I'm Back... With 2 New Posts

Check out the two new posts below!!

More to come...

Happy Four-Day Week!!

A MEMORIAL-ABLE Day!!

Happy Belated Memorial Day to everyone! Kind of weird to say "happy" Memorial Day isn't it?! Such a bittersweet day for so many people. I am so thankful to all of the service men and women both now and those who have come before us and for the sacrifices they have made and continue to make on our behalf! I know some people say they are just "geared" that way, but I honestly can't imagine it... and because of that I am beyond grateful to those serving and to the brave families left behind... the sacrifices you make are not lost on us who get to enjoy our husbands and children daily... thank you!

(Sorry for the delay... I just couldn't seem to write a Memorial Day post without that... it's kind of like writing a restaurant review and not mentioning the Chef!)

Yesterday, we had a pretty low key day... but low key days sometimes turn into some of the most MEMORABLE ones don't they?! I love days spent with no agenda or to-do list... just time with me and my boys!

Of course, I did spend an hour or so away from my boys on Monday morning when they SO GRACIOUSLY went to the store to get us prepared for the week. It was a dude date of sorts, but I know it was no where near the fun they normally get to partake in... but I am thankful that they changed their plans to help a sore, waddle-y Momma out! :)

While they were gone I finished up a sewing project for Kaki's room and did a little work on some letters for Kaki and Caden's bathroom...

Here is a sneak peak of Kaki's room... I know so many of you are anxiously awaiting the final product!! Hang in there with me... it's coming! But for now... this will give you a sweet taste of her perfectly pink and a bit of blue room! :)

And the letters that will hang over Caden and Kaki's respective towel racks in their bathroom! :)

After all of my crafty fun and the boys' trip to the store we were all ready for a little break! Well... C and I were... our sweet Daddy kept plugging away at some chores around the house! God bless that man!! :)

Caden and I were watching some Elmo together on the couch... I couldn't help but snap a picture of his cute little leg crossed over the other... he looked so old and so little all at the same time! Melt my heart!!

After a little break we decided to de-baby Caden's tricycle and let him take a whirl around the driveway! He still hasn't quite got the concept but he's working on it! Bless his heart and his short little legs... they don't help! :)

Daddy was also gearing up for a bike ride that afternoon while Caden napped... so he got out his gear which Caden thought he'd try on for size...

And since he was already dawning his protective gear... why not go for a quick spin on Daddy's bike?!
He looks SO little up on that big bike!! And sadly... the helmet wasn't ALL that much too big!!

After Caden's nap we loaded up and headed out for a Memorial Day snow cone... one of the BEST ways I know to kick off the summer!! The line was CRAZY... we waited nearly 30 minutes for our goodness, but it was WORTH IT! And so nice on a HOT day!! Caden shared Mommy's Coconut snow cone...

And Daddy's Tiger's Blood... he liked both... no surprise there!

For dinner we grilled out in the backyard and played in the sprinkler... and topped off our super fun and memorable Birthday/Memorial Day weekend with a YUMMY dinner and relaxing night at home!

Thankful for days like these...

Happy (OLD) Birthday to Our FAVORITE Guy!

Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to our MOST FAVORITEST GUY in the WORLD... Happy Birthday to you!!!

Justin turned... OLD... on Sunday... and the Cox Fam came in to celebrate with us! We were so excited to have a house full of fun to help us ring in another fantastic year of Justin! He is literally one of the BEST guys I have ever come across... BEST... in so many senses of the word. And I'm not just saying that because I'm his wife and he's my baby-Daddy... :) I'm saying it because it's true... ask anyone... they'll tell you! Promise! :)

But poor... pitiful... sad... wearisome Justin has taken this birthday... his OLD birthday, pretty hard! It's actually not his OLD birthday it's his 29th birthday! I don't get the whole crying over turning a year older thing... I really don't! So it is very hard for me to sympathize. The way I see it... for every birthday we GET to celebrate we should be jumping up and down and praising God... because we aren't guaranteed another minute... much a less another year... right?! BUT sweet Justin just can't get there... it's the whole, "I competed in the Hell Run... and I was sore for the next two days phenomenon!" Or... "I really have to be careful with my weight these days..." And the... "my back just ain't what it used to be!" But when I look at Justin the only thing I can think of is... MAN this guy has aged beautifully... minus the whole receding hairline thing... but I actually kind of like that! :)

So needless to say it was important that the whole crew be in town to support (RAG) Justin for turning 29... one more until the big 3-0... what am I going to do with him then?

