Listen, I'm alive... really.

4:15 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
Hello out there!!!!

 I am sorry for my bloggy absence. I read blogs EVERY.SINGLE. DAY. and every day, I vow that I am going to post a long updated post....but every day, it doesn't happen... so in cliff note version, and in no particular order, this is what has been going on...

LOTS.


The last time I posted, I got a new job, things were looking up, and we were going to start looking for our own house... well, as they say, life got in the way. Due to decentralization where I work, my job was in jeopardy  and one month later, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. SO needless to say, we stayed with my mom. HOWEVER, as always, GOD.IS.GOOD. I was able to stay in my job that I love , and in June, my mom finished her 6th round of Chemo and was deemed NED (No evidence of Disease.) Her cancer is tricky though, so in order to be in remission, she will have to remain 2 years NED.... but her first check up went well! :-)



Isaac is growing like a weed, and of course we have been enjoying the heck out of that kid. He is a bright spot in my life and on dark days, it took one smile from him, and my life was refocused... Isaac is healthy, and happy, and I am grateful. He played soccer this fall: his favorite part was handshakes and snacks... perhaps baseball will be better. :-)


Isaac, Jeff and I had a WHIRL WIND vacation this year! We went to Disney (again) for four days this summer

then immediately spent a week at Fort Myers Beach with Jeff's side of the family,

and then went right from that vacation to Lake of the Ozarks with my side of the fam.


It was alot of miles, but it was amazing. 

So now, we are back to the house hunt, back to the craziness, and feeling blessed every.single.day.

Hopefully we will talk again soon!

Take care bloggy friends!

I finally posted instead of just visiting my blog to read other blogs. :-)

4:03 PM Edit This 2 Comments »


So, it's been awhile.... again..... I visit this page everyday to get my list of blogs to read, and every day I think I am going to post a new post... alas, it never happens. BUT, I am going to try AGAIN to post at least once a week. In the mean time, here is what we have been up to....

1. My nephew, Logan William Cox, was born on March 11, 2011. I mean, he's almost four months old now... and we love him. Here are a few shots of the lad...
This picture of him and I is taken less than 10 minutes after he was born. It was amazing.

2. WE WENT TO DISNEY! We did end up driving, and it wasn't that bad! We split it up over two days each way, and we rented a car. It made it a little more fun to be in a car that wasn't ours. Isaac called it "his Mickey Car." We stayed on property in All Star Movies, and it was MAGICAL. I know a lot of people think that 2 1/2 is too young to go to Disney World, but I will say that in our case, it was WORTH .IT. He thought EVERYTHING was Magical. NOTHING was wasted on him. He loved the parades, the characters and the rides. It.Was.Amazing. AND for those of you naysayers that say he won't remember that he was even there, I will tell you that EVERY SINGLE TIME a Disney movie starts, and the castle comes on the screen, he will turn to who ever is in the room and say. "I go there."
We did go to all four parks, but there is just something special and magical about the Magic Kingdom. (Plus it was a BEAUTIFUL day while we were there and the pictures turned out great! ;-)

3. On a very very sad note, we lost our beloved Aunt Dede to Breast Cancer on the same day we were awarded the top raising team at the Relay for life event. My Aunt fought her cancer for 11 years... she never gave up her spunky attitude and her zest for life. She was amazing, and we all miss her terribly. This year, we, the team created in her honor, reached the mark of raising $100,000 through out our 8 year involvement. We know she would be so proud.

4. We went on vacation to Belgium!!!! Well, Belgium Wisconsin that is. The water was C.O.L.D. but it was the best beach we have ever been to and Isaac had a great time hanging out in his "sandbox." It was veeeerrryyy relaxing, and who doesn't like an excuse to have a beer while listening to the water lap up on the beach?



5. And last, but certainly not least, I took a new job! I will no longer be a teacher at an Alternative High School. I will now be the Transition Coordinator for the same cooperative that I have worked for since graduation. God is so good to me friends. I don't have to leave the work family that I love so much, but I am able to take the next step in my career. I feel so blessed, and I can't WAIT to start in August. With this new step, Jeff and I are starting our "serious" search for our home, and we can't wait to begin this new and exciting part of our lives!!!

