It's Summer, Y'all!

Lots going on lately, as I'm sure you've assumed based on the infrequent posts.

A couple of Bailey stories before the pics....

The kids have been spending quite a bit of time at the neighborhood pool. One day, I took them both (which was an experience and an exercise in my best "watch both kids like a hawk" skills!) and Bailey was trying to jump into the pool from the side. She's not super comfortable with the water yet, so we're doing things with her to increase her comfort with water on her face and whatnot. She had floaties on, but was being very hesitant. She was poised on the side of the pool, ready to jump, and she kept saying, "I'm nauseous. Momma, I'm just so nauseous!" She meant nervous! For some reason, this makes me laugh.

We've been planning to send Bailey back with my parents on Father's Day when they'll come spend time with us at my brother's house in Edmond. She will spend a few days there alone so that my mom can teach her to swim. Anyway, plans changed and my mom now has to stay the night in OKC, go to an appt. on Monday morning, and THEN she will take Bailey back to Clinton. Given the fact we've been counting down the days "til Grandma day" (forget Father's Day), I needed to break the news to her. I said, "Bailey, I have some news. Do you think it's good news or bad news?" She answered, "Probably bad." So I told her the new situation and she immediately started to cry. I said, "Honey, don't get upset. It's not the worst news. The worst news would be that they aren't coming at all." She straightened up a bit, and responded with, "Momma, the worst news would be that I'd have to have surgery."

I guess she's right! Again, laughing....

Such a big boy - he looks solemn in this picture, but I must have not snapped the picture at the right time. He had been running through the water and decided to take a time out and swing. Jason is just off camera because he doesn't balance extremely well on a regular swing. But, he thinks he's ready for it, so we let him and then hover in case he looks like he's going to fall.

This was a Saturday morning session of "let's play VBS." Bailey was teaching Nolan a lesson on Jesus. Somehow, the picnic blanket, seashells and 4th birthday invitation were integral to the lesson.

They love each other and hugs and kisses are part of the daily routine. So cute!

Pardon the naked butt. Nolan had been running through the sprinkler and his oh-so-heavy (with water) diaper literally dropped off seconds before this photo op. I just thought this was cute that Nolan wanted to "help" daddy paint the fence.

Nolan LOVES the Wii Fit. And, I think he has pretty good form, don't you?

Nolan has started to enjoy the sprinkler after days of just standing and watching his sister have fun.

Thanks, dad! Slam dunk!

Bailey during a downtown walk on the river. She knows how to stop and smell the "roses!"

Again, Jason just off camera. He thinks he's so big! On a side note, have you noticed that Bailey is in dresses in every picture lately? She has decided that if it's not a dress or pink, it's disgusting. Sigh.....

Last, I leave you with a snippet of Bailey's VBS parent night. She had a lot of anxiety about not knowing the songs (she told me that she was going to have to sing by herself....still don't know why she got that in her brain), but she did pretty well for being one of the youngest!

Parenthood Rite of Passage

Two nights ago, Bailey dropped a bombshell.

"You're mean. I want to run away from here."

This was a new one. She's shared her view of me as mean mommy before, and I always answer her the same way - she may think I'm mean, but it's my job to teach her right from wrong and I will not tolerate her bad behavior. But running away? She's just 4.....going on 24. But, still 4!!!

My initial reaction was sadness. I couldn't believe she was breaking my heart this way. But, then, something took over me and I became very calm. Here's the rest of the conversation.

Me: "So, you want to run away. Well, I guess the first thing you have to decide is where you're going to go."

Her (with an incredulous look in her eye): "I'll just go to grandmas."

Me: "Okay, that's probably a good place to go. So, how are you going to get there?"

Her: "You're going to have to take me."

Me: "Well, that's not really how it works. If you're going to run away from home, you have to do it on your own."

Her (with panic setting in): Pause....."Will you at least give me a flashlight???"

