Clint and the 'Rents

2010-11-19T21:41:00.001-08:00

2010-11-01T19:30:00.001-07:00

Is that a cupcake, too??

2010-11-01T19:28:00.001-07:00

What's that you have? Is that a cupcake???

2010-10-14T21:12:00.001-07:00

If you are in DFW, check out Summer Cox or Jason Cox's wall to find out about their HUGE garage sale to raise funds to bri

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Craig and Clint are ready to cheer on their Texans!

2010-09-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

2010-09-20T02:27:00.001-07:00

I hope those little feet aren't stuck!

2010-09-11T10:53:00.001-07:00

Glad its not raining like my first Kolache Festival!

2010-08-28T07:24:00.001-07:00

Swinging at the neighborhood park!

2010-08-15T16:44:00.001-07:00

Lime!!!

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2010-05-09T11:52:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

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2010-04-24T07:50:00.001-07:00

Clint loves his Memaw.

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2010-04-01T19:29:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!

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2010-02-21T13:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some elk for you, direct from Estes Park, CO.

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2010-01-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

The park is fun!!!

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2010-01-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

Let's go to the park!

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2010-01-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

Daddy was blowing bubbles with his gum.

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2010-01-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

Studying Roscoe

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2010-01-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

What a great day to play outside!

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2010-01-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

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2010-01-05T08:53:00.000-08:00

Mmmmm...banana

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2009-12-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

Clint is all packed up and ready to go!

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2009-12-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

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2009-12-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

Clint with his namesake/great grandpa!

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2009-12-14T09:13:00.000-08:00

Roadtrips are fun! Dairy Queen, I win!!!

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2009-12-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

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2009-12-11T06:36:00.000-08:00

Clint like bananas!

Five Months

2009-12-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

We celebrated five months with our little guy on Friday, December 4, 2009. As of that day, he could sit up without support (when put in that position), "talk" and laugh, play with his puppies (supervised), roll both ways, spin around in his bed, play in his excersaucer, love his Momma and Daddy, and eat like a champ!!

Clint likes Rice Cereal, Green Beans, Peas, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Turkey, Oatmeal, Carrots, and Chicken. Clint does NOT like it when the food disappears. He has liked everything we have offered him. He is a good eater, and he has gained a few pounds. I have not had this documented by a health professional, but he is certainly heavier!! His little face is rounder, and he is filling out his 9 month clothes a little better. He was on the slim side at his 4 month check up. Clint will soon outgrow some of his 9 month footie PJs, but fortunately, the bigger ones just happen to be the warm and fuzzy ones, so we are in good shape! Since it has gotten cooler, we have also been able to use the cozy blankets friends and family have made for him!

Clint is so good-natured, and smiles at everyone! He is so much fun, and I love being home with him. He is getting to be a better day-time sleeper, and it feels like we might be starting to establish some patterns during the day. We'll see though...

Happy 5 Months, Clint! We love you!!!

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2009-12-04T11:38:00.000-08:00

Snow in Tomball!!!

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2009-12-02T12:35:00.000-08:00

All this PLUS a little bit of cereal, PLUS a little bit of carrots. He would have eaten more, but I know his tummy is only so big...

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2009-11-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

Look who can sit up all by himself!

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2009-11-29T21:01:00.000-08:00

The highchair's maiden voyage. Clint likes to eat...see the empty bowl?

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2009-11-22T07:19:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when Clint spends time with Daddy!

Happy Halloween!!!!!

2009-11-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

We had a very busy Halloween this year! We went to MeMaw and PaPaw's house (Craig's parents) to show off Clint in his costume, but we don't have any pictures from there - it was a quick trip, as we were on our way to Ella's 2nd Birthday Party!!! Happy Birthday, Ella!
Clint was a Super Monster for Halloween! That is the largest burrito at Freebirds. We conceptualized this idea before he was born (I think), and I made the costume last week. We got shirts from The Bird, and we were Freebirds Employees. He was DELICIOUS!!!!!
After the party, we went to my parents' house for a little while since it was close, and we gave Clint a chance to get some rest and kept us from being in the car all afternoon. My dad in his costume...He was A Work of Art!!!

We went to Freebirds to show off. Clint was BIGGER than a Super Monster!!!! He is worth WAY more than anything on the menu!!!!

Here we are with the Freebirds Van.

Somehow, we did not receive any free food. What's up with that???

Then we headed to the church building for Trunk or Treat! Here is Trey with the pumpkins. He was John. He wore a Westfield t-shirt, carried a whistle and John's coach's badge and he had a little bit of facial hair. SO CUTE!!! I wish I had a close up of him. My mom is on the right - Ragedy Andy.

The Welborn Family (not us - there is another family with our name - spelled the same, even!) won the award for best decorated car. Cool, huh? The Alarid Family won for best costumes. I don't have any pictures, but Ursela, King Triton, Ariel, and Flounder were all super cute!!!

Dr. John, Princess Jennifer, and Coach O (the miniature version)!

Get out of here, birds!!!!

Jenn, Clint, Steph, and Rachel

Clint became one with the art and got some rest. (The art was hungry.)

Clint was so content all day in his costume. It was sort of like being swaddled. He was slippery, though, and if he hadn't been so relaxed, he would have been hard to hold onto!!! But he seemed to have a really good day! And he was so, so cute!!!!!!

Here is our decorated trunk. We served our candy out of aluminum pans with a ladel, Freebirds style. Can you see our pumkin? That was Craig's idea. He is so creative!!!

Trent and Rachel came out for Trunk or Treat and then came over afterwards. Clint fell asleep in the car on the way home, so we just put his car seat in his bed and he slept there until about 2am or so. I think he woke up disoriented, and it took a little while to get him back to sleep, but eventually we did. So tired... We enjoyed seeing our friends, and we look forward to our "Camping Trip" in November. We always go camping with the Mayberrys the weekend before Thanksgiving, but this year, Rachel reserved some rooms for us at her Dad's house in San Antonio, so we'll spend the nights there and do whatever we want to do in the area during the days. We haven't had the best experiences with weather on our caming trips, and I think this will be less stressful for all of us. Thanks Rachel - Great idea!!!

Today we rested.

It's Almost Halloween!!!

2009-10-28T20:06:00.000-07:00

I made Clint's Halloween costume today, and Craig and I put our complimentary costumes together. We are so excited to show off this weekend!!!! Pictures Sunday, hopefully...

Anniversary Getaway

2009-10-27T19:55:00.001-07:00

We spent this past weekend at the lakehouse where we honeymooned five years ago. Thanks Alarid Family!!! Here is the view from the doc.

Craig and Clint went fishing.Daddy, I love fishing with you THIS much!

Relaxing inside...

