Blast from the Past

Here is my handsome hubby back in the day at good old KHS! It was quite a surprise when we started receiving calls and text messages about his picture in the paper last week. This was from the Blue and Gold Tournament in 1996 which would have been our first year as boyfriend & girlfriend! Who would have thought that I was cheering on my future husband! Who knows, maybe in 14 more years...this will be Cohen! Happy 2008!

Not stirring anymore!

I was reading a book with Cohen and heard a "SNAP!" We caught the mouse! Since Brian was not home and wouldn't be until today, guess who got to take it out to the trash? It stared at me the whole way out there. Oh, it was so gross! EEEEEEWWWWWW! But life goes on....just not his!

Christmas in OKC!

If you have talked to me lately, you know I was counting down the days until December 14th. We met our Oklahoma family in the City to celebrate Christmas together. We realized last year that our family is just getting so big and maybe tradition will have to change a bit. So, a few days before we left, I was finishing up some Christmas gifts (trying to get them ordered by midnight so I wouldn't have to pay thousands of dollars in shipping!) when I hear a huge THUMP from upstairs. By the time I reached the stairs I heard "MMMMOOOOOMMMMMYYYYYY!" A sound that sends chills down every mothers spine! By the time I got to Claire's room, flipped on the light and scooped her up off the floor.....this is what I saw.

Poor girl had tried to get out of bed, got tangled up in her blanket and hit the corner of her nightstand! It instantly looked like this! Needless to say, I sat up for at least 2 hours and watched her. The next day she was excited because her eye was red like Rudolph's nose. Only Claire! (Oh, I took this after lunch the next day...you can tell we had pasta!)

I spent Friday finishing up laundry (how does a child who wears NOTHING around the house create soooo much laundry? I may never know!) and packing for our trip. Gone are the days of packing light! As I loaded it all into the truck I kept asking myself "Are we going for 2 days...or 2 WEEKS?" We jumped in the car and headed out west! Cohen did not like the car ride one bit! It was a long trip. Not to mention, I didn't realize I needed new wiper blades (because if it's nasty out, I don't go anywhere!) until we got into rain and sleet on I-44. We finally made it and it was so great to see everyone. It had been a year since I had seen Phillip & Dana and their families and I've only seen Aunt Donna and Uncle Bobby once since then. So here are some pics from our weekend.

Our makeshift Christmas tree in our hotel. The kids had decorated cookies with a kit we bought at Target. My first Christmas ornament from 1980 probably tastes better than the cookies so we put them to good use!

Cohen and his 2nd cousin Trayden. The are 12 days apart!

You pick which one is Cohen! Mom and Donna had them out in the hall and someone asked if they were twins!

Sour face! Yes, I know that a lime is not really good for his teeth. But when a kid has been holed up in the same hotel room for a day and a half, you tend to give in on the little things! It kept him entertained for at least 20 minutes. (Limes are not an everyday staple in his diet, I promise!)

Koy picking up his mess! This is what happens when you turn your back on kids for 2 seconds! Notice, Claire's hand in the picture....I'm sure she had a little something to do with it!
Little Livi Jane! She was such a trooper. Unless you were cuddling with her you never even knew she was there! She was either perfectly content or sound asleep. Jarad & Ashley....enjoy it while it lasts!

Claire and her new dino from Aunt Donna. She loves it!

Daddy's so funny!

One of the highlights of our weekend was getting to watch Taylon play basketball. He is #23. (of course the tallest one on the court!) Hey played great and even got to show me his "fake" he has been working on. I was so proud of him! I can't believe he's growing up so fast!!!
It was a great weekend and it just reminded me how important it is that we all make time for each other. It has been a crazy year and we have gotten so caught up in life that we let too much time go by! I have really been hit hard this year with the fact that LIFE IS SHORT and so precious. I WILL NOT let another year pass without seeing my cousins! Christmas will be different this year for sure! We will have a few conference calls throughout the day, but it won't be the same. However, I am so thankful that we had this weekend together! Dana, I am now counting the days until spring break!!!

Not a creature was stirring, not even a.....

