Dude Birthday Part I

They say it's your birthday! 

Well...

It's Justin's birthday too!

TODAY! May 29th! 

Happy Birthday Justin!!

We have a two part dude birthday celebration planned to commemorate one special dude! We've had a lot of fun so far and it is only PART I! I love birthday celebrations!

We started the weekend off on Friday morning... Caden and I woke up extra early to have a fun dude donut breakfast with Daddy. It was actually Caden's first time to try a donut... and he decided that he wasn't so much into them... WHAT?! Who doesn't like donuts?! Oh dear...

BUT Daddy LOVED his Eclair and Cha-cha-mi (chocolate milk... that's what Justin called it as a kid... SO CUTE!) from RR Donuts... if you've never had them... they are some of the best! Come see us and we'll get you some! :)

Caden also took the opportunity to share his extremely sweet birthday card with Daddy. He spent ALL week working on different cards and we finally got one that was worthy of making into a card... coloring and Caden aren't quite a match yet... we're working on it! First we have to master sitting for longer than 2 seconds... maybe we should color next time we're on the boat... YES!

Friday night Nana and Paps came in from Waco to start the true Dude Birthday Celebration Part I. While Justin and Paps were out on the back porch smokin' a dude cigar a friendly snake decided to come slithering by. After an hour "hunting" the snake in and out of the bed of Paps' truck they gave up. 

BUT the story doesn't end there... as we were all headed up to bed, Paps decides to look out the front window and all of the sudden yells... SNAKE! Well Nana hopped up on the couch and Justin ran to the window... and I ran to get my camera... this was going to be good. Sure enough ANOTHER snake...yes that's right a different but equally as disgusting snake was slithering up our front sidewalk to our front door...all I can say is I am glad that snakes do not have thumbs!! Justin went and grabbed his snake huntin' shovel and went after him! He got a good shot in but the snake slithered into the bushes... he was never to be seen again... UG! I was hoping for a low key summer in the snake department after last year, BUT it seems as though we are in for it again... BUT this time I'm calling my friendly bug man for the 'snake killin' spray!' These snakes were BIG and not so much the garden variety if you know what I mean... ick!

My photo of my brave hubby is not very good... it was through the window and the flash was all funky... but you get the idea... I think this may have been Justin and Paps' favorite part of the weekend... nothing gets a guy all pumped up like huntin' for snakes... it makes them feel all primal or something... and I must admit... I kind liked it! :)

This morning on Justin's actually birthday we exchanged cards over a quick breakfast before Justin and Paps hit the golf course for the day! IT WAS HOT and they were T.I.R.E.D. when it was all said and done... BUT it was worth it... at least so they say! :)

While the boys were doing their dude golf thing, my favorite lil dude, Nana and I hit the outlet mall for a few things... Nana of course treats Caden to new loot every time she visits! Thanks Nana!! After a little shopping we took Nana to the water park where every single person in TEXAS was... it was crazy. Caden had fun, but was ready to head back after about 30 minutes... done and done! Nana treated us to Which Which and then it was dude nap time... actually Nana nap time today... what a special treat for Caden!

After naps and a few showers we went to the new Saltlick in RR for a little dude birthday BBQ... YUM! Caden ate a TON! And topped it off with ice cream... silly boy! A few pics around the table...

The Chade...

Nana and Paps... thanks for making our sweet Daddy 28 years ago! :)

And the birthday boy himself... and me too! :)

The dude decided that they would all wear their crocs to dinner tonight... Dude Crocs! We bought Caden some new ones today after a lawn mower got the better his other pair... I picked BRIGHT orange... his signature color, of course!

Dude Crocs, take 1...

Take 2...

And take 3...
And again... Dude Crocs 1, 2 and 3!

And the DUDES in their DUDE CROCS... 1, 2 and 3...

Last one... 1, 2 and 3!

Caden took Nana for a little after dinner stroll... gets that digestion movin'! He needed all the help he could get! He was FULL!

I know I'm biased but I just can't help but think he is the cutest little man in bright orange crocs I've ever seen! He is getting SO BIG and SO OLD! Oh Caden... you make your Mommy's heart hurt, she loves you so much!

So there you have it... Dude Birthday Part I!

Stayed tuned for Dude Birthday Part II as we take on San Antonio!

