Happy 1st Birthday Baby Bree!

Annie Bree Cox is one today! I can't believe this past year has gone by so quickly. Bree was born with Down Syndrome, and is truly the sweetest little baby I've ever met. She has taught all of us more than any other child has taught us. She is a little miracle baby and very much a blessing from our Heavenly Father.

Check out Bree's cheesy grin while sitting on Grandma's lap!

The boys chillin' with Papa. How cute that they all match!

All the cousins are very good about helping the other kids open their presents. Bree's presents were no exception. She hasn't quite grasped the concept of ripping open her gifts, so the girls help was welcomed!

Little Ave and Taddow. Tadd couldn't be more thrilled that Ava can say his name!

As is tradition, Bree had her own little cake to play in at Kecia's parents house Sunday night. She wasn't too thrilled about it, and just sort of held the cake crumbs. Kecia helped her eat her special cupcake for our party.



Bree weighs a whopping 15 lbs and 14 oz! Griffin (not pictured) weighs about 15 lbs and 5 oz. Bree is eight months older than the boys, she's just a little munchkin!

She played with this little scrap of paper she tore off the whole time she was "opening her presents", it was so cute.

You can sort of see on the left the yellow sundress Tadd and I gave Bree. She'll look so cute in it!


Hooray! It's my birthday!

This was hilarious. After the presents had been ripped open, it took all of three seconds for the cousins to take off leaving Bree looking at her wrappings.

Happy Birthday Bree! We feel so blessed to be your aunt and uncle!

Happy Day of Birthy, Al!

Although two days late, I still wanted to wish Ali a Happy Birthday over the world-wide web!

I love this Ali-girl. We were meant to be friends, what with our goofy actions and silly laughs. We were meant to drive 18 hours to San Fransisco, and not speak for the last few hours of the drive home. We were meant to love Friends together.



Here is the beautiful poem I spent hours on in honor of you.
You may thank Mad Libs for this...

My Love
Your skin glows like the papaya, blossoms love as the tulip in the purest hope of spring.
My heart follows your violin voice and leaps like a racoon at the whisper of your name.
The evening floats in on a great parrot wing.
I am comforted by your scarf that I carry into the twilight of cellbeams and hold next to my elbow.
I am filled with hope that I may dry your tears of juice.
As my falange falls from my button, it reminds me of your scissors.
In the quiet, I listen for the last bark of the day.
My heated wrist leaps to my hat.
I wait in the moonlight for your secret diet coke so that we may scream as one, wrist to wrist, in search of the magnificient blue and mystical mall of love.

It's Here...

My annual cold sore has arrived. I always, always, always get one between February and April each year, and this year was no exception. Friday my lip was chapped, and of course I picked at it, then I came home to take a nap at four, woke up at seven, and BAM! Cold sore arrival! Now, if only I'd asked Janeen to send me her miracle medicine a month ago!

Holiday Festivities

It looks like my wish was granted! Tadd bought me these beautiful flowers below, and check out the freaking cute vase they came in! He also bought me a monkey, which I promptly named Morris the Monkey.

We attempted to get a table at one place, Outback, and when we heard it was a two hour wait, we didn't bother looking elsewhere, and went to eat at Smokehouse, where we didn't receive the best of service, but we tried not to complain! Below is my delicious food, everyone must try the Mac and Cheese!


Tadd ordered a meat pizza, and as you can see, it was gross and not highly recommended.

After we ate we headed to Costco to stock up the new apartment (which we finished moving into Wednesday day, when it was snowing like crazy). It's ridiculous the amount you have to spend to live on your own. Steve and Camme, can we come back?

To the Love of my Life

To My Taddow:

I love the way you cuddle me

I love you for your dedication to our marriage and to me

I love to kiss you

I love days where neither of us has to work, and we get to lay in bed all day together

I love you for your tall frame

I love knowing you will be an excellent father one day
I love your bald head

I love you for all the hard work you put into our new apartment

I love how smart you are, and that you teach me things

I love studying the scriptures with you

I love your adorable cleft lip scar

I love it when you're silly with me

I love how you are so patient with me

I love that we are sealed for eternity

I love our date nights, although not very often, they are always special

I love listening to you pray

I love how willing you are to roll over when you're snoring

I love that you try to be very smart with our money
I love that you don't mind that I don't cook for you
I love how sweet you are to me, even when I don't deserve it
I love that I get to be your wifey forever and always
I love that you have great taste in fashion, and you dress well

I love you for who you are, and how you make me who I am

A Table for Four, Please

Who would've thought I would've met girls in hair school that I would become best friends with? I went into school thinking, this will most likely be just another dumb high school experience, so I'll do my best to get in and get out.

