Cox Chronicles

So very thankful...

2010-11-25T07:12:00.000-08:00

For a truly awesome God, wonderful family and friends, the freedom that is constantly granted to us by those fighting for us in all parts of the country, our Life Group, and all of the blessings that are showered upon me DAILY!

Sorry this is long overdue once again, but here are some picture updates! Give Thanks-today and every day! Pictures done by the very talented Emily Bryant.

First Haircut and Easter Fun!

2010-04-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Caleb had a whirlwind of an Easter this year! I think by the end of Easter Sunday, he had hunted eggs at five different places! He was exhausted! First, we went to our Thursday storytime at the DP Library and they had a fun hunt in the middle of all of the books in the library. It was really cute. They gave each child a bunny basket that they made and all of the eggs had stickers in them. When they were done, you could take the stickers out and give them back the empty eggs in exchange for eggs with candy! What a smart idea.
Rocky and Nena brought him a basket full of goodies on Thursday night, including some cool bubbles that he and his buddy Nathan enjoyed so much!
Then Friday night-he spent the night with GJ and Uncle Jimmy where he got a giant bucket with wheels to use for his egg gathering. I heard he spent the entire evening filling and dumping out that bucket with eggs, toys, whatever he could find. Aunt Donna and Val were there and Gma and Gpa Dot and Tommy. He also got a bunch of eggs from Mrs. Alvarez with $25 in them! Woohoo!

Saturday we had a Spring Fling at our church. Caleb seemed to be more interested in the playground on the other side of the field than more eggs, but he did get a few in the basket. Every once in a while he would get one in each hand and then say, "throw" and let them fly-he would call the egg "ball" so why not chunk 'em across the grass?

He also got to take a picture with the Easter Bunny-he just kept looking at it and then looking at us like, "ummmm-what is going on with this giant bunny?" It was lots of fun!Sunday morning when he woke up, he had more eggs in our living room, so he spent lots of time finding those and opening every single one and wanted to eat the candy...Here is Mr. CrankyPants when we made him stop after about a million pieces of chocolate! After church, we went over to the Prothro's house for some yummy lunch and another egg hunt of course! Here are a couple of pictures of our church clothes!By this hunt, Caleb was getting the hang of it...it was only number five! He would actually carry his basket to the egg, put it in the basket, and go on for more...Until he realized he had a bunch and decided to dump them out to make room for more. He showed off his trampoline skills for GJ, Grandpa Jim, and Unca Jimmy later that evening and then he was down for the count that night. We had so much fun with family and friends-it was so great to watch Caleb in all of his excitement.

He also finally got his hair cut for the first time. No more curls! Seriously though it was starting to look like a sweet mullet. My sweet friend Catherine cut it for him and he did a great job-now he really looks like a big boy!

Best part was the sucker she gave him afterwards-he loved it!

Hello, my name is Jamie, and I am a bad blogger!

2010-04-01T10:30:00.001-07:00

I know, I know...you don't have to say it. But here we go-lots of pics and some updates. Caleb and I have been having lots of fun with this great weather outside. We spend lots of time playing in the backyard and going for walks-it's soooo much better than the dreary days of winter. Caleb will bring me his shoes multiple times a day when we are at home so we can go out and play! We went to the zoo last week with his buddy Nathan and his mom Amy and they had a great time. They were both exhausted on the way home and fought sleep (I think Caleb was just intrigued by the fact that his friend was in the car right beside him! That was something new!)
Here they are checking out the zookeeper talk about the sea lions. Way cool. Look how much taller NateDawg is-and he's only two months older!

Checking out a sleeping cheetah!

Crazy monkey looking at some crazy monkeys! Those giraffes are tall!

And during Spring Break we went up to the Livestock Show for a few hours to see our friends the Kiefers, who were there with their school/students to show animals. We miss them a ton and it's good to see them (even if it's once a year). Caleb was sporting his sweet pearl snap and wranglers thanks to Uncle Blake and Aunt Kimberly!

Courtney and Brandon with Caleb-they have grown up so much! What sweet, sweet kids!

Me and my little rodeo cowboy!

A busy start to the year!

2010-02-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

Normally, after football/hunting season is over, things slow down a little for our household. That is definitely NOT the case so far this year! Doug and I have decided to set some goals for ourselves and boy are they big ones!!! We are trying to do lots of things to better our lives, basically for the sheer fact that we can't serve others if our lives aren't where they need to be (at least that's how I feel). We have dedicated ourselves this past month to be more visible, more vocal, more alive with our church family. And I for one have never felt better-we are surrounded by a great group of people and I am enjoying finally getting to know them better.

Here is Caleb with Jenna-she says they have an extra special bond with their red hair-and Caleb just loves her! She is one of the sweet teens at our church and I swear she is a baby whisperer! Another thing we have done is join a gym. We have not been members since I quit working at the Y and we are super gung ho about it! We didn't start at the very beginning of January, so we aren't like all of the others who jumped on the bandwagon of "resolutions". We started late and slow, and we plan on sticking to it. So far, so good! I definitely notice a difference just in the way I feel. And we have been eating better too-go team!

Here is Caleb with some crazy hair after his bath. I have lots of funny naked pics of him running around the living room-and some video too. But Doug says that if Caleb wants to run for office one day I have to keep those under wraps! He is funny!

I hope you will continue to pray for my sweet friends, The Knights. They are still struggling with issues from Samuel's illness and now have learned that their daughter suffers from the same mitochondrial illness, although so far she has been less symptomatic. Please lift this family up in prayer so that God may take away some of their burdens. And take some time to bless someone in your life this week! Let your lights shine!

Bring it on...

2010-01-11T14:03:00.000-08:00

I'm talking about the year people! It's a whole new year, in case you haven't noticed, and I have been thinking long and hard the past few weeks about a lot of things. I have decided that I'm not going to make any resolutions in 2010 just for the sheer truth that I know I won't keep them and don't want to disappoint myself :) But what I have decided to do instead is to change my way of thinking. It all started right before Christmas when I had a small emotional breakdown/through about the craziness that has become our holidays. I was stressing out way too much about getting everything together-gifts, food, something to wear, etc.-and I had one of those "AHA" moments that made me think. When I got home, I had the newsletter from our church and it had one of the best messages in it-it was just what I needed. It talked about how much life would change if we gave each other different gifts (other than the material ones we are used to). Gifts such as: Forgiveness, Respect, Admiration, Friendship, Encouragement, Humor, Kindness, Love, Gratitude, Recognition, Compassion & Understanding. WOW! These things don't cost a penny, yet we neglect giving these things to the people we hold most dear (and some we don't). So this year, I am going to try my hardest to give these gifts to those around me. I am truly blessed beyond belief-I have more than I ever deserve-but know so many who need these gifts and don't have anyone in their lives to receive them from. I don't personally know everyone's story or what is going on in their lives or what they believe in. You may not believe in God, or even the same God I believe in, but as a Christian I am charged with sharing what I know about Him with others and giving the gifts I mentioned before would be the best way I know how. I am by no means perfect, and I know at times in the past I have failed at LOTS of these, but this year I have decided to focus on giving to others what I have been so richly blessed with. And as for the age-old resolutions: eat better, exercise, get out more--I will work on that as soon as it warms up outside!!!