Me: "We'll figure that out in a minute. First, I guess we need to pack a bag for you."

At this point, I went into my bedroom and got my suitcase that just happened to be sitting there from my recent work trip.

Me: "Let's go to your room and pick out some clothes. I know you'll need some underwear and your toothbrush...."

While I was talking, she took exactly 2 steps toward her room, bent her head down, and started sobbing uncontrollably.

Her: "I-I-I-I-I would miss you so-o-o-o-o-o much." (Sob, sniff, sob, sniff)

Jason (who has been trying not to laugh hysterically, the exact opposite of me trying not to spill tears down my face): "Bailey.....good news. You don't have to go!!"

Visibly relieved, she began hugging me, saying, "I love you, mommy."

And thus concludes my (first) threatened runaway story.

Nolan Philip Cox - 18 Months

Nolan is officially 1 1/2 years old....can you believe it?

Our trip to the doctor today was rather uneventful. No tantrums or dramatic reactions to the shots....just a happy boy who felt betrayed by the needle for approximately 4 seconds. He did bonk his head on the door on our way out, so the doc got to see firsthand how he receives the majority of his baby bumps and bruises!

Stats

Weight: 22 pounds 4 ounces - 10% (yeah, we broke out of the 5% mold)

Length: 31 1/2 inches - 25%

He's added a few more words - hello (which he's said for awhile, I just forgot to put it on the list last time), bird, doggie, dirty, and shoes.

As for his eating habits, I'm definitely going to take Ilena's advice and start secretly putting vegetables in things (Deceptively Delicious cookbook). The only catch is that they will have to either go in yogurt, pizza or pancakes, because that's about all he will eat. Well, and chicken, but I don't think you can put vegetables in chicken. :-)

Peace....

Bailey's Best Friend and Nolan Updates

I've had so much fun watching Bailey this year. Pre-K is now over and she will start Kindergarten in the fall....WOW. I can't write too much about that or I will get really sad, so we'll save that for when the transition is right around the corner and the sentimentality is replaced by excitement for a new year!!



One of the great things about Pre-K was that Bailey really developed a great friendship. She's always found friends wherever she goes (remember me telling you about how she latches on to kids at the McDonald's playground and then thinks they're going to be BFFs?), but she has really developed a best friend in Kate and they are adorable together. I think, as a mom, I'm always worried that kids won't reciprocate Bailey's intensity, but Kate seems to be just as crazy about Bailey as Bailey is about her. Their teachers say they are inseparable and the only time they have problems is when one of them feels the other has been mistreated by another classmate. They go on playdates most Fridays after school (Kate stays with her grandmother just like Bailey does with Jeanne), and I have now traded info with Kate's mom so that we can keep it up over the summer. Bailey's first words after waking up the first day after school concluded were "I miss Kate." So cute.

Here are some pics of Bailey and Kate from recent end-of-school activities.

We didn't plan the semi-matching outfits, but you better believe they LOVED that they were similarly dressed.

This was at "Happy Happenings" and I'm sorry it's a dark picture. "Happy Happenings" is where the pre-schoolers and Kindergarteners gather in the chapel and sing songs first thing every school day. We got to see them in action at both Moms and Muffins and Dads and Donuts. They sing all Christian and character-driven songs, and then recite the Pledge of Allegience and Pledge to the Christian flag. It's pretty amazing how much they know. Of course, Bailey can sometimes only remember the words when she's actually doing it with the group, but that's okay!!

This one was at "The Amazing Race," their Spring fundraiser. Each class got pledges and then ran a race in the field behind the school. I didn't have enough sense to turn around so they weren't looking into the sun for this picture. Scrunched noses!!

What Nolan is Doing...

-Says hello, bye-bye, Bailey, momma, dadda, grandma (sounds an awful lot like momma), pop pop (grandpa), more/no more, all gone, uh oh, doggie, bubbles, bathtub, bottle, cold (accompanied by a hand on his cheek because I usually touch his face with cold things), hot (accompanied by him acting like he's blowing on something since that's what we do with his hot food!), pancake, and pee pee (when we're changing his diaper). This actually seems like quite a few words, but he doesn't say them very often.

