The Cox Family

Family pictures 2011

2011-12-30T20:10:00.002-06:00

Zander's 1st wrestling tounament

2011-12-17T18:18:00.002-06:00

Zander started Kid's Federation Wrestling this year and today was his first tournament. The day started way too early at 5:30am with an 90 min drive to Beliot. Zander was the only one in his weight class of 37lbs so he wrestled the next weight class up which was 40lbs. He did a pretty good job!

Congrats Zander Cox on 4th place at the Beloit Tournament. You did awesome!!!

He cracks me up. After the first match he said to me. "I was the green color. I wanted to be red" and after the day was over and he received his medal he said "mom, were you worried I wasn't going to get a trophy or a medal?" I said "no, I knew you did good I wasn't worried" Then he said. "Next time I'm going to get a trophy!"

I can't believe they are 5!!!!!

2011-12-17T18:10:00.004-06:00

Zoe and Zander turned 5 this year. WOW, I can't believe it's been 5 years. We had Rob's family over for cake and ice cream. Ashton didn't understand why it wasn't his birthday too. Happy Birthday Zoe and Zander! You two are so special and I love that you think when you grow up you're going to marry each other! lol. I hope in years to come you stay best friends.

Happy Birthday to our beautiful girl

2011-12-17T18:04:00.003-06:00

Anika turned 9 years old this year. For her birthday I took her and three friends rollerskating. This was Anika's first time at the rink and she was a pro! Afterwords we went out to lunch and somehow the girls talked me into taking them to the mall. Some of those girls can really shop! On the way back the girls were laughing and talking and I heard one of them say.."this is the best day ever!" A smile came over my face, maybe I am a cool mom after all!

Have a smurf'n halloween!

2011-12-17T17:49:00.004-06:00

I was so excited to take the kids out this year, because I LOVE the smurfs!!! The blue faces took a couple some hard scubbing to get completely off, but I think the kids had fun. We tried to get Anika to be Gargamel, but she found this pink sparkly outfit and even though we tried to bribe her, she wasn't going to change her mind. I think she looks pretty cute!

K-state volley ball

2011-10-23T19:15:00.002-05:00

We love taking the kids to K-state volleyball games. They love getting to see Willey the Wildcat......even Rob got his picture with Willy.

K-State kids!

2011-10-23T19:05:00.003-05:00

I love Zoe's smile... :)

The kids love going to the football games! Their favorite part is giving the players high-fives as they go on and off the field. This was Zoe's first game.

mutton bustin

2011-08-28T16:40:00.003-05:00

Zoe and Zander entered the mutton bustin contest at the fair. To see their videos, check out face book. Here are a couple pics of them after their ride. They are pretty excited to get a "real cowboy hat" Ashton chicked out and wouldn't ride the little lamb, so he got a straw hat.....

Feathers

2011-08-28T16:38:00.003-05:00

I have to admit, I like this fad...

Summer fun!

2011-08-28T16:23:00.007-05:00

Anika 8 and Ashton 3

Zoe and Zander 4

Anika kept busy with swimming lessons. She loves going off the high dive and made dad take pictures of her so she could prove to me that she could do it all by herself!

The kids love climbing trees. What these pictures don't tell you is how scared Zoe and Zander get when it's time to climb down. They hang onto the tree until someone helps them down.

My big, strong, boys!!! Showing off their muscles.

Don't worry, Zoe only cried long enough to get Zander in trouble, then she was just fine.

Zander and Zoe played T-ball this summer. They loved it. We loved watching and laughing as they ran the bases the wrong way, and half the time Zander didn't know what team he was on and would follow the wrong team into their dugout!

Zoe's favorite part was when it was her turn to bat because she got to wear a pink hard hat!

Zoe's a little upset in this picture because the girl in front of her picked the pink hat.

June was the girl's dance recital. Aunt Kristena and Aunt Kallie came all the way from Utah to watch them. Grandma and Granpa Cox and Uncle Matt and Aunt Crystal also came for the big recital! The girls had so much fun and they did such a great job.

Aunt Kallie with Zoe before the recital

Since I started working full time, I haven't kept up on the blog at all, so over the next month or two I'm going to be playing catch up. School started for everyone!

Zander, Zoe, and Ashton are all in head start this year in the same class. Ashton had a rough first day. He came home and told me cried. I asked Zander and Zoe if they played with Ashton and they both said "NO" Ashton said to me "me going to cry tomorrow too" but he didn't, the second day of school was great for all three!