Friday night Nana and Bop came into town just in time for a quick dinner and some play time before Caden and I were ready to hit the hay! We had some serious plans to rest up for on Saturday that included a trip to the pool with Nana and Bop and of course a pit-stop to Sonic before the REAL party crew arrived around lunch time. Aunt Ree Ree and Uncle Tag were super excited to get to spend some time with Caden and I think it is safe to say that Caden was LOVING every minute of the attention and someone to play baseball with. Uncle Tag even had to take a nap on Saturday afternoon... sweet Caden WORE HIM OUT! :) And I said... welcome to my world, Uncle Tag! :)

Saturday night we went out to one of the birthday boy's favorite spots to celebrate in style! Caden of course was FULLY aware of the goodness that was Daddy's birthday as he munched and munched on some yummy chips, queso and black bean dip...

I think it is safe to say that at this point in Caden's life he has NO problems with his pride... bean covered face and all he was thrilled to be watching a little Shamu on Daddy's phone while eating his goods!

How about a look around the table... go with me, will you?

Nana and Bop...
Ree and Tag... and... YEP... ME! You could assume from the looks of this picture that I wouldn't struggle with pride either... and I'd be lying if I said I don't sometimes... but nonetheless it is moments like these that are OH so humbling and pride-crippling!! Justin said I had some black bean in my teeth... what else is a girl to do?!

Birthday boy and his Momma... 29 years later!!

And our sweet fam... this is pre-notification that I had bean in my teeth... and POST-insult from Uncle Tag who assured me when I was worried about the angle Cori was taking our picture from that it "didn't matter what angle Cori took the picture from... it wasn't gonna be a good one!" Talk about a pride crusher!! HA! But oh such truth he spoke!! Again... humbling... oh so humbling!!

Of course, I shouldn't just rag on Uncle Tag for "handing me some truth"... because even Nana said that "if ANYONE should be eligible for a Handicap Parking Sticker... it should be you, Katie!" Amen sister... I never thought about asking for one... but I think I might just have to look into it! :) Pregnancy can be a real PAIN in the... (fill in the blank!) :)

And here we are again... humbling... the humilty forced onto pregnant women!! Astounding! BUT I'm thankful for it... well at least for the outcome of it... I could do without the humbling, of course! :) And He's thinking... "Um, no ma'am you sure can't...Miss Worried About the Camera Angle!!" And to that I say... "Lessons, shmessons!!!"

While waiting for our check, Caden decided to pop down and see what the view was like at the other end of the table... pretty "cheesy" it looks like! :)

Once we made it back home, Caden played in the water ball and the rest of us took it easy... not a bad way to clean off some black bean dip!! :)

And just before Caden called it a night we sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, DADDY... one of Caden's favorite new songs! Aunt Ree Ree used the 29 candles that Nana INSISTED she use to spell out "OLD" and so it was officially his Old Birthday after all... the candles said so! :)

Isn't he a handsome, happy guy?!!

And no the smoke alarms did NOT go off... but no promises next year! :)

The next morning on Justin's actual birthday, the boys got up early and played some golf... despite the hurricane force winds! And Caden took the ladies to the pool!! It was a little chilly in the water that morning but C and I managed to rough it! :) Floaties on...

Mommy and Caden... CHEESE!!!