-"Sings" (it's jibberish) songs and knows when to do the right motions....i.e., "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands." My favorite part is the 3rd verse when we sing "say amen" and he very emphatically does the hand motion.

-Gives real kisses with a closed mouth. LOVES to hug, especially Bailey. Is very sweet, but you may not always catch him in "affection mode."

-Runs everywhere. Not sure what his walk looks like anymore.

-LOVES to look at all the pictures on the walls. This is usually our after-bath routine. I point out every family member in the pics, and talk about what we were doing at the time. I'm not sure if he knows which ones are of Bailey and which are of him, but he definitely likes the Bailey pics best.

-Still a hitter. We pretty much take objects away from him as soon as he acquires them.

-Still not sure what he likes to eat. The only constant is pancakes or waffles. Everything else is subject to mood, temperature, texture, ability to be flung across the room at sister, etc. Oh, he is also a psycho about ice cream and coke. We have to hide drinks from him or he'll freak out. And, we went to Braum's on Mother's Day and Nolan literally almost hyperventilated as he watched the guy make Bailey's cone. He does tell us what he doesn't want to eat with a very exaggerated head shake and accompanying "uh uh."

-Is finally starting to get the hang of drinking out of a cup, but is still attached to nap and bedtime bottles. I think I'm just going to have to throw them away (maybe this weekend??) so that we don't revert back to the routine when he's screaming and crying for one.

-Mimics us playing the Wii.

-Is around 23 lbs. if we accurately weighed him (Jason holding him on the scale minus Jason on the scale alone). If this is correct, he'll be out of the 5% range and into the 10-15% range.

Here are a couple of cute pics of the kids. Bailey decided to play like she and Nolan had long hair by putting tights on their heads. Surprisingly, he let her. Anyway, I think they look more like they are about to rob a bank or something! Also, I think you can tell that Nolan has put on some lbs. in this picture!


Finally, here's a great picture of Bailey and Jason. Aren't they cute?!

Growing Up

Bailey got her ears pierced.

I never thought I'd let her get pierced ears at this age, but she has been asking and Jason and I finally decided that, as long as she is mature enough to leave them alone during the healing process, it's not that big of a deal. We told her exactly what would happen and let her think about it for about a week. She even went to Claire's last week and watched several kids get theirs done so that she would know what to expect. And, after all that, she was still determined.

So, we took her on Saturday evening. I expected it to be a big crying ordeal and I was right. However, SHE didn't cry....I did. Something about seeing her sit there like a big, brave girl was a proud and sad moment all at the same time. She did great! As you can see, she had a little fear in her eyes, but came out smiling.

Here she is waiting...a little nervous.

And, as her ears were getting cleaned.

Right before the piercing gun came out.

About to be pierced.

After it was all said and done. Note the pink studs.

Well, one growing up moment down, 1,000 more to go....

America's Funniest Home Videos: Cox Family Edition

Here's the setup:

We found a light saber (sp.?? I'm not a Star Wars geek, so I don't know how to spell it....LOL!) under the bed. When Nolan received it for Christmas, he could have cared less about it. Now, however, he very clearly understands what to do with it, much to his mamma's amusement, ahem, I mean dismay......

Bailey was waiting for grandma and pa pa to arrive, and didn't even see it coming.

Easter

Happy (post) Easter! I hope that everyone had a wonderful time with family/friends, hunting eggs with the kids and eating great food. More than this, I hope that you were able to reflect on the wonderful and free gift of eternal life given through the blood Jesus shed on the cross. I was so proud of Bailey for telling the Easter story to the entire family on Sunday. If any of you have not yet discovered Resurrection Eggs, I highly recommend them (Mardel, $16). The set includes 12 plastic eggs, each with a symbol of the crucifixion and resurrection inside. There is also a book that helps kids learn how to use the visual aids to tell the story. Bailey now knows pieces of the story that would be new to most adults. Amazing!