Anika is in 3rd grade and loves school. Last year the 3rd grade teachers applied for a special grant and were able to purchase Ipads for every third grader, so Anika is having so much fun working on her Ipad at school.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T12:58:00.003-06:00

What a great Christmas! Thursday night we had a special family home evening. We read the story of Christ's birth and the kids put on a puppet show. We painted ornaments, (Ashton was mess by the time we were done) and watched a movie. On Friday the kids helped make sugar cookies. I tried to keep the mess under control, but then realized that was not going to happen with Ashton helping. That night we went to Grandma and Grandpa Cox’s for Christmas Eve. The kids got to open their gifts from Grandpa and Grandma. Anika was so excited! Her present was the biggest. She opened the box, to find another wrapped box, opened that box to find another wrapped box.... this went on for 6 or 7 boxed, until there was a tiny tiny box, she opened it and there were earrings inside. She thought that was so funny! She laughed and laughed!
Christmas morning was fun with the kids, they let us sleep til 8am! Anika woke up first, went to the living room to see all the presents then ran back to her room to wake up Zoe. I heard her say "Zoe, Zoe, wake up! Santa came!" Then the two of them ran to the tree to look around. The boys woke up about 15 min. later. We had a fun time opening up gifts and seeing their faces light up!
This Christmas, we are especially grateful for families. Rob and I are blessed to have 4 beautiful, healthy children. They bring us so much joy. We are also grateful for our families and friends, we love you all and hope 2011 brings more great memories. Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!!!

Happy Birthday Zander and Zoe!!!

2010-12-27T12:42:00.003-06:00

I can't believe Zoe and Zander are 4! They were so excited for their birthday. We had a small party for them with family. Grandma and Granpa Cox, Joycelyn & Michael with their boys, Matt & Crysal.
Some of my favorite things about Zoe:
1. She is such a GIRL! Loves dresses, dolls, animals, and everything her big sister does
2. She wants to make me happy. She always asks me "Do I make you happy mom?"
3. Ramdomly she will come up to me, give hugs and say, "I love you mom"
4. Her laugh, so adorable!!
5. Her personality. She is such a happy little girl.
Happy Birthday Zoe! We love you so much!

Some of my favorit things about Zander
1. He loves to cuddle
2. He is the worlds BEST dancer.. (man, he can make my laugh)
3. He always has a smile on his face
4. He obeys so much better then Zoe. :)
5. I love watching him run and ride his bike, and just enjoy life.
Zander, you are so special to us, we love you!

Matt & Crystal's Rehearsal Dinner

2010-12-23T09:57:00.002-06:00

With 4 small kids, Rob and I never take them out to eat at nice restaurants for fear they will brake something or cause a scene. The rehearsal dinner was at Mr. K's Farm House and the kids were good as gold!

Anika's 8th Birthday

2010-12-15T09:25:00.005-06:00

Anika turned 8 in November... I'm a little late getting this posted. What a great week! Grandma & Grandpa Barker came a week before Anika's birthday. It was so great to have them here. My mom and I were able to spend one day together shopping and visiting... I can't remember the last time we did that :)
Then Matt & Kami flew in the day before her birthday. Uncle Matt played and played with the kids. Zander was so sad when they left. Then on her birthday Kirk, Krista,and their family came. Anika had so much fun playing with Braden and Brock.. Anika was baptized on November 14th by her dad and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints. It was such a great day! Grandpa and Grandma Cox came, as well as Joycelyn & Michael with their boys, and Matt & Crystal. Such a great day, thank you to all who participated, and thank you to every one that came. You made Anika's Birthday one to remember.

Halloween Weekend

2010-10-31T21:05:00.003-05:00

What a fun weekend. On Saturday we took the kids to Sunny Side Pumpkin Patch. The slide is their favorite. Even Rob and I love going on it. Good thing we have small kids so we have a reason to play on the slide :) Then trick or treating... we dressed the kids up as Willy Wanka and the Oompa Lumpas. They looked so cute. After trick or treating we spent the evening at Grandma and papa's. Hope everyone had a fun, safe Halloween.

Happy Halloween a little early...

2010-10-23T18:07:00.004-05:00

Yesterday the kids and I made masks. This was so much fun for them because I usually don't let them get into my paints. They all did such a good job on their masks I had to take some pictures with our scare crow that sits outside our front door. (on halloween Rob is planning on getting into the scare crow costume and giving the kids a good scare.)

