How about Easter

Yes, I know it is almost May and the last blog update was in February, but I warned you that it would not always be first on the list but I am feeling a bit guilty (thanks, Brandi) and will attempt to move on. March brought Spring Break YEA!!There is nothing better than waking up and realizing you don't have to take kiddos to school - they can just stay home and play all day.
We enjoyed hanging out around Mimi's house playing with our hilarious cousin Hudson and our beautiful nieces Ellie and Olivia. It was a great week of relaxing and being with family.We even took a quick overnight trip to Waco to see family and Michael's premiere acting debut in Beauty and the Beast.Of course we also picked up a few new Baylor shirts thrilled that Baylor was competing for a Final Four spot in the NCAA tournament. We almost didn't know how to act. It was good times.
Easter came along and it was a great time of celebration at Vista church and with our family. As casual as our church attire is these days, I always think of my mom and hustle myself to get an "Easter Dress" for the girls and spiff up the boys a little bit too. Some habits never fade. So, enjoy the pics of a relaxing Spring Break and the "Hurry up and take their picture while they are clean" Easter picture.

sNOw SCHOOL day!!!!!!

What can be better than not having to go to school and getting to be with my kiddos at home.... snow! I have never in my life (that would be all &%$#! years of it) seen snow like this. It was gorgeous coming down with flakes the size of my palm and it was amazing when it settled - 1 ft. in our yard! We did have the BIGGEST SNOWBALL FIGHT EVER. Jackson built a fort to hide behind, Grace was more to using the scream and run to attack method and Maddie... well, we found her accessorizing the snowman which was hand crafted beautifully with the help of our incredible friends Shelli and Brett who grew up in Nebraska and knew how to handle all this. Walker held his own during the snowball fight even sneaking up on adults and pelting them in the back ... and then running for his life. It really was amazing.
We also did a little hillbilly snow sledding on a deflated plastic swimming pool and plastic tub lids due to the fact that NO ONE OWNED A SLED. The kids thought it was the bomb.... and they can talk about how hillbilly it was when they are older and blaming us for tacky things in their lives such as this.I love it! Great Memories.

The Cox Birthday Rounds.... Finale

Well, it is finally here... the finale of the birthday rounds - Jackson. We celebrated with a weeknight trip to Waco for a Baylor Men's Basketball game, which we won.... yes, we won.... and actually we have been winning... hmmm.
Turning 11 this year, just looking at our first born reminds me that time is ticking and going to be running right out my door before I know it. Of course, his father keeps telling him that he is moving out the minute he turns 18 and being ever mindful of when his birthday is, Jackson has concluded that he will have to finish his last few months of Highschool in a tent in the backyard or at Mimi and PawPaws. Jackson is our ever present reality check as he is the first to experience so many things. Some things Mom can handle, i.e. pitching for the little league championship, and some things Mama can't handle, little blonde girls on my doorstep. Don't even get me started on the fact that I am supposed to let him go to middle school in a matter of 7 short months. Gross. God really should erase all of one's memories of middle school so you can more easily send your young ones off.
Jackson loves pizza and hamburgers and rather not have to ever eat any vegetable. He loves fishing, sports and just being outside. If he could live with his cousins... he might consider it.
When I look at Jackson I see that same face that I was completely bewildered by the night he was born. I see the one who has always had my heart and brain as putty in his hands. I see the oldest of four who is torn between being the cool oldest one or just a kid in our family. I see a kid whose full life already has so much more ahead of him. I can't wait to see what God is going to do... and yet... I can.

Lets just start in January.... Shall we?

OK - so it has been an absolute eternity since I last got to this. So, in an effort to just move along let's just say Christmas was great! Jesus and fun with family - doesn't get any better than that!

So, with January comes birthdays... round two.

