End of Season Team Party

Saturday was Stetson's last football game of the season, and he went out with a BANG! In the first few minutes of the game, the second play to be exact, Stetson was given the ball and, escaping the grasp of the Vikings teammates, ran a touchdown from the fifty yard line. It was so awesome--what a way to start the game! I could've ran right down the center of the field with him had I not stopped to think about what the referee's would say to it. I wish I would've thought to take the camera (which we are using for the time being since we haven't had any calls to claim it), he had the biggest grin and you could just see the pride he felt! I absolutely loved it, and was just as proud.

Seriously, putting all prejudice aside, Stetson was one of the strongest players on the team; even after starting two or three weeks into the season. I was always hearing comments from the coach's wife and the team mom that they just need to give Stetson the ball. He was the best runner, punter and hardest tackler. What can I say...he's just AWESOME!!



Above is a picture of Stetson with his coaches after receiving his trophy and treats. We had the Legacy Center swimming pool reserved for our team party and the kids had a blast. Following is a picture of Stetson with his friends Blake and Payton, just being goofy.



Sadie was pretty happy too, thinking we were there to celebrate her birthday. Here she is with her best friends Brooklyn and Asia.



Matt and McCrae lazing in the kiddie pool.



Sydney, just chillin'!

Hello All

I'm still alive, and I can't believe how disgraceful my blog is, without a new post for almost two weeks. I am very ashamed of myself! We've been a little bit busy but I've also been kinda lazy at times...so, I apologize.
Thinking back on some of the happenings around the Cox household takes me back to the night just before McCrae's B-day which I never took time to post about. I was lucky enough to go on another little GNO with some of the girl's in my ward. We went to JCW's (out by Thanksgiving Point) for burgers and shakes, and met two of the girls that have recently moved out of our ward there. The plan was to hang out for a bit and then go to Bonnie's house and watch 'Made of Honor', but Liz kept us all so entertained that we never did make it to Bonnie's house. We sat in the corner of JCW's talking and laughing until they kicked us out. While we were there we were lucky enough to see two Utah Celebrities...Rick Aaron(?) Fox 13 Sports man, and Ryan Shupe without his Rubber Band!
The majority of the next week was spent cleaning house (cleaning carpets, scrubbing bathrooms, washing sheets and towels, and everything in between) and getting ready for our dear friends from Bear Lake to come visit. They arrived Thursday night and the kids were so excited they were bouncing off the walls 'til about midnight. Friday morning Tara had to go to a Yoga Training Certification Class at American Fork Rec. Center, so I had the kids at home with me. Yes, I let my kids sluff school on Friday...what else are you gonna do when you have good friends staying with you that you only get to see on such occassions. Our plan was to go to Jump On It while Tara was at her class but they didn't open 'til 2:00, so we just hung out here at the house for the morning and then went to Boondocks in the afternoon. We didn't have much time though so we just let the little kids play in the Kiddie Cove and Sydney and Jaycee had fun playing the arcade games. That night we got the kids put to bed much earlier and Tara & I went shopping. Hooray for case lot sales!!!
Saturday morning we all went off to Stetson's football game, and Tara's mom come and picked them up about half way through. We had a great time together, I just wish we could've done more or have them stay longer!
Then Saturday evening while I went to the R.S. General Broadcast, Matt took the kids up A.F. Canyon and hiked half way up to Timpenogos Cave. Just after coming down from their hike they found a camera laying on the side of the road, so if we can't somehow track down the owner, I may be the proud new owner of a Nikon CoolPix camera! Which is definitely better than what I've got right now.
So, that's about it, nothing much for this week aside from homework, housework and laundry. I hope you all are having much more excitement in your lives right now, because I could really use some good reading material!! HaHaHa :)

Happy Birthday McCrae!!

