They are finally here!!

So it took me forever, but now they are finally here!  I have finally uploaded the pics from last weekend.  Oh, wait, no!  The weekend before!  haha.  I am so terrible!  These are mostly all from the Hop Festival in Moxee and a few others that we took just around the house.  I have been horrible about taking pictures lately and need to start remembering to do so! 

I could have sworn the was something worth writing about, but as usual, I can't seem to remember.  I am seeing this as a common thread lately.  My mind has just been worthless the last couple of weeks!  Just yesterday, I was wrapping a gift for my cousin's baby shower (part of which included some BOY outfits) and was happily humming along while I placed the gifts neatly into the bright pink baby girl gift bag.  Then continued to put pink tissue paper into it.  I placed the gifts in the back of the van and then realized I didn't have a card, so I went upstairs to make one..... got out the pink cardstock, found some super cute pink baby stickers and went to work.  As soon as I went to write on the card, I was trying to remember what they were naming their new little baby.  Then it dawned on me.  Joshua.  They are naming the little baby BOY Joshua.  Me = Dumb-o!  haha.  So I had to start over with the card and make a boy card (which turned out awful since most of the baby stickers I have are girl!) and I stuck them in the bag, put the girls in the car and headed to Yakima to drop it off.  Yup, that's right.  I left the gift in the pink bag......!  oops.  But I didn't have time to rewrap it (nor do I think I already have any BOY or even NEUTRAL baby bags that were big enough)  So poor Theresea is going to get a pink gift bag..... haha.  At least the clothes I picked out were boy!

This weekend we are going to go to Camano Island and go to Shawn's 10 year class reunion.  (which is why I had to drop the baby shower gift off instead of getting to go..... boo!)  I don't think I am entirely looking forward to it.  (Nor do I think anyone looks forward to going to someone else's reunion....)  But I am trying to be a good sport about it because I don't want him whining too much when it's his turn to go to mine next year!  haha. 

Shawn nearly gave me a black eye the other day.  I swore I was going to wake up with a big one yesterday morning, but I didn't.  I do, however, have a few HUGE bruises on my arms!  Argh.  We've been playing racquetball quite a bit lately at the YMCA.  It's (usually) fun, except when I whack myself with the racket! Or when Shawn nails me with the ball!  (though I did get him back today..... haha!) The girls also love it because they get to play in the childcare center.  Hannah especially loves it.  As soon as we get to the front door of the Y, she is on a dead run to the childcare center.  She sprints in there and makes a bee line to the ball pit!  haha.  And to think that she usually cries whenever we leave her somewhere......! 

Now I really can't think of anything else, so here goes the pictures.....!


Hannah woke up from her nap the other day with big bumps like this!  It kinda freaked us out since we had no idea what it was!  We finally decided to give her some benadryl, thinking maybe she touched something she was allergic to (no idea what) and maybe rubbed her eyes?  They went down though pretty quickly after the benadryl though!  So that made for a thankful mama!  She, of course, was still as happy as could be!

At the Hop Festival!  Having their first otter pop!  And boy, did Hannah love it! 

And so did KaeLee!  These have now recently become a staple in the Cox freezer!

Hannah running around, making grandma chase her.  She was just running around everywhere clapping her hands like a happy little seal.... haha

Silly girl...

Hannah riding her first pony! She loved it and did NOT want to get off!! haha!

I think KaeLee had fun too..... she never really showed any emotion.  But she said she had fun.

Took a break from the festival and rode on the tire swing with uncle Konner

Slide time!

the next day, after the hop festival, we went out to my aunt's house for a BBQ with my cousins from Montana.  The girls got to go swimming with uncle Kory and uncle Konner.  And they got to try out their new puddle jumper life jackets.  Hannah absolutely LOVED the water!  And she instantly started kicking when she got in the water!!  It was SO cute!

KaeLee is much more content and comfortable in a secure, safe floatie toy.  But just holding her in the water is not okay with her..... haha.

Uncle Konner with KaeLee

Uncle Kory with Hannah while she kicks away...!

