River Hike

Getting close to the river after walking along the "forbidden" road.

Go daddy! Samuel walked by himself to the river, but wasn't about to walk back. I grabbed the camera from Chuck to get a picture of him pushing the kids on this rocky dirt trail with the baby strapped on in the 100+ heat. He then said let me take a picture of you doing nothing! Which was true I had this one easy!

Poor Isaac just has to sit in his car seat while the other kids have fun splashing in the river.



Playing in the cool water!

My little dirt balls! The kids love digging in the dirt outside. The only problem is the red dirt just gets everywhere and stains everything! I can't wait until the grass is done!




Bella and Samuel both love to play in the closet. Bella gets behind Chuck's shirts and hides. They really love to pull all of daddy's shirts off the hangers and throw them on the ground.

Isaac with his big smile. He just has the best smile. Samuel loves to talk to him and try to get him to smile.

Our Week In Review - June 29, 2008

The highlite of the week was actually going on a date with Chuck on Thrusday night. We haven’t done that in a long time! Janice actually was to thank. I teach Sophie piano lessons and in exchange Janice watches Samuel and Bella. So we left them and took Isaac with us to see a sculpture exhibit at the St. George visitor’s center. There were 13 beautiful sculptures of Christ. They were all amazing, but my favorite was of Joseph Smith in the Sacred Garden with Christ and Heavenly Father. We were a little distracted during the tour, because it got started late and so it was time for Isaac to eat so he was a little fussy the entire time. Poor thing had his head buried trying to find milk and then resorted to sucking on his hand really loud. While I was bouncing him I also felt something warm running down my arm and realized he had a diaper leak. Luckily I had a black shirt on so you couldn’t see the spot on me!

On Friday evening we took the kids for a short little hike in Santa Clara to see the river. Chuck had gone on this trail before, but approached it from the backside. When we got there we saw several signs that the road was not a pulic access, but Chuck had already loaded the kids in the stroller and there was no way we could take it on the primitive trail so he talked me into walking on the "forbidden" road. And wouldn’t you know it, I was behind Chuck walking with Samuel and a lady pulls up to us and tells me the road is closed to public access etc. etc. Since we were already so close she did however let us continue. Then we got to the river and it was blazing hot no shade. We didn’t stay very long at that spot. I had gone to a better spot on the river with Janice earlier so we took the kids there instead and it was actually in the shade. The kids had a great time playing around in the water.

We had another problem with our air conditioner this week. I was washing laundry and noticed water was leaking from the ceiling. The contractor came out and realized a drain hadn’t been sealed properly. While they were working on that issue, Chuck realized they had forgot to bring down the vent in the kids bathroom. We’ve had different men here all week fixing things.

I’ve been walking early every morning before Chuck goes to work. The trail by our home is shady in the morning so it’s just perfect. I took the baby a couple of mornings, but despite the beauty was bored. So I began taking Samuel with me. He rides his bike and I help pull him along. Talking with him makes the walk not so boring for me.

* Samuel – since it’s so hot now he always asks when we leave the house if he’s going to get dehydrated. Chuck’s been working in the yard and told Samuel we have to drink lots of water to avoid dehydration so now constantly asks about it. On our hike Samuel saw power lines and said, "look mom there’s a string in the air". And we finally got Samuel to stay in nursery this week by bribing him with Jello. All Sunday morning he was telling us he wasn’t going to nursery. He said the treats at the new nursery hurt his belly. Then he said he wanted to go back to the old house so he could go to the old nursery. But a little treat goes a long way with getting Samuel to do something! He had a great time this week talking to the piano tuner and all the workers. The piano tuner said he had never seen a little kid so interested in what was going on. Samuel chats up everyone that comes to the house asking them all sorts of questions and then telling them all kinds of stories. (He reminds me of a brother of mine!)