Thanks Nana and Paps for spending the first part of your weekend with us! We always love having you with us... we have TOO much fun! We are so excited summer is here so we can spend more time with y'all!! Yay!! We love you both!

Happy Birthday Justin... I love you! 

Pink Orange is My Signature Color!

So okay maybe Caden's a bit young to have a signature color, but this summer he sure does seem to be wearing a bunch of orange...

And just so we are PERFECTLY clear this is in NO way, shape or form because of the Longhorns... we're still bleeding green and gold in Cox house! NO worries!

Orange reel...

Setting up the sprinkler with Daddy! Such a good little helper!

Watch out Caden... here it comes!!

WOAH!!! We tried to warn you! Ha!
HANDS UP!! I think he thinks this little maneuver will block the water... I'm not sure how well that's workin' out for him though!

The next orange photo-op came on Sunday before church. We, all three, were ready early so we decided to take the opportunity to snap a few...

Sweet boy... he is kind of smiling and somewhat still... SNAP!

Being silly...SNAP!

NO MORE, NO MORE! It looks like he's givin' me a SUPER CHEESY toothy grin, but he's actually just trying to grab the camera and SNAP a few of his own... little toot!

Last but NEVER least in our orange photo reel are a few pics of Caden and his sweet friend Izzy. Izzy just recently became a big sister to Baby Owen so Caden and I took the opportunity to grab some snuggles with Owen, hang out with Miss Ashley and play with Iz!

Right before we left (post-lunch) I remembered I had my camera... SO Caden is a drooly mess but the orange is still nice and bright! :)

Izzy got the memo on orange too! :)

So I couldn't get Caden to wipe that 'MOM you are so embarrassing smirk' off his face, but I tried! Izzy and her family will soon be moving back to The Woodlands... we are super sad to see them go, but excited to have yet ANOTHER friend to visit in Houston! We'll miss y'all!!

Alright so this last pic has NOTHING to do with orange... but it was my silly and sad attempt to get a picture of me and the Chade! 

Enjoy!

The weekend is almost here! Any big plans for the three day weekend?! 

Love y'all!

Some Boys...

Some boys...

Were BORN to wear Wranglers...

AND...

Some boys...

...well, they just WEREN'T!

I think it is safe to say we'll be leaving the Wranglers to George for now!

Weekend Water Wackiness {with friends}

We have had a water-filled weekend thus far! We started off the weekend at the beloved waterpark with our neighbors and friends. Aarin and Caden are only months apart and they live right next door... they share a fence! Caden always heads to the back of our fence where we share the wrought iron section of the fence and peeks through to see if his buddy is outside! We've gotten to play much more recently now that they are older, running around and interested in having a dude to play with! We are blessed to have a sweet friend right next door! Here is a quick video of the boys playing at the park!

This morning we got up with the sun and headed to the lake with Ava and her rents! The G-Rowes were very sweet to invite us to join them for a morning on the lake. The weather was overcast and it was a bit windy... perfect for boating! Not too hot...not too cold!

We weren't quite sure how the kiddos would do... but we decided to brave it and take them with us and see how it went. I must say that we were pleasantly surprised with their lake enthusiasm... they were great! AND Justin and I FINALLY figured out how to make Caden sit still... strap a life jacket on him and put him in a boat! That kid didn't move a muscle! It was hilarious! He HATES his life jacket and who could blame the guy, a pot belly like his doesn't work too well inside a life jacket... kind of like the SNL skit Fat Guy in a Little Coat... but he's not fat of course... just healthy! Really healthy, in fact! :) 

But life jacket aside, I'm not so sure what the Chade thought about the boat. He has been on a boat before but he was about 7 months old... no sure he has much memory of that. He was sure to keep his hand on one of us at all times. Sweet lil man... he will get more comfortable the more we do it... and KK and Albi are going to be helping us achieve that goal this summer! :)

The water was a bit chilly, but the kiddos got in despite the cold... Ava did GREAT! She was super brave and excited about sitting in her inner-tube. Caden... not so much on the tube or anything but Mommy's arms... and you know I did not mind that one bit! Hehe... it's nice to feel needed! 

After some swimming the kiddos and their daddies were hungry so they went up for some snacks and Gina and I did our Mommy thing in the water... talk, talk, talk, talk!