A happy boy in the pool... he LOVES the water... just like his Mommy! :)

After the pool, we HAD to stop at Sonic... because it is a tradish... a two-day tradish... and Nana even treated us to some lunch too! After we were full up on Sonic's fried goodness we chilled on the couch and waited for the boys to come home!! Poor Caden was "YEADY" for his nap but we were waiting on the boys so he could tell everyone goodbye!! He ran upstairs got his paci, his friends and came back down and waited... and waited... and waited...

So he really didn't wait all that long, but by the time 1:30 rolled around he really was YEADY and slept for a while that afternoon! All of that swimming, entertaining, baseball playing, bean dip eating, happy birthday singing... can REALLY wear a guy out! Phew!!

What a fun weekend to celebrate Daddy! We didn't do much the rest of the day on Sunday but we did top it off with a little Justin/Katie date night on the couch catching up on all of our DVR'd shows...

Happy Birthday Justin!! Whether you are or not... Caden, Kaki and I are THRILLED that you turned 29 on Sunday! We love you to the moon and back... and back again!!

L.O.V.E. My MOPS Table!!

Last Monday was my last official MOPS meeting of the year. I cannot believe it has been an entire year!! Where did it go?! Our MOPS group only meets once a month and with the few months that we missed due to Caden's sickie, it didn't take long for those meetings to start dwindling away! I was so sad that my time with my wonderful MOPS table was coming to an end! While I will be excited to meet new people and build new relationships next year, I kind of want to just sit and stay awhile at my current table! :)

Our last meeting was a lot of fun... super laid back, no speaker... just a lot of fun and games and time to chat... AND thanks to my sweet MOPS ladies... a time to celebrate Kaki-pants! They surprised me with gifts, a cake and all sorts of wisdom and encouragement to prepare me for life as a Mommy of two! The rest of them have already crossed over the one kid barrier and and some have even kept going... THREE KIDS!! SO of course I was ALL EARS to what they have had to say and share all year! I have taken my notes and I know their numbers... so I feel as prepared as I can be! :)

I am having a REALLY hard time posting these next few pictures, BUT that is HOW MUCH I love my MOPS girls... I wanted to give them proper props for the cuteness they showered me with DESPITE the unfortunate pictures of me and my chins!! YIKES!!

My Mentor Mom Patty treated us to the YUMMIEST bundt cake with cream cheese frosting... oh my goodness it was GOOD! If you haven't tried the deliciousness of Nothing Bundt Cakes I suggest you head (SPRINT) over and grab yourself a one!! And they are so pretty...

Opening all of my loot... Kaki got TWO of her first tutu-type outfits... I was so excited!! :) AND she got something that wasn't pink... it's black and white and PRECIOUS!! Of course you KNOW I was still lovin' all of the pink, BUT it was kind of fun to shake it up a bit!!

After the meeting we decided to take an end of the year picture of our group... some have left us and some of joined us, but overall we stayed pretty true to our roots!! Can you find our Mentor Mom?? People always asked us who our Mentor Mom was because from the looks of our table, no one could ever figure out who was who... Patty is one young and hip Mentor Mom... and we LOVE her!! (oh and Patty is on the far left in the yellow... told you she is young and hip!!)

A little comparison from the beginning of the year... before Kaki joined the group! :)

What a FUN year we've had as a table! Patty and April, our leaders have worked so hard to make us feel welcomed, encouraged and loved this year... I will miss my Monday mornings with my MOPS girls!! There is nothing like girl time... can't wait for Kaki to experience these types of relationships for herself... they are oh so special!!

Thanks sweet friends for the Kaki-party!! :)

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER!!!

School's out forever...

Grease anyone?!!

Today was Caden's last day of school for the year!! MY OH MY... can you believe it's been a year... or a school year?! I felt like I was just muddling through "the where to even send him to school process" and now look at him... he's been there done that for almost 9 full months!!

Our day was bittersweet... while we are SO excited to be done with school for a few months... no more schedules, packing lunches, wrangling gear... we were sad that today was our last day to be with these special ladies...