Soccer

2010-10-23T18:02:00.003-05:00

This last month, Zander has been so excited to get to play soccer. We signed him up for a mini camp that was 4 days. We missed the first 2 days because I forgot all about it. (talk about feeling like the worst mom ever!) But, he loved the 2 days he did make it to. My little guy is growing up too fast!

Family Pictures at Rock City

2010-10-13T08:49:00.005-05:00

Zoe and Zander's first field trip

2010-09-29T08:33:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Zoe and Zander’s first field trip in pre-school. Ashton and I tagged a long. We went to Brown's Park and the kids got to pick apples then help peal and core them. Then we went to the park. This was the first time Zoe and Zander got to ride on a bus and they loved it. Zoe said she wants to ride the bus to school every day. Ashton loved being with big brother and sister. He wants to go to pre-school with them

Choo Choo

2010-09-20T22:44:00.002-05:00

My little Zander loves trains. He decided to make his own. Zoe and Ashton were allowed to be passengers on the train, but even they knew Zander was the conductor!

GO CATS!!!

2010-09-20T22:30:00.005-05:00

We took Anika and Zander to the K-State football game a couple weeks ago. This was Zander's first game and he had a blast. Bill Snyder (K-State head football coach) came up to him, shook his hand and said "I'll be watching for you" SO COOL! Our seats are right where the players come out of the locker room, so Anika and Zander would go stand by the tunnel and give the players high fives as they came running in and out. Afterwards they had fireworks and we got to go sit on the field.... I must admit, it was a good time!

Labor Day

2010-09-08T19:29:00.005-05:00

We took the kids to the Rolling Hills Zoo for Labor Day. What a great zoo! The kids got to feed a giraffe. I had no idea a giraffe's tongue was soooooooo long!! Rob got a workout just pushing the stroller around the park. The zoo has a little play house that the kids loved! After the zoo we took the kids to Cici's for pizza. (kids love that place, parents love it too cuz it's so cheap!) It was so nice having Rob home on a Holiday. We've lived here for 4 years and this was the first time we were able to spend the day with him.

1st day of School

2010-08-21T10:58:00.003-05:00

Anika is in the second grade. She has a new school and loves her teacher.
Zoe and Zander started pre-school this year. They both love it! Zoe is always so happy when I pick her up... with a huge smile she says "mama! Me had fun!!!" and when I asked her what she did, she said "me clapped, me wiggle wiggle, me hug a mouse!"
Ashton thinks he's old enough to go to school too and doesn't understand why he can't. He even found a back pack and put an extra pair of clothes in it so he could go. Poor little guy is stuck hanging out with mom for one more year.

Kristen and Kallie in Kansas

2010-08-21T09:51:00.009-05:00

I've been waiting all summer for my sisters to come visit, and now it's over :( But we had so much fun! The kids love their Aunts so much! We took the kids to the new water park in Salina, had a picnic at the Coronado Castle, took the kids to a movie, saw Wild Bill Hickok in old Abilene Town. Then went to Wichita Saturday night and stayed in a hotel. Kristen and Kallie babysat for us while Rob and I went to the Dave Matthews concert. It was great hanging out with my sisters.. I miss that so much!! Love you guys!!! Come again soon!!!

Fair Time!!!

2010-08-21T09:37:00.003-05:00

The fair this year was so much fun. The kids loved the rides! Anika rode a sheep in the mutton busting and stayed on for maybe 2 seconds!! She scored a 78 and thought that was pretty cool. Zander's favorit part was the demo derby. He loved "watching the cars go BANG!"

My Boys

2010-08-21T09:25:00.003-05:00

I love this picture; maybe it's the story that makes this picture funny. Rob cam home from work smelling horrible from being outside delivering mail all day. He thinks it's funny to be all luvy duvy when he gets home and it grosses me out!!! So this particular day he took his shirt off, flung it around, and then threw it on my face! And asked "Does it stink?" So then Zander took his shirt off, gave it to me and said "mama, does my shirt stink?" Then Ashton took his off and said "mama, na sha ink?" Then the gun show started and I had to get a picture. I laugh every time I look at it.

Anika's Dance recital

2010-07-07T09:32:00.004-05:00

This is Anika's second year taking dance and she loves it. I thought her tap costume this year was really cute, so did Ashton..lol, but don't laugh at him or he'll beat you with his bat!

Happy 4th of July!!!

2010-07-05T09:21:00.001-05:00

Spray Park

2010-07-04T11:29:00.005-05:00

Last Saturday I took the kids to the spray park in Salina. They had so much fun! I think this is going to be a weekly outing.

