in the teens, 13 makes its mark

I love how you take Mommy and me for long walks in the park

Between 13 and 14 we've reached a point called halfway

I love how you dream of taking me to Wrigley and Fenway

Many cultures celebrate 15 as a coming of age

I love that in my journey you'll be my supportive gage

Sweet 16 means a big party and of course a license to drive

I love how you take on a challenge, right on in you dive

When you were 17 you fell in love with your future wife

I love that you made her my mommy and gave us this great life

18 is an even number and a good one at that

I love how you run to stay in shape and keep away the fat

I'm sure glad I learned how to count higher than 19

I love how you help Mommy keep our house nice and clean

20 dollars is its own bill and can be used to purchase and buy

I love how you are already teaching me to be a sweet and solid guy

At 21 you can purchase any drink of your choice

I love how you sing to me in your sweet, but pitchy voice

Here we are at double 2's (22), the age when you got hitched

I love how happy you make mommy so that us dudes don't get ditched

23, gee my knee I don't have much more time

I love that up your chest each day you let me climb and climb

Uncle Josh just turned 24 and you said he's so young

I love how you mimic my newest tricks like blowing bubbles with my tongue

A quarter of a century is also represented in the number 25

I love watching TV with you, especially sports LIVE

By George we're almost there, at 26 we arrive

I love your spirit, as sweet as honey straight from a bee's best hive

27 done and done and now I'm getting sad

There is so much more I want to say! I do, real bad!

I love you Daddy with all my heart and I know Mommy loves you too

A Happy Birthday, many blessings and more we wish to you!

A Weekend at Lost Pines...

...is a weekend spent...

Hanging with my KK and Albi by the Colorado River...

Relaxing to the beats of the Live Music...

Hanging poolside sportin' a sunscreen spike and my new SPF'd rash guard...

Chatting with the fam on the porch...

Catching a few zzzzzz's....

Rollin' around in Mommy and Daddy's big hotel bed in my PJ's...

Braving the rapids of the lazy river...

NOT PHOTOGRAPHED DUE TO THE GRAPHIC NATURE OF THE RAPIDS!!

(My Albi even rode the river... Mommy kept pulling him along, making him go really fast... he screamed like a little girl... hehehe! Silly Abi)

(Mommy also had her first "mommy pounce" moment, but she says that deserves a blog all to itself... so y'all can look forward to that!!)

Meditating by the waterfalls...

Riding on the open range...

Livin' the life of a cowboy...

BUT...

Eventually, the fun had to end... so with one last family pic we packed up the room and headed back to the Rock.

Special thanks to my KK and Albi for taking me on my very first vacation! Lost Pines was awesome! I hope we can make it a tradish and next time take Uncle Josh and Aunt Emmie too... I know they'd love it just as much we did! I love you both SO much! I can't wait for our next vacation in August!! What a way to kick-off the summer!

PS: I am sorry my mommy and daddy forgot to bring our camera... our blackberries just didn't do the trip justice... BUT you know what's even better than pictures? Our memories... they'll last a lifetime!! 

Happy Memorial Day everyone! 

HAIR-LARIOUS

Sorry for the Caden-free post... I know that is why you all read my blog, but I have to share a little bit of Katie-hilarity with you tonight... it all started when...

I went to college, and for the first time in my life I wasn't in the sun ALL day every day... I played tennis since I was 9 and my hair was always the perfect shade of blonde. When I frequented the classroom and the cafeteria more than the courts I suddenly realized that I am actually a dark blonde, not an ash blonde with bleached-colored highlights. A dark blonde? No way... that just wouldn't work! So that is when my obsession with hair color started! 

I started going back to my blonde but a for a few years in college I would dye my hair brown every fall and then let it fade back to blonde for the spring and summer. Brown was fun, but I am definitely more a blonde!

So now...here we are... a few months before Caden's arrival and Justin and I had some big budget cuts to make. NOT MY HAIR! NO! I couldn't! I had become quite the hair snob since my freshman year in college and it wasn't a big deal for me to spend upwards of $200 every 6 weeks on my hair... and that didn't include all of the products I needed (was suckered into buying) as well! 

As you might imagine, our single-income baby budget didn't really think a $200 hair bill was acceptable, SO I cut it back some. I found a few new places, one in San Antonio and one here in Austin. They weren't what I had become accustomed to but they weren't bad. I have only had my hair colored once since Caden's been born... and he's been here for almost 5 months! Yikes!

So that brings us to the point of this whole post... after checking out my HIDEOUS roots after a photo session with Caden last weekend I decided it was TIME. I had to do something. SO I called my girl in Austin and she couldn't get me in until next week. Well those of you who know me well know that once I got it in my head that I needed a root-boost it was important for me to GET my root-boost. So, naturally... I did what any color-crazy girl would do... I went to the grocery store and bought a box 'o color.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I know, I know!! I can't believe I did it either! In a moment of fierce determination and confidence I did it. I was going to conquer those nasty roots myself! I was hearing the frazzled voice of Elle Woods in my head and knew she would be beyond disappointed but I was sure she'd approve of my next idea... 

I was going to put my years of watching what I would call "some of the best colorists ever" work, I knew I was up for the challenge. All I needed were two boxes of color... I NEVER trusted a colorist who only used one color... dimension people! I had everything else I needed at home... 

Now if you'd please join me on my HAIR-LARIOUS Journey...

