many many houses

Ellie has a lot of stick-to-it-ness (does that make sense?)  when it comes to doing random past times. This started at a young age. The first pastime I can remember was puzzles. When she was two she would work on puzzles for hours every day. The things she has chosen to do for hours has changed over the years. It was drawing people for a while. They easily numbered in the hundreds possibly thousands covering notebook after notebook. Then laying out outfits on her floor. Matching different pants shoes and shirts and skirts together. Sometimes she would be in her room for so long I would have to check to see if she was still alive. Then came the writing phase. We are still in full swing with this one. She gets a notebook and for a couple hours she will write words. Following me around the house asking me how to spell things. I guess she has learned to mulit-task her random pastimes.  Now along with writing words she draws houses, colors them and then cuts them out. I really should have kept a grand tally on how many so far just for fun.  This is Ellie with all her beautiful houses. She did these all in one morning. She has been on the house drawing kick for about a month now and so many many houses have been drawn.  

This house drawing lady also got  a cute new hair cut.

question

UPDATE:  I fixed my blog feed! There should officially be no more weird detours to Shabby Apple. I should have put this out there long ago.   

Thank you Steve you are pure genius!

To all the computer nerds or smartie pants bloggers out there I have a question. This has been bugging me for a while so it's high time I figured it out. Why is my blog address linked to Shabby Apple? For instance if someone has a blog feed that lists the last time a person blogs and they write my address it doesn't go to my blog it goes to Shabby Apple web-site.  So to anyone who can help me solve this mystery or just come up with a solution I would be very grateful.   Thank you!

Little Lucy Fall 2008

A couple of days ago I was below empty. The fumes got me to the gas station.  I filled it up to the brim and the grand total was  doot....do.....do... $36.50.  It was AWESOME!  A road trip to celebrate is totally and completely necessary.  

Rice Crispies

Sequence of Events

1. Feeding Lucy rice crispies on my lap on a sunny morning, listening to music, ellie drawing houses near by. My morning was good!

2. Gigantic sneeze comes out of no where. (Lucy is on my lap facing me eating rice crispies)

3. About 10 rice crispies stick on my face

4. Ellie is hysterical, on the floor, laughing so hard she can't breath which causes Lucy to bust into her fake laugh that she is rather good at.

5. I give them both the...this is not funny, did that just really happen, blank stare (trying not to laugh). Even though I wasn't ready to admit it right then. It was really funny.

6. This makes Ellie laugh even harder and Lucys says "RRR..... EEE" which I am convinced meant sorry.

7. Then she picked them off my face and ate them, while I laid their still in semi-shock (it was quite relaxing).

8. Ellie continued to laugh at me for the rest of the day saying "Remeber when".

9. Lucy gave me about 100 kisses, hugs and high fives that day and she was quickly forgiven.....my day was good.

the fort

When we built our house we decided to build Canyon a fort bed thingy. In the middle of construction we realized we could take it to the next level (literally). Why not? So the three level fort was born.

LEVEL 1. The little hide out under his bed.
This is where video parties regularly take place, neighborhood Mario Kart tournaments are held and where Canyon and Ellie sleep side by side EVERY weekend night.

LEVEL 2. This is where his "real" bed is.
This real bed also is conveniently used as a place to test out new tricks from the third level and a helpful means to get to the third level. It is also commonly known to be a house, store, hospital, cage what ever their little imaginations strum up.

LEVEL 3. The Secret club.
This area is where meetings are held secret plans are strategized. Where Lego projects are built, snack stations are set up and where the web-kins and other animal friends reside. A reading corner is even up there....so they claim. (we have no trees big enough for a tree house sad enough...so can you blame them?)

So what is there not to love? Well....where should I start. Dirty Scuffed up walls, Popcorn seeds from all those video parties tucked in those hard to get to places in the hide out. Constant pleas from two siblings who want to sleep in the little hide out EVERY night (are weekends not enough?). A bed that is NEVER properly made. Sheets that are no stranger to the dirt and grime of multiple children making their way up to LEVEL 3, not to mention the crumbs that find their way from the snack station to the "real" beds sheets on a way to regular of basis. Then there is the secret club. This place truly is a secret because I rarely make my way up to LEVEL 3 to check it out. I would like to think that they take some pride in their clubhouse and it remains in at least an 8 year old standard of cleanliness (is that so much to ask?) Yet I know the harsh reality. There are times it can't look pretty up there. There have been moments of time that I have wanted to tear the 3 level fort down, pretend it was never born and create a traditional bedroom free from the downsides listed above. In the end I suppose the benefits outweigh the negatives and so the fort remains. It probably will for sometime due to the fact that Ellie already has big, I mean gigantic plans. As soon as Canyon out grows the fort bedroom it is all hers and she knows it.