The kids set out their baskets and some carrots and lettuce for the Easter Bunny. Bailey was amazed that the bunny would come down the chimney just like Santa.

The Easter Bunny ate most of his treats and left some non-candy goodies like hot wheels, pajamas, clothes and a Barbie. I suspect he figured that candy would not be in short supply.


On Saturday, I took the kids to a nearby church for an egg hunt. Since we were expecting rain on Easter, I figured I better let them have the experience on Saturday.

Nolan cared more about a sliver of pizza he carried around the entire time than actually picking up eggs. But here you can see him going for one (but still with the pizza in one hand).

Bailey got to ride a horse. I thought about letting Nolan ride with her and then had visions of him diving off the side. So ixnay on the ideray.

They had a huge tortoise there. This is NOT a good picture, but you can see how close Nolan got to it....he refused to budge for about 5 minutes but wouldn't let me put him on top for a ride.

Here are a few pics from church on Sunday.

Here, Nolan is about to jump. Anytime I get out the camera, he starts doing his tricks.

I believe I learned this Easter that hunting eggs is not Nolan's forte. He just stood there looking around the whole time, despite our yells of "Get some eggs! Put it in your basket! Look, get that green one!"

He finally got some eggs, but only out of a little girl's hand...not off the floor.

With second cousins Anna and Joseph. Anna is 5 weeks older than Bailey and Joseph is 4 weeks younger than Nolan. We didn't tell the girls to do this to their brothers, it just happened that way.

Since it was raining, we created an egg scavenger hunt for the girls. Their last clue led them to the bathtub where they found their baskets.

The girls posing.

In case you're wondering, Jason DOES know how to smile...just not in pictures. Love you, babe!

The girls telling secrets.

Nolan wanting in on the secret.

Bailey showing Anna her Barbie from the Easter Bunny. It's funny to see them interact. And, yes, Anna wore her princess hair from the Tea Party pics. I made a comment about how dark Anna's hair was getting and I think Tina thought I was referring to the fake hair. I had to clarify that I meant her REAL hair!!

Here's a video that will convey how Nolan spent Easter. It's not the best one I shot, but the others are long. He basically ran around and around Jeanne's kitchen and living room begging people to chase him.

Finally, here are some random pictures from the weekend.


This picture is significant only because Nolan has thus far rejected the notion of reading books. I usually get two or three words out before he slams it shut and runs off. Here, you can see, he is actually pointing to a picture in one of his books. Yea!!

Pajama time!

And, here's a video of the kids playing "roll ball." They have a little fight in the middle - just ignore that part. LOL!

I leave you with a few Bailey quotes from the week and things little Nolan is doing:

Bailey

-"Momma, my brain is telling me things I don't like. He is telling me that he doesn't like our house anymore and that I'm not pretty, Nolan's not cute, you're not pretty and daddy's not handsome. Why is my brain DOING that? It's not even true!" Apparently her brain is a male. Hope this doesn't cause any gender confusion someday. On a serious note, she has started making comparisons and saying she's not as pretty as someone in a picture or something. This makes me sad - she's only 4!!! I guess that's part of growing up. And I think it makes it easier for her to have negative thoughts if she can blame it on that ornery brain of hers. LOL!

Nolan

-I told you last time about his hitting problem. I've been regularly saying, "NO hitting. Just love and gentle touch." Then I will demonstrate gentle touch. Well, here's what that got me......now Nolan hits and then IMMEDIATELY hugs his victim. Progress???

-Speaking of hugs, he gave Bailey a big hug when Jason dropped them off at MDO this week. Jason said it lasted for about a minute and he just held on and wouldn't let go. How sweet!

That's enough for now. See ya later, alligators!