Cole, Scott and Dawn's oldest, was also in the pool playing

More pool fun

Hannah tries to hula hoop!  She's so funny!

KaeLee and Kira playing together and neither of them are wanting their pictures taken!  haha

Hannah sitting with Auntie

Hannah was really into looking at the pictures on mom's camera

Then she saw me taking a picture of her, looked up and said CHEESE! haha

KaeLee joins in with the looking!  They love looking at pictures of themselves!

Uncle Konner gives the girls rackets from the badmitten......

And they are off and running with them in no time!

Last weekend we went up to Rocky Reach Dam to play on the toys, but they were super hot and untouchable, so we went inside to see the fish.... Here is a salmon!

Hannah and Shawn looking at the fish!

KaeLee and mama on the lookout for fish.  KaeLee is quite stubborn lately and refuses to smile for pictures anymore!  Argh!

Lately, one of Hannah's favorite thing to do it play dress up with all of her pretty jewlery!  If you call her pretty while she has it all on, she will dance around like a ballerina!  haha  She's so cute and IS so pretty!

I just really liked this one of her! 

The girls being silly!

That's all for now, folks!  Have a great Friday!

The label I always forget..... (and some adorable pics!)

So, I have not been on my blog for a while, nor have I read any of my "regular" blogs for a while.  But, I 'allowed' (as he puts it....!) Shawn to play his video game tonight, so it gave me a chance to do some catch up on the computer.  What should I be doing right now?  Hmmm..... probably some menu planning, ordering some pictures to be developed, updating quickbooks, designing my Christmas card address labels (yes, I have already been thinking about Christmas!), or about a million other things that I "should" be doing.  But instead, I am reading blogs.  Something I love doing, by the way.  And I sincerely wish that more of my friends would dive into the blog world!  I have so many friends that are hilarious story tellers and lead quite the interesting lives, but I can't seem to convince them to write about it.  I can't even remember how I started blogging.  I knew absolutely no one who blogged. 


Anyway, getting back on track here...... as I was reading one of my favorite blogs, she had the most amazing post that touched me so much!  It was as though she looked into my brain, gathered all the mumbo jumbo-ness of a mess in there, put it down in an organized way, and then answered my insecurities.  The answer seems so obvious, but it's amazing how quickly we forget.  Before I confuse you any more, click HERE to go read the blog post I am talking about.  (don't worry, it's a short one!)

Isn't she amazing?!?!?  I love the end, where she says "God's intention was never to let my circumstances define me. Rather, they were intended to refine me. He thrust me into the fire not to burn me, but to melt me and mold me into what He created me to be."  This is so true, but yet so easy to forget.  Whatever circumstances you have been put into, you have been put there for a reason.  It's not WHO you are, but you are in that circumstance to be molded INTO who God wants you to be. 

My circumstances include this:
I am a stay at home mom in a town I am just getting to know with very few people I know.  I have left everything that is familiar for everything that is foreign.  I am no longer the hard working college student, working full time to pay for my schooling, while planning for a wedding and becoming a wife.  Nor am I the full time pregnant employee, planning for a baby and decorating a nursery.  NOR am I the part time employee, full time mom, pregnant with a second child, decorating a nursery and figuring out how to manage two babies. 

I am a stay at home mom in a town I am just getting to know with very few people I know. I have left everything that is familiar for everything that is foreign.  But as scary as that circumstance is (for me), and no matter how much I NEVER thought that's where I would be in life 5 years ago, that is where I am.  But my circumstances don't define me.  They REFINE me.  How amazing is that!?!?!  They are molding me into who God wants me to be and who He created me to be. 

