What happens at Mimi's ...

This morning I dropped our sweet 3 year old off at Mimi's to play while Kev and I went to the hospital due to a friend having some outpatient surgery. When I dropped him off, he was clean, well-groomed, rested, and had had a nutritious breakfast. This is what I got back when he was returned to me this afternoon. Please notice the ring of chocolate around his mouth. We love our Mimi!!!! We wouldn't trade her FOR THE WORLD........ or even a piece of chocolate.

Is there any way I could get him on my fantasy team? ....

Saturday was Jackson's last day for his 2009 flag football season. And I was thinking that I might try to find a way to get his 5th and 6th grade team in place of the fantasy football team that my precious? brother in law has our whole family suckered in to. I haven't won a game yet and am even more disgusted that I care. The only part that gives me any peace at all is the former said brother in law is only one ahead of me. I really just want to beat him now for getting me into it. Love to you ... Dusty.

Eveyone loves a donut...

This week held the ever-popular "Donuts for Dad" event. With the days clearly marked on our calendar by Grace Elizabeth (which, by the way, said calendar had already been checked and re-checked to make sure dad was in town, unlike last year when it had to become "Donuts with Paw-Paw" due to an untimely trip to Seattle) we were ready to have a donut... with dad... Even Jackson was able to set aside his "coolness aura" to allow dad to come have a donut with him (never-mind that you can't get a donut without your dad or another adult with you). However, he did make note that "muffins with mom" might accidentally slip his mind. Ouch. When asked what the problem was, it was something to the affect that I am always loving on him and "Mom always says, I love you." Apparently that is NOT cool. Who knew? (evil laugh)

Nothing to See Here....

Being the top dog on campus this year (5th grade) has also brought on some new opportunities. Some I like. For example - safety patrol. Jackson was excited that he met all the "requirements" to get to be on the safety patrol at school which mostly involves making sure kids get from the streets to the school building safely. Personally - I never saw him as much as wave someone over the crosswalk much less help them - but hey he got to be a few minutes late to class in the morning and leave a few minutes early in the afternoon - not to mention that really cool belty snappy looking thing.

As for the new opportunities I don't like.... that little blonde girl that showed up on my doorstep the first week of school is now very well informed as to the courting/dating practices that will occur at the Cox household once Jackson turns 16. And... if she should still have any questions she knows where to find me.... just go ahead and ring my doorbell again ... precious! Ugh!

Atleast its not a "pallet" on the floor....

You all know what I am talking about - when you were a kid and were at your grandma's at Christmas everyone had a bed to sleep in ... everyone except you. Probably because you were the youngest you heard your mom say "Oh, don't worry about her - we'll just make her a "pallet" on the floor". This was mainly because the beds were all taken, your older brother got the couch, and your aunt and uncle were the "lucky" ones who got to sleep on the "rollaway" rented from Heaven knows where. (ick... and to think at age 10 I thought that portable bed that appeared out of no where was cool) I can still see my dad (or one of my uncles) driving up with a "rented rollaway" in the back of the truck. (again... ick) But, not for me -- I got the pallet on the floor!!! Which, by the way was really just a blanket - perhaps folded over twice if mom was feeling generous. But as I lay on the floor I dreamed of a day when I would be sleeping in one of the beds because I would be old and married. Fat chance - I couldn't believe it when my very first Christmas as an old married woman didn't bump me up to the bed or even the "rollaway" - yep - Kevin and I found ourselves ..... on a "pallet" ...... on the floor. Just not folded over twice this time because it has to be bigger to fit the two of us. I thought that I had seen it all at that point. Little did I know....
You see, Sunday night the "whole family" was at Mimi's and Paw-Paw's to celebrate Paw-Paw's birthday and Labor Day. Yes, I mean everyone - all 14 1/2 of us - which is ALWAYS a good time. Lots of laughs and lots of people and lots of fun... then bedtime arrives.
But don't worry - Kevin and I have finally arrived - we were not sequestered to a "pallet" on the floor for all 6 members of our family. And I don't even think people have "rented rollaways" anymore. Oh no! We have entered a new era forever forsaking the banishment of the "pallet". We have stooped to a whole new level .... we found ourselves and our four children laying our heads to sleep ..... in a tent..... out back!!!!!!

Mother of the Year!!!....Again!

Grace Elizabeth - our second child and our first daughter. She loves life! She thinks almost everything is funny and has developed in her seventh year a propensity for talking... and talking ..... and talking. Its's amazing really - there are times we even have to grab her sweet little cheeks and just say "Shhh..." She is easy going and rarely lets anything rock her boat.... which makes this story all the worse.

You see while Grace is all these wonderful qualities and more, she is cursed.... her mother is .... crazy. Granted, church planting, Kevin Cox and 4 kiddos have helped guide me down that looney bin path, but for the most part most just look at me and say, "Aw, its ok - we know you're crazy". Today solidified that point.

As I was sitting in my mother in law's house visiting with her for a minute my cell phone rang. It was the school, Mrs. Dillon to be precise... one of the cafeteria monitors. She had called me to let me know that although Grace had her lunch box.... there was no lunch in it. In my defense there was a capri sun and a chocolate chip cookie and a baggie of cheetos, but as for her sandwich.... yeah, her mother is crazy. I was then told Grace (as usual) told the teacher it was OK and she didn't mind not having it and was giggling... of course. No doubt thinking how funny it was going to be to tell her daddy that Mommy missed her bag this morning when handing out sandwiches. Mrs. Dillon was able to convince her to have a hot dog (SCORE!... that is her favorite) from the cafeteria. Put another dollar in the therapy jar!!!!! .... and have another cookie! I think I'll have one too!

You Never Know Who You Can Trust...

As the very first week of school wraps up - the Chaos seems to be doing well. Jackson thinks 5th grade is "way cooler" than 4th and tries to ignore his mother when she might be walking down the hall. (of course that just makes the waving and declarations of my love all the worse!) Grace loves it all - loves the homework- loves art - loves music - loves her teacher - loves lunch - loves her new purple pencil sharpener - it is ALL good!

Then .... there is the newest school attendee ... Miss Maddie. She comes home with a smile (and a ginormous appetite) But after 5 full days, we have discovered something is just a little bit amiss with her experience. At the dinner table after the first day of school she tells us that the "pretty vice-principal lady" told her she was going to the principals office. Knowing the VP, we knew that something didn't add up as we were trying not to laugh out loud in front of her. Turns out Maddie made a little boy in her class get his napkin out of her face by yanking it out of his hand and throwing it on the ground and then staring him down (can anyone say Aunt Angie). The VP saw it all and went to their table warning the little boy he would have to visit her in the office if he did not keep his hands and items to himself. After getting the real story and explaining it to Maddie all was well.

However, to top off the week, this morning when I handed Maddie her money to buy her first ever hot lunch, I put it in the appropriate bag and told her to give it to Miss Miley and she would give it back at lunchtime. To which her reply was: "Momma, if I give her my money, she'll use it for herself!" Well, ......OK. It took a few minutes but we were finally able to convince our sweet five year old that Miss Miley could buy her own lunch and was not going to need Maddie's money when she got hungry.... go figure. She's such a trusting soul.