It's Lovely Weather!!

This year Ben tied the sled to the 4-wheeler. He pulls the kids around the snow packed streets. He has only gotten stopped by the sheriff department once. It is so fun. The kids have a blast. I have even taken a turn. We are lucky to live where we get lots of snow. In fact we seem to always have a "White Christmas"

6 weeks later

It's been 6 weeks today that Caleb came into this world. I have been trying a method "Baby Wise" to get Caleb to sleep better, but I can't him to sleep longer then a 3 hour stretch at night. The last two nights have been the worst. He will wake up after only 2 hours of being asleep and stay awake for up to an hour. I hope that the next month he will imporve. On the good side I have read A LOT while just sitting up with him.

Cox Christmas Party

While everyone was up here for Caleb blessing Ben's family had a Christmas party. It was a lot of fun. Kaelynn and Tyler loved decorating the cookies.

Caleb's Blessing

Caleb was blessed this past Sunday. We had a ton of family here, it was great to see them. We are thankful for all the family that traveled to support us. We love you all!!

Christmas Kids

A couple nights ago Kaelynn decided everyone should wear their Christmas PJ's. The kids looked so cute!!

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we went to Cedar City. We had a lot of fun eating and watching TV.


We spent one day in Springdale visiting my grandparents. Kaelynn loved this cow. Tyler was little bit nervous around it, but still thought it was cool.


Jeff was in charge of starting the fire. Notice the flame torch in his pocket and the can of gasoline on the table.


Our last night there we built a fire in the backyard. The kids had a great time

Hair

This is me (Laura) right after I was born. Notice all the beautiful hair!!


Here is me holding Caleb.

I have had many comments on Caleb's hair. He does have a good amount and it's black. Many people might wonder where this dark hair came from. It comes from ME, his mother. What some people also don't realize is Kaelynn and Tyler had dark hair too when they were born. However there is no need to fear, it will soon fall out and most likely be blond.

5 year old Girl

Happy Birthday!! Kaelynn turned 5 on Nov 16th. Kaelynn got this Tinkerbell movie from grandma and grandpa. She also got a Tinkerbell house from us. On Saturday we took her to Pizza Factory and to the movie High School Musical 3. We went with Amanda and her family. She had a fun day.

2 weeks

Kaelynn has been such a good help. She loves to hold Caleb.


Here is Caleb with my grandma Edwards. She made Caleb this cute blanket. I think my grandma has made over a million blankets in her life time.


Kaelynn is learning how to take pictures. She took this picture of Caleb and me. I can't believe Caleb is 2 weeks old. We had his two week check up and things are looking great. He is now up to 8lbs. Now if we could only get him to sleep through the night!!

Welcome Home Kaelynn and Tyler

After spending a week at Grandma and Grandpa's house Kaelynn and Tyler are home. They are so crazy and wild. Right now the easiest child is Caleb. I think it's the excitment of a new baby and of course coming down from the "grandma and grandpa high".

A Birth, A Birthday and a Scary Night

These past 3 days I have felt what seems like every emotion there is to feel. On October 30 Caleb Benjamin Cox was born at the American Fork, UT hospital at 12:48pm. He came only 3 1/2 hours after we got there. He weighed 7lbs 9oz (my smallest baby) and is 19in long. He has lots of black hair which I'm sure will fall out and come in blond. (See slide show for pictures)

On October 31 Kaelynn and Tyler went with Grandma and Grandpa Excell to Cedar City (after seeing Caleb)and had a wonderful Halloween with them. Grandpa drove them to "trunk-or-treat" on his tractor and dressed up like a farmer. After they got what Kaelynn said "100 pieces of candy" they went to Tana's Halloween party, which I heard was the best Halloween party ever. When I saw the kids today on the web cam they were both eating candy.

And today is Tyler's birthday. He is 3 years old and such a fun boy. We gave him a helicopter and he is having a party at grandma's house and we are watching on web cam.

Caleb Benjamin Cox

Scarecrow Festival

The Scarecrow Festival was a lot of fun for the kids this year. It was pretty busy at the Festival, but we still got to do everything we wanted to do. The kids loved the bounce houses the best. Kaelynn loved the haunted house and went through it two times. Tyler loved the pumpkin patch.