And here is an obligatory Caleb pic-since that is of course why you are here!

Chillin in his recliner (courtesy of Aunt Donna). Yes he is double fisting with the beverages and yes, he is not wearing any pants, and yes, that is his duck call sitting with him. What a boy!

Have a great week!

Better late than never

2010-01-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

I put a Christmas post and a Snow Day post on here (finally) and I promise to update this blog better in 2010! I will put some New Years Day pics on here later this week. I hope everyone has a terrific new year!

Christmas Time

2010-01-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

We had another busy, yet oh so blessed Christmas this year. Caleb went to see Santa at Bass Pro Shops in Pearland and he was very intrigued by the bearded man. They gave us three pictures b/c he was smiling at us in the first one and then Santa told the photographer to take one with him looking up at him. It was too cute. They have an amazing set-up in the store, complete with giant reindeer and activities for kids! We will definitely go back next year!We went to Cracker Barrell for the annual Christmas Eve morning breakfast (which turned out to be sort of a disaster, but I complained online and got a free meal for two so yippee!). Then it was back home for gift exchange/lunch with Mom, Dad, Uncles Jimmy and Jason. More eating-which I of course did-and it was delish! GJ went all out with some really cute stuff for Caleb and he had a blast opening and then walking around the room to show everyone his gifts. He loves books and anything he can throw! He took breaks to snuggle every once in a while too.After a quick nap, off to Bo and Shirley's for family/cousins gathering and gift exchange. Oh, and more food of course. And yes, we ate AGAIN! Couldn't pass it up-good stuff again. Caleb changed into his jammies and had to take a water break after opening up some awesome stuff from Rocky and Nena, and Uncle Blake and Aunt Kim! What a great day!Christmas morning! Santa brought Caleb a four-wheeler, some blocks, and a few other fun things. He was pretty funny on the four-wheeler!Saturday after Christmas-showing off his ride to Rocky and Nena in the back yard.

Where did he go? (This is his number one favorite thing to do when someone leaves the room-it is hilarious!)

He was a little hesitant on the gas, but he is getting the hang of it!

Snow Day!

2010-01-05T12:19:00.001-08:00

Caleb had a blast in the snow! He was so excited and he just kept raising his hands up toward the sky and yelling like he was saying, "Come on snow! This is awesome!" And he didn't want to go in, but I was freezing, so we took multiple trips outside to see it all.

Caleb's First Birthday!

2009-12-01T09:54:00.001-08:00

I know I am late in posting this, but we have been gone the better part of the last two weeks, so this is my first opportunity to get pictures all situated and ready to post. Caleb's birthday was so great-the weather was awesome, almost our entire extended family was there, and Caleb was on his best party behavior (as usual). The theme was monkeys and they were everywhere! Caleb did a great job opening gifts-he sat with me for pretty much all of them-although he was mostly intrigued by the cards. Then on to the cake which he very much enjoyed, but he didn't demolish it like I thought he would, based on his other eating habits! It was a wonderful day and we are truly blessed by our amazing family and friends!! I had so much help the night before with decorating and cupcake making-and I was a little stressed-may have snapped at Janet a few times over the course of the weekend. But thanks for all of your help-Janet, Val, and Shirley! And of course Doug who got the house looking great!

Here are the favor bags we made with "Monkey Munch" inside-banana chips, cheerios, and chocolate chips. We hung sock monkeys in the palm trees too! Opening presents-he did such a good job! He was very interested in everything!

Here are the monkey cupcakes-we made a million of them! And they were quite delicious I must say!Rice Krispie Treat Monkey-this was a big hit! I guess as adults we don't eat these yummy treats that often, so everyone loved it! Aunt Val did the icing b/c I am pretty sure I was cursing the darn thing by that time of night. And Caleb's monkey cake. We did a small yellow cake and Janet and Val decided to make it a monkey face too. It was so cute!!Lovin' him some icing! He stopped and said, "mmmmm" after almost every bite!Here he is snuggling up to his number one girl Camryn in his leather recliner. "Say girl, we gotta stop meeting like this!"And here he was about two hours after the party. He was wiped out-we were an hour late to Camryn's party b/c he crashed and burned. What a wonderful day! Our little monkey is growing up so fast-his first year has been a blast! Ready for what life has in store for us!

Little Monkey Man

2009-11-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that Caleb will be a year old in two days! It is so crazy to think that at this time last year we were nervous parents-to-be and now we have an awesome little man! I will post more after his birthday party this weekend, but I just wanted to reminisce a little on how proud we are of Caleb. He is so happy, and funny, and so very smart! He ceases to amaze us on a daily basis of the things he does. We both love him so much-and I know a few others who share the sentiment. He is awesome-God has blessed us immeasureably with him!

He went to another Aggie game and did fantastic as usual. We had lunch at Uncle Jerry and Aunt Kay's before the game and he played with his fun cousins, Lauryn and Andrew. The Aggies won-so I think he is the good luck charm! He slept through the second quarter and then just sat in someone's lap the entire time just observing. If only we knew what was going through this boy's head!

We also went to the ranch last weekend for the opening of deer season. Caleb was wide open all over the house, so when he got still, it was lights out. Here he is napping with GJ.

He also sat in the deer stand for the first time and did great. There were a ton of cows near the feeder, which Doug was not happy about, but Caleb was talking and making so much noise he shooed the cows away and we finally saw some deer. He enjoyed reading about animals while waiting to see something.And Sunday when we were packing up to leave-he got some good snuggle time with Uncle John. He likes to be that high off of the ground!
And of course-I couldn't talk about Caleb without mentioning his sweet dance skills. Here he is busting a move to his favorite Garanimals commercial. He didn't quite get into it as much as usual, but I think he didn't want to perform for the camera-he was still in his jammies!

Some funny pics and a great video for your weekend viewing!