Clint also learned some new tricks this weekend. He started to hold his bottle all by himself with both hands, on purpose. He can put his pacifier back into his mouth...correctly...eventually. He already knew how to roll from his tummy to his back, but he refused to do it this weekend, so we spent a lot of time trying to encourage him to roll. Sunday night, I went to check on him after he went to bed (always on his back, as all the books say), and this is what I found:

First, I laughed, then got concerned, checked for breathing and what-not, and then got the camera, since Craig had gone out to get us a snack. So now Clint rolls back and forth on his own without prompting. We still put him to bed on his back, but he tends to roll to his side to sleep, and it is so cute!

We had a great weekend together. It was great to just relax!

August - Back to our Timeline

2009-10-27T19:46:00.001-07:00

Various pictures from August...

RIBS!!!!!

2009-10-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

A couple of Sundays ago, Craig cooked outside and made ribs!!! Yu-mmy!!!!!

See? They were good!

Clint and I watched.

The legs of the barbequers...

Clint went to bed fairly early, so we were able to enjoy dinner without having to worry about touching him with rib-fingers. It was a great day! Thanks for cooking, Craig!!!

August 4th - One Month Old

2009-10-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

We shamelessly borrowed the idea of comparing Clint to an object in order to show his growth. We did exhibit a tiny bit of creativity in choosing the guitar, but I can't take credit for that...thanks Craig!!! We decided we would measure him in frets. Trouble is, these are the only pics we have...we might have forgotten to take the same pictures on September 4th and October 4th. Incidently, this guitar hangs in Clint's room on the wall. Craig and I wrote a song that we sing each night for Clint. Craig wrote the tune and most of the lyrics, and I just threw in a few words here and there. Craig plays and we both sing. Here are Clint's official "One Month" pictures. I didn't take him to a studio for these since he could barely hold his little head up, but I went over to Amanda's house, and we just sorta propped him up!

The next one is one of my favorites!

July 2009

2009-10-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from different times in July. Craig was able to spend a couple of weeks at home before going back to work.

This one is fuzzy, but it is such a sweet picture of Clint with Aunt Jenn, his third favorite person in the entire world!!! (Besides Momma and Daddy, of course!)

Spending time at Uncle John, Aunt Jenn and Trey's house.

Clint only wore this outfit once before he outgrew it.

This was Clint's first playdate at Harry's house. Harry has a pool. Clint didn't swim this time, but I will post video of Clint's first swim later on.

That is Meredith and Hayes with Momma and Clint.

Harry, Taylor and Kinley

Stacy (my long-time roommate from A&M) and Wes Yoakum came to see us with their boys, Jakob and Derek.

Craig and Jakob played with blocks.

Derek played with a phone.

Trent and Rachel brought their nephew, Jamaica, to Craig's parents' house for a little while when he was in town for a visit. Ashlee held Clint.

This is PaPaw (Craig's Dad), Grandma (PaPaw's Mom), Aunt Polly (MeMaw's Aunt), and Little J in the front.

Nicky, Buzz Lightyear Bear, Hamilton, Sing & Snore Ernie, Nathan, and Clint is in there somewhere!

Clint's first hicky - seriously, there was a pretty good mark.

Kakki and Papa Doug

Papa Doug - these two are going to have SO much fun!!!!! Just ask Trey Bear!!!!!

This is just a pictoral synopsis of July. I realize now that we don't have pictures loaded of MeMaw and PaPaw...sorry about that!!! We'll make sure we get those up here, too!!!

Clint's First Week at Home

2009-10-16T22:07:00.000-07:00

Clint was all ready for his first outing on his second day at home - a trip to meet the doctor!! Not quite sure how his pants got pulled up so high...
Quality time with Daddy,

Papa Doug,

and Kakki.

Great Grandma Ruth's birthday was July 9th, so we took a little trip to Montgomery, TX, to wish her a Happy Birthday!! It was also her first time to meet Clint!

Ms. Laurie and Emily (though we didn't know she was Emily yet) came over before Bunko that Thursday to meet Clint.

On Friday, Clint made his restaurant debut at Olive Garden. He did great! He got a little fussy, but that was easily solved. Here he is with his cousin, Ashlee.

All ready for church on Sunday morning - just waiting for Momma and Daddy to get ready!

It was an eventful first week! (Oh, and at one of the places we went, we were asked, "How many months is he?" Ha Ha!!! One quarter!!!)

Clint's First Day at Home

2009-10-16T21:43:00.001-07:00

Clint's first day home in his "going home" outfit. Trey chose this little outfit at the store for Baby Clint!!!

Sometime during that first day home...

Summer was a huge help in getting Clint's clothes and drawers and closet organized!

This was us getting ready for bed on Clint's first night at home.

Clint was crying.

Craig told me to pretend Clint was not crying.

All in all, the first day and night at home were a success! We began our night-time routine, and we still follow it three months later - we just start a little earlier now!

Working From Home

2009-10-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

Craig and Clint are working from home today. Nobody likes to work.

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2009-10-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

Roll on!!!

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2009-10-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

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2009-10-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

Clint is sad that baseball season is wraping up.

Rookie Mistake #2

2009-10-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Clint took a solid 25 minute nap in Wal-Mart this morning, and woke up happy. When we got home, Clint played on the playmat in the living room while I unloaded the groceries. Shortly thereafter, I fed him and got him ready for his nap. I am happy to report that I was able to put him in his bed drowsy, but awake, and he went to sleep! He had been sleeping for a good hour when my paranoia kicked in. Surely, Clint couldn't be resting peacefully, so I decided to check on him. Sure enough, he was asleep and happy (I suppose). By the time I made it back downstairs, he was awake and fussing a little bit. Now, the book I am reading about child/baby sleep says a well rested child will wake up happy. Clint was not a well rested child. He scowled at me when I went back in his room. I knew he needed - and really wanted - to go back to sleep, but he was having trouble. After putting the pacifier back in his mouth a few times, I finally picked him up. He fell back asleep, so I put him in his carseat right beside me so I could monitor his waking up. He was in and out for about half an hour, and then he woke up happy.

The moral to this story: If it sounds like he is sleeping soundly, trust God that he is, and let him sleep!!!

Bragging

2009-09-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, and Clint sleeps all night, and has since he turned six weeks old. He goes to bed between 9pm and 9:30pm, and generally wakes up around 8am! We have our occasional mishaps, but for the most part, we follow this schedule. Napping...now that's a different story, but at least we get to sleep at night!

Busy Clint

2009-09-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, folks. Clint has been super busy!!! So busy, in fact, that he didn't even get a two month post. So today Clint is 12 weeks old. He will be three months on October 4th. He is smiling all the time, and it sounds like he is laughing, too! Clint has started doing ab crunches - gotta stay in shape! He tries to sit up when we hold him in a cradle-like position, or when he is strapped into his carseat. He holds his up up very proudly, and he can sit in his bumbo seat. He also likes to sit on the couch with Momma and watch TV. I like to watch Family Fued while I eat lunch, and I have to be mindful to change the channel when its over because that's when Maury comes on. Smut...pure smut.