And of course all of our sweet school friends!! Miss Rissa and Miss Judy, BOTH, have a very special place in the Cade-man's heart and mine too. They have LOVED LOVED LOVED on this boy from beginning to end and taught him so many new things about the world around him and most importantly about "God and Jesus!" It's amazing to think about how far he has come in his understanding of so many things this year... his animal sounds...awesome, his singing skills...amazing, his counting... improved... his colors... getting there, his social skills...budding, BUDDING, his heart for obedience and doing the right thing... well, now that is a work in progress! :) He had his first girlfriend, went to the "office" for the first time, performed in his first "musical," attended Chapel once a week, learned to walk in a line, took naps on his nap mat, learned what it means to be a part of group... he grew up a lot in the past nine months... and I am SO thankful that we decided to send him to school this year...he LOVED it more than I could have ever imagined he would. In fact, I am a little nervous about how he will react when he doesn't go to school for the next three months... I am sure he'll be "YEADY GO SCHOOL" once September rolls around again!!

This morning, KK had the brillant idea to take a quick snap shot of Caden before we walked out the door to compare to his pictures from the first day of school! We were running late, so I did the quick wet the hair in the bathroom trick and then headed straight for the chair... so his hair is still a tiny bit wet and DARK because of it... oops!! :)

Look at that boy...

And look at that baby-face...see a difference?!!

BIG CHEESE...
Now check out the next two... in nearly the same positions that he does ALL ON HIS OWN... so funny...

Picture 1... First day of school...

Picture 2... Last day of school...

We're keeping his hair longer these days and so it may or may not be the most accurate comparison, but he still looks pretty baby-faced to me compared to the BIG BOY look he's sportin' these days...

What a difference nine months can make?! Just ask Kaki... she's at the tail-end of her grueling 9 month growth process...

Thankful for a GREAT first year of school!! As Justin said tonight... one down, 20+ to go... AND LOTS more lunches to pack for Mom! :)

What a sweet day of special memories!!

Uncle Josh Was TOTALLY Saltin' His Game!

Third post... third night... I'm making progress... I think I only have 3 more to go after this one... or maybe it's 4... I can't keep up!

On Saturday, while the girls were at the Kaki Party (see previous post if you missed it), Caden had a special date with a very pretty girl...

One of my dearest friends from Baylor, who I have known since HIGH SCHOOL was SWEET enough to drive down from Waco to celebrate Kaki with us. Her hubby, also a good friend of Justin's had a work commitment and couldn't play Daddy-on-call so Emily had to bring her sweet Fallin along with her...which I was selfishly SO excited about! I hadn't seen Fallin since she was an itty bitty!! So... Emily and I decided to see if Fallin would be okay hanging with all of the boys so she could come to the party solo... and of course... Fallin is NO FOOL. She saw three handsome boys... Justin, Uncle Josh and Caden and decided that she would be JUST FINE with some dude time, in fact I don't even think she noticed that her Mommy left! Good girl!

Caden was very excited that "Tallin" stayed and played...

I mean look at those two... are there any words for their cuteness?! Fallin looks exactly like her PRETTY Mommy... spitting image... it is absolutely unreal! I love seeing the resemblance and it makes me super anxious to see what Kaki-pants looks like...

So from the looks of things... the date went pretty well...

(PS: I have NO idea what Caden's sudden fascination of the Michael Jackson grab was!! Goodness me!)
Yep... things were going well... or so it seemed... but appearances are not everything... are they?!!

While Caden was trying to make his move... pulling out all of his best tricks... sweetest smiles and even most sympathetic gestures... he had some competition...lurking in the background... trying to be sly about his moves, but not quite sly enough...

Uncle Josh was TOTALLY "saltin' his game..."

Apparently, Fallin had quite the crush on Uncle Josh... she kept trying to push him over and mess with him... and then the lowest of ALL blows came when Fallin's Mommy texted to tells us that Fallin said, "DOSH.... DOSH... DOSH!!" the ENTIRE way back home to Waco!!

You have got to be kidding me??!! All of that work... laying down on the ground to tell her it is OKAY to be tired!! Letting her have one of my french fries at lunch... Sharing my trains... ALL FOR NOTHING!!