the morning dance

As of lately, our morning routine has been set in stone.
1. Breakfast
2. Music
3. Dance till you can't dance no more
I think Ellie has been dreaming of this day since Lucy's birth. The day when all her wise training on what it takes to be a true lady would pay off. The day when Lucy would be her best girl friend. The day she would be spinning and dancing on every square foot of our house, with Lucy right by her side, while she blasts the song Connected off Barbie and the Diamond Castle. (louder than I ever thought possible). This dreamy long awaited day has arrived .....it has arrived.

p.s. I have heard the song Connected so many times it is slowly growing on me or has brain washed me I'm not sure which.

happy face

This happy face has to be one of my favorite things.
I am already missing the fall colors behind that happy face. boo hoo!

flush it

I thought we had lucked out! I thought Lucy had skipped right by the toddler toilet fascination. She just never found it intriguing.....until now. I heard her humming around in the bathroom today, happy as could be (I guess Polly in the Potty produces extreme happiness). It could have been worse. Polly was spared from the dreaded flush and pet bunny survived. This little miss thinks she is so funny now that she knows how to flush. I don't think it's that funny but today she learned to snort like a pig and that really is funny.

little spooks

My little spooks 2008
A very indecisive Ellie finally settled on a ROCKSTAR
A very committed Canyon has gotten comfortable with being a VAMPIRE (this is his third year in his 8 short years of life)
A very cute Lucy was given the opportunity to be the recycled BAT ( Ellie's old costume)

Canyon "Mom I have green teeth this year so I look totally different"


Ellie " I am so excited to trick o treat my stomach is tickling me"

Lucy " Everyone keeps calling me a boy in this bat costume... I want to go home"

Lucy got mad that everyone kept calling her a boy while trick o treating. She refused go to another door and let it happen again. She sat in the middle of the street with her legs wrapped around her black bucket eating her loot. The night was over for her. She high tailed it home with her four pieces of candy. I thought the necklace and the black fingernail polish would make her a cute little girl bat.....guess not.

The kids and their favorite trick o treating side kicks.

The trick o treating ended but the night was still young. We had places to go. Shane was a old school Rapper and I was a witch. I don't know why but I didn't get any pics and Shane was lookin pretty sweet. I would say almost identical to Run D. M.C. Everyone looked so good but I would have to say that our friend Brandon stole the show being Rod Kimball from the movie Hot Rod. It was the greatest! I laughed so hard especially passing him on the highway riding his scooter on the way to the event. He had the works the stash the scooter and best of all the stunts! If you need to see just how uncanny the resemblance is click here.

Thanks for the fun party Ali. We had so much fun!

I can do it

A few days ago Ellie came inside and told me she wanted to learn to do a back flip on the trampoline. I told her as soon as I finished the dishes I would come help her learn how to do one. In no time flat (literally 2 minutes) she was back inside informing me with a proud smile that she did not need my help any more and that she knew how to do one now. Canyon was behind her reinforcing that everything she said was true. So outside I went. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was definitely not this. ummmmm....gymnastic lessons?

sunday drive

lovely lovely day...

wee!

Lucy loves slides. She calls them Wee. I guess it is because that is what she says on her way down. You would think a very big, tall,dark, black tube slide might be kind of intimidating for a little lady her size....nope. With her eyes fixed on the prize, finger pointed, lightening speed steps, and the sound of wee wee wee wee I knew she had a plan in mind. Yep.... non-stop slide rounds were inevitable. She loved it every time.