At his two month check-up, which was at about nine and a half weeks, Clint weighed 12 lbs, 6 oz, and he was 25 1/4 inches long. Because he is so long, he is already wearing 9 month clothes! He doesn't fill them out much width-wise, but he needs every bit of the length in his torso and legs. It is still hard for me to believe, considering his parents' heights. It has been challenging to dress him in this warm weather, since most of his clothes that fit now are long sleeves and sweat pants. Fortunately, he has a few outfits that are September-in-Texas-appropriate that were likely intended to be worn next Spring. I was excited about our not-as-hot-front this past week!!!

Here are some of the events of the last two months:

Clint's first Astros game (we won't discuss the score). He did really well. He slept in the front carrier on the short walk to the park - Craig found us some close free parking! Then, he was awake for most of the game. He fell asleep after the 7th inning stretch, and we stayed for the whole game. He slept through the walk back and the drive home, too! It was a great first game experience for all three of us.

Clint's first Kolache Festival in Caldwell, TX. For the last several years, we've tried to go to this event with Trent and Rachel. I think I had only been once, and the guys had gone one year, and last year, Ike didn't allow the trip. This year, there was no hurricane, but it sure did rain!!! Clint was nice and dry (for the most part) in his stroller, with his Daddy carrying the umbrella over it.
When we got home, we relaxed and watched some college football. Yes, that is Aggie maroon, the outfit Craig got for him for me in my stocking last Christmas!!

Clint also got to meet his Great Grandpa Clinton Rutherford, after whom he is named, and Mamaw, too, but we didn't get pictures of her on this card. We'll have to update later!!

You can really see the resemblance in this picture. :-)

Clint has stayed by himself at both of his grandparents' houses so Momma could do things like exchange some of his clothes for bigger sizes, get the car looked at, and get a haircut.

Yesterday, we went to meet Kakki and Trey and Aunt Jenn at Candy Cane Park in Conroe. Incidently, this is where Jenn and I used to have birthday parties when we were little. Of course, all of the play equipment is different (probably a good thing), but the little gazebo where we had cake is still there! It was fun to watch Trey play, and Kakki packed a picnic lunch for us. Clint enjoyed it for a little while, then took a nap. And since there were more adults than children at this outing, I got to play, too!

Tonight, Craig went to a concert with Ray, so he suggested that Clint and I go out on a date, so we did. Any guesses? That's right! We went to Freebirds!!! Once Clint woke up, I got lots of smiles!!! Good call, Craig!!

Rookie Mistake

2009-09-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure I just woke Clint up watching a video of Clint. I didn't realize the volume was up so high. Oops.

Happy Clint!!!

2009-08-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

Clint has been giving us hints of smiles for the last couple of weeks, but we haven't really been sure whether they were on purpose or not. We still enjoyed them thouroughly, but tonight, he put on a really good show. It is the previous post. This was the most facial activity we have gotten yet. Usually, we just get the stare, and we have been so happy to have that stare. I was so happy that all of this cooing and smiling happened while we were both here and while I had my phone handy to capture the moment. I have only watched the video six or eight times, but I'll probably watch it another few times before I go to bed.

Clint was four weeks old yesterday, and he'll be one month officially on Tuesday, August 4th. It is hard to believe. Time kind of stood still for me after June 26th. Clint has a weight check on Tuesday, so hopefully he's gained the appropriate amount of weight. I know he is getting longer. He is going to be "longer" than his Momma before we can refer to this measurement as "height." He wasn't quite back up to his birth weight at his two week check, so the doctor just wants to make sure he is still gaining. He eats well, especially in the evenings. In fact, that is pretty much all he does in the evenings. He probably eats four times between 4pm and 9pm. We put him to bed between 9:30 and 10pm, and he only wakes up once during the night to eat - usually between 3 and 4am. Then, he sleeps again until around 7am.

One night last week, (Wednesday night, when we tried to go church) Clint ate almost constantly from the time we got back home (after attempting to go to church) at 6:45pm until almost 10pm. Then, something magical happened. He slept until 6am. He went to sleep at 10pm. That is eight hours, my friends!!! And even though we got up to check on him probably 5 or 6 times (between the two of us), it was nice to be able to go back to sleep right away. The two times I got up, I would hear him on the monitor, and by the time I got to his room, he was out again, so I didn't bother him. He certainly was hungry Thursday morning!!!

We have been blessed that Clint has allowed us to sleep for good stretches at a time. He is also fairly easy to get back to sleep after he eats in the middle of night. I know that I am spoiled, and if we have another little one someday, I hope Clint will teach him or her how it is supposed to work around here!

During the day, Clint has started playing with some of his toys. We have some on the sides of the changing table (Thanks Melissa!) and he bats at them and looks at them. It is really amazing to see him discover things like that. I bathe him in the baby bath tub on the counter in our bathroom, and Clint LOVES to look at the little baby next to him in the other baby bathtub on the adjacent bathroom counter. (That other baby is pretty cute, too.) He has a mirror that attaches to the side of the crib, and we put it in there with him sometimes when he is playing by himself, or we'll put it beside him on the changing table. He just loves that other baby!! I can't blame him. I tend to stare at him, too.

Clint does very well playing alone, which of course, means that he is pretty much just staring at his toys, or maybe reaching toward them. I try to put the parts the crackle under him so that when he moves, they make noise. This morning, after I got him ready for church, I put him in his crib with the mirror and some toys while we got ready, and he was perfectly content (and awake) for about 30-45 minutes. Everytime I went in there, he was just looking at something.

This month has gone by so fast!! We are enjoying Clint so much. He is so sweet to hold and cuddle and play with and stare at and listen to. His little show tonight made us so happy!!! Don't forget to check it out (below)!!!

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2009-08-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

Such a happy boy!!!

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2009-08-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

"I will call him Mini-C"

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2009-08-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

Eat 'em uuuuuup Kats!!!

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2009-07-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

I think Clint must have done something to disrupt the Space-Time Continuum. Check out his hand. Where's Doc Brown????

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2009-07-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Maybe that's a smile...

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2009-07-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

Could that be a smile?

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2009-07-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Check out my smile!

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2009-07-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is my awake face.

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2009-07-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

It's our first day at home without Daddy. As you can see, we have been very productive. It is 11:30. No wonder I'm hungry!

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2009-07-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

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2009-07-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Clint paying close attention in Church

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2009-07-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

Bath time Clint

FW:

2009-07-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

Goodnight Clint. Sweet dreams!

Clint's Home

2009-07-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

Clint getting ready to go home.

Clint's not too sure about the car seat, but he apparently loved it once we hit the road. He slept like a rock.

We brought Clint home today. The dogs seemed less interested in him than I expected when we first got home. They seemed more happy to see Stephanie and me. Anytime Clint cries, their ears perk up and they try to sneak as many peeks as possible. Clint took a nice long nap which allowed us to catch up on some sleep. (2 hours +!!!) Thanks Clint!!! Stephanie is feeling great. She is such a rock star!!! It's really an amazing thing. You think you've got it all when you find the perfect woman that God made just for you. You think your life is complete, and then you find out that you're still missing a piece of God's puzzle. He gives you this incredible gift; one of His children. God is so good!!! I can't wait to wake up each day to see what else He has in store for us.

