Feelings from a Wife & Mother.

This season has been such a tease switching from hot to cold in a matter of hours.

 It's a gorgeous Friday afternoon, but I hear tomorrow is supposed to be a dreary one. A little downtime never hurt anyone. Life lately has been flying but with the help of our family with the kiddos, we enjoyed an entire weekend getaway to the beach with friends! 

I knew it could go two ways. We'd sleep our weekend away playing catch up away from the energy of Brady J, or we'd go crazy like old times and stay out until the wee hours having the time of our lives. Somehow we managed to find a median amongst our options and settled with having a such good laugh session that the tears were flowing and enjoying just the right amount of crazy before heading home.

Those times are the best. 

Oh, and we ate like piggies all weekend of course.

Crab legs, fried shrimp, and a little dab of everything else you might think of.

Coming home is always wonderful no matter how much fun the weekend held.

Brady lately seems to have grown up before our eyes and Marcy Lane, too.

She's four months old today!

Brady J has been such a hoot saying the most unpredictable things lately.

I was laying in bed with him last night and was almost asleep when he ran his fingers through my hair and said "Like ya hair, mama." He's brought me two flowers today (along with two for Marcy) and proven he's going to be nothing less than a heart breaker. He might be way more than a handful, but the boy knows how it all works. He makes it up to me by picking flowers and holding my hand and telling me I'm pretty. 

He's alright.

As for my little darlin', she's just too sweet for words. She smiles at her brother. Loves to be held. And she's giggled for the first time this week. She loves to watch me make ridiculous faces and sounds, but I love to hear her giggle, so I'll do whatever it takes. And still...she's in love with her daddy. When he's around, not only does he melt when she smiles, she saves her biggest smiles for him.

 It's really just a dream come true, my life. It's so simple. We're nothing fancy, nothing too uncommon either, but we're a close family- 

We love each other unconditionally and that makes everything just right.

She's so content outside. I love that.

We wrestled him for his summer haircut...and won!

Brady and I grabbed our potting soil, plants, and a pitcher of water. 

I showed him how to water the plants so that they're happy.

While I turned my back for only a minute, Brady was drowning our plants with water, yelling "HAPPY!!!"

Brought him back a surprise from the beach. We're finding them everywhere.

I'm slowly realizing that two little ones in every single way is (obviously) double the work, which makes me even more of a homebody. We usually leave home only when need be and I'm cooking almost every night. It's something I think about often, and I believe when I look back one day and remember my children as babies, I could never regret spending all the time I could with them.

 Of course the hard days come and go, 

but this is my most important job. 

My family is everything to me and I have to treat it as the blessing it is. 

When we're blessed tremendously, given something out of our own power to create ourselves, really what else can we do but give all of ourselves back as a grateful gesture. 

The Cox Household Lately.

There's something about rolled up blue jeans and bare feet in the grass. 

The boy is suffering from severe allergies, along with all the folks in South Carolina. We visited the doctor today and after a screaming fit, he told the doctor "Thank ya so much. Good job, Brady did it." 

I adore his self encouragement.

Brady J's room is together for now. I finished my "no sew" bed skirt. and it turned out pretty well!

I've got to learn to sew next. Got to.

 Miss Marcy has within the past week become the most cheerful little angel.

Still loves to be held...pretty much always. She makes me so happy.

Oh, and she giggles now. She's still my little monkey, almost always strapped on to mama and so glad to be carried around throughout the day. I love having her so close, myself.

Last summer before our deck was started, our favorite place was the front porch.

I've felt like it's been neglected, so tonight Brady and I both sat in the swing, 

read books and listened to the thunderstorm under a blanket. 

I still love it just as much. 

Another favorite thing of mine every spring are these glorious plants. 

Cilantro. Sweet Basil. More Cilantro and Mints of all kinds! 

Brian even surprised me with chocolate mint...

I'm sure I can find a use for that.

While I was downtown last Saturday sharing french toast and grits with the best friend I've ever had, my husband sent a picture to me from home. 

I fell in love all over again.

Life's been crazy lately- something I've learned is now routine. A routine chaos. Seriously as a mom of two babies, I question daily my strength to make it until bedtime. I've never known this type of exhaustion...or how empty my life was until I had a family. 

So much happens on a daily basis, so many things that they don't even belong in a blog post. 

Life did, however, slow down for one beautiful moment this week.

It was the first time Brady said (by himself and at a very random time...)

I love you, mama.

A Day In The Fort.

As happy as the child is soaking up the sun, his little allergies took over and sent him inside for the day. The pollen. It's a no good word that resulted in "the best day ever" by playing in a fort made with sheets, chairs, and a few hair clips thrown in the mix to help hold it together. 

What did you expect?  

So we've taken our allergy medicine, found popsicles and chocolate chip cookies to eat, dumped our hundred cars onto the floor, strung lights in our fort, quoted Shel Silverstein with Aunt Ellie, and now, the boy is sound asleep. It's been a calm and lovely day in the often chaotic mind of a mom. I've set aside laundry and dishes and picking up after my little hurricane to make a sweet memory. As for my little darlin', she's just an angel all the way around. She's started to babble and she's drooling like a mad woman. She (like Brady J) is more than an answered prayer. 

And her eyes are like her daddy's. 

Marcy Lane & Brady J.

When life slows down a little, fantastic things can happen.

Like races between dump trucks and race cars.

And learning to dunk cookies in milk.

Never in my wildest dreams could you tell me I'd one day laugh about ketchup being spilled on a pillowcase or make a mess myself and leave it. Every little hilarious word that comes out of his mouth is like a reminder that God has such a huge plan filled with blessings for my life as a mom. I mean, I'm not out changing the world, and this isn't an extraordinarily different story than you've ever heard...