Little did I know that I would meet some of the greatest girls, and form a very strong friendship with them. I'm sure we'll all be friends clear into our old, old age!

Mary Kate, on the right in the pic below, lives in Idaho, but spends many a weekend here in Provo. We took advantage of her visit on Monday, and met up with Jobi, on the left, at The Cheesecake Factory! This restaurant is my all time favorite, and I'm so happy we have one in Sandy now!

Jobi is almost nine months pregnant! She's due March 8th, and I'm so happy for her!

Ali-Cat

Ali's birthday is on Sunday, so we celebrated a little early! Whatever you do, don't ever get the Macadamian Nut Cheesecake, it's freaking sick!

But please do get a side of coffee ice cream!

I Did Cheat

During my month of No-Eating-Past-8:30 I have cheated twice. Both times were an exception. The first was in Idaho after the wedding reception, and we had Chili's. The second was on Monday with hair school friends that I don't always see. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and I had a fantastic fire roasted artichoke, and I don't even feel bad about it.

The Long Awaited Wedding of Kristen and Scott!

Wedding Date: Feb. 9, 2008

Sealing: Idaho Falls Temple

Luncheon: Rigby, ID chapel

Reception: A different Rigby, ID chapel

I've posted previously about the events of Kristen Byram and Scott Cunningham's upcoming nuptials, and this last Friday was the big day! We traveled up to Idaho Friday morning at the unsightly hour of 5:00 a.m, and checked into our hotel, The Red Lion (the allowed us an early check-in...how nice, plus free dinner...who knows why), and got ready for the sealing.

We arrived at the Idaho Falls temple around 10 a.m to find out that our stake president hadn't activated Tadd's recommend, so we waited and waited, along with a few others in the same situation, until we were allowed access!

The sealing was great, and so packed! The room probably sat 60 people tops, and there was literally 90-100 people there. All the women were sharing chairs, and the guys were standing around the room! Elder Groeberg was the sealer, and had some great words of advice for the new couple.

Getting ready in our hotel room!

Kristen's dress was A-MA-ZA-ZING! She was such a pretty bride!
Tadd and I with our friends Alex and Paula Soria. They also drove up from Provo that morning. Amazing that we're all awake in this picture.

The happy couple with their families!

Friends that traveled from near and far. The roads were a disaster the day before, and many of her friends had to turn around since the roads were closed!

I want to steal her dress right off of her!

Paula and I at the reception!

Taddow and I. He was such a good sport. He didn't complain one time during the whole trip about the freezing weather, the early wake-up, my conversations with work friends, or the drive back the next day.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

I looked ridiculous in this picture, but had to post it because you can see Kristen's dress so much better!

Congratulations to Kristen and Scott Cunningham! We wish you the very best!

Mom Tag

If you could roll around in a tub of something, what would it be? Would I have to actually roll? If so, saran wrap.

Perfect date? June 21, 2005. :)

Best vacation memory: There are so many! The trip to Canada/Washington was pretty awesome, but our Hawaii trips are also right up there!

I want to visit: I'm going with Mom on this one, Little Jack. My wish will be granted oh-so-soon!

Best year in school and why? Most likely Kindergarten. I was the coolest kid that couldn't say her "R's".

What is something you want others to know about you and try to remember. "Once upon a time in a fairyland..."

"I would be a drunken tart if I wasn't a member of the Church."

"I regret quitting ballet."

"I'm glad I am a member of the church, and that I have such great families."

"In ten years I hope I am worth one...million...dollars."

"The best thing about my life is my husband (cheesy, I know)."

"I want to change my nail polish color."

Breaking News!

AUGUST 2008

Thunday Thuperbowl!

Fact: I watched the super bowl this year

Fact: I actually enjoyed myself

Fact: I cheered, I booed

Fiction: I knew what was going on

Tysen saw Tadd and I holding the boys and said, "Well, it looks like you're ready for twins, you're welcome to take them home!" Yipee! Don't get me wrong, Tysen loves her boys, but they are certainly a handful. I told her she is more than welcome to call me anytime to take them away!