2009-07-06T08:20:00.003-07:00

Heading home today!

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2009-07-06T08:20:00.001-07:00

Heading home today!

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2009-07-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

Can't wait to take Clint hiking!!!

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2009-07-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

Summer and her family are here to visit!

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2009-07-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

daddy and baby

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2009-07-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Mom and baby

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2009-07-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

Hospital Fun

2009-07-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

Clint's Second Day

2009-07-05T11:52:00.000-07:00

Steph and Clint

Grandma Cox, Craig, and Clint.

Papa Doug with Clint

Clint is two days old!!! Woo-hoo!!!!!! He had a good night. He's getting used to eating, which is a good thing since he is so big. Stephanie is such an incredible mother. (No surprise there) Please feel free to drop by if you'd like. We would love to see you. We are at Methodist Willowbrook in room 2315.

Clint's Here!!!

2009-07-04T18:59:00.000-07:00

Clinton Allen Cox. Born July 4, 2009. 3:42 am

The happy Cox family. God is good!

Clint shortly after birth

Craig after finding out that delivery would start at any minute.

Stephanie after finding out that delivery would start at any minute.

Clinton Allen Cox was born very early this morning. Steph was amazing!!! Once delivery started, it only took about 30 minutes for Clint to arrive. Clint is big and beautiful. He weighs in at 9 lb and 8.4 oz, and is 21 inches long. Steph and I really appreciate your prayers, advice, visits, and friendship. Be on the lookout for more frequent posts going forward along with pictures and videos!

Plan E

2009-07-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, E.

I was talking to Lynda on the phone this evening, around 10:30, and an unfamiliar number beeped in. I thought to myself, "I bet this is the hospital calling to confirm our appointment to be induced tomorrow morning at 5am. (because don't they always make those calls late at night?) Surely they are not calling to tell us not to come in at 5am." As it turns out, they were calling to tell us not to come in at 5am tomorrow morning.

I went into the bedroom to inform Craig of Plan E, as dictated by Methodist Willowbrook, and I completely fell apart. Craig kept it together so I could have a breakdown. He's a rock.

I was told they would call us when they have availability tomorrow. She said the hospital discharge time is 10am, so maybe we'll get a call around that time. Who knows? I'm so glad we received a good report from the non-stress test today, so we can at least relax about Clint's health and safety.

The contractions I was having have eased up in frequency and intensity. I'm not sure what that means, but Clint is still moving around in there, so I'm not going to worry about it. Hopefully, that just means that I can get a good night's rest tonight. (I actually just called a nurse at the hospital to ask about it, and she said since my contractions had not been consistently 5 minutes apart for two hours at any point, the change in frequency is nothing to be concerned about - Whew! Sleep it is!!!)

So tomorrow, we wait. What a rollercoaster of a week! Our families have been so supportive and have done well to keep us busy during those times when our plans had been cancelled. Tuesday night, we had dinner with Trent and Rachel, and then played Monopoly till all hours of the night. Last night, we went out with Craig's parents for dinner, and by chance, we ran into Stacey, Parris and Ashlee, so we had a whole family dinner! Today, Jenn spent the day with me - Craig went in to work for a little while after our appointment this morning - and then John and Trey and my parents came over to spend some time this evening.

We really hope we get to meet and hold our little boy tomorrow!

Plan D Still on Track

2009-07-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

The non-stress test went well today. Clint is perfectly fine. We were there a little longer that normal because the machine that records the results ran out of paper, and then it kept getting jammed. But I was with two of my favorite people, so I didn't even notice. Clint was a champ! He moved a bunch for me, and it was really cool to hear the change in his heart rate when he moved.

We are still planning to go to the hospital tomorrow morning at 5am to be induced, assuming we don't start having more consistent contractions on our own. I've had them all day, since 3:30 this morning, and mostly, they have been about 6-10 minutes apart, with a few longer stretches thrown in from time to time. I'm sure I won't sleep much more tonight than I did last night, but I can't imagine that I would have slept much anyway, anticipating Clint's arrival. Tomorrow is the 41 week mark. I wonder how big he will be. :-)

Plan D

2009-07-01T20:52:00.000-07:00

So today was fun. We went to the hospital at 2pm, as we were instructed. When we got there, we went to the nurse's station to check in, so we gave our name, and the nurse kinda had this "oh no" look on her face. She said our doctor was supposed to call me, to which I replied, "Oh, do we need to come back later?" She said we were on the schedule for Friday morning at 5am.

I don't know if our doc was supposed to call us or not, but truth be told, it was only a couple of hours between the time we left the doctor's office and the time we were supposed to be at the hospital, and one of those hours was lunch. Besides that, our poor doctor is mourning the loss of a close family member, and trying to take care of us at the same time, in addition to all of her other patients, so I don't fault her. It was disheartening to be sent home, but we just kept reminding ourselves that things happen. Evidently, the amniotic fluid was not low enough to be of great concern, or we would have gotten that one last bed at the hospital, but alas...we didn't.

Before we left the hospital, we had to sit down and regroup so we didn't fall apart, and as we were sitting in the waiting room of Labor and Delivery (with my overnight bag), I overheard just enough of a conversation from another family to remind me of how fortunate we are. I don't know what was going on with their situation, but it sounded like there were some concerns, and they could use our prayers. I am uncomfortable at times, but that is the extent of it.

Tomorrow, I am going in for a non-stress test. Basically, they'll hook me up to a monitor, much like they would if I were laboring in the hospital, and just monitor Clint's movements and heart rate for 20-30 minutes, and of course, we had the ultrasound today, so they'll be able to take a good look at how he's doing in there. Jenn is going with me, so that should be fun!!! I told Craig he might as well go to work...if he wanted to...so he's going to try to put in a full day and get some things taken care of, rather than waiting around. Jenn can wait around with me! Thanks Aunt Jenn!!!!

So unless these contractions pick up and register at a Category 5, we'll wait for Friday morning, and do it the good ol' fashion chemical way!!!

On the plus side, Friday is July 3rd, which is my Dad's birthday, so IF we actually get into the hospital, and IF it doesn't take more than 3/4 of a day to make things happen, then Clint and Papa Doug will share a birthday! And if Clint is really stubborn, then maybe he can share a birthday with Grandma Ruth (July 9th). Ha ha ha!!!

Plan C, Part II

2009-07-01T10:29:00.001-07:00

Ok, so we went to the doctor this morning, and as it turns out, Clint is just fine in there, but my fluid is a little low, so the doctor wants to go ahead and induce. WHOO-HOO!!! Last night and this morning, I have been quite uncomfortable with random contractions that don't seem to be doing much.

We are going to the hospital at 2pm today. There are currently no beds available, but they expect someone to deliver any minute now. The doctor said if we don't get started at 2pm, we WILL still do it today, so we are happy with that.