2009-10-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

His new favorite pose-I have no idea how this started, but if you say, "Oh no!" his hands go up on his head like something crazy just happened. What a goof! In the cockpit with Rocky the pilot-don't worry-we were on the ground!

Bananas are so yummy!!!

Driving the golf cart at the Foster's Children's Home Golf Tourney

Pucker up buttercup-I'm about to plant one on you!

And the funny video of the week:

Caleb has become quite the multi-tasker. Here he is walking and calling ducks at the same time!

Caleb's First Trip to the Zoo!

2009-10-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

We went to the zoo last Friday when the weather was amazing! Caleb did awesome(of course) and he was very observant of everything. He pointed and laughed at a lot of the active animals and had a great day-we will definitely be going again with the g-mas!

He's already a pro...

2009-10-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

Caleb is loving this new walking thing. He now will let go of the coffee table, or Doug's recliner and just walk out to the middle of the room! He has really gotten the hang of taking a few steps and then steadying himself before taking off again. Look out Charlie-he's coming for you!

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-10-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

First Word and First Steps!!!

2009-10-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

Caleb decided last week he was going to say his first word! And I am excited-as a teacher and an avid reader-that it was BOOK! He is really funny now-he will go get one from the floor and say "book, book, buh-oo-k" Although the last few days it sounds like he's saying booger. Oh well-it is quite comical!

And last Saturday he decided to be extra brave and take some steps! We were so excited because all four of the grandparents (and Aunt Val) were there to witness the event. It was even more exciting since the Aggie game was proving to be pretty disappointing. We must have been too excited b/c I didn't take any video. But here are a few from Sunday afternoon-the are pretty short, I will try to record more soon. He is a big fan of taking two or three steps and then launching himself towards you.

He will be attending his first wedding this weekend, so coming soon will be pics of my little sharp dressed man. He will also be taking his first plane ride with Rocky as the pilot!!!

Story Time

2009-10-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Caleb and I have been going to the DP library on Wednesdays and Thursdays for their toddler story time. It is lead by a guy that works at the library and he is so good!! He plays his guitar at the beginning and everybody sings and then he alternates reading stories with singing songs. Last week he busted out instruments for the kiddos and Caleb thought that was awesome! So now we are hoping not only for a sports scholarship, but some musical abilities too!

Pumpkin Patch!!

2009-10-04T08:31:00.001-07:00

We went to Pearland the other day to take Uncle Jason out to lunch for his birthday and on the way stopped at a local church to take pictures in their big pumpkin patch. It started raining on us after about 15 minutes, but here are some of the ones we snuck in. So cute!!

Caleb's first Aggie Football Game!

2009-09-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we got to take Caleb to the game with us and he did awesome! We went to campus early and took him to march in (which he loved) and he was a trooper through the whole game. It was a 6pm game, and we went to campus at about 3:30, so he was in it for the long haul. I have a video of him watching the band march in, but I will have to post it later because I have to figure out how to do it (from the real video camera). Caleb fell asleep right before halftime and then woke up in the middle of the third quarter to enjoy the end of the game. He watched everything and was very intrigued by what was going on! Here are a few pictures from our day.

Friday night yell practice at the Villa!

Outside the stadium before the game-one of the many cool things out in front to take pics withYes Mr. Bill Byrne-I have a ticket-thank you very much. Here it is!Watching the game with Uncle Jimmy-him and Uncle Chris got to go with us too!Before you know it...I'll be over there standing with the 12th Man! Look at all that maroon!I love this one-he looks like he's saying "CHEESE!"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!Snoozing through halftime...already saw the Fightin Texas Aggie Band before the game.My fave...intense and focused on the field. Get your game face on!Family pic before kickoffDuring the fourth quarter-in a trance!

I will post the video soon. I have another hilarious video, but for some reason the sound won't work on blogger. Check my facebook page!

Free Entertainment!

2009-09-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

Caleb is now a dancing fool! Any time music comes on he bounces up and down no matter where he is and I crack up every time. He also likes to hold conversations with himself-I know this is the first of many!!!

He is going to his first Aggie game this Saturday! Cannot wait! I will post plenty of pics next week!

Just a swingin!

2009-09-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Caleb and I have taken a few trips to the park and he is having a blast on the swings! Here are a few pictures from our outings! Yes, he is wearing a muscle shirt in some of the pics-it was hot outside!

A great end to an awesome summer!

2009-08-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

Caleb and I spent a weekend in College Station with Aunt Val and GJ. We had such a good time, just lounging around, playing at the pool, and cooking some yummy food together. It was a nice relaxing weekend for all of us-right before V started back to school and after GJ had a stressful week of being sick with vertigo (I still say she was just messing with us and had a few too many beers for breakfast, but since I got to actually talk to the doctor, I guess I believe her!) Here are some pics from GJ's house and our fun weekend.

We also went down to Galveston for one last beach weekend before the madness of Aggie football weekends and hunting season begins. Jess, Kevin, and Camryn came down for Saturday and the kiddos had fun in the sand and waves! They also did a good job of passing the baseball back and forth! They were very funny to watch together! They both were wiped out afterwards and fell asleep on the drive to dinner at Shrimp and Stuff-yummm!

Aggie football kicks off in 3 days...you will see lots more maroon on here soon!

New Videos

2009-08-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos of the crazy dude. The first one is him laughing at Doug using his duck call-he thinks it's hilarious! And then he is dancing with a new toy-sorry for the shaking at the end-I was laughing too hard and had to stop recording!

Galveston-August 2009

2009-08-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I decided to just make a little slideshow for this because I loved all of the pictures. As you can see, Caleb really loves the water! He had a great time playing in the sand and surf!

Fun for Friday

2009-08-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few fun pictures for the weekend! Caleb took his first trip to the beach last weekend, but I took a few thousand pictures, so I will sort through them and put the best up next week. He is crawling all over the place, pulling up on everything, getting his second tooth, and wanting ALL eyes on him-he loves to be the center of attention. My mom informs me he is starting to act a little bit like me! OOPS!

Here is Caleb and his friend Jacob. We went to lunch with him last week and Caleb thinks he is SO FUNNY! Hey dude...what's up! Did you realize that we are having lunch with a bunch of girls? Alright!!Loving the bath! He loves to splash like crazy and always has to have his mouth wide open-doesn't even care if he gets his face all wet!Nap time with Daddy...they are great snugglers!

Do unto others...

