Cox Christmas Party

Cox Family Christmas Party

Well, the most anticipated event of the year has happened and no one got hurt. Yep, I am talking about the family Christmas party. Don't tell me I am the only one that looks forward to every year. (OK for the past 2 years for me.) I think I was most excited to finally figure out what Grandma Cox had up her sleeve. And what a beautiful and precious memory that her children and grandchildren will cherish for the rest of their lives. But, I also want Grandma to know that it also touched the granddaughter in laws and I am sure alot of other members of the family. I know what an integral part of the family that Grandpa Cox was and I hate the fact that I never got to meet him so I loved getting to read all the clues and know little tidbits of his life. I also know that I will get the chance to meet him one day and it will be like I have known him my whole life. And I can't wait until my kids get old enough that Bryce can tell stories about Grandpa to our kids. So, the gift exchange began and the fun started! I got a signed picture of Josh lounging on the beach in a wetsuit. I tried my hardest to get someone to steal it from me, but nobody would. Which ended up being a good thing. Rick and Sharon started with the fertility shield, which was pretty funny. But, Lili had a mission that night and it was to have the fertility shield in her hand when she left that night. And of course she did! Poor Aunt Lorrie and Uncle Ed got the sausage made from wild animals and Ashley had the colon cleanse. But, the most fought over gift was Aunt Lorrie's homemade dinner. Boy, I thought that Uncle Rich, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Deby were going to fight over that one!! In the end, the Bisnett's won a free dinner from Aunt Lorrie. Another hot commodity for the night were the John Deere silverware set. But, alas Aunt Deby and Andy ended up with the silverware. I guess I should tell y'all about Josh's picture. When the gift exchange was over, Aunt Lyn said to me, "Jodie I know you think this gift is worthless, but there is more to it than you think." So, when she said that to me I took the picture frame and opened the back and there were 5 $10 bills in there. I immediately started crying because at that moment I felt like the biggest jerk in the world. I cannot tell you how much that meant to me. I truly know that Heavenly Father is watching over us and had is hand in that. And I want Josh to know that his picture is sitting by our TV. I haven't had an oppurtunity to hang it on the wall yet because Bryce has been working the past several days, but it is up and everytime we watch TV we think of you. So, again I want to say thank you to Josh. You are a wonderful person with a big heart!!

Christmas Pictures

Christmas At Our House

Thankfully, we are still lucky enough that Cooper doesn't quite understand the whole concept of Christmas. So, we were able to sleep in until 8:30. When he finally did wake up and came out into the living room, he didn't even notice the presents or anything. We had to tell him to go look under the Christmas tree. Anyways, as soon as he saw the presents he got a little excited. We all sat in the living room as the tree was in the "bonus" room aka converted garage. So, Cooper would bring one present at a time and open it. It was so funny to watch him and some of his expressions. When he opened up his matchbox cars his eyes lit up and he said, "UUUUUUU!" In Cooper language that means he REALLY liked it. He did that to most of his presents. He also had to open everybody's presents. And as you will see in the pictures, he would put a bow in his hair and then point to it for me to take a picture of him. And of course Sara had no clue what was going on. Maybe next year. I would just like to say thank you to Heather, Shawn, Kevan, Wyatt, and Morgan for all of our presents. They were wonderful!!

My Family

OK so it's not my complete family, but it is part of my family. I thought that I would post a picture of my brother and his family since no one ever gets to see what my side looks like. Anyways, this is my brother Mike and his wife Julie and their kids Kyle, Kaitlyn, and Justin. Kyle and Kaitlyn are twins and are 7 1/2 years old. Justin was born on October 17. My brother has been in the Marine Corps for 12 years I believe. (It could be 11 years. I'm not quite sure.) Julie actually used to be in the Marines as well, but after she had the twins she decided not to re-up. Mike is currently stationed in Virginia Beach. Anyways, I just want my brother to know how much I miss him and Julie and the kids. I hope that we can figure out a time when we can all get together in Florida for a small family reunion.

Winter Wonderland

Cooper's 1st Time In The Snow!