Craig will be updating Facebook because he can do it from his phone, and when we have a chance, we'll update this blog.

That's all we know right now. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!!!!

Plan C

2009-06-30T15:00:00.001-07:00

"Plan A" was to go into labor on my own within a few days of my due date. Not likely, given my family history, but it was worth a shot.

"Plan B" was to be induced today. We were on standby at the hospital, so as soon as some other family took their new member home, we could come in and be induced. But, unfortunately, my doctor had a death in her family, so she had to be away. Evidently, it was very unexpected, and I feel sad for her. I'm sure her family would appreciate prayers of comfort. We were still on standby at the hospital, but the doctor on call was not able to fit me into his schedule, so we were not able to induce today. The nurse did not have the July call schedule yet, so we could not make any plans for tomorrow yet. She said she would see what information she could gather and call us today with the new plan.

So here is "Plan C": We have an appointment tomorrow with our doctor at our doctor's office. We will have another ultrasound, and we'll get checked out. That's all we know for sure at this point. We are HOPING that the ultrasound will reveal that Clint is perfectly fine, but big enough that he needs to be delivered sooner rather than later. He measured at 8 lbs, 12 oz on Friday, so odds are he is bigger now... We are a tad bit concerned about availability at the hosptial, due to the upcoming holiday weekend, especially since we were only on standby the first time around. The nurse told me that since we are past the due date already, the further we get into this week, the more of a priority we become at the hospital. I'm hoping after our appointment, they'll just send us over to the hospital, but we'll just have to wait and see.

I've been having contractions since Sunday night, but they have not followed a pattern of any kind. I'd like to assume they are doing something, but who knows??? Yesterday, my mom and I went to the grocery store, and today, Craig and I went to the mall to walk for a while. We're just waiting, and trying to have fun in the meantime. We have dinner plans tonight with Trent and Rachel. Then, we'll just see what the doctor says tomorrow!

Update on Clint

2009-06-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

I am still pregnant.

Family Camp South (FCS)

2009-06-28T07:52:00.001-07:00

I am a big supporter of Family Camp with our church family, but since I was due the weekend of Family Camp, we didn't get to go. It was a really hard decision to make, or rather to accept, I suppose. I guess we could have, since we still don't have a baby, but I have a feeling that as much good as we would have gotten out of Family Camp, I probably would have been fairly uncomfortable. Jenn, John and Trey stayed in town, too, in anticipation of Clint's arrival. We were disappointed that we were going to miss all the fun, so I planned a party at Jenn and John's house. We called up a couple of other families that had wanted to go to Family Camp, but weren't able, and had a fun evening. We played some Guitar Hero, ate some good food, and...YES, we even had s'mores!!! Harry and Trey had fun playing together. Hayes and Clint would have played together, had Clint decided to be born yet, but Hayes played with the big boys this time.

We were glad to have something fun planned for the weekend, since there was no hospital trip for us. I was almost hoping that if we made plans, they would be interrupted, but that didn't happen, and we had fun with friends anyway! Thanks to the Oliverios for opening up their home for Family Camp South!!! (If we missed anyone who couldn't go to Family Camp, I'm sorry.)

We are looking forward to Family Camp next year when Clint will be big enough to play!!!

Clint's Pad

2009-06-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a combination room/belly shot for you. This pic was taken when Craig was just finishing painting back in March when I went to Ft. Worth to see Summer.

Here is a little progression for you:

There is actually more in the room than these pictures show. I didn't realize we didn't have "completed room" pictures, so we'll have to rectify that. This next one shows the corner where there is now a gliding rocking chair and a curtain on the window.

Clint's room is all ready for him, and Momma and Daddy are more than ready for him!!! We are now two days past his due date, but given some immediate family history, I really did not anticipate otherwise. We are on "first standy" to be induced on Tuesday. Basically, that means we get to wait by the phone on Monday for the hospital to call us and say they have a spot available for us on Tuesday. They may call us and tell us they don't have anything yet, but keep waiting, and maybe we'll get in later that day. We were told that since we are "first standy," it is unlikely that we will get bumped to Wednesday, but I suppose it is still a possibility. At this point, inducing me is considered elective, so there is no priority rush for us. As much as we are ready to meet Clint, this gives us more of an opportunity to begin labor naturally, which would be ideal. Our only concern is that the ultrasound on Friday (6/26/09 - our due date) measured Clint at 8 lbs, 12 oz. Our doctor told us that this particular ultrasound person is consistently accurate with her measurements. So we're looking at a big boy!!! On the plus side, Clint looks very healthy, and I haven't had any problems, so we don't have any reason to be concerned...except for the poundage...

Update???

2009-05-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Jessie,

I hope you enjoyed your vacation!!!

Clinton's Room

2009-03-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

When we bought our home two years ago, one of the major selling points was the interior paint job. All of the common areas - downstairs and the stair hallway, and the upstairs hall - are a lovely shade of green. Our room is some sort of textured-looking brown. Our bathroom is a tan color with leaves etched into the texturing of the wall - very creative. Lynda's room is a very pale yellow. Our powder bathroom downstairs is green with flor de lis designs painted on it, and the ceiling looks like the sky with scattered clouds.

Then there was the pink room.

I'm not a big fan of pink. It has its place, but I'm a purple girl. A soft pink might have been nice. This room was painted with Pepto Bismol. From downstairs, looking up, you would see an erie pink glow coming from the door.

I went out of town for the weekend to see Summer, and Craig conquered the Pink Beast.

We picked up a sample of the color we liked and tried it out on the wall a couple of weeks ago.

Before I left, we laid down paper to protect the laminate floor, and then Craig went to town! He had to prime the pink surfaces first so that color would not overpower the color we actually wanted in Clinton's room. There were also little flowers all around the bottom of the walls, so he had to prime that, too. He worked all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, taking short breaks to watch the paint dry in between coats. On Saturday, Ashlee and Parris came over for a little while to help.

Craig did a really good job. He taped off sections since we were using two different colors. The room has a chair rail all the way around, so we decided on a nice green for the top, and white for the bottom. He painted all of the trim, and both doors (to the room and to the closet). The door also had flowers on it.

Clinton's room looks SO good now!!! There are some places Craig wants to touch up, and then we'll pull up the paper and get all of the painting supplies out of the room. (Thanks, Dad, for the painting supplies and tips!!!)

Once we are completely finished with painting (after the touch-ups), we can move on to furniture and decorating. We have the crib in the garage, disassembled, from when Ashlee was a baby (thanks Stacey, Parris, and Ashlee!) and a brand new mattress (thanks Mom and Dad!). We'll also have to put together the dresser we got at Ikea (thanks Frankie and Becky!). Those are the big things. Stacey also has a glider rocking chair and ottoman for us, so we'll need to pick that up as soon as we have a place to put it.

