It's about time Benny my clothes are going out of style

Nobody probably reads this anymore but for the sake of my parents and my own memories here we go-
* Christmas 2010 was a ball. Our family was complete and Cody didn't have to work. The kids enjoyed every last minute with Brody's four wheeler and Austy her American Girl Doll. But the best is obviously being with family. Nothing beats cuddling up and enjoying a little Christmas Vacation.

* January brought with it the obsession of THe Wizard of Oz. Brody and Austyn were just infatuated with it. Seriously when Netflix removed it from the instant list Brody shed a tear. He was in love with the green witch. He'd sit there glued to the tube with his fingers in his mouth!!

* February brought a Birthday for my Brody. #3. I just can't fathom where the time has gone. Potty trained-no. speaking fluent English-no. well behaved little boy-no. But best looking brown -eyed boy I know of-yes. He melts me like no other. "neese no spank me mom". I hear that phrase about 5 times a day. Priceless!!
But February also brought with it alot of pain and sadness. Grieving for a loved one does not get easier. It doesn't pass in the first few years. For me it has only gotten harder. Every year there is that awful reminder of 'the day'. The day we all lost a piece of us. I know i am not the same person I was when Raech was here. Oh, how I miss her. And every year that passes it hurts more. The realisation that I will not see her or hug her until its my time to go devastates me. I literally feel it hurt inside my chest when I think about what could have been. This year I spent a good week in my pajamas, lost. She had friends come out and meet with the 'rents' and go to lunch to reminisce. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't will myself to go see their smiley faces and talk about Raech in the former tense. I told my dad there are days were you push back the memories of Raech just to get through the day, to function for the ones left here. But in all of this I've made progress. I've let myself open up a little bit=It's OK to remember those smiles, those hugs, those amazing sister talks. It's OK to be mad and absolutely devastated. It's OK to have a breakdown and even alright for others to see those emotions. It was a tough month.

*March brought Easton's 1st birthday. Oh that little easy going toad. He is going to be able to handle anything with a brother like Brody. He has an amazing 5 tooth grin and gray eyes. Wonder if that will be a permanent color? walking-no. weaned-no. sleeping through the night- yes!!!!

What you've waited for mom.......

Christmas Eve 2010

Practicing for Halloween '11

Watching the Wizard of Oz for the 1st time

Cody is a tad worried.

I love the way he is envying her

tada

The whole fam damly

the dress up king

Jungle Jim's, Brody b-day, his face says it all. Look at Austy's :)

Mine??

Put 'em up bucko

um, I don't know about this

seriously best sister ever!!!

My last baby??? Who knows.

I'm ready for Spring!! I'm ready to see little ones in my backyard while I make dinner. Swinging in the sunshine. Running around with Sadie, playing catch. Eating ice cream and riding their bikes up and down our street. Oh those days are so close I can smell them. Woo Hoo!!

happy thanksgiving ya'll

from our family to yours.

And we're back in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1....

Man I can't believe I haven't posted in 2 months! Its about time, huh? And its basketball season at the Cox household so I'll have a lot of spare time when the kiddos are in bed. So I'll dedicate it to the ol' Internet! I was reading back through all this whoop-la and I can't believe how neat it is. I'm really glad I started this whole blog trend. Its going to make a great book when I get around to it. So lets re-cap the last two months.

I've been begging for a puppy and we finally found the right fit for this family.....meet our Sadie. We love this girl so much and she fits our family so well. Thanks mom for our early Christmas gift. The puppy stage is a little trifling but I know she is going to make an amazing loyal member of this family.

Halloween was super. I love this time of year. The smell of fall, football across the street, my memories of Raech! Oh, I just thrive on this time of year.

We were able to sneak in one last time with the trailer thanks to the ward camp out. I think the kids had fun even though it wasn't a full 24 hours.