Today was Cooper's first time getting to play in the snow. He really had a good time for the most part. Bryce ended up burying him in the snow and when he picked Cooper up out of the snow Cooper got so mad!! I guess he liked be buried up to his head in snow! Anyways, he also liked to eat the snow. But, after awhile his mittens got wet from the snow and his poor little hands got cold. That is when he was done having fun. By the time Bryce brought him in, he was crying and his poor little hands were so red and FREEZING! Hopefully, on Bryce's next day off he will be able to take Cooper sledding and maybe he will enjoy that a little better.


So, I know this has nothing to do with Cooper playing in the snow, but I wanted to share this story with everyone. I'm sure everyone that lives around here knows the man in Moses Lake who walks around town and then he sits on the curb and takes his shoes off. Now, I know nothing about this man, but I always call him Shoeless Joe and have always wondered about his story. Anyways, Bryce and I went to eat lunch at Inca's. After we had been there for awhile in walks "Shoeless Joe." He sits at the table by us. The staff was so nice to him and definitely knew him and what he liked. So, the waitress brought him his drink and then asked him if he wanted his usual and he said yes. When the waitress delivered his food, I waved her over and asked her to put his food on our check and she told us that they don't charge him. That just really moved me. It is really nice to see a restaurant do something so kind for someone who obviously doesn't have very much in his life. I think that if each one of us do one kind thing for just one person think of all the wonderful things that could/would happen in this world. How many people's lives could we touch?

Weekend Happenings

So, have any of y'all ever heard of Murphy's Law? Well, I have my whole life. My dad's last name is Murphy and it seems that there were always days that if anything could go wrong it did and we just always joked that it was because of the last name. Well, Murphy's Law has been all over me and Bryce this weekend. It started on Friday. As we were getting ready to walk out the door to go to Tri Cities, Bryce notices that we have a flat tire. Now we have only had these tires for a couple of weeks. So, Bryce runs down to Tires West and they take the tire off and fill it up and put it back on the Jeep and we are on our merry way. Well, Saturday a bunch of us were going to Leavenworth and were supposed to meet up at Chad and Jaycie's house at 11. As we are getting ready, Bryce went outside to clean out the inside of the Jeep and noticed that we had another flat tire. Yep, the same tire. So, back to Tires West he goes. They just put air in it this time. By this time, we are sooo running late. On the way out to Aunt Lyn's, I noticed that we had about 12 miles until empty in the Jeep. I didn't think to much about because it has been on 0 before and we were still able to go at least another 20 miles. So, we finally meet up with Chad and Jaycie and by this time we are 45 minutes late. And I hate being late!! We get back into town at about 9:30 that night and the snow was coming down. We go to Aunt Lyn's to pick up the kids and she said they had gone into to town to watch Emma play basketball and that on the way home she noticed the Jeep was on fumes. Well, Bryce and I were like, "Oh it's OK. We should be able to get home." So, I jump in the Jeep with the kids and Bryce is in the car and away we go. Well, we were about 2-3 miles from our house when the Jeep ran out of gas. Never in my life has that happened to me. So, Brent came to the rescue and all was well. Until Sunday morning that is. As many of y'all know we got a ton of snow Saturday night. So, Bryce goes out Sunday morning to shovel the drive and guess what he sees? Yep, another flat tire!! The same stinkin' one! So, needless to say we were 30 minutes late to church. Hopefully, Bryce will be able to get the Jeep fixed tomorrow for good.