Recycle

We have been talking about starting recycling in our house for a while. Canyon has been on our case and lecturing us for quite some time. For some reason it just took me forever to go get the needed bins( I don't know why... really it's not hard). Finally I got the recycle bins and when I got home Canyon was the first to be informed (phew...finally the lectures will end). I told him I finally got some recycle bins. He said "no way" and wanted to see the bins for himself. When his eyes gazed at the proof he got a big smile on his face and said " Yay...this means our family is not going to trash the world anymore" (what? for real you just said that...is what I was thinking) So there you have it. We will not be trashing the world anymore. Leave it to an eight year old to put you in your environmental place.

we'll meet you half way

Around our house "we are meeting dad half way" are favorite words for six little ears. It might just be because half way is one of our favorite past time places. Or maybe it's because half way and some kind of yummy treat are very connected (treats make everything better right?). But mostly I think it's because we know it means we get to spend some good quality time with our favorite guy. Right now time together is a hot commodity because he has been putting in extra hours in the work world. :( Sometimes when we meet up half way he brings a surprise. This time it was......





***Canyon and Ellie are getting so excited to use this lift for snowier times. Miss Ellie will be giving her skis a rest and strapping on a board part-time this year...Yeah!***

afternoon conversation

Me: So you guys probably don't get to see each other at school very much. (they are on different playgrounds)
Canyon: Yeah we do. I see her all the time.
Me: When?
Canyon: Every time I go to the bathroom or recess I peek inside her classroom to make sure she is doing okay.
Me: Really?
Ellie: Yeah he always peeks through the window and smiles at me. He will always protect me.
Canyon: Yep, I will.

Lucky Girl

the hip rider on her own terms

Lucy has always been an avid hip rider. My hip, for her, a perfect fit. Her favorite place to be. Ever since this walking thing has happened she has been a little torn about her favorite place. For instance a few weeks ago we went on a little hike and my little hip rider wanted full emancipation from her beloved hip. She really wanted to be free to roam, free to splash, free to get soaking wet, free to trip and fall on her face. I on the other hand, had other ideas like returning home with a dry, warm, unharmed toddler.

She was very determined to be free.

Finally we came to a compromise.......a dress leash.

happy day

And so the hip cycle continues. When I need and really want some alone time for my a hip she cant get enough. And when danger lurks close by (river, street, ect.) she wants the hip far, far away. I think we need to work on compromising some more. This could last a while.

a fall welcome

Let me start by saying Fall is usually one of my favorite seasons. This year I don't know what has been wrong with me but I have been in Fall denial. I have been hoping and trying to pretend that it is still summer. It's easy with all this nice weather, but can get challening when it gets dark at 7:00! 7:00 ugh... I dread the day when it gets dark at 5:00 (day light savings go away). Over the last couple days my denial has been replaced with warm happy feelings about fall. I have started to embrace it and welcome it with open arms. Who can ignore it's beauty and lovely smell? Certainly not me...not anymore anyway. So I got out my favorite fall leaves and scattered them about the house, lit my favorite pumpkin spice candle, put on a new fall jacket and loved every bit of it. Now that I am nice and cozy with Autumn I am ready to say Fall is once again one of my favorite seasons. Another fall bonus! October has a few things on the calender I am really looking forward to. Stuff like this.

Going to the first game in the new stadium Oct 9th ... oh yeah can't wait.

Ray Lamontagne in concert Oct 28. Really really can't wait for this!

Making the best purchase of the year (season pass).
Sometime before Oct 31st. Getting ready for a fun filled winter of this.

Canyon Cox 2007

The spookiest night of the year October 31st!

(Halloween 2007)

pretty tricky

Hi Lucy

Lucy.... where is your nose?

Your other nose silly girl. (pure genius)

Lucy...where are your teeth?

Not your tongue your teeth (she gives a little harder try)

You are so funny Lucy! I love you!

11 years = love

(Logan, Ut 1997)

This is one of our first dates back in the day. He took me on a hike to the top of wood camp (a mountain in Logan) and then we were going to snowboard down.I remember it being very long and hard. I think he could have pretty much taken me anywhere and it would have been wonderful, because he was wonderful.(Quite possibly the greatest gift to mankind in my eyes). After it was over he informed me it was part of a test. A test for what? I'm still not quite so sure. I guess to see if I was qualified to be apart of Team Cox. Who gives their dates tests anyway?...what snobbery. I guess I passed because about 6 months later we were Mr. and Mrs. Cox.

(subway,2008)

All 11 years have been stuffed to the brim full of the challenges life brings and celebrating life's greatest joys. He has been by my side through them all. 11 years later we still have the best times and adventures together. He easily still remains the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm glad I passed his test.