2009-07-29T10:29:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we had the amazing opportunity to be part of an upcoming Extreme Makeover: Home Edition project. Part of the Cox family business, Kirby Stone Company, partnered with Acme Brick to donate the stone for the house. The family that was chosen lives in Lancaster, which is south of Dallas, and we went for one of the building days to watch the stone being placed on and in the house. You can read more about the family and their story by clicking here. The husband, part of a SWAT team, was shot in a narcotics raid and was paralyzed and lost his hearing. He is in a wheelchair and has cochlear implants to hear. As usual it was an incredible story and I have thought about them every day since I found out Doug decided to help make it happen. Words cannot describe how we felt just being there while the house was being built. For those who watch the show and wonder how it gets done-just know that it is meticulously planned and really does happen from start to finish in a week. I watch the show all the time and cry like a baby EVERY WEEK! I had tears in my eyes watching the build just thinking about what the episode will be like and knowing that I was there-and I didn't even do anything!!! Well, I did help provide some of the entertainment for the volunteers-Caleb was a big hit as usual and kept everybody smiling! We met some awesome folks from Cousin's BBQ-they are a "family chain" of restaurants and they were catering lunch and dinner for the volunteers that day. They were all so great and the food was incredible-they even sent us home with some to-go boxes! Look them up and go eat there if you are near any locations-there are 2 in the DFW airport. Wonderful food and even better staff! It is truly an amazing ordeal and I know every felt so blessed just to be there and to play a little part in it. I cannot wait to see them move that bus! The new season starts back up towards the end of September, so be on the lookout for this episode!

Here is the front of the house...Kirby Stone looking good!

Here is a close up of some of the work in progress.Assembly line of volunteers passing stone from the pallet to the platform for the guys to chop it and place it on the house.More assembly line...so many wonderful folks volunteering for the cause.Ty!!! We did get to see him in action filming a segment of the show...he's a little dude!And here is what they saw when they moved the bus! Such a gorgeous end to a wonderful week of people helping people! My favorite part about being there was just watching how happy and willing everyone was to be there working in the 100+ degree Texas heat. And one of the homebuilder's main guys took Doug, Bo, and Chris around to see the layout and where all of the stone would be going. He told them that one of the things that Mr. Marshall said(the man whose family they were building the house for) was that he didn't want anyone to feel sorry for him for being disabled. He just wanted to be able to help his wife in the kitchen and put his children to bed at night. HELLO! Tears in my eyes just hearing that and again as I type this. Let's take more time to think about those simple things that most of us take for granted. Slow down, breathe, take more time to help those around you who can't help themselves. Spend time with your loved ones, TELL them you love them, and PRAISE GOD daily for blessing us with all of the wonderful gifts He has given us. And then share those gifts...Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

Watch out world...he's on the move!

2009-07-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Never go against the family...

2009-07-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

So Doug thinks Caleb looks like a mobster in this pic and I have to agree! Love it!!! Dang it feels good to be a gangster.

"You talkin to me?"
More soon...

Sir Talks ALOT!

2009-07-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July

2009-07-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

This is Caleb's favorite new face. He crinkles his nose up at everything now and has a silly grin on his face. I think he's just trying to show off his giant tooth that is coming in! Here is his first time with bubbles...he was very amazed! And he thought it was hilarious when Charlie tried to jump and eat them all!

John and Val came over to eat some excellent fish that Doug grilled and fried for some July 4th festivities. Caleb was loving the challenge of trying to get to John while he was in a "cage". We had a great time that afternoon and ate some delicious food!

Here he is doing one of his favorite things-swimming!

God Bless America! Showing his patriotism in some red, white, and blue!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-08T10:53:00.001-07:00

Love never fails...

2009-07-06T09:41:00.001-07:00

Four score and seven years ago...oh wait, that's something else!

No really--Seven years ago today, Doug and I were married in Galveston, Texas. In my opinion (and my opinion is a very important one) it was the party of the century. And many people have shared that opinion as well, so I know I'm not too biased! It was a day that not too many would forget. Nevermind that it was the happiest day of our lives-we had to call the fire department for crying out loud!!! In case you are one of those whose memory has failed you (Dad calls this CRS-I'll just leave it at that), let me give a short recap:

The ENTIRE groom's side of the wedding party PLUS the photographer PLUS his wife got stuck in the elevator for AN HOUR! And it was right before the wedding was supposed to start. They got out 10 minutes before the ceremony!! They still claim it is my fault since I wanted them to get some pics up on the penthouse floor by a really cool pool table/lounge area, but I didn't tell them all to get in ONE elevator. All 15 of them-seriously. So all of our guests were standing in the lobby waiting to see what was going on. Remember-all of the ushers were also stuck in the elevator, so no one could be seated! They called the fire department since not one person working at the hotel could figure out what to do and there was a dramatic rescue. The poor guys (and one gal) were all soaked with sweat and got a few minutes to towel off with some ice water and get situated to get me up the aisle. But nobody passed out during the short, sweet ceremony and the partying commenced! It was the greatest weekend ever!

In all seriousness though, these past 7 years have been so awesome! Doug is absolutely my best friend in this world, the yin to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, the wind in my sails, my boo fo shoo...you get the picture. I truly don't think anyone else could get me the way he does and vice versa. We have already experienced so much together as a couple, good and bad, and I look forward to whatever God has in store for us in the future. And I love the fact that we were both raised in wonderful, loving families that share great morals and values that have taught us the true meaning of family so that we are well prepared for our new family dynamic and adventures with Caleb.

Love you bunches! Happy Anniversary!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-01T08:20:00.001-07:00

Rollin on the River

2009-06-26T08:21:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we took the annual family trip to New Braunfels. This is such a special trip for Doug, because it is a trip he has been taking since he was born! And Shirley has been going since she was 5, so it's a long standing tradition. Doug has many fond memories that he shares after many years of taking this trip. I love it too because my family always went to Lake McQueeny/Schlitterbahn/Guadalupe with family friends growing up and I think about those times often! It's where I learned to water ski! This year was extra special because it was Caleb's first trip to the river! He did so great and he was exhausted every night after the all day parties! Except for the first night...he was hilarious lying in bed just babbling for at least an hour. Doug and I were cracking up-Doug said he was just telling us about all of the fun he had on his first day there! We ate at all of our favorite spots-Clear Springs, Pat's, Gristmill, and of course Naegelin's for bear claws!

Family photo in front of our room...love the Comal!The water was too cold for C-man this year, but he got in with Doug for a photo op. Next year!!

Uncle Blake, you funny! You make me laugh!Here he is on one of our morning walks. We were usually up by 7, so we would cruise down to the river for a stroll before everyone else would wake up. Yes, he had his Aggie football with him!