So, as I said a bunch of couples went to Leavenworth on Saturday to see the annual Christmas lighting. It was sooooo cold!!! But beautiful as ever! This is my third trip to Leavenworth, but my second during the winter. Bryce and I have decided to make this trip to Leavenworth a yearly ritual. I have to say my favorite store is the Kris Kringle store. I could spend a ton of money in that store! As the lighting ceremony begins the town "something" (which is what Bryce calls her) gives a little speech and then a pastor says a prayer and then there is some singing and then you get to see Father Christmas and Santa Clause. As the time comes, everyone in the crowd counts down from 10 to 1 and all of the stores in Leavenworth turn on their Christmas lights one by one. The neatest thing this year was that it started to snow as the lights began to come on. I believe most of us had a good time and can't wait to do it all again next year! And I must say that this year was much better than last year's trip to Leavenworth because I was pregnant and had horrible morning sickness and was throwing up. Yuck! Anyways, thanks to everybody that went: Chad, Jaycie, Brittney, Nate, Ted, Suzanne, Brent, Cindy, Drew, Jennie, Paul, Brittney, Shane and Rhonda. We had a blast!

Other Happenings Today

So, we all know that Cooper is a funny boy. Well, in the mornings when Sara wakes up Cooper will go into her room and climb in her crib with her and play for a few minutes. So, after a few minutes, Cooper comes out to the living room and says, "Sara?" And then he waved his hand in front of his nose. (He was trying to tell me that she was stinky.) So, he grabs one of his diapers and goes back into her room. I didn't think anything of it for a few minutes before I thought I should probably go in there and see what the heck they were doing (OK what the heck Cooper was doing). And this is what I found:
Cooper decided that Sara needed a diaper change and thought that he could do it himself. Thank goodness she wasn't poopy!!

And here is Cooper so proud of himself!

Tonight was the ward Christmas party. It was great to see most of Brent and Cindy's kids in the program. All though, I have to say that Aunt Lorrie is going to have to find a spot for Cooper next year because he just doesn't understand why he can't go up on the stage with Court, Cara, Cason, and Cael. That was our biggest struggle tonight. Trying to keep him happy and with us. And of course, Santa made a visit. So, Cooper and Sara both sat on Santa's lap again. I am very happy that they haven't reached the age where they freak out over Santa. I hope that I don't ever have to go through that.

6 Months Old!

Well, Sara is 6 months old today. I cannot believe that she is already 6 months old. Boy, time flies when you are having fun! She is rolling ALL over the place and is very close to crawling. She gets on all fours and starts rocking back and forth and then lunges forward. Sara has no teeth yet, even though she has been teething for months. I have tried getting her to eat solids and she just isn't into eating baby food. I don't know what it is about my kids, but neither one of them (so far) likes baby food. I know that she is ready becasue she stares us down when we are eating and tries to grab at our food, but when I try to give her food she takes a bite and then refuses to take anymore. Oh well. Guess, I can blame that on the Cox gene's right??

To Lift My Spirits

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What I Want (Ok what I NEED) For Christmas!

I am a little embarrassed to post this, but figured some of y'all would get a laugh out of it. So, me being the brave mom that I am (ha ha) decided to take the kids to Tri Cities today to get their Christmas pictures taking. Boy, that was the first mistake I made of the day! Cooper so did not cooperate. He refused to sit by Sara, touch Sara, or be in a picture by himself. However, when we went and saw Santa, Cooper sat beside Santa and loved it the whole time. Stinker! Anyways, as we were heading home I decided to stop by Wendy's to get us some lunch since we hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Well, this has only been the 2nd or 3rd time that I have driven to Tri Cities by myself. I am usually with someone else. So, therefor I don't pay attention to where I am going. So, after leaving Wendy's I got back on the freeway. What I didn't know was that I immediately needed to take the next exit to the right. Of course, I figured that out as soon as I passed it. So, then I wasn't sure if I should take the next exit or keep going in case I would eventually find my way back. I then decided I should probably call someone. So, I called Drew. I didn't want to call Bryce and tell him that I had gotten lost since he was at work. (Besides he might not let me go shopping on my own anymore.) Well, Drew couldn't help me. So, thank goodness Rick was there. He tells me some directions and I do as he says. Well, he misunderstood what I said and sent me on my way towards Seattle. I ended up calling him back telling him that the road he told me that I would run into I did not find yet. So, instead I ended up taking the Umatilla/Pendelton exit. So, to make a long story short I got to see some HUGE houses in Richland (I believe) and after going 30 minutes out of the way eventually found my way home. So, I want a Garmin for Christmas. If I had a GPS system all I would have had to do was punch in my address and it would have taken me home. So, the next time any of y'all see Bryce be sure to let him know what to get me for Christmas!