First Snow

Sunday morning was the first snow. It didn't last long. By the time we got out of church at 2:00 it was melted. I can't believe we got snow so early this year. I don't think our garden is going to make it, even though we did cover it. Today there wasn't any snow, but it is still very COLD! Later this week it's supposed to warm up.

Farm Country

Today we went to Thanksgiving Point Farm. The kids loved the horse ride.

Tyler's Surgery

Isn't his Hospital gown so cute!


Just waking up.


Tyler had surgery yesterday (Oct 1st). It wasn't a very intrusive surgery, but it was in a very sensitive area! He did SO GOOD. His surgery was at 1:00pm, but he couldn't have anything to eat and he could only drink until 10am. He was happy as soon as we gave him "burping juice" (Sprite). He was a little sad when he woke up from the anesthesia, but within an hour after he woke up we were able to take him home. Primary Children's Hospital was excellent. All the staff (especially the Dr. and the Anesthesiologist) were wonderful. Today Tyler has been acting 100% back to normal. He is jumping, playing, and riding his bike. We are so happy everything went so well. I am also so grateful for my wonderful friends, Michelle and Julia who took Kaelynn all day so Ben and I could be with Tyler.

Salsa

This weekend I bottled some salsa. I think it's one of the best I have done. Most of the time my salsa is runny, but I added two cans of tomato paste and I think that helped. Here is the recipe (I just kind of threw the stuff in the pot so measurements are NOT exact).
1/2 5 gallon bucket of tomatoes (that's how we measure tomatoes in my family)
2 1/2 onions
1 bell pepper
3 jalapeno peppers
4-6 Anaheim peppers (from my garden)
1 bunch cilantro
3/4 -1 cup white vinegar
3T Salt
1 dash liquid smoke
2 cans tomato paste
-Directions
1. Blanch tomatoes; cut off ends; remove skins; cut in half and squeeze out the seeds
2. Blend everything in blender (It was about 4 or 5 blenders full of stuff)
3. Boil in pot for 1-2 hours
4. Process in water for 15 min.
** You can adjust this recipe however you like. Some people like garlic or more peppers. This is a very mild salsa.
**This recipe made 7 pint jars.

Getting Ready

Okay, as most of you know our baby is due to come on Oct. 30th. We are really excited, but haven't done much to get ready. This weekend my mom came up here and got me motivated. We pulled out all the baby clothes and bedding and washed them. Then my mom made Ben set up the crib and I made a list of everything I needed. Even though it's still 6 weeks away I feel more prepared. Thanks mom for the extra push.

May the Force be with you

Tyler wants to be Luke Skywalker for Halloween this year. I have never made a costume before, but I thought I would give it a try. Today I made him this Jedi Robe. It didn't take very long to make and it turned out OK (as long as you don't look too close). I still have to make the tunic for the inside, but I have a month to get that far. In the mean time, May the Force be with you.

Rotten Noodles

Today for lunch Kaelynn went downstairs into the cold storage and brought up 4 packages of Top Ramen and said "Look what I found. Can I have rotten noodles for lunch?" I had to hold back a smile.

Happy Birthday

Yesterday was Ben's birthday (9/2). He turned 30 and it didn't seem to bother him one bit. We had a fun day. The kids are still in Cedar City, so we had a fun time. Ben took me out to the driving range(not golf, but vehicle), where I got car sick after one "J turn" (If you don't know what that is you are lucky). Then we went to see "Dark Knight". It was an OK movie, both Ben and I liked "Batman Begins" a lot better. Then we went to Costco, picked up a few things and ate dinner there and went home. I laughed at Ben because he wanted his birthday dinner at Costco, but we went out the night before so I guess that's okay. Here are a few things I love about Ben:
1. He is so understanding and lets me get away with some of my craziness
2. The best Dad to Kaelynn and Tyler
3. The way he talks to the kids (e.g. Kaelynn says "I wish we had Thunder Whales [like they do on Care Bears]" Ben says "Well, we don't because that's not realistic")
4. He is a hard worker and makes it possible for me to stay home with the kids.
5. The way he wears his socks with his shorts
6. How outgoing and friendly he is.
7. He takes care of the house and yard, without his help this house would be a disaster.
8. His favorite food: chocolate, steak and rolls (in that order)
9. His body language when he talks (and yes, he can use his whole body)
10. At last, but certainly not least, he is my very best friend and we always have such a great time together.