I'll be glad to get the furniture assembled and in place, so we can start putting Clinton's clothes away. You wouldn't believe how much stuff he has accumulated already! We've bought a few things for him, as I suppose parents should, and he has also gotten lots of new stuff from friends and family. Besides that, when I went to see Summer in Fort Worth this past weekend, she gave me TONS of clothes for Clint!!! I'm honestly not sure if he will ever have time to wear them all. At least we'll have more time in between laundry days...or maybe laundry hours...

It is exciting to have a starting point now for our son's room! I can't wait to get it all finished!!!

Thanks, Craig, for all you hard work!!!!

Happy 40th Anniversary to Becky & Frankie Cox

2009-03-15T19:13:00.001-07:00

Craig here. I wanted to wish my parents a Happy 40th Anniversary. Becky and Frankie Cox celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary today, March 15, 2009. They have provided an incredible example to my sister, Stacey, her husband, Parris, my wife, Stephanie, and me. My parents have taught us all the value of love, teamwork, and faith.

Friend and Felon Filled Weekend!!!

2009-03-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Lynda and her precious little boy, Levi, came into town from Estes Park, CO, and stayed with us for a couple of days. Clinton and Levi are very good friends. (They had a good time playing together this weekend, though neither of them are all that aware of the fun they had.) I picked up Lynda and Levi at the airport and took her to Bunko with me to meet some of my friends because I believe that all of my friends should know each other. We didn't stay to play, but we at least got to say hi, and Lynda got to see Jenn for a few minutes.

We had an easy, relaxing day on Friday. I had a check-up appointment, and Clinton is looking good! I really enjoyed having a couple of days to spend with Lynda.

Friday night, around 3am, I woke up and heard Craig and Lynda talking, and when I was awake enough to understand what they were saying, I figured out that there was fighting going on outside. Lynda and Levi were sleeping in the two front rooms, so Craig advised Lynda to relocate the sleeping fellow until this issue outside was under control. Evidently, one of the guys outside pulled something from under his seat that one of the girls told him to put away. We haven't been able to draw a definitive conclusion as to what that object was, but we have a couple of guesses. Craig called 911 and in a few minutes, there were four sherriff cars outside our house. Like any good neighbors, we huddled around the little bathroom window upstairs to watch what was going on. Some of the folks had left by this time, but the officers still had to get one guy under control. With that accomplished, they left one by one, and we hoped to be done with drama for the night. I found out from Lynda the next morning that they continued to talk in the street for another hour or so after the officers left, which explains why Roscoe felt the need to bark periodically the rest of the night.

Later that morning, I took Lynda to her parents' house. Then, Craig and I met up with some friends for lunch. Melissa and Michael came down with a couple of their friends for a wedding in the area, and they ended up staying really close to us, so we were able to hang out for a little while. Craig and I thought it would be a good idea to take them to this great little hamburger place on Louetta. We know the service is generally slow, but the food is good, so it more or less makes up for it. There just happened to be a car show in the Vintage Park parking lot that day, so people traffic was higher than normal. The wait was about 30 minutes or so, which wasn't bad, considering the circumstances. What they don't tell you is: they'll seat you in about that time, but they'll wait a lifetime to bring your food to you. We sat down around 12:45, I think, and it had to be after 2pm when we got our food. We were given all sorts of different stories about why it was taking so long. I really didn't care - I just needed to eat. I had to beg, yes - BEG - the waitress to bring me some food before I passed out. The manager didn't seem incredibly concerned that I am not only pregnant, but also hypoglycemic. Poor Clint!!! If Craig hadn't made breakfast for Lynda and me that morning, I would have been up a creek! We finally got our food, and I promise you, I have only eaten that fast one other time - also in a passing out situation.

Craig and I felt horrible about suggesting this place, especially with these strangers (who turned out to be a lot of fun, and we hope they come back to see us!). While we waited for our food, we debated leaving, how much we would pay, etc. But after so much time invested, we really wanted our burgers!! Also, we kept thinking we would be served any minute now...

The manager said he would adjust our bills accordingly, but that was a mess in an of itself. We felt badly for our waitress because she was left in the middle of this whole situation. Not one of us paid the correct amount, not even with supposed discounts, but that is to be expected since not all of the correct food was delivered. (Btw, thanks for the fries, Tim!!)

I was glad to get to hang out with Michael and Melissa, and to meet their friends, Tim and Stephanie. We had a good time at lunch, despite lunch.

With lunch over with, and mine and Craig's patience with the public worn thin, we decided to go down to Ikea. No people there, right? We took Frankie and Becky (Craig's parents, for first time readers) because they had never been there. It is much like going on a field trip. There is so much to see, and you have to actually plan to go there and spend some time. We wanted to get a dresser for Clint's room, and Clint's paternal grandparents were so sweet to buy it for us.

After shopping, we went back to Frankie and Becky's house to play games for a little while. Then we went home after a loooong day, (and a short night before) and called it a night. It was one of the busier weekends we have had in a while, but all in all, fun. Sunday afternoon, we rested.

Pictures, As Promised...

2009-03-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

I added pictures to the two posts below, so be sure to check them out! (That's for you, M-Dog!)

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!

2009-03-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

Craig threw me a surprise party!!! My birthday was Friday, February 27th. I am 30. That night, we went to eat crab at Joe's, and the following night, we were going to go to our favorite Italian place, La Parmigiana. Well, I had a couple of errands I wanted to run before dinner, and while we were at Target, Craig got a call from his sister, Stacey, saying that somehow, she and Parris couldn't find the keys to their car, so we needed to go get them at Valley Ranch, where they had eaten dinner. When we got to Valley Ranch, I walked in and saw a roomful of my family and friends!! (I told you we like that place!) We had a good time, and I got to see some folks I hadn't seen in a while. By the way, my crown says, "It's All About Me" (thanks Jenn!!) Craig had gotten me a pretty purple cake, which, thankfully, everyone ate and we only had a little bit left over. Thank you everyone who came out last Saturday night! I had a lot of fun, and it really meant a lot to me!!!

Here is Royce Congi...

John and Trey, staring down the camera...

And a pregnant belly for anyone who is interested...

On Sunday, my parents came to church with us, and we all went out to lunch to celebrate some more. We do it right in our family!!!

Craig had already given me my birthday present earlier in the week - partly because both of us get so excited about the anticipation of presents. He got me a very compact waterproof digital video recorder. Oh, yes...I said waterproof! It will be so perfect for documenting Clinton's first bath, his first swim, and also some dry firsts. Fortunately, I have time to figure out how to use all the bells and whistles before he gets here! Also, I'll have time to figure out how to share some of those moments with you, our loyal readers.

Thank you, Craig, for making my 30th birthday so special!!! I love you!!!!!