Getting into trouble

2010-06-27T16:49:00.001-05:00

I don't know how many times a day I tell the kids to stay out of this display case, but they will not listen.

Sunday Morning

2010-06-27T16:24:00.004-05:00

Sunday....growing up I remembered Sunday as being a day of rest. I always looked forward to going to church then coming home to a house filled with the smell of roast, mashed potatoes and cooked carrots. After a big meal we sat around and relaxed the rest of the day.... NOW is a different story. Get up, feed everyone breakfast, get 4 kids ready for church, drive 1/2 hour just to get to church, drive back home to a dirty house with no roast in the oven just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. However, today we slowed things down and took time to get some cute pictures of the kids... we were late for church but that's ok, we're late every week! lol

Random Pics

2010-06-21T23:14:00.006-05:00

Anika and her cousin Braden. They have so much fun together!

Walking on the Moon!! Anika, Branden, TayLee, Rhett, Brock
We put chain locks on the doors so the kids can't run out of the house with out us knowing, well, Zander tried to get out and got his head stuck... He hasn't tried that again...lol

Kid Pics

2010-06-05T09:00:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything and one day I'll play catch up, but not today :)
Ashton turned two last month so we went and got his picture taken. He is getting so big. He weighs more then Zoe and is not even a pound behind Zander. Dr. Biggs said Ashton will probably be 5'10 or 5'11 and the twins will only be 5'5 or 5'6!

Daddy / Daughter Ball

2010-04-04T21:31:00.002-05:00

One thing that Anika and Rob look forward to every year is the Girl Scouts Daddy/Daughter Ball. The dance is in Salina, so they make an even of it. They went out to dinner then they went shopping for a tie for Rob. Can you guess who picked it out?

Spring

2010-04-03T11:18:00.004-05:00

Spring is finally here!!! The kids live outside now, but it's funny how my house seems to be just as dirty. Oh, well, kids grow up so fast, I'll clean when they're in college

Super Bowl Sunday

2010-02-14T10:47:00.002-06:00

For Super Bowl Sunday we had a family night. We made home made pizzas and had a picnic on the living room floor. Dad was the only one watching the game. The kids decided to play basket ball instead.
And that... was my happy little Zoe!

Little moments

2010-02-14T10:32:00.002-06:00

Anika danced at the high school girl's basket ball game on Friday. Usually when Anika has things like this, one parent goes and the other stays with the 3 little kids, but this time we took everyone. I don't think we will attempt that again this year, but at least I didn't leave with a massive headache! After Anika danced we left and Rob took Anika over to Grandma and Grandpa Coxs. So I decided to have a little movie night with Zoe, Zander, and Ashton. We all sat on the couch together, snuggled under a blanket and watched UP. Ashton was on my lap and kept turning around to hug and kiss me. Zoe would look up at me every 15 minutes or so and say "luv you mama" then Zander would say it too. After an hour they were all asleep. Wouldn't it be nice to freeze time and be able to stay in these moments forever.....

Christmas Bell

2009-12-31T02:38:00.003-06:00

Zoe came running down the hallway from her bedroom to the kitchen.
"dada....ball..nose" she said pointing to her nose.
"What" Dad asked puzzled.
She said it again "Ball...nose"
Rob had her blow into a klenex a couple times and out came a little christmas bell....lol.

Merry Christmas~

2009-12-31T02:05:00.005-06:00

Happy kids!!!! Zander is my happy little guy. He is always smiling and laughing. He's awesome. Zoe's a little fireball that has to get her way, Ashton thinks he's 3 and about drove me crazy trying to walk up and down the stairs. Anika is my sweetie. She is such a good big sis. Family.... what an amazing gift from our Father.

There's something about Christmas morning that brings a smile to your face... your kids waking you up early to see what Santa brought them... the expressions on their faces... there's magic in the air!

ANIKA'S NEW GLASSES

2009-12-31T01:58:00.006-06:00

ANIKA WAS SO EXCITED TO GET GLASSES! SHE HAD FUN TRYING ON ALL THE DIFFERENT FRAMES. I WAS GLAD SHE DECIDED ON BLUE AND NOT PINK!

Happy 3rd Birthday Zander & Zoe!!!!!

2009-11-29T15:04:00.002-06:00

14 little girls = 1 BIG PARTY!!!!

2009-11-15T09:05:00.002-06:00

Anika turned 7 on Friday and she had a party at Sassy Stylz. The girls had fun trying on all the different dress up clothes, then they got their hair, makeup, and nails done. After that they put on a fashion show. Below is a video of Anika strolling down the catwalk.