* Bella – fell off the table twice yesterday. She climbs on the table to get into her booster seat and then climbs on the table and onto another chair to get back down. The only problem is sometimes she doesn’t hit the other seat on the way down. With her constant climbing and no sense of fear she worries me on a daily basis! On Saturday I was in the garage helping Chuck get the Jeep started and came back in the house to find that Bella had climbed up in the bassinet with Isaac. Poor guy had been sleeping until Bella decided to join him. Luckily I found her before she dumped him out or tipped them both over. She also stayed in nursery this week!

* Isaac – had a major case of cradle cap this weekend and had Chuck and I thinking he had some bad growth on the side of his head. We were so worried, but then after doing a little research realized it wasn’t serious

Kami's Visit

Handsome little guys!



Our little Isaac's are only a month apart!

The hot summer days are here! The kids were enjoying cooling off with their sprinkler. The funny thing is that Samuel was squirting Bella who just laughed, but then she began squirting Samuel and he started crying telling Bella not to squirt him!

New hair cut - it looks cute, but now I actually have to do his hair!

Grumpy old man - Isaac was not very happy the day he got his shots.

We got the kids a small trampoline this week. They love it, but can only use it in the early morning before the sun makes it too hot to use.

Baby Kambree

Some of my favorite pictures - pretty good if I do say so myself! Kambree didn't enjoy getting her picture taken, but there were actually a lot that turned out really cute! And I love Trina's new haircut - if I was brave I'd get mine chopped!

Our Week In Review - June 22, 2008

Week In Review – June 22, 2008
Sunday was the highlite of my week because I got to take baby Kambree’s pictures in the morning (I love taking baby pictures!) and Kami, my best friend from High School, her husband and her baby Isaac stopped by for a visit! It was so much fun to visit with her. We haven’t seen each other in 6 years!

*Isaac – had his two month well child check and weighed in at 12 lbs. 3 oz. I had to watch another baby get the dreaded shots and the poor little guy was so miserable that afternoon I almost called the doctor. He was just screaming like he was in such pain. The next day he was back to normal!

* Samuel – got his hair buzzed off this week. Chuck took him for a cut and when they got home I knew something was up when Chuck came in, grabbed the camera, pointed it at me and then told Samuel to come in. I like Samuel’s long hair, but he looks cute with his hair short too!

* Bella – our child that thrives on danger, had two close calls at our swimming playgroup. The first incident she stepped off the step in the smaller pool, went under and couldn’t get her footing to come back up. I ran up the stairs from the larger pool to the smaller pool and will never forget the look of fear on her submerged face as I pulled her out. But being the tough girl she is, she didn’t even cry and she must be good at holding her breath, because she didn’t choke either. Then after she was all dressed and I was dressing Samuel, she climbed off a chair and walked right into the big pool, taking a dive headfirst to the bottom. This time I ran to the side, but one of the other moms was able to pull her out before I had to jump in for another rescue. Again she didn’t choke or cry, but it sure scared me to death

Happy Father's Day!

Chuck hasn't had a new tie in several years so I decided to get him one for Father's Day. I really liked this tie, but from past experience knew that Chuck would probably hate it. Everytime I've bought him a tie he has not liked it - we just don't have the same taste! So when he opened it up I knew once again I had gotten him a tie he didn't like. But he wore it to Church anyway and it looked great!

What a great daddy!
I have been blessed to have a wonderful father whom I love and respect very much and I'm greatful that I have a wonderful husband who my kids adore.

Big kick - Chuck caught this great shot of Samuel kicking his soccer ball.

As Uncle Brady would say Samuel has a "hair helmet". Yes we need to get his hair cut, it is getting too long!

I had to finally take a picture of this because it happens several times a week. Bella sticks her legs through the crib bars and gets them stuck. Sometimes I can slip them out easily and sometimes I have to soap them down to get them unstuck. You think she would learn, but she does it over and over again. I've tried the crib bumper, but she just ripped it down and I don't want to put her in a bed yet.

I also had to get a picture of this because Bella likes to stick toys down her shirt. She will just walk around with all sorts of things tucked into her clothes.

Working on the Yard

Chuck spent all day Saturday working on the yard. It was over 100 degrees outside, but he told me he didn't think it felt too bad. Sameul and Bella also got in on the action. Before Chuck could begin work he had to put up two little fences to keep the kids in the backyard. Bella especially likes to wander off.