Fun in the pool. Wow-I really need a tan!

After a long day of playing, he couldn't make it to dinner-slept through Pat's.
We are very excited about upcoming trips with Caleb! More memories in the making!

Summer Fun!

2009-06-26T07:13:00.000-07:00

Here is Caleb hanging out with Z and KK Wims...we went over there one evening to hang out with them while Jenny taught a class. Look how tan they are compared to my Casper the friendly ghost! We had a good time and Caleb had fun watching them play. Look at the fish I caught! Actually Doug and Uncle Tony caught them, but I'll take all the credit!
He is loving the water. We bought a pool for the backyard and he loves to splash around in the evenings. Plus it wears him out before bedtime, which is a plus!

Hello!!! It is so hot outside! Lots of shirtless Caleb pictures to come!

Learning new things

2009-06-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

I am really excited to be home for the summer! It seems like Caleb is doing something new every day and I am loving being able to witness all of these new tricks. He is babbling up a storm right now...bu, bu, bu, ma, ma, ma, da, da, da. It is hilarious to watch him get so excited about having such a voice. He is also becoming more and more active, bouncing around, and even scooting backwards on his belly. His newest thing these past couple of weeks has been clapping. He gets so excited and claps, then does something else, and remembers he can clap so he claps some more. Sometimes he gets frustrated and starts in on a *fake* cry and then starts clapping while he cries. He is so crazy!

Baytown Family Fun

2009-06-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

We went to a graduation party a couple of weeks ago for our sweet friend Jessica H. It seems absolutely crazy that she is going off to college already, but nevertheless, I had some fun stories of my college days to share with her. (Don't worry-they were appropriate!) We laughed and had a great time with everyone and ate some yummy food and cake. Caleb and Doug were matching in some cool summer gear, and Caleb was ready to ride off into the sunset on Uncle Terry's hog. He also had fun watching the boys play washers with Uncle Ray. On Sunday, we went to church with Rocky and Nena, because Rocky was chosen to be one of the new elders at their church. We were so happy for him, Uncle Harold, and Mr. Bill-these three men embody what it means to be leaders in a church and I feel like it's just what their church needs to help lift up their congregation. Afterwards they had a potluck lunch (yes, more good food) and we hung out with the fam and Brian, Lisa, and crew. At one point, Lisa pointed out a great photo op-the grandpas doing their "baby whisperer" thing! Caleb and Macie were out cold with all the excitement going on around them. It was a great weekend!

Memorial Day-Caleb's first swim!

2009-06-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

We took GJ over to Rocky and Nena's for a Memorial Day BBQ and Caleb enjoyed his first time in the pool. He loves to take baths-so we figured he would enjoy this. Their pool has a big shelf on one side, so he sat there forever splashing the water-he thought he was in a giant bathtub! There are a lot of pictures, so beware!

Please Lord-let this first swimming experience be fun, with lots of splashing and maybe a fun boat ride if possible. Oh yeah-and please don't let my pasty white skin get too sunburned. AMEN!Daddy-you can let go-I got this!Uhhh-I think I'm done....

Random Thoughts

2009-06-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

So this year was my first official Mother's Day (except for last year when Caleb was in the belly). It was a great weekend-we went to eat at Monument Inn with Rocky, Nena, Uncle Blake, and Aunt Kim on Saturday and on Sunday we picked up lunch after church and came home for a 2-hour nap! So awesome! But I have to brag on Doug-he helped make the day extra special. In the picure below, Caleb is holding his gift to me, which was made by Doug (with a little help from Nena). It was the sweetest thing ever-a frame with Caleb's hand and footprints and a fun picture of the two of us. I couldn't have asked for anything better-other than my two boys and a great weekend. Here is Caleb showcasing his gift! We also passed Caleb's half birthday, where we started solid foods! Here is his first meal of carrots-which he took down like a champ. So far we think his favorites are green beans and either peaches or bananas. But let's be honest here...our Tank doesn't turn any meal away so far!

And here he is with our friends' daughter Kylie. We took a fun trip to College Station for the weekend-Doug and Steven played golf, while Sherry and the girls and Caleb and I enjoyed time at the pool and the grill. We had a great dinner at Mi Cocina and also helped our friends Travis and Hillarie celebrate their wedding! Such fun!

Daddy is so funny!!!

2009-06-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

It's a little dark, but too funny anyway. Caleb thought it was hilarious when Doug pulled the pillow over him and made a crazy noise. I wish I were that easily amused!

Fun pictures of our happy little dude!

2009-06-01T10:43:00.001-07:00

Learning my animal sounds...

2009-06-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

More fun in College Station

2009-06-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

We went to CS over spring break and while we were there we went to dinner with Mary, Wray, Lauryn and Andrew. Caleb had a lot of fun with the kiddos and got lots of laughs!

Doug snapped this one after a long day of play!

Too busy to blog...

2009-04-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

OK-just so I can stop getting angry emails from everyone, I will give you a few of the latest C-man pictures! I seriously won't be able to blog much until I'm done for the summer. It just doesn't seem to fit into my schedule. By the time I get home in the evenings, it's all about him for just a couple of hours and then it's bedtime (for all of us). Blogging just isn't in the cards-but I will try harder just so you guys can see what the little guy is up to! Here's a few good ones.

Yes, I know I am posting this on his 5-month birthday-I will catch up eventually!

I love to eat my toes now that I know where to find them. Mommy and Daddy are super impressed with my flexibility!
This is seriously how this boy sleeps! Like he is loungin' by the pool...
Here he is at our neighbor's soccer game. He and Doug have matching boat shoes!

Started cereal this month! Doing good so far!
Happy Easter everybody!

I will post more about what we have actually been up to later. Who am I kidding? You all are just on here to see pictures of Caleb anyway. More to come...

A Month In Review...

2009-03-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have now been back at work for a month! We all survived the first month, and got into a pretty good routine. Caleb is doing great at cousin Kim's and Doug and I are both enjoying our time with C-man in the evenings (although it's not nearly enough!) and on the weekends. But of course as soon as you get into a good routine, something changes! Caleb has been congested for about a week and a half, and I have it now too-just in time for Spring Break! He isn't sleeping too well because the poor guy just can't breathe well, so it's been a rough few nights, but we are making it. If the weather would just make up it's Texas mind and get up to 90 and stay that way until November, we would be ok!