Trick-or-Treat

2009-11-01T08:13:00.003-06:00

This year for Halloween the girls dressed up as K-State Cheerleaders, Zander was a K-State Football player, and poor little Ashton was a beat-up KU player. Hopefully that will be the case next weekend when K-State plays KU. My Dad will be in town that day so Rob and I are going to take him to the game.... Go K-State!

The kids had a fun time last night. We went trick-or-treating to family and friends.... One house gave out Webkinz, Anika was pretty excited about that!

Afterwords we went to Grandma and Grandpa Cox's for dinner, and of course to watch the K-State game... (they lost).

Sunnyside Farm

2009-10-03T10:00:00.005-05:00

Last night we took the kids to Sunnyside Farm. The kids had a blast. Anika was so excited to feed the calf. There was a petting zoo for the kids, goats, sheep, pig, chickens, kittens, and a goose.

I love corn boxes!!!! They are so much fun to play in! Rob burried Zoe and she had a hard time getting out of it.

This is Zoe and Anika

They had 3 or 4 of these push peddle cars. Rob would drive and hold one of the kids on his lap.

They had a covered wagon and a teepee to play in.

This slide was the coolest! We played on this most of the time. .. (even Rob and I went on it several times)

Anika's 1st grade photo

2009-10-01T20:24:00.002-05:00

It's always fun getting photos taken every year. I can't believe how fast they grow. Anika is loving 1st grade.

Zoe's hair cut

2009-09-30T10:18:00.002-05:00

Poor Zoe.... Zander got a hold of a pair of scissors.

Girl Scouts Camp Out

2009-09-28T20:59:00.002-05:00

Anika and I had such a good time at Camp. This is Anika on our hike... actually it was more like a walk since we stayed on a flat road :)

We taught the girls how to make butter and ice cream. This is Anika making a bag of ice cream.
Anika's favorite part of camp was "seeing the waterfall!!"

This is my troop of girls. We have 8 this year. The girls had so much fun making their sweatshirts.

This picture is of all the girls who went. We had around 40.

I really enjoy being Anika's girl scout leader. It's something we both enjoy doing together and she looks forward to every meeting.

Riding around

2009-09-24T01:40:00.003-05:00

I happened to drive by a garage sale and saw this little jeep. The kids love it. Zander is pretty good at driving it around without running into things. Zoe on the other hand, backed up into a tree today. She must get her driving skills from me...lol. Ashton is just a long for the ride and that's just fine with him. Today all 4 of the kids were riding it, two in the seats and two on the hood. It's so fun to watch them.

Go Fight Win

2009-09-24T01:19:00.003-05:00

Anika loves to cheer at the Abilene High School Football game. This is her 3rd year cheering. This year we took all the kids to watch her, and I think next year we'll get a babysitter. :)

1st day of 1st Grade!!!

2009-08-20T03:39:00.003-05:00

Anika has been waiting and waiting for the 1st day of school and it's finally here! She really likes her teacher and is happy that she doesn't have to have rest time any more.

Family Vacation!!!

2009-08-20T03:19:00.009-05:00

The end of July we packed up the kids and headed for Idaho. We drove for 12 hours hoping to drive all night. At 6:30am we couldn't take it any longer and checked into a hotel. The front desk clerk thought we were crazy. We spent time in Utah with Rob's brother and sister-in-law. Then we spent most of our vacation at Bearlake. The kids had so much fun.

Zoe and Zander loved the four-wheelers.

On our way home we spent two nights in Denver and took the kids to the Children's museum and Aquarium. We had a great time.

Downtown Abilene Christmas in July

2009-07-25T10:52:00.003-05:00

This year we took the kids to downtown Abilene for the Christmas is July festivities. They had train rides, music, food, sidewalk sales, and face painting. Anika was so excited for the face paining. She got a butterfly, Zander got a spider, and Zoe got a flower, (but she scratched it off before I could get a picture).

2009 Summer T-Ball

2009-07-25T10:48:00.003-05:00

Anika had a busy June with golf lessons, swimming lessons and T-ball. She really improved this year in T-ball. One game she got three home runs!!!! Great job Anika. We had so much fun watching you.

Happy 4th of July!!!

2009-07-05T20:05:00.002-05:00

We spent the 4th of July with Rob's family. Zoe and Zander love this little jeep, even though it doesn't run. (It needs a new battery and we can't find one anywhere) I couldn't get a good smile from either of them because they're chewing on a tootsie-roll.