I can hardly believe my baby is 3 years old. What a wonderful gift my Heavenly Father has blessed me with when he sent McCrae to be part of our family. He is so much fun to have around and brings amazing joy to all who know and love him.
Here are the top ten reasons why we LOVE McCrae so much:

1. His beautiful blonde curls.
2. His infectious laugh.
3. His mischevious little grin.
4. His big snuggly bear hugs.
5. His sweet and sincere manners.
6. His love for life.
7. His stromg will.
8. He is soooo smart.
9. He is so loving and kind.
10. Potty training was a breeze!

We are so lucky to have you in our family and love you more than words can say!
Happy Happy Birthday, My Big Boy McCrae!:)

Tagged Again....

**My AWESOME Husband**




1. Where did you first meet? At Fantastic Sam's; I was working with is mom.

2. How long did you date before you got married? 8 long Months

3. How long have you been married? 13 years in December

4. What does he do that surprises you? I feel like I know him pretty well, there's not much that surprises me anymore. Actually, it surprises me that he always tries to kiss me after he's been working his guts out and has sweat dripping off his face. I'll kiss him (of course!) but I really pucker my lips up to get them out as far as they'll go:)

5. What is your favorite feature of his? His height, his strength, his big, strong hands, okay--Everything!!

6. What is your favorite quality of his? Dedication; he's dedicated to his family first, his schooling, church callings, serving others, anything he puts his mind to.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Shani-ba-nani or SweetiePie

8. What is his favorite color? Red (same as mine)

9. What is his favorite food? Steak

10. What is his favorite sport? He doesn't really watch any sports (lucky me!), but he likes to play all sports, especially Softball and Golf (if only we could afford it).

11. When and where was your first kiss? In the parking lot of Litza's Pizza after a Chris LeDoux concert. It was our third date and the whole reason behind us getting together.

12. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Just being together, I even enjoy going to the grocery store when it's with him. With four kids in the home we don't get out much but we do rent alot of Redbox movies and watch them on the laptop laying in bed together.

13. Do you have any children? Like my friend Tara put it, we have four perfect kids. 2 girls, 2 boys and we are done; no reason to mess with perfection!

14. Does he have a hidden talent? He writes beautiful poetry. I asked the kids what his hidden talent was and their answers were juggling and Rubiks Cube. As you can see I have a very talented husband the list could just go on and on!

15. How old is he? 35, 2 1/2 months younger than me.

16. Who said "I love you" first? I'm not sure how far into our courtship it was but I am pretty sure he said it first. Which is kinda funny because I knew very early that he was "the one", he on the other hand needed a little convincing. I guess he knew he loved me, he just wasn't sure he wanted me!

17. What is his favorite type of music? He likes ALL music, but his favorite would definitely be Religious...he loves Soft Sunday Sounds on FM100.

18. What do you admire most about him? Wow, that's a tough one because I do admire everything about him. He is such a sensitive and loving husband, he's a wonderful father, and he's a hard worker. But I would probably have to say that I most admire his strong testimony and his faith in Christ, he is such a great example to me and his children.

19. Do you think he will read this? Most definitely, he checks my blog daily!

20. I tag: Claudia, Danelle, Megan, and Bev.

Random Things Tag

4 random things I like about my husband...
~Of course I love everything about my Husband, here are just 4 of those things...
1. I love his big strong arms that wrap around me and hold me so close.
2. I love the way he can strike up a conversation with just anybody (whether he knows them or not).
3. I love his never-ending amount of knowledge, his brain is literally like a steel trap.
4. I love that he will dream with me, even if it is a little far-fetched.

4 movies I could watch more than once...
1. Pretty Woman
2. Miracle on 34th Street
3. Cars and any other Disney/Pixar Movie
4. I love watching movies, especially sappy love stories and comedies.

4 TV shows I watch...
~Since we don't have cable or dish I don't watch anything, but if I could I would probably watch...
1. Friend's
2. HGTV (anything)
3. Good Things Utah
4. Reality TV Shows

4 places I've been...
~I'm pretty lucky I guess, since I have visited the majority of the Western US quite a bit (I've only missed WA, OR, and MT)
1. Disneyland (3 times)
2. Jackson Hole
3. Branson, MO
4. Vegas Baby!!