The first weekend in March we made an overnight trip to College Station for an Aggie Basketball game. It was Caleb's first, and he did awesome. Thanks to Uncle Jerry and Aunt Kay, we got to sit down close to the floor behind the Aggie bench. Caleb stood on my lap and watched the game with great intrigue. Every once in a while when we would score and the crowd went wild, he would get startled and jump-but no crying! He was a champ.

Here is a picture of the three of us during a timeout...unfortunately the skinny dance team girls are behind us and not the team, but just keep your focus on how cute we are please and not the 20 butts in the background!

Here he is in his cool Aggie outfit that he got from his Papa Jim. He was sporting it proud at the game! Lots of compliments and staring when he and Doug were walking through the stadium!

Hanging out in the morning with Uncle Blake. He was eyeing the coffee-I'm sure lots of drool was involved!

This is by far one of my favorite pictures. I walked into our room one Saturday morning after showering and eating breakfast and this is what I found. Doug wasn't happy that he had to be awakened with a flash, but they were sleeping so cute!

Our good friend Tommy and his fiance Kristy just had a little girl, Kinley, on March 2nd. Here are the proud papas and their kids! We're all grown up! She was the exact same weight and height as Caleb when he was born and he looked so giant next to her-he has grown so much in the past 4 months! I don't even remember him being that small!

GJ took this picture one Saturday when she came over to visit. We took her for some yummy pizza at Antonio's to celebrate her birthday. Such a happy dude!

Here he is at GJ's for our annual St. Patty's Day celebration and feast. His girlfriend Camryn is wondering why he would want to sleep through such a rockin' party!?! The following two nights would be the "rough nights" I referred to earlier where he didn't sleep much at all! So this picture is somewhat mocking for us...
"Dude-wake up and check out the shamrock on my headband...I'm wearing it for you and you don't even care! Typical..."

And what would an update be without some naked baby pics. He is loving being able to play with his feet all of a sudden. Here he is this morning-happy that it's St. Patrick's Day! Little did he know we were taking him to the doctor for his four month shots. He did awesome once again and measured in at 14.5 lbs and 24.5 inches. Doug told him he needed to start getting taller to catch up with the weight gain or he would be super chubs!

And here are some more giggles...I love it!

A Time for Prayer

2009-03-03T05:22:00.000-08:00

This morning I have to write with a heavy heart. Yesterday afternoon, our sweet friend Brad Wims lost his battle with cancer. While I was deeply saddened after hearing this news, I also felt an overwhelming sense of peace-more than I ever have when having to hear that someone died. I guess it was because for the past few years, Brad and Jenny have been an incredible inspiration to everyone around them because of their unwaivering faith in God. They have taught Doug and I to become better Christians just from hearing their daily struggles and stories. Not once did they complain or show anger towards God. Brad showed a true example of how to walk by faith, even when he couldn't see what God had in store for him. His body may have failed him, but his spirit was stronger than just about anyone I know. They fully relied on God to get them through whatever was put in front of them, and because of them I feel restored. Take this time to praise God for ALL of the blessings he has given to you. Don't take this life for granted-we are all guilty of it. I ask you to stop what you are doing after you read this and pray for the Wims family. Brad-as he has finally made it home to his Lord and Savior and to reunite with his brother. Jenny-so that her faith may remain strong and she can continue to rely on God to help her make it through this trying time. Zeke and Kaelyn-that they may remember what an amazing father God blessed them with during his short time here on earth. And for the rest of the Wims/Crotts/Hanna/Bosse families-that they may also find peace in the fact that their Brad is comfortable again and watching over all of us from heaven.

Gettin' Fresh with the ladies...

2009-02-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

Here is Caleb and his #1 chick Camryn on their date two weekends ago.

"Say girl...let me rub that dome. You are bald like me!"

We went to Kevin, Jess, and Camryn's house for dinner and C-man and CC decided that they would take their relationship to the next level and hold hands. We thought it was a little too quiet as we sat down to eat and they were on the play mat together in the living room. Here's what we found when we went to investigate...HILARIOUS!

Caleb also got to sneak in a great nap with his Uncle Jimmy that afternoon before the dinner date. Here they are snuggled up...

Pump up the volume!

2009-02-25T16:56:00.000-08:00

Hopefully this will brighten your morning and make you laugh! It works wonders when you are having a rough day!

Where Oh Where Has our baby boy gone?

2009-02-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

We cannot believe our little dude is already three months old! The time really does go by way too fast and he is getting so big! I am really bummed out that I am back at work because now our time is so limited together! A couple hours in the evenings isn't enough C-man time for me! But he is doing great at cousin Kim's during the day. He had a great first week over there-complete with a little diaper accident that involved a wardrobe change! We told Kim that we are giving him pep talks to get all of his dirty diapers out while he is at her house so we don't have to change them except on the weekends-so far it's working out great!

I don't have a whole lot of pictures this time-didn't take any this week since I was gone all day, but here are a few from the last couple of weeks!

Here he is on his 3 month birthday. GJ came over to hang out with Caleb while Doug and I went to Pappasito's for a date. It was a great dinner with just the two of us-although it's always good as three too! Working on some tummy time on his surfboard. Sportin' a sweet sweater vest and some cords for church.

And my favorite...I took a couple of pictures while he was asleep one morning to show everyone how he likes to chill-arms up behind his head. He just happened to smile in his sleep for this one!

I will post again soon...I promise not to wait so long next time!

Party Animal!!

2009-02-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

So once again time got away from me and now there is so much to share! We had a nice relaxing weekend at home 2 weeks ago and then had a weekend full of partying this past weekend. So I have a ton of pictures...I'll tell about them as I go because it's all very random!

Here is Caleb and Doug talking about their day. Doug likes to come home from work and ask Caleb what he did that day and he is always ready to share. Then they wind down at night watching a little SportsCenter and college basketball.
Here are some fun videos! Doug put Caleb's Mickey Mouse friend in the swing with him and they proceeded to have a serious staring contest. I think Caleb won since Mickey fell over eventually. And Caleb loves his play mat-here's some funny dialogue...he gets to where he's not sure if he's excited or angry, so he just switches back and forth between emotions.

This past Saturday, we went to cousin Mary Lynn and Ted's for Matthew's first birthday celebration. Here he is up to his elbows in some cake...he was loving every minute of it!
And here is the party animal himself...he cannot wait to get some of that cake action. Although he looks like he enjoys it already...look at that big boy!After the party, he came home and talked with GJ in the mirror. Sunday evening we went to a Super Bowl party with our friends from church.
Here is Caleb and his buddy Nathan. They are both big time fist eaters, so here is Nathan checking out Caleb's hand.
"Hey dude, does your fist taste as good as mine?" "I think I'll just go ahead and have a taste to see for myself! YUM!"And here are the Three Amigos, otherwise affectionately named by our friend Jamie M. as Taco, Nacho, and Burrito. Caleb, Ethan, and Nathan are becoming fast friends. Ethan is ready for summer so Caleb and Nathan can get some tan on their pasty bodies!
"Where's my shades? You guys are blinding me!"