So, buckle up friends, this is about to get interesting! :-)

(And with any luck, you will hear about it before December! :-D)

Disney Dilemma

11:05 PM Edit This 0 Comments »

Ok, so Jeff and I are going to be married for 10 years this summer....(Hooray for us!) :-)

Isaac is still two and is "free" at Disney... (HOORAY for crazy Disney rule!)

For the two above reasons, plus Isaac is OBSESSED with all things Disney, we decided that this would be a GREAT year for our first family trip to Disney....

Now here is our dilemma: We have a house rented for the end of June. My mother in law, father in law, and my mom are planning on joining us down there. The problem is: after researching flights and park tickets, plus rental cars, and food... this trip will end up costing a bit more than what we had planned on.. PLUS we are hoping that sometime in June we will be closing on a house and moving on out of here...

SO, we started looking at the end of March... (AKA my spring break) Turns out we could stay for five days and four nights for about 12o0 on property (great in my book)... BUT THE FLIGHTS ARE OUTRAGEOUS... adds about 1000 to our trip... so I thought, not a problem, we will drive...

Here come more dilemmas...

1. Jeff absolutely does NOT want to drive. I know that we have driven long distances in the past, but this one is 20 hours... that is a haul... PLUS both our cars have 100,000 miles + on them, and we don't really want to put the miles on them..
  • Possible solutions.. Divorce. ( i mean, kind of takes the celebration out of it so I guess it's off the table... ;-)) In all honesty, I think if I could prove we could save a considerable amount of money, Jeff would be ok with driving... AND I guess we could rent a car, but if we split driving into two days and stay the night some where, and rent a car....are we REALLY saving that much money by driving?
2. We can cancel the house and only be out 100 dollars, so that isn't the issue... BUT NO ONE ELSE has the same spring break as I do, so Isaac's grandparents wouldn't be able to go... it would be just the three of us... SO, not that that's a HORRID thing, but it does make me a bit sad.

3. Spring break would be cooler, so I think Isaac would do better... Isaac does NOT do hot well.... BUT does it eliminate water parks for us? Maybe....

4. If we go over spring break, we could stay on property... I mean, that would be amazing.... so that is definitely a plus....

AHAHAHAHAHAAHHHHHH!! I just do NOT know what to do! I NEED HELP! What do you think? Have you driven to Disney? Can it be done with a terrible two? Isaac does travel well, but I mean, this might be pushing it....Oh, and don't forget my SIL is due with Logan on March 14th... 2 weeks before we would like to go to Disney....

I DO wish I was there... HELP ME! :-)

So How has it been going?

8:56 PM Edit This 2 Comments »
So New Years Resolutions are supposed to have like a 80% fail rate by the third week in January... Let us see how mine are coming...
  1. Lose 40 pounds by our Disney Trip.: Well, I HAVE lost ten pounds so far... so I mean that is going pretty well I would say!
  2. Write on this blog WEEKLY. Three weeks in, three blog posts.... so far, SO GOOD!
  3. When I visit a Blog, COMMENT on said blog. I am doing BETTER at this. I have unfortunately been known to check a blog before work thinking I am going to write a comment later, just to never think of it again... but I am getting BETTER.
  4. Participate in the 365 project: 23 Days in, 23 Pictures... CHECK THEM OUT HERE!
  5. BUY A HOUSE. A work in progress....found a few we like... we are re talking to lenders now since our pre approval has lapsed, since too much time has gone by....
  6. Run a Race. I am training with the couch to 5k program, and I am going to start week three tomorrow!! WOOT!
  7. Learn to say NO. Not so good... working on it...............
How are your resolutions coming a long?!

Getting a Baby Fix with out losing sleep...

9:15 AM Edit This 1 Comment »

There is nothing better than getting your baby fix and handing the baby back over to the mom... I mean, getting your baby fix and your sleep... it's a beautiful thing... This week, we were all busy getting ready for a baby shower for Kati, Aaron and of course my new NEPHEW Logan...