Thanks a lot Uncle JOSH!

And for those of you who do not know what "saltin' his game" means... let me help you out! I couldn't believe it when my supposedly "young and hip" brother and sister-in-law had NEVER heard of the expression when I jokingly chastised Josh after Caden's date with Fallin...

"Saltin' his game," they said?!!!

Justin and I are WAY HIPPER than we thought apparently!! Or maybe we're just more pop-cultured!

Either way...for you less hip/pop-cultured people out there... according to the Urban Dictionary, the phrase "saltin' my game" was first used by Sir-Mix-A-Lot in a song called "You Can Have Her," but it was made popular by the TV Show, The OC (which Justin and I have WATCHED from the pilot to the series finale... BIG fans!!). The phrase means, to publicly insult or demean someone even if it is UNINTENTIONAL especially when they are around someone they are trying to impress. It is similar to "cramp my style."

So as you can see this was CLEARLY a case of "saltin' the game!"

Uncle Josh-1, Caden-0... but next time... it might be different!

Watch out Fallin... Caden's on the prowl!!

A Kaki Party!!

As I alluded to in my last post, we had QUITE the Kaki Party to attend this weekend alongside our friends and family. Saturday morning before the shower, all of our family members who were able to make it congregated at our house to see the Cade-man. He, of course, is still the main attraction around these parts...

Check him out with two of his three great-grandmas... I think they are pretty fine looking ladies if I do say so myself... And that little cutie in pink is not so bad either! :)

The weekend of May 14th and 15th was a BIG weekend for the Evans side of the family. My cousin Shannon graduated from Texas Tech University, my cousin Kathleen set sail to Missouri to work at camp all summer, AND my second cousin Cy turned TWO... so amongst all of the fun our family had to spread the love all around to make sure we were all covered! We were sad to have missed all of the festivities, but were SUPER excited to celebrate Kaki-pants all the same! Congrats Shannon on your graduation!! I can't believe you're done... didn't you just graduate from high school?! Oh man...time flies!

I digress... back to the Kaki party... normally, these baby parties are called showers, but when we were talking to Caden about Kaki's Shower he really didn't like the sound of that, so we had to switch it to party. I think he has a STRONG dislike of showers since part of his new "manage the ear/snot/cough" regimen involves a steam shower every night after his bath... he is NOT A FAN! So a Kaki Party it became... and a Kaki Party is SURELY was!!

My sweet, sweet friend Gina who lives just seconds from our house and who we spend LOTS of time with, offered to open up her home and help host a most WONDERFUL party for Kaki. My sister-in-law Cori wanted to help too and so it became the Cori and Gina show... and I think it is safe to say that they are one heck of a party-throwing team! It was a beautiful shower full of lots of sweet sentiments and thoughtful details that made our first official party for Kaki oh so special... and PINK! :)

They made ALL sorts of YUMMY drinks to go with the full spread of food they prepared! And the cake... oh the cake...

One of my VERY favorites... strawberry cake with strawberry icing... something my Mommy made for me every year on my birthday... YUM! Perhaps, this will be something that I do for Kaki too... obviously she is already a HUGE fan of all things pink! :)

Here is the set-up for the most hilarious shower, I mean party, game I've ever played. There was an assortment of different candy that we had to match with several terms related to pregnancy/childbirth/parenting... like Mr. Goodbar= the anesthesiologist and 9, 10, and 11 pound babies= Whoppers and so on... SUPER cute game and one that gets lots of laughs, especially when you have a crew like we did playing! The great-grandmas were the fiercest competitors throughout the game and in fact, they were so ferocious that Gran came out the overall winner!! Too funny!! You'd think one of us spring chickens who had more recently done the whole pregnancy/childbirth thing would have taken the prize... but no!! :)

The diaper cake... Gina is super talented when it comes to all things party... especially baby parties... and diaper cakes are one of her "thangs" she loves them and she is pretty darn good at making them. And now I have 200 diapers to put in Kaki's closet!! NICE!!