MOUSE?!?!? It is wonderful having a big wide open field behind our house. No nosy neighbors back there, the view is great (especially when it snows!) and we can pretend we live out in the country! The bad news....field mice. Unfortunately there is no Bunny Foo Foo to bop 'em on the head either! This morning, I came across a little visitor in the kitchen. I'm not super excited about it but at least it's not a snake! I DON'T DO SNAKES, so I'll take a mouse any day! He's pretty tiny too so I'm not scared! That little dude probably thought he had hit the jackpot when he made his way into the George household! There is an endless supply of cheerios, crackers and assorted crumbs on the floor at any given time and they are always fresh! As soon as I get them swept up, theres a whole buffet on the floor within 15 minutes. So it's off to the store to buy a mouse trap. We should be fine as long as he doesn't get out of the house and tell all of his friends and family that he found a Christmas feast at the Georges!

Here are some pictures that have been hanging out on my camera for a while!

While Brian was gone, I was exhausted one morning and just didn't want to roll out of bed. Claire was laying there with me watching cartoons. She heard Coco wake up and I told her she could go in and keep him company for a few minutes. When I finally made my way down the hall I noticed a familiar and surprisingly pleasant odor coming from Cohen's room. What is that smell? BABY MAGIC!!! Cohen and his crib were COVERED in it. And if you look close, Claire filled his bed with every toy she could find. Poor kid!



DADDY'S HOME!!!


Claire and Cohen enjoying one of the last beautiful days of the year! Cohen loves to ride with his sister!


My little ballerina. Yes, she dressed herself.


Claire waiting to put the star on the tree.


Dancing with Santa. I wasn't thinking this summer when I was cleaning out our storage area and moved Santa out. He was stored in his box, but his head wouldn't fit back in so I just carried it out. Claire FREAKED OUT and I wasn't sure if she would ever go near old Santa again! It took a few days but now they are old buddies! He's really not as creepy as he looks. (Unless of course you are home alone and forget he's at the bottom of the stairs....then you might need to change your pants.)

Oh little star of Buffaloham!

Claire told us last night that Jesus was born in the hay in buffaloham. Close! Maybe next year she will have the details perfected, but for now it's just too cute!

My poor little guy!

Well, last night as Brian and I were getting ready for bed (at midnight for some reason!) we heard a pretty bad cough coming from down the hall. I figured it was Claire because she has had a cold and it sounded WAY TOO big to be coming from little man. As I peeked in on Claire I realized that she was sound asleep...uh oh. It was Cohen. I went in and picked him up. He was going strong with a terrible "barking" cough, he was having trouble breathing and he was shaking uncontrollably! I took him in to Brian and started packing a bag and throwing clothes on because I knew we were headed for the ER. I was nervous because we just switched insurance providers and I have never been to St. John's other than to visit let alone a midnight trip to the ER ALONE! Brian decided it would be best to call Grandma Connie so that she could come stay with Claire while he went with me. When we finally got in at around 3 am they did a breathing treatment and an x-ray and decided that he has croup. They gave him a steroid shot (just what we need...steroids!) and finally sent us home at 6 am. So here I sit running on 2 hours of sleep but so thankful that it wasn't worse than it was. Brian was amazing. I was so proud how he just jumped right in and offered tons of hugs and cuddles (to both of us!). I am so thankful that Cohen waited to get sick until Brian was home. I can't imagine having sat there for 5 hours in the middle of the night by myself!! As for our new hospital, I was pleasantly surprised! We have always been a Cox family for as long as I can remember so I was nervous about the switch. The nurses, doctor and staff were wonderful and did everything they could to make us as comfortable as possible. I was also glad that Cohen actually got a bath last night before bed and he was in his "nice" jammies! An added bonus...I had actually showered last night too! Not exactly a Saturday routine for me! When Claire woke up this morning here is the conversation we had.
Claire: "Hey mom, I woke up and Grandma magically appeared in your bed!"
Me: "She did?"
Claire: "Yeah, and then I was like GRANDMA? (While making the cutest little squinty face) IS THAT REALLY YOU? Then I closed my eyes and she was gone."

She was a little confused but she was such a big helper this morning and sat in the living room with me while I caught a little extra shut eye before Cohen woke up. Cohen is doing better this morning. He still isn't his normal happy self, but he sounds much better. I am in awe of how different I am today. We did the same thing with Claire (croup) when I was pregnant with Cohen and it took all I had to keep it together. I was a mess! Last night, I was calm as could be. I know it's because God is such a strong presence in my life now. I have found a strength in myself lately that can only be explained one way. It is coming from my faith and my new relationship with Him. I am looking forward to church tonight. It's the Joy To The World concert and I think it is just what I need to start my week. A great night to praise God and give him the glory for the way he his working everyday in my life.