The invites were made via Shutterfly... I mean, I love that site...
Then, there was LOTS of food to prepare...
The cake was made by good ole Auntie Jewel, but Jessica (Bryan's girlfriend) came through and made these GLORIOUS Trifle desserts... (I am not sure if that is what is called, but it is a party in your mouth...) each one had a little charm and ribbon at the bottom. SO thoughtful and cute!!

Here is the "core four" of us before the party got started....

Of course, there were fun decorations... (the diaper cake I made myself!)


Good company, games, and of course presents....


But, in the end, it was really celebrating two people we love so much, become a family of three...
It is such an exciting time and I can not WAIT to meet this little bundle of joy! Tune in next week friends when we see how those pesky new years resolutions are doing!

The great idea...

7:27 AM Edit This 3 Comments »
So most of you know, that on Veterans Day, I got the grand idea to start a project. Those of you who know and love me, know that starting projects is not that unusual for me... but what IS unusual is finishing it... ON TIME...

So what is this top secret project I was working on? Well my dear bloggy readers, it was this...
What in Sam Hell is that, you ask? Well, it is a blanket for my FIRST nephew... this little guy...
Log@n Willi@m Cox will be making his debut in March, and I knew as soon as we found out that he was coming this July, that I wanted to MAKE something for him from just ME.
My sister in law, Kati, and I have always been extremely close. (I mean like whoah.) We majored in the same subject, talked daily (I mean she did live two doors away), and worked in the same cooperative. The boys (Jeff and Aaron) worked together and Aaron and I had worked together for a year as well. In 2007, we went on vacation just the four of us to Tybee Island Georgia. We had all talked about how this would be our last "child free" vacation... as we had all decided to start trying to start our families.
In January 2008, I found out that I was pregnant with Isaac...In February 2008, Kati and Aaron found out that,because of medical issues, it would be very difficult for them to conceive a child. It was devestating news to me, so I can only IMAGINE what it must have felt like for them. The following months were difficult; Kati and Aaron were trying to figure out what to do, and Jeff and I were trying to prepare for Isaac. The ONE thing on my mind that I wanted to talk about was the ONE topic that brought heart ache to those I love so much. Jeff and I moved in with my mom, and Kati and Aaron stayed in Diamond (where we all lived)... and things between Kati and I were strained. I KNOW she was happy for me, and I KNOW that she loved me, but we didn't SHARE this, and it was REALLY hard on both of us....
The next years were full of treatments for Kati. They tried a variety of fertility treatments, and after two years of treatments, the second IVF was what finally produced our beautiful nephew. Now we feel is our time to CELEBRATE and SHARE and I could not be more excited!! We are finally getting our groove back, and it feels.so.good.

With every stitch of this blanket, I prayed for a healthy son for Kati and Aaron. That Logan would bring them much joy and remind them that God DOES have a plan... but sometimes, we have to wait to see what that is....
By the expression on their faces...
and the placement in the nursery...

I'd say my mission was accomplished. :-)
I can't wait to meet you Logan. Your Auntie Kate already loves you SO MUCH!

Resoultions for 2011

12:43 PM Edit This 5 Comments »
I mean the post is pretty well self explanatory. I am infamous for setting these pesky things and not following through, but I am hoping that by writing them down, I will actually accomplish them... so here it goes... in random order.