This is Anika and her cousin Nate.

Anika and Zoe waiting to be served!!!!

The kids loved the fireworks!!!! Hope you all had a great 4th of July too!

Happy Birthday Ashton Sawyer!!!!

2009-05-30T09:18:00.002-05:00

Ashton turned 1 yr old on May 6th. We had a little party for him with family. He weighs 23 lbs. only 1/2 lb. less then Zoe. He is walking every now and really tries to keep up with Zander & Zoe. He is such a blessing to our family.

Dance in Motion

2009-05-29T08:23:00.002-05:00

This is Anika's first year of Dance and she loves it. She takes Ballet and Tap. Her recital is tonight and I think she has a little stage fright. Yesterday at the rehearsal she said she didn't want to take dance next year because she doesn't like dancing on the stage at the High School in front of so many people. Good luck tonight Anika, we love you!!

Kids wrestling and Ashton walking

2009-05-21T20:36:00.006-05:00

The kids love to wrestle each other.... even Ashton gets into it.

Anika can ride a bike!

2009-04-12T22:06:00.003-05:00

Anika learned how to ride a bike (with only two wheels!!) while on spring break. Every day after school that's all she wants to do. This video is when she first learned... she's a little shaky.

Rolling Hills Zoo

2009-03-18T22:37:00.004-05:00

On St. Patrick's Day we took the kids to the zoo. They had so much fun and to our suprise.... they were all good!!

The girls loved feeding the animals.... and dad loved scaring Zoe with a stuffed animal..

Broccoli

2009-03-08T22:58:00.002-05:00

How did I get three kids that LOVE broccoli???
Anika always eats her broccoli first to make sure she gets seconds...
Zoe ate her broccoli tonight then she ate mine!!
Zander's good with one helping.
Silly kids...

Ashton Sawyer

2009-03-08T22:31:00.004-05:00

My baby is growing up so fast. He turned 10 months old on the 6th. He always has a smile on his face and never stays in one place very long. I couldn't ask for a better baby! I love you Ashton!

Food Storage

2009-02-18T21:57:00.002-06:00

We all know how important it is to get our food storage. Well, we finally decided to get our 3 months supply.

LOVE THE THIN MINTS!!!!

Remodeling

2009-02-18T21:54:00.002-06:00

Here are a few pictures of the kitchen. We still need to paint, but it has come a long way. Rob did a great job with the flooring.

2009

2009-01-01T19:14:00.003-06:00

2009 has already brought changes to our home.

Yesterday we we unpacking boxes and a mouse just out of one of the boxes and I thought I was going to die!!! I HATE MICE!!!! Rob turned every sofa up side down trying to catch it and finally did. So today, Anika went with dad to get a cat. They got home, let the cat out of the box and it took off, so Anika and Rob went and got two more kittens... I just hope they're good at hunting mice.

Another big change is Zoe and Zander graduated from their cribs to toddler beds. Nap time didn't go good today, so we'll see how they do tonight.

The kids also met our new neighbors...

Christmas

2008-12-31T15:11:00.004-06:00

Well, we finally moved and we were able to spend Christmas in our new home. Anika was so excited for Santa. Zoe and Zander had fun unwrapping their gifts this year, and Ashton loved playing with the wrapping paper and boxes. I am greatful for this Christmas season and for the birth of our Savior. I am greatful that families are forever.

Family Pictures

2008-12-31T15:02:00.005-06:00

Family pictures with these two wasn't fun, but we got a few good shots. I hope our photographer is feeling ok...I can't count the number of times he banged his head on the wall trying to get the kids to smile. Everytime he banged his head and said "owe" they laughed. That's the Cox in them!

Anika is 6
Zoe and Zander are 2
Ashton is 6 months old

I love watching the twins play. I think how fun it would be to have a twin. I like to think they'll be best friends, but I'm sure that's just wishful thinking. They already fight like crazy, however, when they play together they sure are cute.
Zander has to give Zoe a hug and kiss every night before he goes to bed, and when we are getting ready to leave the house, Zander gets his socks and shoes on them brings Zoe's shoes to her. He looks after his little sis already and I love it...

1st Loose Tooth

2008-12-31T14:47:00.002-06:00

Anika was so excited when shw realized she had a loose tooth. About a week later mommy pulled it out. Anika asked 'How did you get to be good at pulling out teeth?" The tooth fairy came and gave her a WHOLE DALLOR!!!!!!!