It makes me think about what I heard on the radio last night, as I was listening to Family Life on Positive Life Radio.  I love that segment!  I only got to listen to it because Shawn and I decided that we need some DQ and so I went on a late night run for some soft serve ice cream!  Yum-O!  I haven't had soft serve in years!  Anyway, during the Family Life segment, they were talking about raising kids, and the frustrations that parents can sometimes feel (though I feel mine A LOT more than just sometimes...... haha!)  They reminded me that the children are not my own.  They are God's children and I have been entrusted to care for them and be a part of their "molding".  They are not obligated to make ME happy all the time.  As long as what they are doing is for the glory of God, I shouldn't stress out.  I shouldn't cringe at the end of the day because of how they behaved that day.  I shouldn't say on the "good" days that I love being a parent and the opposite during the "bad" days.  My children deserve a much greater love than that.  Which is why I am SO glad that they are children of God.  Children who are fearfully and wonderfully made.  Children who matter 24/7 and are loved unconditionally by our Father in heaven.  I am not made to give that amount of love, no matter how much I would ever love to! 

But I also need to remember that I am also a child of God, who is fearfully and wonderfully made.  God doesn't have good days and bad days when it comes to loving us.  His love is unconditional.  It's amazing.  And you should never forget this either!  For you are also a child of God!

.................................................................................

In other news........ we went to the Hop Festival in Moxee last weekend...... I have posted a few pictures from the weekend.  I have also posted some amazing pictures that my cousin's wife, Dawn Wilson (Dawn's Digital Photography) took of the girls. I was scheduled to have their pictures taken on Monday for their 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year pictures, but hers were so great that I have cancelled the appointment and I will be framing the pictures she took! :)

Here are the pictures Dawn took!

This weekend is the first weekend in I don't know how long, that we had absolutely no plans!  It has been great so far!  We took the girls to Rocky Reach Dam today to play on the toys.  Only problem was that it was so hot outside that all the toys were super hot.  Luckily the fish observatory was open and we were able to go in there and watch the fish for a bit.  Then we cam home and I got the special treat of barbequed hamburgers!!  In case you didn't know, I love BBQ'd burgers, but only get them when other people come over for a BBQ!  So Shawn was a super nice husband today and made them for dinner tonight!  The girls' first hamburgers, since we didn't have any hot dogs, and I don't think either of them liked it! haha.  That's the first thing Hannah hasn't really cared for! (food wise)

Well, I need to head to bed.  I am starting to fall asleep aas I write this, so I will have to upload the other pictures later.  Sorry.  But have a goodnight! 

August Already? Well, here's July pictures....

So these pictures are pretty random since I have some from my mom's camera too.  We really haven't taken a lot of pictures lately, other than when we went to my mom's house (twice this month, actually, so the pictures from there might be mixed up from either time).  I apologize for the delay in blogs lately.  July has been a very busy month.  And now that I have created a schedule(finally) for my day, I have made a lot of work for myself with filling it in with jobs, chores, playgroups, storytimes, working out, couponing, grocery shopping, cleaning, and all the daily duties as well.  So, my days have been pretty packed. 

Shawn and I joined the YMCA last week in an attempt to start working out.  Tonight we went and played racquetball together and dropped the kids off at the daycare there.  They LOVE it!  Hannah threw quite the fit though when she had to give the dolly she was playing with back to the lady working.  haha.  It was pretty traumatizing for her. 

A funny thing that has been happening lately in the Cox resident happens at bedtime during prayer.  KaeLee has been praying lately and not allowing mommy or daddy to pray.  "I do it!"  is al we hear.  But she always starts off her prayer saying "Dear Jesus.  Thank you for this day and for grandma and grandpa and for my friends....."  and then she goes on to list everything she is thankful for, which include toys, her aunts and uncles, her clothes, going shopping, playing with her friends, going to sleep, playing outside.... and anything she did that day, really.  But for the last week she has added "pray for my new house".  I looked at Shawn when she said it the first night, and thought, "hmm..... she doesn't like our new house?"  But Shawn told me that they were looking together at some toy catalog that came in the mail and she saw a playhouse (a big, outdoor one, like a little tykes or something...) and she said "i want that!"  Shawn said something about maybe if you ask for one for Christmas, you might get one.  haha.  So she has been "asking" alright.  Every night.  And, I suppose, maybe to the right person..... haha.  So I think if she keeps this up, I will probably feel guilty enough by Christmas that we will get them one......

