The Cox Crew

It took about 4 tries for me to finally get the chance to meet up with the Coxes to get some pictures of their 5 GORGEOUS children. First Poppy gave Troupe a battle wound to the face so we had to cancel. Then it rained. Then it rained again. Then we thought once it was going to rain and then it didn't. But then, last night, we finally made it work. And Oh. My. Gosh. I can't get over these beautiful children.

Here they are in order from youngest to oldest:

Sweet Little Piper - only 8 weeks old. :) This girl is very go with the flow. She has no other choice!
Poppy - she is a total firecracker. But she's 2. What else would you expect? She is more of a rough and tumble child than any of her brothers.

Troupe - I'm fairly sure this kid was born to be in front of a camera. What a little heartbreaker. His eyes will make you melt.

Banks - he's too cool for school. Such a great kid, and I particularly notice how much he loves his little sisters and I LOVE that.

Scout - what a stud. He's almost 9 and may be one of the nicest most tolerant big brothers I've ever seen. That takes a lot of work in this crew!

I had just finished a pretty long week at work, and playing with these kids after work on Friday out at Old Salem made all the difference. Turned my day around 180 degrees. Here are several more favorites. Because there were lots.
Precious sisters - kisses for Piper!
Could you just die over her little thighs?!

If someone were to calculate how much time I have spent with children (and I'd love to see that math...) I have feeling I've spent much more time with boys than girls. And in taking pictures of boys, I've quickly learned that all you have to say is "Should we do a silly picture?" and you instantly get this...
That's a little better. :)

I love this of the boys with Piper. Do you think she has bodyguards for life?
Oh Poppy...
While we were out there wrangling the kids into poses, Kris said to me "You're going to put on the blog that 5 is HARD." And I don't doubt that for a split second. But 5 is also amazing. Thanks, Kris and Chris, for letting me spend time with y'all again. I had a blast!

A Year Ago This Very Day...

...I met these little monkeys, as they are often affectionately referred to now.

(Jack on the left, Will on the right)

Don't ask me why I remember the date, it's just one of those things that I do.

But I think part of it is it because for me it was one of those days I will remember forever. I remember the beeping at each floor on the elevator heading up to the NICU. I remember meeting Katie out in the hall before going to see the boys. I remember meeting Will first and then Jack. I even remember what skirt I had on and how blasted hot it was outside that day.

I remember that they weighed 3 pounds, 1 ounce (Jack) and 3 pounds, 3 ounces (Will) the day that I came to visit. I remember seeing their little inked feet on a Good Luck card for William, who was taking his real estate exam that week.

If anything, I have a good memory.

They were such tiny tiny little things. I can recall putting my hand on Will's back to keep him from sliding down his bed as they were changed into their Twinkie outfits and my already long hand looked HUGE. They made no more than a squeak when they moved around during my visit that day, and were sound asleep to all of the beeping and chiming from what seemed like dozens of monitors in the room that kept them safe.

They were doing well at that point, but were certainly not 100% out of the woods yet. Going to see them was as anxious as it was joyous. I can remember crying the whole way home and praying that they would keeping growing and getting stronger and healthier.

And now look at them.

Please tell me children aren't miracles. I dare you.

Favorite Weekend

Jason, Jamey and Wes. These 3 are some of my favorite people in all the world. Having all of them together in one place is one of those times that I am at my very happiest. They are like big brothers to me and I think that they each helped hang the moon.

Friday was Jamey's 30th birthday, so Wes, Jason and I hit the road to surprise him in Tennessee to celebrate. (Or so we thought - too bad he had seen an email that ruined it - oh well!) We went to dinner with Jamey, his wife Gretchen and Belton and Jerry Caldwell and had a blast. We quickly ran the rest of the folks out of the room in the restaurant that we went to, but we didn't really care... :)

We stayed the night in Bristol with the Bowlings enjoying birthday cake and funny stories, and the boys christened the new Tiger Woods on the wii until sometime in the middle of the night.

The next day brought some playtime with Mary and James, Jamey and Gretchen's precious children. They are darling and we rarely get to see them, so we soaked up some fun with them.James took Jason on in some wii boxing and, well, beat him handily when Jason really was trying to win. Which you can clearly tell by the look on his face...competition with a 3-year-old doesn't mean he's going to let him win.We headed home by way of a very curvy section of 421 (that I barely survived) to swing through Boone for a little lunch at Macado's and, of course, a check-in at "The Rock" to see how the renovations are coming along. Ahh, College Football... Right around the corner! It was so fun to stroll around campus with the boys and hear so many stories from their days at App.It was a perfect weekend. I was content for every second of it, and that's such a nice feeling... Happy Birthday, Jamey! We love you!

Precious Angels

Last Sunday was Baptism day for sweet Will & Jack. Family and friends came from near and far to see these precious boys on their big day, and be a part of promising to always lead them in faith and guide them spiritually. I, as usual, cried like a baby during the service and laughed at how adorable babies can be during a baptism. Jack seemed pretty comfortable with it all, but Will tried two or three time to avoid the water on his head before he was finally officially baptized. In addition to their uncles, their godmothers and godmothers are both sets of twins. I felt a little bit like we were in the midst of a Doublemint commercial all day. :)A year of prayer and support for these gorgeous children and their family has turned out oh-so-beautifully and they are truly gifts to all who meet them. It was a precious and wonderful day for everyone!

Does anyone have a Dinglehopper?

I had the girls on Saturday, and the rain killed our patio tea party, so we opted for a round of dress-up instead.

Gabby pulled out their "Little Mermaid" wig and demanded that I put it on her. I laughed so hard I couldn't stand it. Ariel looked r-o-u-g-h.


But look at that smile!

A Birthday, A Baby Shower, and Engagement Pictures!

These last couple of weeks have been marked with all sorts of milestones and celebrations. Summer is just so stinkin' busy. But it's great!

First, the cutest little monkeys in the world turned 1! Happy Birthday, Jack and Will! How FAR you have come in a year!

Katie and William hosted a "Champagne & Cupcakes" party for everyone. Jack and Will didn't last long, but the party was so fun for the whole crew!

Me with precious Will

Jack fell asleep with Jamie :)

The "Champagne & Cupcakes!"

Let's pretend my eyes aren't closed in this one, as it's cute of everyone else!

Fast forward about 14 hours, and we had a baby shower for Shanna! Baby Ashley is coming in mid-August, and this kid is going to be all set. It was a beautiful day for the shower and we had a great time.

My Wolfpack Crew. I love how Ames has her hand on her hip - so typical. :)

And Amanda came to surprise Shanna! So so fun.

I got to take pictures for Elizabeth & Nick's engagement announcement/Save the Date cards. It was a perfect day for some photos. Meet my future brother-in-law!