Cori and Gina came up with the sweetest party favor idea... each guest left with an adorable, pink and white mini flower pot with a bag of potting soil and a cute tag that gave a specific date for guests to pray for Kaki throughout the last part of her "blooming." I love this!!

Lots of dates where Kaki pants is going to be covered in prayer!!

And check out more of Gina's amazing creations... a homemade fruit bouquet... if you look closely you can see pineapple pieces in the shapes of prams, ducks, and flowers... SO, SO cute!! Sadly, hardly anyone touched the yummy fruit but I KNOW it was because NO ONE wanted to be responsible for destroying the cuteness!!

Kaki... I L.O.V.E. seeing her name in print... and BIG :)

All of my loot... Kaki-girl was spoiled!! :) I want everyone to look in the top left-hand corner of the picture... you see that cupcake stand on the table?? That was FULL OF BOWS... ALL for Kaki. Sweet Gina made EVERY single one of those bows with Kaki in mind and she also made us a precious bow hanger to hang them all on in her room! I made everyone at the shower look at every single bow... :) Yep... one by one I picked them up and showed them off! Girlfriend put some serious work into those and I just had to give her some love! Can't wait for Kaki to wear them!! :)

Next please notice the NAP NANNY!! My Grandmother was so sweet to think ahead and send our gift early knowing she would be unable to make it to the shower. It was QUITE the hit... all of us second-time-around mommies have been eyeing the Nap Nanny for a while now and we were ALL super excited to experience it first-hand! Even Caden tried it out before the party... and he approves!! Thanks Gram!!

Nana signing the guest book, which was actually a children's book that everyone was asked to write a little note in... isn't that a great idea? And what a special keepsake for our family!!

The food... SO yummy! Gina made her famous chicken salad with cashews... I could have eaten the whole bowl!! One of my Gina-favs!

So I am only posting ONE, YES ONE picture of me opening gifts because let's be honest... it is just NOT attractive. I am having a really hard time keeping my legs together these days because Kaki is literally laying on my lap... one would think I would learn to cross my ankles but sometimes I think it might look even worse... but nonetheless... you get the idea... I sat (very unladylike) and opened ALL of my WONDERFUL gifts!! Thank you sweet friends and family for SPOILING us rotten!! I don't think I opened ANY gift that didn't include some form of PINK... you should see her closet... it is amazing!! And yes... you will see her closet soon... but you'll have to wait for the big room reveal post first!! :) It's coming soon...

A pic of me and my sweet hostesses who I know must have been pooped after all of the hard work they put into Kaki's party... it was perfect in every way... THANK YOU to the moon and back you two!! I cherish you both so very much!! Gina you're like a sister and Cori you are the greatest friend a sister could have... you two could flip flop between sister/friend roles with ease and I am grateful to experience such special relationships with each of you!! Thank you for a FABULOUS party!! :)

Me and my favorite Evans girls... Emily and Josh drove all the way from Nac to celebrate Kaki and THEN we put them to work... BUT more on that later in the room reveal post... I told you... it is coming VERY soon! :) And KK... well y'all know that KK wouldn't miss a chance to celebrate her Kaki-pants!! She came in that morning and went home on Monday afternoon... YEP... we put her to WORK too!! :) Aren't I sweet..."Welcome to my house... now GET TO WORK!!"

Me and the Cox women... minus Aunt Georgia who skipped out before our photo-op! So thankful for your love and support!!

Sadly, the only pictures I have our other sweet friends who attended the party were when we were all stuffing our faces with delicious food and I wasn't about to do that to ANYONE!! You're welcome!! :)

So perfectly special and so perfectly PINK! Such a FUN morning of celebrating my sweet Kaki girl! Thank you SO much to ALL of our friends near and far who made an effort to come, thought and ahead sent a gift with another friend (you TWO know who you are!!) or a nice word to help us celebrate Kaki's special day. We are blessed beyond measure to be surrounded by such a wonderful group of friends and family who walk every road we travel right along with us, encouraging us each step of the way. We could not do what we do without you... THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!