And here are my two favorite pictures of the week-just hanging out at home. As I said before, Caleb is becoming a pro at eating the fists. Here he is getting SO MAD because he just can't quite eat the baseball rattle as well as his hands. DANGIT! Stupid baseball!
And here he is sporting some camo...and that awesome smile! He is so funny!

This week, I will be taking Caleb to cousin Kim's for a few hours a day to get used to being over there before I go back to work in two weeks. :( Wish me luck-I'm dreading it already!

A Fun Trip to Aggieland

2009-01-21T10:23:00.000-08:00

We had a great time this past weekend going back to College Station. Each time we go, we talk to Caleb about how it is "God's Country", how it is where Mommy and Daddy met, and how A&M is pretty much the only university we will pay for him to go in another 18 years! We went up on Friday and spent the day at the house with Shirley (Nena) while Doug and Bo visited customers for work. We met up with Blake and Kim for dinner at Koppe Bridge for a yummy burger!
Here is a picture of Charlie on the ride up there. Him and Caleb both slept great!
Caleb laughing at his Daddy!

Saturday morning we went to Reed Arena for the dedication presentation of the Cox-McFerrin Athletic Center. It is an amazing facility-we got a walking tour through it and listened to Uncle Jerry talk about what it took to get the place up and running. It is awesome to hear him speak at these events-so eloquent and so passionate about A&M!

One of the practice courts

The front entrance
Here we are all dressed up-we clean up pretty nice! Notice Caleb sleeping-he was not quite as impressed as we all were!The boys in their Aggie maroon!
Me and the C-man!
Sporting his Aggie gear! As much as he uses his hands when he talks, we may have a future yell leader on our hands.

I'm pretty sure he's saying "Gig 'Em" in this one.

Here is a clip of Uncle Blake's new workout video...coming soon on DVD!

And here is another pic of the two of us having a chat. He really is becoming a ham!

Uncle Jimmy came over to visit on Monday and Caleb thinks he's pretty funny! Here they are telling jokes to each other.

It was a great weekend and so far a great week. Had some help from GJ at night since Doug had to travel for work. Nena made a trip over too for some much needed snuggle time! We are so glad Doug is back home now and we are looking forward to a weekend of rest and relaxation!

Please continue to pray for our friend Brad and for Samuel Knight. They both have had some prayers answered recently-so God is hearing us!

Two Months Old!!!

2009-01-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

Time has flown by...we can't believe our little man is already two months old! He has been so wonderful and has filled our hearts with such joy! He continues on a daily basis to remind us how blessed we truly are. He is really taking on his own personality and keeps us laughing constantly.
He went to see the doctor for his two month checkup...weighing in at 12 lbs! He is 22.5 inches long too, so he is getting bigger by the day! He also had his first round of shots, which he really did well with. The nurse made Doug hold his arms down (which Doug was not happy about) and Caleb had a delayed reaction to the pain. After the first shot was over, he had the red faced, mouth wide open, no breathing look on his face. Then after the next 2, he let out some cries. Doug picked him up and he calmed down and went on to have a pretty good day after that. His poor little chubby legs are even more chubby now thanks to the swelling, but he did a great job. And much props to the nurse who gave him the shots because she went really fast!

Here is a picture my mom took of him talking to me...he has such a distinct face when he's talking. It's hilarious!

He crinkles up his nose when he really gets to laughing. Too funny!

Here is one of his many attempts to suck his thumb. He gets it in his mouth pretty good, but then he ends up just scratching his face and chewing on his thumb...so it's a work in progress.

We finally got a chance to go to lunch with Jess and Camryn. Caleb was very enthralled with his girlfriend as you can see in the picture below...they both pretty much slept all through lunch and then we went to see Janet at her office.

When we finally got them out of their car seats, they were pretty funny. Caleb is definitely bigger than Camryn, which is good. He likes his women dainty! Hee hee.

Here they are happy with their mommies!Then when we did a switcheroo, they both had a "WAAAH!" moment together and we busted out laughing. They were very entertaining.

"Say girl, can I hit you back?" Ha-we love that commercial! Here are the lovebirds chillin' on Janet's desk. They had a few moments of quality time together. Love at first sight!Ok-so I'll end on an even funnier story. Camryn gave Caleb this funny onesie for one of our showers. I put it on him the other day to go up to Doug's office to pick him up from work. He was looking sharp with some blue pants! So later that evening after we got home, I took him into his room to change his diaper and took some pictures of him since he was in a good mood and wearing an outfit from his girlfriend. Little did we know that he was happy because he was about to unleash an explosion of poo about 2.5 seconds after this picture was taken. It was so bad that we had to cut him out of his cute onesie b/c there was no way I could have pulled it over his head without getting the poo all over him. So there you have it-I've included a close up picture of what the outfit said (thank goodness) because unfortunately he won't be wearing that one again! Sorry Camryn!

Our friends Clint and Madalyn came over Friday night to meet Caleb and have dinner with us. We had a great time catching up with them. The day of their wedding last March was the day we found out we were pregnant! Poor Madalyn had to endure our crazy stories of our times together at A&M. I'm sure she has heard plenty though-Uncle Clint is crazy! But it was a lot of fun and we are so glad they got to meet Caleb. We will have to take a trip up to see them next time.

This week Nena and GJ will be coming by for visits! Caleb enjoys their snuggle time tremendously!

***Please continue to pray for our friend Brad Wims as he struggles with cancer. We are still praying for healing as we lift him and their family up to God daily. Also pray for the Knight family-I went to high school with Ben and Missy, and their son Samuel is suffering with a mitochondrial disease. He is in the hospital now and they are praying for healing as well for their young son. I have links to both of these families' blogs at the right of this page.***

"...by His wounds we are healed." --Isaiah 53:5

A great end to 2008!

2009-01-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while since I have had any time to post pics, but that just means you will have tons to see with this update. We had so many wonderful Christmas and New Year celebrations...I don't even know where to start. After the first round, we had a Saturday gathering with the Kervin/Higgins crew. There are now 8 great-grandchildren under the age of 7 (plus one on the way for Grace and Auburn) for Grandma and Bompa-so it was quite a party. We celebrated at Aunt Kathy's new house, which was perfect for our growing families. Here is a picture of Caleb sleeping through yet another party-holding a gift from his GJ...