Woof. Look at those faces. Its been a great 2 months since I've posted. But one thing that keeps nagging at me is to slow down, ENJOY. Not that we are super busy people but I just see how fast everything is moving. My kids are growing too fast. And i don't know if I'm really sucking up every moment I can. Just tonight Austy wanted me to come lay down with her. How often do I do that, actually get in the covers and rub her face tell she falls asleep? Not too often, there's always something urgent to take care of. Like the house or her brothers. But not tonight. Just her and I talking about school. There will come a day when mom won't be her confidant. And I can't stand to think about that. I came down stairs with tears in my eyes. And the boys, oh those boys. Never a dull moment with Brody. He seriously works me over every day. While making cookies today he literally asked me every 5 seconds if I was done yet? His little brain just doesn't understand time. I was losing my patience and then it hits. He's 2! This is how his mind works.

Brody: done yet mom? (in his version of english)
me: nope, not yet
Brody: ohhh
Brody: done yet mom?
me: nope, not yet
Brody: ohhhh
*repeat 6 more times*

His little language just melts me. His kisses, his eyes. They are so beautiful. And his little belly. Man that kid. Wow.


And Easton. He is growing into such a wonderful child. He's quick. He's crawling and pulling himself up to everything. Smiling and laughing all the time which is a blessing because up until 7 months he was pretty miserable. But we passed that and now we are on to the teething. Yahoo. And he loves me. When I come home from being gone he'll start whimpering for me to hold him. Awww, just precious.

All these pics are random but needed to be posted. You know what I'm grateful for? My camera. Pictures are such a MUST! You can never have enough. So enjoy!

Brody has to be just like his ju-ju. (that's how he says sister). Backpack and all.

One of my favorite things about these two is how well they can play together. The dressed themselves up like runaways and took off through the backyard. SOOOOO cute. Its moments like this that you want to capture in a bottle and hold onto forever.

Life is good!!

Welcome School 2010

Late nights filled with bikes and ice cream cones. Sitting in the backyard watching the little ones slip 'n' slide. Watching the storm roll in while sitting in the dry swimming pool. Late nights at grandma and grandpas. Sleep overs. Oh, the brother/sister sleepovers.

The carefree days of summer are over and this mommy is sad. I hope my little ones made great memories. I know I did.

My mouse is in 1st grade. All day school. Some say that kindergarten is hard but I disagree. 1st grade is killing me. Not just becuase she is Brodys best friend but because she is my best friend too. Its 10:14 am and Brody and Easton are still snoozing. Man am I lonely. I miss her already. They grow way too fast. I wish that I could keep my kids at the prime age of pre-school. They get a little break from you for a couple of hours but you still get them the rest of the day. Watching their little bodies grow, their minds work, their little consciences telling them to apologize when they are naughty. I'm going to miss her..... But the worst: Brody is going to miss her more. Wish this little house some good luck!

moms homemade lunch: a lunchable and a love note:)

****here's the girlie on her big day****

*have a blast my little one*

Easton

Baby, why are you growing so fast? Slow down. With your big sister going to school I'm already emotional. Please go easy on me. You make me giggle with those big eyes. And man your brother and sister just think you are the cats bananas. They love to kiss you and hold you. But the way you look at your sister, wow. That is true love. Last night Brody got his first right handed glove (he's left handed) and he was showing you. He had it right up in your face, telling you all about baseball. You guys are going to be the bestest of friends. (I hope). easton baby I love you!!!

cherry hill

This was the cheapest and greatest vacay ever! We took our lovely home trailer up to Cherry Hills and spent a couple of days in the sun. This is my favorite; camping but not in real dirt. yes. We got some killer sun, slept in our new rig, and ate fresh pie every night. We soaked up every ounce of fun this place offered. Miniature golf was Austy's passion. She said that was the best and of course the Lazy River. But she went on every ride there. My little mouse, I just adore her. And Brody, wow, he is busy. His favorite was the lazy river, floating on Grandpa's back and just the plain old pools. Miniature golf with Brody is a hoot. He knew which color my ball was and he would pick it up after my first couple of hits and give it to me. He wanted to make sure I kept a low score, what a ham. And Easton was as easy as ever. All i had to do was feed him and then we'd take turns watching him. It was nice to do one more hoorah before school started and the carefree days of summer were over.

austy with her new found floaties

Mr. Independent yet again

In mid-flight

Practicing his escape plan

watching dad at bat

and the infamous golf

Seriously best vacation ever. And look at those happy faces. What could be better?