The Weekend Rundown

Well, this has been a busy weekend for the family. On Friday, I took Sara for her 4 month check-up (she is a little behind, not all my fault). So, she now weighs 15 lbs 3 oz and was 26 inches long. For her weight, she is below the 50% mark and for her height she is above 50%. I don't remember the exact measurement of her head, but when Dr. Jackson saw the numbers on the growth chart he looked a little disturbed because she was WAY up there. I said all the Cox's have big heads. I believe she was close to the 90% mark with her head. Other than that, she is perfectly healthy and doing everything she should be doing. She is rolling all over the place, sitting up for a few minutes at a time, she has started getting up on all fours and rocking and "talking" up a storm, especially when she is trying to go to sleep during Sacrament.




On Saturday, Cindy and I went Dania's (Levi's fiancee) bridal shower. It was very nice since I have never really met her before. One of the games that was played was how well does the bride and groom know each other. (Sorry, I don't know the technical name for the game.) I was very impressed at how well Levi and Dania know each other. All though, I have to admit, I was blushing at some of the answers that Levi was giving. Shame on you Levi!! And Dania was such a hoot! Everytime she opened one of her presents it was like she was a little girl opening Christmas presents on Christmas morning. She was just so excited over everything she got. Even all 3 of the crockpots she got!




Then, Sunday was a special day for the twinners, Cason and Cael. They turned 5 years old today!!! Can you believe it? I can't! I'm sure Cindy probably can't either some days. So, this evening we went up to Brent and Cindy's house for the boy's party. It was a lot of fun. It is also nice to see the Holman's. I think they fit in with the Cox family very well! The boys loved all the gifts they received, especially the legos. Oh wait, Austin enjoyed the boys legos!! And of course no party would be complete without cake. Not just one cake, but TWO cakes. So, after everyone had some cake and ice cream, it was time to play the new Cars game on the Wii. Poor Cason and Cael only got to play a couple of times before the uncles and their dad took over. That is what happens when you get the Cox boys together!! I almost forgot about the best present that was given. Great grandma Cox gave the boys recorders!! They were so excited! As soon as someone showed them how to use them, the entertainment for the party began. Anyways, it was a busy weekend, but a fun one. So, now I want to know who is going to come help me do all the laundry and the dishes that I should have done over the weekend, but didn't have time to do because we had so much going on? Or, you can just volunteer to take my kids for a while. Not everybody call me at once!!! Just kidding!

GOOOOOOOOO GATORS!!!!!

So, I thought that I would share my excitement with y'all. (Now understand that y'all probably won't really care, but oh well!) I am just so stinkin' happy that the Florida Gators beat Alabama today!!! By beating Alabama, Florida won the SEC championship and should play Oklahoma for the national title. I guess I can move across the country, but I will always be a Florida girl. So, it is most definitely great to be a Florida Gator!

Playhouse Disney Live!

OK, so you know that you have officially become a parent when you get excited over taking your kids to see movies or plays or whatever that has to do with things that kids like ( HSM3, Hannah Montanna, Playhouse Disney). Well, when Bryce and I were in Tri Cities on Saturday, I happen to catch something about Winnie the Pooh on the reader board at the Toyota Center. Since, Cooper likes Pooh I thought I would check it out. So, last night I found out that Playhouse Disney Live is coming to the Toyota Center on Valentine's Day!!! I am so excited! So, I thought that is going to be Cooper's birthday present from mom and dad. I just hope that he is old enough to enjoy it. I know that he LOVES Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse, and Handy Manny. Anyways, just thought I would share my excitement with y'all!! Yeah, I know I am a dork! :-)

Road Rage!!!!