Anika Snowman

2008-12-06T10:46:00.003-06:00

Anika's home work for the week was to decorate a snowman. She wanted it to be a girl and have a pink dress and a crown. We had a lot of fun making this together. She was pretty execited about the final project.

Zander and Zoe's 2nd Birthday

2008-12-06T10:42:00.002-06:00

Go K-State!!!

2008-11-22T22:26:00.002-06:00

Anika went to her first college football game with daddy and LOVED it!!!! She is a huge K-State fan. I keep telling her ISU is the best and she says "NO, K-State is... right dad" She's daddy's little girl.

When Grandpa Barker, Aunt Kami & Uncle Matt came to Kansas

2008-11-11T00:05:00.008-06:00

Ashton is now 6 months old.... He is so cute with his little ears sticking out!!

They took Anika to eat lunch at the Kriby House. She was so excited to "eat at the pink house".

We had a early birthday party for Anika, Zander & Zoe. Kami and Matt got the girls matching dresses and Zander threw the BIGGEST FIT ever.... until Anika took her dress off so he could try it on.... This is going to be a great blackmail picture for when he gets older!

Happy Halloween!!!!

2008-11-01T09:59:00.003-05:00

The Wizard of Oz

We've lived in Kansas for two years now and have 4 children, so the Wizard of Oz fit perfectly!

Anika was Dorthy. (Thank you Grandma Cox for making her dress!)

Zander was the Scarecrow

Zoe was the Lion, &
Ashton was the Tin Man

We went to 7 homes and came back with more candy then you could imagine!

Moments to remember...

2008-10-08T21:34:00.004-05:00

Moments like these make you wish time could stand still.

Anika's Zoo

2008-10-04T13:15:00.001-05:00

Can you guess all the animals in Anika's zoo????

Ashton 5 months old

2008-10-03T14:04:00.002-05:00

Ashton will be 5 months old on Monday.... which is also someone's birthday.... Happy Birthday Kelsee...SWEET 16........We love you!!

Girl Scouts

2008-10-03T14:00:00.002-05:00

Anika wanted to be in Girl Scouts, so I took her to sign up and somehow ended up being her troop leader??? We had our first meeting and it went great. We have 6 girls in the troop and they are all so cute. This will probably be my only post about girl scouts. If you want to see what we are doing as a troop visit the girl scout blog http://www.gs20141.blogspot.com/

We are the best, We are AHS!!!!!

2008-09-29T22:51:00.006-05:00

Anika cheered at the first home Football game for the Abilene Cowboys!!!. This is her third year cheering and she loves it!

Three Little Kids

2008-09-20T14:28:00.001-05:00

Zoe and Zander just crack me up!!

All About Anika

2008-09-20T14:16:00.008-05:00

Anika is taking Ballet and Tap Dance. She has lessons every Tuesday and loves going. She askes me everyday if she has dance after school.

Anika's Kindergarten Picture.

Anika loves school. She always tells me what she did at recess, however, doesn't say much about what she does in the class room. The other day she came home saying "This was the best day EVER!!!" She then went on to say that she put away some books and blocks that no one was playing with. Her teacher was impressed that Anika did it without being asked, so Anika got to pick a toy out of the treasure chest!!! What a GREAT DAY!!

Last Saturday was Grandparent Day at the Salina Zoo. Anika had a lot of fun with Grandma, Grandpa and her cousin Nate.

Double Trouble

2008-09-15T21:54:00.002-05:00

The terrible two's are already hear and some days I just want to SCREAM!!! This is what I go through on a daily basis. They climb on anything and everything.

Zoe has fell head first out of the swing twice now, but that doesn't stop her.

K-State Football!!!!!

2008-09-15T21:50:00.002-05:00

Once again, it's that time of year, when we all dress in purple (or pink in Anika's case) to cheer on the K-State Wildcats!!!!

Cox Family Pictures

2008-09-10T07:06:00.004-05:00

As you can tell, Zoe and Zander love getting their pictures taken.

Splish, Spash

2008-08-27T21:58:00.009-05:00

Zander wasn't to sure about this.....

(Zoe is getting pretty good at tuning him out.)
then he started to have fun!!

Zoe loved it from the start.

Thanks Aunt Kristen for our swimming suits!!!

Ashton 3 months old

2008-08-24T11:32:00.002-05:00

Ashton is 3 months old!!!! He weighs 16lbs, and is such a happy baby. He can roll over and hold his head up. I honestly could not ask for a better baby. We love you Ashton.

Zoe's little dress

2008-08-24T11:28:00.001-05:00

Thank you for making me a beautiful dress Grandma.... I love it!!