No Kids

What would you do if you had 2 days without kids? Well, that's where I'm at right now. My Parents were kind enough to take the kids to their house for 2 days. We dropped them off last night. So far it's 10am and I'm not even dressed yet. I read some and then planned the family budget for the month (doesn't that sound like a ton of fun?). Kaelynn and Tyler were so excited to go. They have all sorts of fun things planned, like going to the parade, looking at the stars, going fishing, and going to the mountain. I don't know if they will get it all in, but I know they are going to have a fun time. I already miss them! Good luck Mom and Dad!!

To the Mountain

We went up American Fork Canyon last night. The kids had fun playing in the water (it was so cold, I couldn't believe they could stand it). Then we toasted some marshmallows and made s'mores. It was a fun evening.

My first Crop

I finally got some tomatoes in my garden. I hope I can get enough to bottle some this year.

Wedding Reception

At the wedding reception Kaelynn had the time of her life, and Tyler had fun too. They both had fun running around on the lawn and making new friends. Perhaps what everyone will talk about the most is the honeymoon car. My brother, Bryan, rigged the car to have exploding soda bottles go off all over the car when they drove away. It was a fun night.

Busy week of wedding and family

This past week was really busy for us. My younger brother, Jeff, got married on Aug 8th. We had a lot of different wedding activities. It felt like we were living in our church clothes. Here is our family at Jeff and Sarah's pre-wedding open house.

Kids Q&A

I got this tag from a friend. Kaelynn's answers are first then Tyler's. ENJOY!

What is something mom always says to you? K:"Clean your room" T:"computer"
What makes mommy happy? K:"When you obey" T:"Make my bed"
What makes mommy sad? K:"When you disobey" T:"Dinner and poo poo"
How does mommy make you laugh? K:"When she says funny jokes" T:"Tomatoes"
What was mommy like as a kid? K:"She liked vegetables" T:"Clock"
How old is mom? K:"27" (She was Right) T:"5"
How tall is mom? K:"26" T:"tall"
Whats moms favorite thing to do? K:"Make Dinner" T:"computer"
What does mom do when you're not home? K:"Go to meetings and take a nap" T:"Dinner"
If mommy was famous, what would she be famous for? K:"Being nice to others" T:"Dinner"
What is mommy really good at? K:"Making dinner" T:"lunch"
What does mommy do for her job? K:"Clean up" T:"computer"
What is Mommy's favorite food? K:"Tomatoes" T:"mac and cheese"
What makes you proud of your mom? K:"Going to Disneyland with my mom" T:"I love too"
If mommy was a cartoon character, who would she be? K:"A little girl" T:"Blue one"
What do you and mommy like to do together? K:"plant flowers" T:"apple sauce"
How are you and mom the same? K:"We both have golden hair" T:"Dinner"
How are you and mommy different? K:"We are not wearing the same clothes" T:"Dinner"
How do you know mommy loves you? K:"My spirit tells me" T:"blow a kiss"

8 Years of Marriage

Today is our 8 year anniversary! The picture on the bottom is our engagement picture and the picture on the top is of our family now. We were married in the St. George Temple on July 22, 2000. I remember it seemed like the hottest day of the year. Here are a few things we have done in the past 8 years.

-Went to SUU and graduated. Laura with her B.S. in Family and Consumer Science and Ben with his B.S. in Criminal Justice.

-Have 2 wonderful children, Kaelynn age 4 and Tyler age 2. (One baby boy on the way in Nov)

-Ben started a new job with UHP

-Laura started a new job as zoo keeper or as some may call it "homemaker"

-Moved to Eagle Mountain, UT. First time away from home.

-Bought a house

-Got a cat, mini van, dirt bike, and a Costco card

-Went to Disneyland

-Finished one basement!!!

I Love Ben so much. He is a great husband and Father. We have had such great times and I hope we have plenty more good time ahead.

Kaelynn makes her own bed

Kaelynn and Tyler make their own bed in the morning. This morning Kaelynn decided to put her ballet shoes on her pillow for some reason. I don't think science will ever know what goes through a 4 year old mind. I know that I never will.