I really can't stand the way some people drive! It totally drives me nuts! Don't get me wrong I am used to snowbirds driving slow looking at the beautiful beaches, but hello there are not any beaches here!!! So, why do people not drive the speed limit? Or better yet, they don't drive the speed limit, but when it becomes double lanes on 17 where you can pass them they decide to speed up to 70 mph! Are you kidding me!? What is wrong with people up here in the north? They talk funny (I know y'all are probably saying the same thing about me :-)), it smells like poop, and they can't drive. Ugh! If it wasn't for Bryce's family, I would so be ready to move some where else. Thanks for listening! Hope I didn't offend anyone to much!

P.S. On another note, just wanted to let Aunt Debbi and Andy know that we are thinking about them and hope that all goes well with the heart catheterization and that Andy gets good news. Let us know if you need us for anything.

Lunch with Cara

Cara in her classroom
Cara with her friends

Callie

So, after several times of being asked by Cara to go to lunch with her, I finally had the opportunity to go with her today. I was able to see her classroom, meet some of her friends, and walk around outside during recess. And can I just say it was COLD!! So, I think that Warden should build an indoor play area for kids during the winter time. No wonder kids are sick all the time. Anyway, I had a good time and I hope Cara did too.

Kids at Play

Thanksgiving Pics

Thanksgiving Cox Style

Well, happy late Thanksgiving to everyone that I did not get a chance to say it to. The whole Cox family gathered at Uncle Rich and Aunt Lyn's house this year. I believe there were close to 60 people there. I knew that Bryce had a big family, but 60 people?! And that doesn't even include everyone that lives out of state, as well as, some of the cousins and their families who live near us who were not able to come. So, the food was great and the company was even better! I took some random pics so I unfortunately did not get a picture of everyone who was there. It was really nice to see TJ, Mischa, and Emery. I can't believe that Emery is almost a year old already! Ms. McKenzie (Michael and Rachael's daughter) lost her very first tooth yesterday! So, I hope the tooth fairy was good to her! In one of the pictures you will see Hallie pulling Cooper around in wagon. It was the funniest thing to me because Cooper weighs so much more than Hallie. I asked her if he was heavy and she said no. It was really cute! And of course, this was Sara's first Thanksgiving. And she enjoyed sleeping and rolling around on the floor. So, as the holidays have begun I have given a lot of thought as to what I am thankful for and the list is long of course. But, I am truly thankful for Bryce and the wonderful husband and father that he is. I am thankful for my children and that they are healthy and happy. I am thankful to have the gospel in my life. I am very thankful for my family, especially my mom and my grandmother. I am also thankful for Bryce's family for the support and love they have shown me. There are numerous other things that I am thankful for, but too many to list. I hope that each of us takes a moment every day to think about all the things in our lives that we have to be thankful for. I also hope that we all remember as Christmas nears, what we are really celebrating. This is the best time for us as Christians to show what the true meaning of Christmas is.

Twilight

So, as many of y'all know, I love to read. It has always been hard for me to see a movie after I read the book because the movie is usually never as good as the book. The only exception so far has been the Harry Potter movies. They are awesome! So, a group of us went to see the long awaited Twilight. Now, I loved, loved the books. But, I kind of knew that I shouldn't get my hopes up. So, onto the movie. I honestly have to say that during the first part of the movie I was ready to get up and walk out. In my opinion, the movie started out slow. Also, in the first part of the movie I felt like they didn't really stick to the book too much and that drives me crazy!!! Now, onto the Cullens. When I first saw them, it was so obvious that they were vampires because their faces were so WHITE! I think the worst part about seeing a movie after you read the book is you have already decided in your mind about what the characters look like and then when you actually "see" them it kind of disappoints you. Well, that was me last night. Especially with Jasper. He was just weird! The second half was much better. It followed the book better and wasn't as slow as the beginning. I loved how they left it open for another movie. So, all in all, an OK movie and it has definitely made me want to reread my Harry Potter books before the new movie comes out!



Disclaimer: This author is not a movie critic. This author is entitled to his/her opinion. All comments are welcome with an open mind as long as there are no negative comments about the author posted.

My Silly Boy!!