Mourn With Me

2009-03-05T13:23:00.000-08:00

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and Maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student, but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense took the final death blow when the people not only allowed, but cheered as the government took over the banking system, health care and production industries.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers: I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Day Trips

2009-03-03T10:45:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's Day, Craig and I hit the road and headed to the Houston Ship Channel (area). We ate at Brady's Landing. They had a buffet, which was nice, but what really made it worth the trip was that there was also a dessert buffet! Give a pregnant womanseveral different chocolate options, and multiple plates on Valentine's Day, and you have made her very happy! (Besides the dozen eggs (of the Cadbury variety) that her husband gathered.) After lunch, we went to the San Jacinto Monument and the Battleship Texas. We didn't get on the ship, since it had started to rain, and one of us didn't want the other one of us to fall on the steep, slippery stairs. But we'll definitely take Clint back there when he is bigger (and born). Craig went when he was a kid, and absolutely loved it! What's not to love? It is a big black ship with cannons all over it!!!

After we left there, Craig took me on a romantic cruise on the Lynchburg Ferry, and then we headed home.

On my flex day last Friday, 2/20/09, Craig took the day off, as well, and we took a little mini-vacation. We slept in just a little, and headed out of town around 9am. We went to Luling City Market in Luling, TX, for lunch. Mmmm...ribs.... From there, we went to San Marcos to do some shopping. We're not big shoppers, so we rely on our annual trip to San Marcos to restock our wardrobes. We both picked up some things we needed, and and few things that Clinton really needs, like an outfit that has a bear hiking, and it says, "Little Camper." How appropriate!! He can't wear it for two years, but it will be waiting patiently for him when he is ready, though I know he will have already gone camping by that time!!! He'll be a pro by then!

After a couple hours of shopping, and maybe maybe just a tiny little milkshake from Johnny Rockets, we headed to Gruene, TX, to eat at the Gristmill. Yum!!! Gruene is a special place for us because that is where we spent a weekend together (with a bunch of other people) when we first started dating. We were both training for the MS 150, and we had a training ride in New Braunfels one weekend. It was on that ride, about 2 miles in, that my lungs and I decided I would not be riding in the actual race in April. Our team captain's sister lived in New Braunfels, so we all stayed at their house and rode out from their driveway for the ride. It was that night that we were introduced to Historic Gruene, Texas. Down the street from "town", there is a little bridge that crosses the Guadalupe River. In "town", there is a General Store, an antique store, the Gristmill (where this kiss occurred), and of course, Texas' oldest dance hall, Gruene Hall. Every time we go to Gruene, we hit all of these places, plus a few others along the way. We try to get over there every year, at least. It is familiar, but far enough away from home to relax and enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed my nostalgic moment. By the way, here we are at the Gristmill on our honeymoon.

We drove back from Gruene that same night. Ok, Craig drove, and I might have slept just a little bit. It was such a nice day, and believe it or not, we actually took pictures while we were there. I'll have to add them later, since I am at work (lunch break) right now. (See, I came through.)

Craig's Dad Retired!!!

2009-02-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

After 40 years of working at Cameron, Frankie has now retired!! Yes, that was 40 years working at the same place. On his last day, most of the family (except Steph) was able to go to his work and join them in some of the Last Day Festivities! When we all got back home, we went to dinner to celebrate at Valley Ranch. After dinner, we had a little retirement ceremony at our house. Craig set up the fire pit and and Frankie tossed in his work clothes!!! They burned well, and it was therapeutic!!!

A couple of weeks after the actual retirement day, we had a party for him at Valley Ranch. (I guess we all really like that place.) Lots of folks came out to wish him a happy retirement, and Craig said some very nice things to and about his dad.

Frankie and his sister, Aunt Crissie

Frankie and Ashlee (Clinton's cousin who will keep him out of trouble)

The crowd, including friends, family and some of Frankie's co-workers

More of the crowd - Steph's side, David Beegle talking to Trent and Rachel

Front Row - Uncle Bobby (Frankie's brother, Grandma (Frankie's mom), O.W and June (Parris' dad and step-mom); Back Row - Trent and Rachel, a man I can't make out, Trey (Clinton's cousin who will get him into trouble), John, Jenn, and Steph's parents', Doug and Katherine.

It was a great day, and Frankie is really enjoying his time off. Becky is enjoying having him at home, too! I they are starting to settle into retired life together! Congrats, Frankie (Dad)!

Clint's Name

2009-02-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

I have been asked a couple of times about Clinton's name, and the origin thereof, so I've decided to post about it.

We decided long ago that Baby Boy #1, if such a person ever came into our lives, would carry on Craig's middle name, Allen. This was actually determined before I became part of the Cox family because this name has been in Craig's family for...ever. It belonged to his maternal grandfather, whom he loved dearly and respected very much. A.C. (Allen Conner) Kirk passed away when Craig was 11, but he and his family still talk about him often and fondly. He was a man of great integrity, and I am happy that our son will carry his name.

The name "Allen" actually goes back further than Craig's grandfather, though. Allen Albritton came over with Captain John Smith, one of the first settlers in the "New Land."

With the middle name decided, we considered some other family names we could use for a first name. Clinton Rutherford is my maternal grandfather, and not only did we like how the names sounded together, we love the fact that our little boy will represent both sides of his family by sporting the names of two of his great-grandfathers, men we have always loved and respected. I was proud to call my Grandpa and tell him the good news last week!

Thus, Clinton Allen Cox. We've had this name in our back pockets, but as soon as we found out he was a he, we assigned part of his identity with this name. We feel like Clint's name will take him from childhood to adulthood seamlessly.

Clinton Allen Cox

2009-02-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

While Clinton has been around for several months now, we didn't really know who he was until yesterday. This means that we are roughly half-way through the pregnancy, and everything is looking great! The doctor said Clint weighs about 12 ounces, and he is probably about 10 inches long. She also said that he is a boy! We got tons of pictures yesterday at our appointment.

Hopefully you can see him from these pictures. In a couple of years, I'm hoping we'll have something like this:

Or this:

And in another few years, something like this:

I fully anticipate that Clint will be just like his father, and I absolutely can't wait!!!

What It Is

2009-02-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

What what is?

Craig and I are going to have a little baby! If you read some "recent" posts, I alluded to this fact, but just to clear the air...Yes, we are going to have a baby - more than likely in June. The due date is June 26, 2009, but we all know what due dates mean!!

On Friday, this Friday, February 6th, we hope to find out "What It Is." We have an ultrasound appointment, and provided Pumpkin McRiblet cooperates, we'll be able to finally assign a "he" or "she" to "him" or "her". The doctor will be looking to make sure everything is growing right, but we'll let her worry about that, and we'll mostly be focused on one area. :-) It will be cool to see how much Pumpkin McRiblet has grown over the last six weeks since the last ultrasound.

A couple of weeks ago, I thought I felt Pumpkin McRiblet move, but then I didn't feel anything else, so I thought I might have misinterpreted those feelings. But now, regardless of what I felt before, I can say, definitively, that I feel Pumpkin McRiblet move on a somewhat regular basis. In fact, as I sat down in my car to go to work this morning, Pumpkin McRiblet kicked me. I guess nobody really wants to go to work.

2009-01-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

Walt Disney World!!!!