4 people that e-mail me regularly...
1. Classmates.com
2. Old Navy
3. Kneeshorts
4. SPAM

4 favorite foods...
1. Cheese Enchiladas
2. Fettucini Alfredo
3. Porcupine Meatballs
4. Pork Roast w/ Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

4 places I would like to visit...
1. Nauvoo
2. Europe
3. Alaska
4. Hawaii

4 things I am looking forward to next year...
~I don't even know what's going to happen for us next week, so a year is quite a stretch for me
1. Matt starting his Master's Program at BYU
2. Sadie starting Kindergarten
3. McCrae starting Preschool
4. I really don't know, I have to just focus on one day at a time!

4 people I tag...
1. Kim
2. Denette
3. Jonie
4. Tara

Stand a little Taller

Like the title from Pres. Hinckley's book of uplifting quotes, Sadie has a new toy to help her 'Stand a little Taller'. Grandpa just got Sadie's very own pair of stilts made in just her size. He had also made a pair for Sydney and Stetson awhile back and I am still amazed at how well Sydney has mastered them, now she can help Sadie learn the trick of 'Walking Tall'.

And the MVP is.....

Stetson was named 'Player of the Week' for his team this week. His game last Saturday was so exciting and intense, we loved every minute of it. The score was tied with each team having scored one touchdown, we were down to the final seconds of the game and our boys were right at the goal line ready to make the winning touchdown with only 4 seconds on the clock. All the parents and spectators were standing down at the End Zone cheering the Spartans onto Victory, and they did it!! It was our teams first win of the season and they sooo deserved it.
Stetson has been playing on both Offense and Defense as the Center and as a Linebacker. He likes playing defense best because he can tackle, and boy does he! Just ask anyone who has ever witnessed him in action. He'll be on the complete opposite side of the field from the opponent carrying the ball, and after they have gotten past the rest of his teamates Stetson will kick it into high gear and take the poor kid down!! I'm really not one bit biased in my opinion of my boy, just ask anyone who has seen him play....He's AWESOME!!

Sydney "The Brain" Cox

The quality of the picture may not be that great because I had Matt's mom take it with her camera for me and then e-mail it to me for blogging purposes; then I had to rotate it so it was right side up. But, as you can see, Sydney got new glasses. She had them once before (about three years ago) but they got lost and then broken and we just never did replace them. She has been so excited about getting them again and couldn't hardly stand the wait. We think she looks adorable in them and also very smart! Thanks to Grammy and Papa for the push and the help in getting her focused again, we love and appreciate all you do for us. Happy Reading, Syd!!

Playing Catch Up!

The following pictures are from the week we spent playing with cousins and friends at Nana's house at the end of July. Some of my brothers friends are avid rock climbers and were so sweet to let us tag along one night. We went up Spring Canyon for a little picninc and FHE; it was alot of fun and we enjoyed the time we spent with Cody and Heather's friends. Through the summer they would go every Monday night with their big group and each family would take a turn doing the FHE lesson, well this particular night I think it was supposed to be our responsibility to do the lesson but we came unprepared, so one of Heather's friends just had us all do a quick little cheer to introduce ourselves. You had to chant "We are the Coxes...the Mighty, Mighty Coxes" and then throw in something with the same beginning letter as your last name so ours was "We've got Courage...Mighty, Mighty Courage". It was so much fun, thanks to Cody and Heather and the Andreason's for allowing us to tag along!

Moving right along!

McCrae has made another big step recently, it's a little bit sad to see my little guy growing up so fast. Our neighbor handed down her son's old bike to us, thinking it would probably still be a little bit big. But as soon as Matt put Sadie's old training wheels on it for him he was gone like the wind. He looks so big riding around, I can't believe my 'baby' is becoming such an independent Little Man!