(Please note that no children/animals were harmed during this process. (Caden was napping!!))

Step 1: Examine your unsightly roots. (Please forgive the grease... I had just returned from my morning run... yes that's right I said it... RUN! And yes, I am sore! Thanks for asking!)

Step 2: Station Prep: Two boxes of complimentary shades, two paper bowls, some foam brushes I had left over from an "art" project, Reynold's Wrap cut into squares and my handy-dandy video monitor. Check, check!

Step 3: Sectioning the hair... with ANY clip, rubber band, bobby-pin I could find.

Step 4: Brush and Foil... Here's the thing about the "foiling," stylists as a general rule DO NOT use Reynold's Wrap... nope... they use special foil that folds SO much easier than my friend Reynold! Doesn't look quite as nice and neat as a professional does it?? OKAY IT DOESN'T EVEN COMPARE!

Step 5: Wait, pray, wait, pray... okay I actually didn't pray. I didn't feel like it was a good use of God's time, but maybe I should have because when I rinsed and dried I got a color similar to this...

Or maybe this is a better visual...

Regardless, I couldn't dare take a picture of it, not even for the blog. So I decided it really wasn't ALL that bad. It would grow on me. No... I think I can fix it... back to the bathroom I went. I tried two more times with those same two bottles of color... and ended up a little better, although my roots who were obviously MUCH darker than I had realized and were still a little highlighter-ish. After three tries and three showers (a record for a week much less one day) I decided to give it up and make the best of it. 

Then, Justin came home... totally supportive of my 'do-it-yourself' attitude, he said it's not horrible honey... it looks pretty good. Then he said, next time... just go get it done, we can afford it! Hmmmm... must be bad if he is encouraging me to spend money. Then we went to Justin's softball game... YES I went out in public, but I didn't care... I figured no one had seen me in awhile so they probably had forgotten that I don't normally look like a highlighter... or maybe they would think I ate too many lemons or it was a weird reaction to giving birth... I was safe from judgement!

And that brings us to today... are you getting tired of reading this yet? READY to see the final product? Okay hold on...

This morning, I went on a walk with one of our greatest friends and her daughter... as soon as she saw me she said, WOAH, You're blonde! I like it... it's very golden blonde! Look at you... I like you as a blonde! Okay so that sounds all good and great right? But my sweet friend, who I love dearly was obviously SO blinded by my highlighter head that she skipped right past HI and Good Morning and went straight for the WOAH... followed by the rest which no doubt was her trying to make the WOAH sound positive and not like WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO?!

That was it... I knew something had to be done. 

Back to the store... back to the box, but this time a darker blonde and I was just going to go for it... all over color no messing with highlights and Reynold and foam brushes... 

And after two tries... and only one bottle of color I got this...

No roots... a little bit of a red tint... but hey I figure it will be a good thing because you know Caden is a strawberry blond, so people will come up to us and say, "Aw he has your hair!" and I'll say, "Yes, gotta love that Loreal, I mean, those GENETICS!" Mommy and son... what a combo!

It actually looks more like this...not the best color job I've ever had, but not horrible! Certainly the cheapest color-job I've ever had... and that's worth a lot! 

And hey... my hair matches my eyebrows... I can't remember the last time it did that! 

So there you have it... my HAIR-LARIOUS JOURNEY to the picture above. I am not sure if there is a moral to this story other than, it's fun to try new things, it's nice to know that I have enough self-confidence to venture into public with a highlighter on my head and it's GREAT to get rid of my roots! Oh and ONLY a blonde could have fun while doing this!!

Happy Wednesday!

Today, I Smiled When...

...I saw the first family picture of my cousin Boozy, her husband and their lil' man!

Welcome to the world Cy Houston Leach. All 5 lbs. 12 ounces of you! We are so excited you are here! We can't wait to meet you! Congrats Manda! We love you Leaches!

...I downloaded the pics from the day Cy was born... May 16th, 2009 was a great day! Although we couldn't be there, we celebrated just the same! YAY, HURRAY CY IS HERE!!

...Justin and Caden were able to go on their first official Dude Run! Check Cade-man's new shades... 

...I went upstairs and saw this...my boys and their Sperry's!

...I remembered that The Bachelorette starts TONIGHT!!! How do you fix your hot dog?!

VOTE NOW!

Baby

Welcome to Baby Idol. I'm Ryan Seacrest your host. Tonight, our four finalists will compete in one of the most-anticipated shows so far this season. Our contestants will be competing in a genre that is considered one of the most difficult in the music industry...OPERA! 

First up, from Deep in the Heart of Texas, a momma's boy and daddy's champ, give it up for...

CADEN

FORD

COX

 

Yo, Dawg, check it... THAT WAS HOT!! Cade-man, dawg, I like you. You've got what it takes. Opera's not my thing, yo, but dawg you brought it. Great performance! 

Caden! Sweet Caden! You take my breath away. I am fanning the flames in my heart... ladies watch out! No seriously, I love your look, your hair, your stage presence. It was beautiful...truly...

Caden... wut can I say... it was good. I was afraid O-per-a wud not be your genre, but you proved me wrong. Well done...well done!

Alright America... it's up to you. To send Caden to the final three he needs your vote. Vote now by texting IDOL-03 or calling, 1-800-Idol-03.

Nice job man, head back to the Idol Lounge...

Next up, our musical guest, Thomas the Train & Friends.