Anyway, I don't have a lot of time to write.  big brother is on soon, ya know!  And I have to give that show all my attention because I love it so much!  :)  So here are some more pictures.  I figured I should probably post them since I am going to Yakima again tomorrow for the weekend while Shawn goes fishing, so before I have a THIRD visit to catch up on, I should probably post the first two.  This weekend is the Moxee Hop Festival, which I have (for some reason) always looked forward to.  When you were in high school, this was the cool place to be and see everyone before school starts and get caught up about each other's summers.  Now, I suppose I just walk around and see how many people I know.  haha.  The girls aren't quite old enough for the blow up toys they have, but I think they have a little train ride and last year they really liked the parade and riding on the tractors.  They also had pony rides that we missed last year, so maybe this year I can catch them. 

Also this weekend, my cousin Scott and his wife, Dawn, and their boys are coming into town from Montana, so that will be great to see them.  We usually only see them once a year.  Also, my friend, Lindsay (who used to just live a few houses down from us) is having her daughter, Kalli's, second birthday party!  KaeLee has been talking about this all week too.  She can't wait!  So we are excited to see them too!  I know I have talked about this before....... but Lindsay has 2 daughters.  They are spaced out just like KaeLee and Hannah, but about 6 months later.  Kalli is right in between KaeLee and Hannah, and her youngest daughter, McKenzie, is about 9 months younger than Hannah.  It's too bad we moved away, because I am sure those four girls would have had a blast together, living so close!  I know us mamas would have had lots of fun!   

KaeLee blowing bubbles at Grandma and Grandpa Sauve's house

and again.  She's so serious about it.

There's a smile..... kinda

Hannah's turn! 

Shawn and the girls swimming at my dad's house (oh yeah, we went to visit them for the day a couple of weeks ago too)  It's funny how it ended up being mostly Shawn's family during June, and mostly my family during July.....

My dad joins in the swimming...

Playing with the golf clubs

KaeLee trying to golf..... with two clubs

The ice cream truck often drives by our house and this time, I let the girls have a treat.  A Popsicle.  I think they liked it.  They didn't eat hardly any of it, but they had fun.  I think they like that it came from the truck mostly. 

KaeLee with her Popsicle, eating out on the front porch.

The girls coloring

Hannah taking a nap on the way to grandma and grandpas house.  SO cute. 

KaeLee talking to grandma

Sunbathing..... haha

KaeLee running down the hill.  The girls' favorite thing to do

Hannah being goofy

Blowing bubbles with the girls

I love the tongue! haha

Climbing up the hill.... and searching for trouble....

Blowing bubbles with grandpa and Hannah proceeds to dance like a ballerina..... haha

 Lots of bubbles

The girls love blowing bubbles together!

The first time we went over to visit, (the beginning of the month), my brother, sister in law and Jake came over to visit too!  I haven't seen little Jake since Easter, so it was nice to see how big he's gotten. The girls love to play with him.

See how happy they are playing with him??  :)

Hannah swinging with uncle Kory

KaeLee's a "big girl" and swings all by herself!

Then the brothers decide they are little kids again and have a bubble fight....

Hannah and uncle Konner

Running down the hill is one of their favorite things to do.  Hannah especially loves it!  She would do it over and over again for hours..... haha

Jake, KaeLee and uncle Tim running together

Grandma plays ring around the rosie with the grandkids

Well, that's all for now.  I will try to be better about writing blogs.  I really do have a lot I wanted to write about, but there just isn't enough time in the day it seems.  Hannah is really talking up a storm and knows lots of words now.  She's a smart little one!  My mind is going completely blank other than that at the moment.  I have so much to do this morning before we leave at nap time today.  And I am by myself this time.  Shawn's not here to keep the girls out of my hair while I pack.  See?  I probably should have been packing last night instead of blogging...... oh well.  Hope you enjoyed the pictures.  Have a great weekend everyone!