On Monday, Aunt Smelly came into town and spent the whole day just hanging out at the house with us (it was so cold outside, so it was a nice day for lounging). She brought some fun presents and it was so great to catch up with her and for Caleb to finally meet her! Then Tuesday we went to GJ's to see her tree and new carpet, and took some pictures wearing our cute hat and bib from the Frosty's (third set of grandparents). We also got to meet Memaw Martin and Beth and Emily!

Then we went to the annual breakfast at Cracker Barrel Christmas Eve morning with Rocky, Nena, Blake, and Kim. We had more celebrations later that day with all of Nena's extended family-Allens, Garcias, Prothros-where we ate way too much again and had a fun gift exchange! We also received some shadow boxes from Ninnie with fond memories of Doug's Papa and Nana. Afterwards we went to Bo and Shirley's to exchange gifts with the fam. We came home with a carload of stuff for C-man. He is spoiled! (And we are blessed). Here is Caleb with Uncle Blake and Aunt Kim.

On Christmas morning we opened more gifts (Caleb was less than enthused about his-he yawned when we showed him his cool outfits and shoes) and made pigs in a blanket. GJ made breakfast pizza and some yummy bread. GJ, Papa Jim, Uncle Jimmy and Uncle Jason came over and we exchanged more gifts. The tree was full of fun stuff-95% of it was Caleb's of course, although he had no clue! It was all great stuff-his family loves him so! Charlie was very excited about his new toy!

Then it was on to the Cox family Christmas. This year was extra special because there were three-count them-THREE new babies added to the family just in the last few months. So Caleb got to meet cousins Mason and Clara. We ate (AGAIN) and opened more gifts. It was a great day. Here are the families with their new additions!

We met up with some friends in town from Kansas-Kennybo and Susan Lannou-on Friday for some Pappasito's. It was great to catch up with them-we wished they lived closer. Here's C-man with his Elmo pal from them!

Here's another fun gift from Aunt Donna-Doug cannot wait until the C-man can sit and watch college football with him on Saturdays!

Last, but not least, we went to College Station for a basketball game (Caleb stayed at the house with Nena-she insisted!) and then on to the ranch. It was our first trip away from home, Caleb's first trip to God's country (CS) and the ranch, and it went very well.

Doug telling Caleb about the day's hunt...

Three generations-Cox Camo!

After all of the parties, eating, gift opening, eating, traveling, and eating-we were ready to be home and get back to normal. Don't get me wrong-we had a blast! But it was nice to be home and sleep in for a change. Here's the C-man this morning after snuggling with us before Doug left for work.

We had a wonderful 2008. We were blessed with Caleb and we enjoyed our first Christmas with him. God had a plan for us and we couldn't be happier with this outcome. I have to remember to take a moment to count our blessings, one by one, and I encourage you to do the same. We are truly blessed by our family and friends and we want you to know that we thank God for all of you daily. Remember the following for this new year--"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12. If we do so, God will continue to bless us!

Prayers needed

2009-01-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in a while since all of the Christmas festivities and New Year have kept us very busy. And I will post plenty of pictures and news very soon. But right now I ask anyone who reads this blog to stop and say a prayer for some friends of ours. Brad Wims has been struggling with cancer for the last two years, and over the last two weeks it has tried to get the best of him. He is fighting, and we are all calling on God to heal him, make him stronger, help him to have some better days. Please join me in a steadfast prayer that God's will be done and that Brad and the Wims family stay strong in their love of the Lord as Brad struggles with this disease. They are truly an inspiration to us and have shown us that fully relying on God is the only way to go. Please click here to read their story. May God truly continue to bless us all in this new year.

Happy Days

2008-12-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Caleb is already 5 weeks old! He has done so great and been so healthy! He is getting so big and really starting to show some personality. Here are a few of his happy moments from the past week.

And I would be a really bad mom if I didn't post that today is our "oldest child's" birthday. Charlie is 8 years old today! He does so great with Caleb and has been a wonderful dog! Happy Birthday Charlie!

Round one of Christmas gatherings

2008-12-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is a week away and we have already been to two parties! We have a few more to go, which is good because I think Caleb has a Christmas outfit for every day of the week! Here he is at our "Thanksmas" celebration with my mom's side of the family. We get together for some wonderful food and fellowship every year halfway between Thanksgiving and Christmas since those actual days are so busy. We had a great time-and the C-man slept through the whole thing!

One of my outfits from Aunt Donna

Here I am with Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Jimmy and Jason and cousins Chris, Val and StacyThen on his one month birthday we went to Rocky and Nena's house for the company Christmas party. All of the work staff got to meet him for the first time, and he slept through pretty much the whole party once again. Which was great, because he wasn't upset, but then he was ready to party all night once we got home!

I'm one month old today! Check out my outfit-I look like one of Santa's elves!

Having a chat with Uncle Blake

The past month

2008-12-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

This past month has been so wonderful! Our little man Caleb was born on November 13th, weighing in at 7 lbs, 13 oz and measuring 20 inches long. Doug and I are so blessed to have him in our lives now and we are having a great time getting to know him and his crazy ways! We had so many sweet visitors at the hospital-family and friends that loved Caleb so much before he was even born! Especially his grandparents and uncles, who were so awesome to hang out at the hospital all day awaiting his arrival. Rocky, Nena, GJ, and Papa Jim are completely smitten. They have all tried at least once to sneak him out the door or go hide with him when it was time to leave during their visits. It is great to watch how natural they are with him-like it was just yesterday that they had us. God has truly blessed us with our son and we can't wait to share his life with everyone!

He has been to the pediatrician a few times already and has gained about a pound and a half since he was born. He already looks so different-although no one can really tell who he actually looks like! He just looks like Caleb. But he is healthy and most of the time happy, so we are thrilled!

I will post some pictures soon-probably in the form of a slideshow since he is already a month old. And I will update this blog as often as I can-we are gettting into a better routine, so I will be able to do so more regularly!

Belated Blogging...

2008-12-12T08:00:00.001-08:00

So this is my first attempt at blogging! I realize that I am posting for the first time the day before our little man turns one month old, but give me a break! I'm just figuring him out-the blog comes second! But hopefully you will enjoy the stories and pictures we share as much as we are enjoying Caleb in our lives! Thanks to cousin Sarah for her help in getting this thing started!