Walker Karr Cox will start us off. He turned 4 on January 13th and continues to be the entertainment feature of our family. With relentless encouragement from his three older siblings he will say and do anything for a laugh. And... being the last of four, and mommy not quite being as young and serious as she used to be, I have to say we laugh more than we scold and that is probably not good. Ok, its not good, but it sure is funny. And don't get the wrong idea, the reverend laughs just as much as I do... if not more.
Walker loves his "chockit" (chocolate instant breakfast) in the mornings complimented with an episode of Phineus and Ferb, Charlie his best buddy, "westlin", gum, and anything and everything having to do with big brother "Gackson". He loves goodnight kisses (there is an order and a system) And, right now, we are rather fond of our new super hero underwear given to us by Mimi on our birthday - especially if we can find a perfect opportunity to show it to our sisters and make them holler.
When I look at him, I see that tiny baby that seems to have just been born yesterday. I see the only one of my babies that my daddy never knew... he would have thougt he was perfect. I see the one of my four babies that my mom held the most as he laid next to her as a newborn napping all day during her last days. I see a white blonde "toe head" that is a copy of his daddy at that age. I see the identical image of Jackson and a glint of mischief in his eye that we continue to blame on the fact that he is the only one of four who has been raised with his Mimi and PawPaw close by... hmmm... .wonder what the connection is there?

Let's just squeeze this in before December...

I LOVE Thanksgiving. It has always been all about God, family, food and football. And being thankful for all of those things ... in that precise order. My mom always made it special with her "Spare no frills" Thanksgiving day lunch, and creating an obsession in me for that great "cooked all night" turkey smell on Thanksgiving morning, not to mention just the satisfaction of us all at home together. My Daddy was famous for his ability to make enough spots in our cozy family room for any family that might appear and about 4 TVs. We'd cook, watch the Macy's parade, cook, watch football, cook, watch more football, eat, .... Thanksgiving was always a big deal and I am fighting Malls and commercials to keep it that way. Therefore Christmas is not talked about until Thanksgiving night or you get "thumped" on the ear. I am sure this particular little tradition will be one of the top ten in my children's "The Stupid Things My Mom Used to Do List".
I am bound and determined for my children to have the same warm fuzzy/somewhat bizarre obsessions and memories that I have. So, after all the Scarecrow parades and Thanksgiving "Feasts" at school were over, indescribable joy exploded at the Cox house due to the promise of no school for 5 days and the hopes of family, food and football... and as "The Reverend" always says... that great smell you wake up to on Thanksgiving morning when the turkey has been cooking all night. And, yes, he has had me cook a turkey all night even when we were going to be at someone else's house for dinner. I knew I married the right guy! I just know in all my efforts that one day down the road my grown children will be sitting around the Thanksgiving table laughing about their lives and memories and perhaps.... sharing the aforementioned list.

And then there is Grace....

Our first daughter, Grace Elizabeth, turned eight on November 5th. These pictures of her pretty much tells it all. Grace absolutely loves life. She loves school, she loves church, she loves being with her friends, she loves being with her family. She thinks tests are fun and soccer is even better.She loves to talk.. and talk ... and talk.... and talk.... She loves hot dogs and veggies (shout out to Aunt Angie) and anything sweet. Did I mention she loves anything sweet.... She is not a fan of the tomato sauce but "deals" with spaghetti night as she must in a family of six on a budget. She loves road trips to Waco and continues to be a big Baylor fan even after the many disappointments suffered this football season - I keep telling her she will get used to it! She loves spending the night with Mimi and PawPaw and I am sure "Always ice cream all around " has nothing to do with it.
Her best guy is her daddy with that good ole' PawPaw coming in at a close second. She would rather eat dirt than let any of us down and as sweet and gentle and girly as she is, the words, "Grace - don't hurt your brother" (Jackson) have come out of our mouth. She can get down and dirty with the best of them and makes a great tag team wrestling partner in the floor of the family room.
Of course she is a joy and light of our lives. When I look at her I see ... Kevin much dainiter and prettier, of course. She is one of the five biggest blessings from God in my life wrapped up in its own specific style .... even on spaghetti night... that's just Grace.

Keeping up....

Ok, so I am a bit behind but I just can't let the birthday party and Grace's birthday get by me. As you can see the girls' decided on an American Girl party. They each got to take a friend and I got to take Mimi, Aunt Angie and Olivia. My favorite part of the entire day had to be when some strange woman literally shrieked as she walked by us because the "baby doll" that Grace was holding actually moved it's head. Grace was holding Olivia - who, as usual, was all smiles! It was a great "luncheon" out with my girls. Sigh... how can they be 6 and 8. Wasn't it just yesterday when....