Anika's 1st day of school

2008-08-20T16:52:00.002-05:00

Anika was so excited to go to school today. When I picked her up afterwards you couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Her favorite part of the day is recess and coloring. She is really good about getting up on time and doing exactly what you tell her to do. She was so excited to wear her High School Musical shirt!!!

Fair Week

2008-08-05T21:26:00.004-05:00

Grandpa & Gramdma took Anika and Nate to ride the rides. Each year Anika gets to ride the Ferris Wheel with Grandpa because Grandma is afraid of heights. Anika is a little dare devil... she will ride anything!!!

Ahh, the carousel.... this is Grandma's favorite ride.

Anika and Asthon

2008-08-01T22:25:00.001-05:00

Everyone says Ashton looks like Anika. Anika loves being a big sis. She is such a good help...when she wants to be.

2008-08-01T22:14:00.003-05:00

Anika waiting for the parade to start. By the time the parade was over that bag was full of candy!! Russell Stovers is the high light of the parade, they bring a semi truck full of chocolate...yum.
Even though it doesn't look like it in this picture.... Zoe and Zander LOVED the parade. They would wave to everyone and clap along to the music. They sat in their stoller for 2 hours!!!! and didn't get fussy.

Zoe 20 months old

2008-07-26T08:10:00.002-05:00

Zoe's first time out!!!! Just kidding. She loves climbing on the chairs and table. We now have to lay the chairs down and scoot them under the table so she can't climb on them. Zoe is just full of it. She will look around the room until she finds something she isn't suppose to have, then she will try her hardest to get it!

Blessing Day!!

2008-07-20T14:24:00.003-05:00

Today Ashton was given a wonderful blessing by his father. Grandpa & Grandma Cox, Uncle Matt, Uncle Mike, Grandpa Barker, and Aunt Kelsee were there.
My boy's are look'n handsome!!!

2008-07-16T22:44:00.001-05:00

MEMORY LANE
MEMORY LANE- This will be fun! This is just too fun to pass up. Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! I guess good or bad, but be nice!!!!!!!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Ashton 2 months old

2008-07-09T19:42:00.002-05:00

Ashton is 2 months old and such a blessing in our family. He is by far our best baby. He smiles all the time. He is such a happy little boy. At his 6 week check up he weighed 12lbs 12oz and was 23" long. We just love him! I must admit that boys are much easier then girls (right now anyways).

T-Ball

2008-07-09T19:35:00.002-05:00

Anika really had fun playing T-ball this year. On her final bat she hit a double! Dad was very proud. Anika has had a fun summer so far. She took swimming lessons, played T-ball, and got her first Webkinz! Next comes dance classes and cheerleading.

Baby Zoe

2008-07-09T19:31:00.002-05:00

I was in the kitchen cooking dinner and went to check on the kids..... this is what I found.

2008-07-04T16:02:00.001-05:00

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

Chapman Tornado

2008-06-23T17:09:00.007-05:00

Here are some photos of the town of Chapman located 10 miles from our home. Last week a tornado went right through the center of town. A lot of people lost their homes. Many of the homes that were damaged are located in a flood zone, which means they can not rebuild. Insurance doesn't cover the cost of tearing down the rest of what's left of their homes, nor does it cover the cost to haul everything a way. The neighboring towns have really pulled together to help out the people of Chapman. I can't even imagine what they are going through. That same tornado was in Salina... just West of us, it went over the top of Abilene, then touched back down 8 miles East of us. Click on the pictures to enlarge..

Both the Elementary and High School suffered a lot of damage.

The fireplace and the toilet made it through the storm.

The stairs are the only thing left.......

Here are some pictures of a few of the homes that were damaged. 75% of the town was either destroyed or damaged.

2008-06-18T20:14:00.003-05:00

Step aside Travolta it's Zander getting jiggy with it!!

Haley and Anika's special Day!

2008-06-15T09:41:00.003-05:00

Anika was the flower girl for Haley. Anika was so excited. Her day started at the salon to get her hair done. Then she had a couple of hours off before pictures started. Then Anika got to hang out with Haley and the bride maids until the wedding started. She did such a good job. Her favorite part was the tiara she got to keep. Anika said to her dad, "Today is mine and Haley's special day"

Dad Zoe and Zander in the "quiet room" during the wedding.

Anika playing T-ball

2008-06-15T09:38:00.002-05:00

Anika is playing Tball this summer. She is having a lot of fun. She can hit the ball pretty hard, but when it comes to running the bases she's a little confused.