Here are a few videos from our day...

First up... Caden's sunscreen spikey hairdo! Sweet Ava and spunky Miss Gina!

Next up... Ava lovin' life in her tube and Caden and Justin eatin' dude snacks! Caden and Justin have lots of "dude" things they do... dude bath, dude naptime (on weekends), dude bedtime, dude nuggets (chick-fil-a dates), dude runs, dude snacks... pretty much everything they do together ends up becoming dude fill in the black... It can make a Mommy feel pretty left out, but I'm learning to deal... :) 

Second time is a charm, right? Let's try this thing again... Caden you'll LOVE it! 

Or not...poor Ava!

Last but certainly not least... family fun in the water... minus our handsome video man! 

Anyone else enjoying a weekend full of water wackiness?!

Photos from the Weekend

Here are the photos I promised from the weekend...(see post below if you have no idea what I'm talking about!! Ha!)

Meli P and I are the rehearsal dinner at the Oasis...

Carter and Caden eating breakfast!!

Playin'...
Watching some Veggie Tales...

Wagon Ride...

Hangin' out with the boys at Matt's El Rancho...

At the wedding... beautiful bride!

Yay pictures!

Waiting for the Text...

We had a fantastic weekend celebrating the marriage of one of my dearest friends Stephanie and her husband Paul. They were brave and pulled off a beautiful, magazine-worthy outdoor wedding in the splendor of the Texas Hill Country, overlooking Lake Travis! To say that the views were amazing wouldn't be fair... it is some of God's best artistry! Both the rehearsal dinner and wedding were wonderful and it was so good to be a special part of such a worthwhile celebration.

We were fortunate to live near the wedding venue and didn't have to travel! The wedding came to us...ha! Okay so not exactly, but I'll let myself think that! :) Since we were "in town" we got to play host to some of our favorite out of town guests! Meli P and Scott are two of our oldest couple friends. We've known each other long before we ever got engaged and have since spent lots of time being young marrieds together, staying with each other a few times a year, each year we've been married. This time, however, was the first that our kids got to play a part. Carter is just 3 months younger than Caden and ALL boy. He is the perfect playmate for Caden! We were super excited to have them come stay the weekend with us, but even more excited to watch the boys play with each other. 

They got along fantastically well for never having played with each other. They were both intrigued by the other one, although I am thinking that Caden was more intrigued by the audience that he had than by anything else... he never does miss an opportunity to be a ham! Carter is the sweetest, happiest little boy. He sits and plays so quietly and patiently. He definitely has some skills that Caden could learn from, for sure! Caden was loving having a buddy (a boy buddy) to hang out with all weekend!

We had two wedding festivities to attend both Friday and Saturday nights which required a babysitter! BUT not just any babysitter!  A babysitter that could handle two boys, for two nights, for 6+ hours... ready, set, go!

Justin and I are fortunate enough to have stumbled upon Patti... our sweet, adorable, skinny as a rail, blond haired, blue-eyed, outgoing babysitter Patti! We met Patti while volunteering in the nursery. She is a teen helper in Caden's nursery on Sundays and he LOVES him some Miss Patti! She definitely has taken a liking to Caden too... I think it is safe to say he might be one of her favorites. Patti is still pretty young, only 13 but I knew that she had something special and knowing that I would need a babysitter for this wedding weekend I started planning weeks ahead to make sure that I could snag her! 

I called her Momma about one month out and talked to her at length about Caden and Carter and the weekend. I wanted to be sure she was okay with Patti babysitting for us. Just because Patti knows us from church doesn't mean her Momma will give her the free pass! It is a scary world sometimes! SO after a 30 minute conversation where we found SEVERAL uncanny similarities... Baylor grad, tennis player, etc., etc. we decided that she would come by on Sunday and meet Justin and I and we'd go from there. Smart Mommy! Justin and I passed the test and she agreed to let Patti babysit under the one condition that she came and spent a few hours with us before the weekend to get a lay of the land... again, smart Mommy! So last Monday Patti, still decked out in her uniform from school came by and spent a few hours with Caden and me. She showed up with a list of concerns and questions that she wanted to talk through. She was super prepared and hilariously conscious of potential problems for her age. She had thought of all the same challenges that Justin and I had when we were thinking through the process of babysitting the two boys. SO funny!