So, for the past two mornings when I have gone to get Cooper after he has woken up, he comes to his bedroom door with his pajamas half unzipped and pointing to his foot saying, "Car." I guess I don't get to him quick enough in the mornings so he has to figure out something to do to pass the time. Anyway, just thought I would share my funny story with ya'll.

Just Us!

My life with all its randomness

So, this is totally what I feel like on most days. I have so much to say, but not sure where to start. First, it is so hard being a stay at home mom to 2 kids under 2. It seems like everytime I am trying to do something around this house Cooper is undoing something else or Sara is crying because she can't see me or Cooper isn't entertaining her. I have posted a pic of some clothes that we had packed up that are too small for Cooper to wear anymore. Well, today as I was getting Sara dressed for the day, Cooper decided to unpack the tote full of clothes and put them all over the house. But, as you can tell in the other pic of me and Cooper it also fun at times. Sara finally sat in the high chair for the first time Monday night. I can't believe how fast time flies. She is really starting to get mobile. I also thought I would post a pic of Bryce being Bryce. And last but not least, we got rid of our puppy. Copper was just too much for us right now. He would knock poor Cooper on the ground and just beat up on him. So, I have to say thanks to Brent and Cindy (OK really Cindy) for taking Copper off our hands and keeping him and Amia together.

Cooper's new hair cut

So, the other day Bryce decided that he needed a hair cut and then of course Cooper thought that he did too. So, Cooper's barber aka Bryce cut his hair. It is a little short for my liking, but Cooper loves it so I guess it is OK.

I am so glad......

that the election is finally over! Now don't get me wrong, I'm not happy with who was elected, but I am glad that I don't have to see and hear any more political ads. I so hate all the mud slingning that goes on. Can't we all just get along???? Well, here's to another 4 years!

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Halloween Pics!

Happy Halloween!

I thought that I would let everyone know how Cooper and Sara's halloween was. It was definitely interesting to say the least. Wednesday night we had Trunk or Treating at the church. Cooper went as a farmer, Sara was a lamb, Bryce was a convict (he borrowed the outfit from Drew, just kidding!) and I went as an over worked and under appreciated house wife! Not to hard to do! So, while we were in the gym doing the best costume contest, Cooper was knocked down by an older kid and hit the hardwood floors. He ended up with a bloody lip and it looks like now 2 small black eyes. He is really going to be a tough kid when he gets older! And of course, Sara slept through half of the festivities. Cooper got a ton of candy that he is not going to eat, but mom and dad will put a dent in it I am sure! On Thursday night, we carved pumpkins for the first time as a family. Cooper actually liked pulling out all of the "guts" of the pumpkins. And tonight we just handed out candy to the trick or treaters that came to the door. And of course, every time someone came to the door, Cooper thought that he needed candy also. So, he was not very happy when mommy would not give him any.

Random pics of the fam!

Cooper vs Concrete

Well, Cooper has finally met his match. It is called concrete. He was outside the other day playing with Copper when Copper knocked him down on the concrete slab out back and of course he wouldn't get off of him. So, Cooper got a nice big goose egg and a good size scratch.

My New Calling

Well, I knew that it would eventually happen and 2 weeks ago it did. I received my new calling. I am now a teacher in Relief Society. And of course this was my Sunday to teach. It wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't have to teach Bryce's class as well, since he was working. So, I think I should get half of his calling also since I have taught his class numerous times. And it is kind of funny to think of a new convert teaching a Gospel Principles class to other new converts and investigators. Anyway, I really enjoy being a teacher in Relief Society. It was actually my very first calling in the church. So, it has a special place in my heart. Plus, teaching helps me to learn things and remember important lessons. Maybe when I grow up I will become a teacher!

Cooper's new best friend

Just thought that I would post a couple of pictures of Cooper and Copper. Enjoy!

Sara's first taste of cereal

So, I have noticed lately that Sara has really been watching us when we are eating. She has also started making smacking noises. So, I thought that I would try some cereal tonight and see how she would do. I'm not sure if she necessarily liked it, but she did eat several bites. Hopefully, she will start to like it better and better each time.