  1. Lose 40 pounds by our Disney Trip.We are going in June, and I expect to lose much more than that, BUT at the bare minimum, I want to lose 40 pounds.
  2. Write on this blog WEEKLY. I would love to write on here more often, but running after Isaac and working full time doesn't really lend itself to blogging everyday. I think that I can get at least ONE post out a week
  3. When I visit a Blog, COMMENT on said blog. I for one HATE coming to my blog and seeing no love. I can tell by my wee handie people counter that I have had plenty of visitors to said blog, but when no one comments, it is hard to say who is really here. Unfortunately, I am just as bad. I often stop by with out saying hello, so when I visit a blog, I WILL COMMENT.
  4. Participate in the 365 project. Jeff and I will be married 10 years this year.. ( I KNOW it's crazy!!) and I thought it would be fun to do this. Basically you take a picture everyday and post it. (When I get into it, I will post a link) I think it will be neato to see what our tenth year of marriage looked like in 10 years!
  5. BUY A HOUSE. We are actually looking into this now. There are a few options out there that we are considering, so we need to see what works out for us. The ultimate goal is to be in our own house by Isaacs birthday and to have his party there!
  6. Run a Race. I mean for those of you who know me in real life, you realize that this is a hilarious goal because 1. I am in NO shape to be running and 2. I think the only time you should be running is when you are running AWAY from something harmful, or TO something awesome. A few of my friends ran the Hot Chocolate 5k in Chicago this year, and I think that I can get in shape enough to run that race... I mean, running toward chocolate? I'm in.
  7. Learn to say NO. I can not do it all. I want to... I mean I REALLY want to... but I just can't. I find myself saying yes to things when in my head I am thinking, "this is never going to happen! I don't have time for this!" Then, I end up either falling through (which no one likes), doing it half assed, (Which I can't STAND), or doing it full blown while 10 other projects go to the wayside... I just need to learn that sometimes, it's ok to say no... and those who matter won't mind, and those who mind, don't matter. (thank you Dr. Seuss)

I think that about does it. Every month, I will do a quick recap of where I am at, and see if writing it down for the world to see makes a heap of difference! I guess time will tell! I hope you all have a wonderful New Year! See you in a week!! :-)

2010... see ya!

10:57 PM Edit This 0 Comments »
Hey ya friends! Tis the season to recap our year, and discuss what my "resolutions" are for next year...

WELL.. I mean, lucky for you my year was SUPER BORING. I mean, of COURSE we did amazing things with Isaac... his year was AWESOME.

January:

Headed to IOWA to watch his FAVORITE real life GLEE show Choir, MANTENO MAGIC. My sister Kassy is the director there, and let me tell you, if you are wanting to see some high school kids doing amazing things, go to a Show Choir competition... I mean, it really is amazing.February:
Isaac turned 18 months old. I mean, HOW DID HE GET SO OLD? This was the first time we went to Cathy Whalen for our pictures, and let me tell you, we will NEVER go anywhere else.

Also, my sister turned twenty something... and my sister in law celebrated the big 30!!


March:
I had a birthday, but the best part of this month was the FREAKISHLY warm weather! It was so nice, we were able to go outside quite a bit which is a GODSEND for a toddler who just wants to run around!
April:
The nice weather continued and we were able to head out to the zoo and outside some more! OH and don't forget... WHITE SOX SEASON started!
May:
My brother turned the big 30 so we headed out to Nebraska to help him celebrate in style!
While we were there, we also headed out to a nearby waterpark which Isaac LOVED. This kid is a FISH!

June:
Was my mom's 60th birthday and we celebrated with a bash in her honor. Isaac had his first set of swim lessons, and just like we thought, he LOVED them! We also had our family vacation in the Ozarks. It was a lot of fun!

July
In July, we went and visited our family in Ohio and Isaac rode his VERY FIRST Jet Ski. Just for the record, Isaac and I had our first ride on a jet ski on the very same day. When we got back, we also had fun hanging out with various family members at the water.... but the most EXCITING news was that Isaac was going to have a cousin... Kati and Aaron were PREGNANT!

August:
Isaac celebrated his second birthday FOUR TIMES in August. Because of family circumstances, we were just a celebrating machine! Now Isaac thinks EVERYONE gets an Nelmo cake for their birthday... even Jesus on Christmas...

September:
Over Labor Day weekend, Isaac saw his first movie in the movie theater.. Toy Story 3! He did AMAZING. He loved seeing "HIS Woody and Buzz" on the screen! Chris and Jackie were married on 9.18.10. It was a really nice wedding and we had a ball! We also made our annual trip to Dollingers Farm and got our pumpkins!
WOW this post is getting SO LONG... so I will leave you with the last few months in pictures only... I think you can fill in the blanks!
The resoultions will have to wait until next post... and don't worry... the surprise gift that I FINALLY got done for Christmas will soon be revealed as well! I wish all of you a peaceful new year full of the laughter and love!
Older Posts