2009-01-12T11:02:00.000-08:00

On October 1st, 2008, Craig and I loaded up the Fit and hit the road to Florida! It was a very nice drive, especially the part where I was asleep. Thanks for driving, Craig! We had a blast at Disney World. It was my first time EVER!!! I'll post some pictures soon. We drove back home through New Orleans and stayed there one night and hit the town. We had both been before, but it was our first time together. I actually went for the first time on one of my trips to Louisiana a few months ago.

Craig and I are already planning our first trip with the kids someday!!!!

Goings Ons

2009-01-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

Craig really has been lax about updating our blog. I'm going to have to talk to him about that.

So, what's been going on in the Cox household? I spent a lot of time away from that household during August and September, traveling for work. We were giving Benefits presentations to our employees all over the country to educate them about their new choices for 2009. Between August 11th and September 19th, I

Stayed in 10 different hotels rooms
Boarded 7 different planes
Visited 7 different airports
Conducted/Attended 21 Benefits Meetings
Drove 3 different rental cars
Visited 20 different cities: Tyler, TX; Bossier City, LA; Hodge, LA; Lafayette, LA; Harvey, LA; New Orleans, LA; Bakersfield, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Compton, CA; Lubbock, TX; Midland, TX; Odessa, TX; Hobbs, NM, Carlsbad, NM; Fort Worth, TX; Dallas, TX; Shreveport, LA; Lafayette, LA (again); Gonzalez, LA; Baton Rouge, LA.
Drove across the entire nation of Texas, from Hobbs, NM, to Fort Worth, and then on to Shreveport, LA
Was stranded in Fort Worth during the Ike aftermath, thankfully!

I was fortunate enough to have a weekend with the other Cox family up in Fort Worth since I was not able to get home after the hurricane. Rather than staying in Midland, and hoping to get a flight home to where there was no power in most places, I waited it out with Summer and Jason and the boys. Craig was able to come join us for a couple of days, too, so it was a nice getaway for him. From there, I continued my travels to Louisiana. I would have flown out of Houston that week, but since I was so close already, I just kept the rental car and completed my drive across Texas.

My journeys finally came to an end on Thursday, September 18th. What a releif to be home!!! But I didn't stay there for long!!!!

Tagged!!

2009-01-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

I'm not exactly sure how this works, but just to prove Summer wrong, I will respond the best I know how.

4 things I did yesterday
1. Went to Church
2. Lunch with old friends who appeared at Church yesterday
3. Went to work (yes, I realize it was Sunday, but it had to be done)
4. Almost passed out when I got home from work late last night and Craig had cleaned the house top to bottom. Thanks Craigo!!

4 things on my wish list
1. To find out if we are having a boy or a girl...soon enough...
2. To complete my wedding scrapbook - I have all the equipment
3. To have the baby's room finished...or even started
4. To eliminate the dirt from our backyard so it will stop ending up on our tile

4 restaurants I like
1. Freebirds
2. Valley Ranch
3. La Parmigiana
4. Most any Mexican place

4 TV shows I like
1. The Office
2. Scrubs
3. Arrested Development
4. Friends

Killing Time

2008-08-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in an airport waiting to go home. What a great time to blog!

I have been in Louisiana all week conducting Employee Benefits Meetings. One of my bosses and I started out early Tuesday morning to head out to Tyler, TX. It took us a little while to get out of town, as we had to load up some supplies from the office, have a sit-down breakfast at Chik-fil-a, and find a Starbucks. You'd be surprised how elusive they are when you need one. We passed up one because it was on the wrong side of the freeway. A little too inconvenient for Starbucks. We finally found one in Conroe, and then we were REALLY on our way!!! (at about 8am - Good thing we started early!!!)

We had a lunch meeting in Tyler, and from there, we headed East to Bossier City, LA. We stayed the night there in a cassino...because that is pretty much the only option...and then made our way to Hodge, LA, for another lunch meeting on Wednesday. After a...delicious??? catfish buffet at the only restaurant in town, and another successful presentation, we took to the road again and drove South to Lafayette, LA. We had dinner there with some of the ladies from the office, and gave two Benefits presentations on Thursday morning. We had lunch with the ladies again, and then hit the road again for Harvey, LA, which is about 20 minutes outside of New Orleans.

We went into New Orleans and had dinner at Brennan's. Yum!!! Then we made our way to Pat O'Brien's and sat in the piano bar for a couple of hours. That place is fun!!! The musicians are very entertaining. After that, we went to the Cat's Meow and hit up some karaoke. Yes, I did!!! It wasn't like when I did it in college, though. I only sang one song, and this time there were other performers, though non quite as talented as yours truely! :-) Finally, we ended our New Orleans experience at Cafe Du Monde with some famous pastries, which I do not know how to spell. It was a good time for sure!

This morning we had our final presentation in Harvey, LA, and finally got to head to the airport, where we have now been since noon. It is 3:29pm. Our flight was supposed to have left at 1:45. I don't know what you folks in Houston did to bring all that rain today, but it sure has delayed us!!! But they are starting to board our plane now, so it shouldn't be too much longer.

All in all, a good trip!

Since my last post...

2008-08-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow bloggers! Since my last post, I think I have actually taken some pictures! They are not loaded yet, though. I'll try to get some pics up to accompany my list this time (that's for you, Summer!).

So, what have we been doing???

Few Astros games
Celebrated Father's Day with both of our dads
Dinner with friends
Lynda flew in for a weekend and spent one night with us before we left for Family Camp
Family Camp
Celebrated Independence Day with friends
Celebrated my Dad's birthday with the fam
Went to Ft. Worth for a friend's wild and crazy bachelorette pary and shower
Visited Stacy, Wes, Jake and Derek one last time before they move to Costa Rica
Spent some time with our boys, Royce and Joey, while their dad played baseball and their mom is in the jungle
Fun times with the greatest nephew in the world (Trey)
Went to Dessert Gallery with Trent and Rachel and played some games
Dinner with the Oliverios
Astros game where I finally got my Lance Berkman bobblehead!!!
Went to see Wes one last time before they move to Costa Rica (and to pick up the recliner we bought from them)
Went to Ft. Worth for the Worley-Rebolledo wedding (Congrats Jenni and Rod!!!)
Stayed with Summer and Jason and Judah - we missed Elijah because he was at camp

Ok, so that's all we've done. Tonight, we are going to a wedding, and tomorrow night is Second Saturday at our house!! Don't forget! It starts at 6pm!!!!! Next weekend, we'll wish Matt Tisdale well as he heads off to Harding (I think). Toward the end of August, I'll be traveling for work, and possibly into September as well. In October, Craig and I are going on VACATION!! WHOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!! A legit vacation, too - we're going to Walt Disney World!!!!! I am very excited. Craig has been a couple of times, but I never have, so I'm glad we'll get to go while we only have to worry about the two of us. Someday, I'm sure we'll take the wee ones (who don't exist yet...no rumors, please! :-) ), and then we can walk around like we own the place and let them have all the fun!!! But this trip is for us! We're going to drive there, so if you have any suggestions for cool places to see on the way, let us know!!!