So Friday night came and we were all sitting around a table at the rehearsal dinner waiting for a text from Patti. She told us she would text us when everyone was asleep! Well, her poor Momma had put the fear of God in her to not pick up her cell phone and text while babysitting and so she didn't text us... so we waited and waited and then finally about 8:30 I gave up and texted her!

Katie Text: How is everything going?

Patti Text: It went pretty well. It took a littler longer than expected to put Caden down. But all in all we had a good time:) Played outside with the swing and sand for a little and danced around to veggie tales. Then had a large dinner!:) There was a little scare with the dogs but it was okay and I got it taken care of. Everybody is in bed now and I'm just picking up a bit :) Enjoying the dinner?

Katie Text: Good to hear. What happened with the dogs?

Patti Text: Caden was starting to get tired and wanted the dogs. Carter was watching intently veggie tales. Didn't want to get the dogs out but Caden shrieked so I let him give the brown one a treat, the white one seems a little more rowdy. He was a little more energetic than Caden was expecting and Caden toppled on his booty. Just scared him a little bit. But he's ok! :) No more dogs!

Katie Text: That's too funny! Thanks again for everything!

Patti Text: Oh no problem. We're having a good time :) No tears when either parents left, a few when I put them down but they ceased pretty quickly. Enjoy ur nite! :)

First let me just say that I am SO GLAD that she didn't use "teen text code." I am not sure I'm hip to the lingo these days... phew! And second let me say that she did not have to tell us all of that. I mean the thing with the dogs... crazy! NOT A GOOD MOVE on her part but to her credit most American family dogs aren't SPAZZY like ours! She did what she could to make Caden happy. BUT she could have totally skipped that part... we would have never known. She was honest and upfront and I loved that! I will admit I did have to have a "give her grace" talk with myself. She is 13, she is doing her best, you didn't tell her no dogs, and now she knows. No harm, no foul. Extend grace, Katie. And I did... and she received it and all was good! :)

The next challenge came when taking her home... "so where should I go?"

SILENCE...

Um...

Patti?

Do you know where you live??

SORT OF!!

Uh oh!! Needless to say the next night I had directions ready to go. No need to take the SUPER long route again just to find her a familiar ground to start from! Haha! Sweet Patti!

The next day we got to hang out with some other great friends of ours who happen to live in California and one who lives here and that we see more often but still not often enough! We ate at one of our fav Austin mexican food spots and had a great time! Of course this is only after getting into a fender bender on our way there!!

YEP! A fender bender!! 

Where? In our driveway!

YEP! We hit a parked car... 

Our friend Meli P's parked car!

OOPS!

So, speaking of grace... God blessed us with friends who extended that same grace that we extended to Patti, to us after we hit their car. They were super gracious and didn't even flinch... their facial expressions didn't falter either... they truly had grace SCREAMING from their bodies! And for this we were thankful!

Luckily, the car ride to the restaurant was 25 minutes so I was able to get on the phone with the insurance company and get everything resolved... a local body shop and rental car later, they were set to fix the damages to their car once they returned home. Meli P- Scott- we are SO sorry! Thank YOU for extending grace to us!! 

So minus the fender bender which didn't even require a margarita (that is how nice they were about it all!) we had a great day! We relaxed and prepared ourselves for the fun wedding night ahead!

Once again we sat around a table, dining on some YUMMY pasta when around 8:30 I decided to give up and text Patti again.

Katie Text: How's it going?

Patti Text: Amazingly well :) they went down at 7:40 without a second glance, no tears, no dogs, no falls, bumps or bruises. Just happy smiles and some more dancing:) It couldn't have gone any better. Cleaned up the house so it looks spic and span!

Katie Text: Wonderful! Thanks for cleaning but not needed! You're great!

Patti Text: No problme, fantastic nite, they both aren't making a peep! Enjoy the reception!

Katie Text: Thank you!

So we smiled, laughed, felt peace in our hearts and went on enjoying our night...

Until dessert... which was FABULOUS by the way.

And I see the text light blinking on my phone... uh-oh, I think!

Patti Text: Mrs. Cox, this is somewhat of an odd request, but I'm craving ice cream. Do you mind if I take a little scoop out of ur raspberry sorbet and eat just a few bites?