Ava was dancing to Tom Petty, look how enormous the projection screen is in the new theater room! Don't you love Ava's chubby legs? I'm sure you've seen kids whose tights sag on them, not Ava's! They are super tight, it's so cute!

GO GIANTS!

Tending the Babies

This last weekend I hung out with Lindey while she watched the boys on Friday while Chris and Tysen went to the BYU volleyball game. Since I ended up coming over, Chris and Tysen ended up leaving Ava. Tadd was there as well, and then Camme and Steve (Tadd's mom and dad) came over, so we ended up just playing with the babies and having a lot of fun!

On Saturday Chris and Tysen went to another BYU volleyball game, and asked if I could come watch the boys since Lindey and Corbin were moving into their cute new apartment. I gladly accepted since I had so much fun the night before. Tadd was over there was well, but he was watching a UFC fight in their theater room downstairs. Which, by the way, is soooo rad! (the theater room, not the fight).

I don't have any pictures of Saturday night, but I was sooo proud of myself for watching the boys basically on my own. I changed my first twin-boy diaper this last weekend, bathed both boys on my own, and put them both to bed without a fuss! Hooray for Caitlyn!

I ALSO experienced Griffin spitting up right down my shirt, yes in my cleavage, and Ava grabbing a full cup of water and dumping it all down my legs...while wearing sweat pants. Un-hooray for Caitlyn! But...how could one avoid those types of situations when helping out with three little ones?

Crew and Griff in the nightgowns before bed

Under their little play-thing, whatever it's called


Ava does this thing when you want to take a picture, she'll freeze, and sometimes make some sort of pose. This is the one she came up with.

I love these little kids, and *GASP* can't wait until I have some of my own!

100th Post!

Continuation of Orlando, FL "business" trip. Friday night was our entertainment night, and recognition dinner. Nu Skin hired a comedian/impersonator, and he was absolutely hilarious! I think his name was Jason Hewitt, but I could be wrong. He impersonated everyone from Elton John to Jim Carrey to The Doobie Brothers. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen!

After the entertainment and recognition, we hit the dance floor! There is a group of us in our deparment that loooooove to dance. We're basically the only cool ones, duh. We danced for what seemed like two hours (and I was soaking wet afterward, I kid you not), and yes...I was in heels! Although I'm sure the dancing was for the distributors...we pretty much stole the show! (I'm in the red top).

My favorite song to dance to is HANDS DOWN "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor. One distributor even recorded me on his iPhone dancing to it...creep.

Paula, in the black top, was wearing a button up shirt, and somehow managed to unbutton it every few minutes just by dancing. It was hilarious!

I'll give you one guess, and one guess only, as to what song we were dancing to here...

All in all, a very fun night. I seem to become unglued on the dance floor struttin my stuff. What a blast! Booyah!

Happy 4-Day-Late Birthday Whitty!

February 1st was my just-older-sister's b-day, Whitney Leigh. If I were asked to come up with one word for this sister of mine, it would absolutely be RAD. Everything Whitney does is freaking rad, and she cracks me up. Not only is she super comical, but also an awesome example of what kind of mother I want to be.

Whitney was born and raised in P-town, Utarrr, but had no trouble blending in with the likes of So-Cal when she moved there after her nuptials. Whit is a wonderous accessorizer, and always looks so chic!

Whitty, with the help of Ethee, I'm sure, produced this little guy, Jack Rockwell. I couldn't love this kid more, and I can't wait for Son Two to arrive late June!

When Whitney is in town, it's always a party! My madre and I are traveling down to her house in March for Son One's birthday, and I'm SO excited! I haven't been down there for about a year, and I miss her little familia so much!

Don't ever think you can outdo Whitty on a costume you put together. That girl has some serious crafty-smarts!

See? Rad. Who is that mutant on the left?

Whitney usually stops by the saloon when in town, so I can gussy her up a bit (not that she needs help, at all). I remember once when she was pregnant, and I was still in school, I tried something different on her hair, and the poor girl seriously had to sit there for three hours with a bulging belly. Did The Whitney complain? Heavens no, she was super enjoyable!

If anyone wants a lesson on how to be hilarious, loving, dedicated mother, please come hang out with Whitney for a day or two. She'll knock your socks off!

Happy late b-day Whitney! I love you!