But I watch the sunset everyday. He's there. And He's given us a home filled with love and a book to go by. He's given us two miracles with the strength, patience and capability to raise them to one day begin families of their own. 

And He's given us special days together in homemade forts.

Bring on the Sunshine.

Even though springtime is here, I'm still waiting for that warm air to lure us outside and keep us there a little longer. Of course that hasn't stopped us from enjoying our time at home. This week we've taken walks around the neighborhood, welcomed Elliot home from Costa Rica, celebrated the big dog's fourth birthday, screamed "WeeHaawww!!!" on the swing set, and turned my little sister into a total blonde. Babe. No complaints about this week, I'd say. I hear it's going to be a beautiful weekend, too. Maybe a cookout, Begin a project,

Try a new recipe, Plant some flowers,

Color my hair?

...which I hate doing myself, for the record.

It's going to be a great weekend, I can feel it.

My Little Rascal.

Welcoming Spring as a Family of Four.

What a beautiful Easter Sunday it turned out to be! Family, laughter, sunshine, happy little babies, and delicious food. (Of course!) 

That's only the beginning to this new spring & summer season I've been looking so forward to !

These days are so special, days that I can't get enough of. I'll always crave hugs and kisses and I'll do anything to see my children smile. I watched excitement wash over Brady J today so much that his little legs couldn't stop jumping and he couldn't catch a breath to say what he was too excited to say. 

He ran as fast as he could searching for eggs and yelling

"HAPPY EASTER!" to anyone who listened.

He was happy and covered in chocolate.

And that to me...is the perfect day!

That's when it becomes clear 

where your heart lies.

It lies with my babies enjoying life as they should, 

as much as they should.

And letting them know, I'm here to enjoy it with them.

The cake turned out just like I hoped! It was delicious and SO easy to make (You know I don't even bother unless it seems simple...) and how fun is this to look at?!

Click Here for the Recipe!

Happy Easter to you all!

My Thinking Chair.

What a beautiful time of day.

Out of her bedroom you can watch the most peaceful sunset...

I called Brady over tonight to see for himself just how lovely it was.

He's learned a new word lately-

"Bwessed."

We're blessed.

So I sit in my thinking chair (Marcy's rocking chair) to feed and rock the little one to sleep. This is most calm and quiet time of my entire day. I think. I reflect. I plan. I watch her pretty little face slowly fall to sleep, I hold her tiny fingers and think every night just what a blessed life our family is living. 

Nothing more or less, simply grateful for this life.

My sister is heading home, folks. She's coming home. God's plan never failed her- she's been surrounded by angels since she left this town. "Real world" things are falling into place for her and I couldn't be more thrilled to spend this summer close to my Ellie. We've Skyped, we've emailed, planned summer outings, concerts, all while she's preparing to jump into the "real world" she calls it. 

It's not so bad really, it can be whatever you make it to be. 

With the imagination, creativity & love for life like my sister has,

 I'm sure to say many sunny days lie ahead. 

Seems like every conversation I had today somehow led towards the upcoming summer and our excitement for it. Friends, cookouts,  fun in the water, concerts, just so many things to look forward to!

Spending this summer around people I love, I just can't wait to do. I've also thoroughly surprised myself with the "diet." I should know myself well enough to know I'd never actually follow a diet, so I'm headed in the direction I was meant to follow in the first place. 

Eating clean and exercising.

It's doing me well.

(The simple way always wins.)

I'm spending this weekend with the whole family and looking so forward to it. 

Just to hug my sister and hear all the stories she has to tell. 

My thinking chair held lots for me tonight.

It reminded me just how good it is for me to slow down and take a look at the life I'm living and the beauty

 God creates for me every single day. 

How many days to we stop to enjoy the sunset? 

Or cuddle our babies while they fall asleep? 

I crawled in bed with my Brady too, where I can't help but cry almost every night. 

He holds my hand and sings us to sleep. 

I just don't know who I'd be without these three blessings in my life. 

He shows me He loves me in so many ways.

For A Rainy Saturday.

Even though I'm off limits to sweets like this,

 I have a husband who might love this.

(I had three small bites exactly...I had to know if it made the cut.)

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE CAKE

One could only assume it came from Pinterest, and you'd be correct. 

I followed the recipe as directed, and I became a fan.

Brady was napping and Marcy was in her carrier, so carefully I bounced around the kitchen with my little lady making something sweet for her sweetheart...her daddy.

Ingredients:

-One box of strawberry cake mix (plus water, oil, eggs as directed on box)

-8oz Regular Cream Cheese (or reduced fat of course)

1 packet (0.23 oz) of Kool-Aid Lemonade

-Yellow Food Coloring gel (as desired for color...really not necessary..)

-2 cups Jet- Puffed Marshmallow Creme

-8 oz Cool Whip Topping

-Fresh Strawberries

Directions:

-Make cake according to box and bake in 2 9" round cake pans. Turn finished cakes over on cake racks and allow to cool completely.

-Cream together cream cheese, lemonade and yellow food coloring until smooth.

-Mix marshmallow creme and then mix in Cool Whip until completely smooth. Refrigerate until cake is cooled and cut.

-Cut each cake layer in half. 

-Alternating layers of cake with layers of filling. Top with Strawberries!

-Refrigerate and serve chilled.

--Because I'm not a huge fruity fan to begin with (this was for Brian) the strawberry was great and the filling was tart. To me.  I think if I would've left the lemonade mix out of the recipe, I would've loved it a little more. Learn as you go!

A new recipe for a lovely spring!