Katie Text: Oh yes, YES!! Please! Eat whatever you find!! Go for it! We'll text you when we leave!

(TRANSLATION of Katie's Text: Mrs. Cox? REALLY?! I know you are just being nice, but come on, girlfriend! And sure just scrape off the freezer burn and dig in! Poor Patti!)

On our way home...

Katie Text: On our way! Be home in 30ish minutes.

Patti Text: Sounds great! I'll still be here! :)

And that my friends was the making of a beautiful weekend...

A great reason for a celebration!

A GREAT celebration!

GOOD FOOD!

Even BETTER friends!

An honest babysitter with a sense of humor and a taste for sweets! (And a heart for the Lord that would just make you jump for joy!! AND when she said cleaned the house: that meant unloading and loading dishwasher, cleaning highchairs and counters, tidying up play room, living room, straightening shoes at bottom of stairs... folding blankets... you name it, she did it!!)

AND two very happy, sweet boys whose names start with the letter C! :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend, full of many blessings and of course a BUNCH of fun!!

(sorry no pics in this post. didn't take any!! I'll snag some from friends and post soon!)

WATERPARK!!

Caden and two of his sweet girlfriends, Avery and Ava had a playdate this week at the waterpark! It was our first trip to the waterpark this year and first time we've been able to go since Caden has been walking. Last summer we ventured out a couple of times just to sit and watch the big kiddos, but this year... it is an entirely different ballgame!!

Caden was LOVING it! For the first hour he ran around, going from fountain to fountain, chasing Ava, hugging Ava... the norm! By the second hour he was POOPED!! It was a fun outting for the mommies and the babies! Can't wait to do it more! I have a feeling the waterpark is going to be even more fun than the pool this year!! 

Of course I brought the Flip Video along for the ride... here is a sweet little clip of Caden and Ava! It wasn't too practical to carry it around in the park because I never knew when one of the elements would start spewing at me!! I did the best I could! 

I don't know if it is mommyhood or what, BUT my accent is getting worse! My mommy-voice is slightly twangy... nothing like a video to prove it! I am afraid I might end up sounding like I did when I was 5... yikes!!

Happy Thursday!

Mother's Day Weekend

Happy Mother's Day! Again!

I have uploaded a few more videos to show you more of the fun we had this weekend! I was definitely spoiled by my boys for Mother's Day! They sure do know how to make a Mommy feel special! And yes, this always includes tears (happy tears)... at least for me! 

The weekend started with a lovely day of much needed beauty for me on Saturday. I was able to spend the morning get some TLC for my hairs... all of them! After a cut and color job, I grabbed some yummy lunch on the run and soaked my feet in a pedicure tub! 10 toes painted in Cajun Shrimp later and I was set! At least my head and my feet were! 

After my morning of beauty I headed home to hang with my hubs while Caden was napping. When Caden got up we changed into some "going out to dinner" clothes and headed downtown to eat at one of our favorite Austin spots... Shady Grove! Before we left for dinner though, Caden walked into our bedroom while I was getting ready with a perfectly wrapped package and two cards. After boo-hooing through the cards I opened my gift... which was as you know the FlipVideo! At first the tears were clouding my eyes so much that I couldn't see what it was... but I was SUPER stoked to open that puppy up and start filming! 

Caden is getting to such a great age to be videoed... he makes us laugh ALL the time! So many of those especially hilarious moments I don't want to forget and they are also fun to share with friends and family. I don't think any of us are ever really what we are like at home when we are around other people... moments at home are the most priceless we can capture!

Today was business as usual... church, store, lunch, yard work, rearranging furniture, time on the back porch, Sunday night drive... it was a great day! Thank you Caden (AND JUSTIN!!) for a memorable weekend! Y'all are the best! I love you both to the moon and back and back again!

NOW...video time... (don't miss the sweet video from the post prior to this one!!)

Had to capture the fun at Shady Grove!!

And then a little more playtime on the couch! Caden has started standing on all fours and peeking his head between his legs... it is HILARIOUS! In this particular video he was so worn out from laughing and romping around the couch that his all-four head stand was a little puny! SO FUNNY!

And a little Mother's Day hoop action! He's good!!