Taking a break from working so hard.

Photography Practice

I was practicing my photography with Sameul as my subject this weekend. These are a few of my favorites taken at the temple and Snow Canyon. This was his favorite pose - actually he was pretty good at letting me take his picture, unlike Bella who runs away as soon as she sees the camera.

Our Week In Review - June 15, 2008

It was a typical week – we went to our swimming playgroup, the park with my visiting teachers, and story time at the library. The kids wouldn’t play at the park, Samuel was complaining that it was too hot! It was only 10:30 and in the low 80’s – how could he say it was too hot when were now in the 100 degree weather! I also started another photography class. Janice and I laughed when she dropped me off because Chuck came to the window and was anxiously awaiting my arrival with a hungry Isaac in the baby bjorn and a tired, but wouldn’t go to bed Bella in his arms. He was worn out from watching all three for a couple of hours while I was gone. This weekend Chuck worked on the yard. I can’t wait until we get some grass. Hopefully it will cut down on the red dirt that gets all over our house.

* Isaac is two months old today. How fast time flies! He peed on me twice this week – once while giving him a bath, which Samuel thought was really funny, and once when I was changing his diaper. The joy of little boys!

* Bella – I found her standing on our kitchen island. She had climbed up on a chair and pulled herself up. She is the adventerous one. She also pooped on our closet floor when Chuck let her run around for awhile without her daiper – thank goodness for concrete floors!

* Samuel – still putting up a fight about going to the new nursery. He begins saying very loudly the second we walk into church that he is not going to nursery. Next week we’re trying bribery! His favorite lunch time scripture story this week was Daniel and the Lions Den. He wanted to hear about it everyday. And he made us laugh when he used "perhaps" in a sentence.

Sand Hollow

Riding in the Jeep

Chuck with his super cool medal he won at the Spedster 5K race this weekend! He better getting running because we are having a little competition on who can lose 10 lbs first. If he wins he wants to buy a gps watch and when I win I get a new kitchen set.



Having fun at Sand Hollow.

Our Week In Review - June 8, 2008

It’s been a week of sickness! All the kids and Chuck ended up with the cough/stuffy nose. Samuel spent two days on the couch with a fever, which hate to say it, but our house was really peaceful and clean while he was sick. Samuel finally decided after two days of not eating much that he wanted some fries. So, Chuck loaded the two kids in the jeep, which now has the top off, and took them for fries. The kids loved riding in the jeep and were laughing the whole way. Now everytime we go someplace they want to take the jeep. Sadly, we all can’t fit in the jeep because there are only two seatbelts in back.

On Saturday, Chuck began the morning early by running the Spedster 5K race. There weren’t very many participants so he ended up getting 5th place overall and 3rd in his age division. He even got a medal (if you can call it that!). In the past we have gone to watch him run, but with the three little ones and the race taking place at 7:30 a.m. we just couldn’t make it. I felt bad that he actually placed this time and we weren’t there. Later that morning we took the kids to Sand Hollow Reservoir. It was very windy, but they had a great time digging in the sand and helping Chuck build a sandcastle. The beaches really have wonderful sand and the kids loved it.

* Bella – she was so cute in church today because everytime we sang a hymn she was trying to sing along to. She was singing, you just couldn’t understand any of the words!

* Samuel – I hadn’t combed my hair from getting out of the shower yet, but when Samuel saw me come out of my bedroom he said, "I like your hair mom". He’s never said anything about my hair before, but apparently he likes a tangeled mess!

Cox Family

All the Family Together

Taking a walk on the trail by our home. It was just a little hot!


The kids getting ready to eat.


Eating Chuck's famous dutch over dish - with a slight variety in meat because we always have to make Brady's favorite dishes! :)


Poor sick Bella


Redneck Games - I guess we'll always have a bit of Carbon County in us!


Kayla and Samuel playing. Kayla jumped off and poor Samuel got a little jotled as he came crashing down!


At Monica's house on the trampoline.


Playing down our basement.