..but I forgot to blog about it.

I completely love looking back at my old posts and being reminded about something that the kids have done or said that I've totally forgotten about.  In the day to day, I kind of feel like I'll never forget this stuff, but I totally do.  I looked back over several pictures recently and realized that I have a bunch of memories making their way to the back of my brain, where they will inevitably fall out, as the word peacock recently did.  So in the interest of putting things back into my brain, the following recitation of currently coherent memories:

Gavin LOVES picking out his clothes.  Oh my.  We have had days where the boy will change his clothes 5 times, just because!  His FAVORITE is to pick out his jammies.  I don't think we will ever see the day again where he will wear one complete jammie set.  I love to see his combinations and I mostly love to see how excited he is when he feels that he put together a winning combination.  

This is pretty much the normal reaction:

Some of his other more fashionable ensembles are:

A puffy jacket with gray sweat pants

Shorts, cowboy boots and a chefs hat,

(Side note- yes, that is Harper wearing socks with sandals.  Her own idea.)

A vintage pilot hat and fire boots,

And last, but not least, knightly head gear.  

It is not uncommon to need to leave the house with a hat- not always a knight helmet, but this is a good example.  This pic was taken in my rear view mirror, looking back at Sir Gavin.   

Disclaimer: The car was in park.

Gavin is also known for making my heart melt.  He knows just how to do it.  One of my favs, that will always make me smile was his prayer one night at dinner: 

"...and dear God, thank you for making my mommy pretty."  Swoon.  

Harper Harper Harper.  

That girl.  She is a somewhat prickly ball of reserved spunkiness.  She is quiet and shy and clingy, but man, once that girl gets going, she's a firecracker!  Oh how I love my little fire cracker! 

In the last few weeks, Gavin has nicknamed her Sparky.  I don't know that he quite yet gets the concept of imagery, but he pretty much nailed that one unknowingly.

  

     

If I had to conjure up Harper-like thoughts with limited word pictures, I would say a cheesy grin with two hair sprouts.   

        

                                                        

Harper loves to "rall" or draw and enjoys shouting the letters T, S and O, while we write them with enthusiasm on a chalk board.  

Don't judge.  That's how we roll.  

Lately, her new favorite phrase is "Okay, yeah, I know dat!"  She says it to everything.  

Me: Harper!  Can you come put on your shoes? 

H: Okay, yeah, I know dat!

Me: Harper, we're going to get in the car. 

H: Okay, yeah, I know dat!

Gavin recently asked her "stop saying that" cause she says is "over and over again".  I tried to remind him that he might say some things over and over again too.  

I have also been reminded that "poop" "toot" and "potty" are not just words that boys find humorous.  The girl cracks up at bathroom humor.  

And she loves to dance.  One of our spring time strokes of genius was finding out that our kids love "Guthwie Gween" (or Guthrie Green) which is an outdoor, live music park in Tulsa.  

Don't even ask about this picture.  It just plain cracks me up.  Harper making a mean face, with Matthew coaching Gavin, who is wearing a Army hat and carrying chop sticks, as he prepares to plummet down our couch cushions. With a pile of laundry in the back drop.  It has something do with the Olympics, which I hope to share about later, but the photo out of context made me SALTS (Google it.  It's a real thing.) 

A fun random memory from earlier this year was a somewhat formal, family Oscar party that we attended on the same night as a snow storm.  This is how we compromised: 

The last story of previously unblogged recollection was our childrens' wedding debut.  Gavin and Harper were the "wedding" children and Matthew's brother Benjamin's wedding to Amelia in March.  They were sweet to include the kids, which was quite a risky move.  3 and not yet 2. Ermergershk.  Talk about mommy panic attack.  We tried to mitigate some wedding day stress with LOTS of practicing in our entry way.  Lots.  Here were a few of our practice sessions: 

Yes- Gavin is wearing a swimming outfit, complete with goggles along with his dress jacket...and his sleeping pillow.  

I initially tried to hum in our practice sessions, just to make the point that there would be music that they'd be walking to.  Gavin took it very literally and decided that part of the ring bearer gig was to hum while you walk.  I loved it, and if the crowd were quiet enough on wedding day, you'd have heard the quiet humming a the cutest ring bearer that ever was.  

Here's how we actually did on wedding day. After much ado and unbearable waiting on the part of the ring bearer, their big moment finally came.  

Gavin sauntered and hummed down the aisle like a pro, being the gregarious ham that he is.  

Harper meandered down the aisle, somewhat like an Asian sightseer perusing with great thought the Empire State Building.  She looked from side to side and was soaking up the faces in the crowd.  

By the very end of the aisle, she had just about decided that she might be amused at what she was currently doing when she, quite literally, ran into the photographer.  Her bubble of amusement was burst and she gave him the most sincere look of disgust I've ever seen a small child muster and raced back up the aisle.  

Mommy and Harper spent the rest of the ceremony in the back of the venue where Harper became very chatty and we had to excuse ourselves to the restroom.  It was time well spent and overall a completely lovely day.  

The Girl Who Never Wanted To Be a Fire Figher's Wife

There once was a little girl named Jor…Suzie.  Suzie dreamed of all the things a little girl dreamed for- a handsome prince of a husband, a couple of children who are an ideal combination of sweet and creative orneriness and prompt obedience (but each at just the appropriate time), and a dog…okay, maybe not a dog- throw in an extra kid to replace the dog and call it good.  But a key theme throughout the dream is safety.  Safe.  To be safe, sound and secure.  Suzie didn’t dream dangerous dreams.  In fact, Suzie might be described as a relatively low risk type of person.  Suzie might recall even saying once “I could never marry a police officer, a fire fighter or a military person- those jobs would be just too scary.” But God had a different plan for Jor..er Suzie…

I mean Jordan.

Okay.  I give up.  This story isn’t about Suzie.  I’m Suzie…metaphorically.  I was trying to throw you off by saying Suzie…but I meant me.  Shocker.

Okay- so fast forward all the years and today I’m a Fire Fighters’ wife.  A very proud Fire Fighters wife, I might add.  I love my handsome fire fighter and don’t mind the mornings that he comes home smelling like charcoal (even though they are outnumbered by the mornings he comes home smelling like sweaty man).  I love when he occasionally brings home a newspaper article with his picture or a story about his bravery.  I love taking Gavin and Harper to the station to see the fire trucks and both adore and hate that Gavin can now step into his daddy’s bunker gear with a little more fit then he used to.  I love that I can say my husband has delivered a baby, has saved a family’s home and has maybe even rescued a cat from a tree once.

But being a Fire Fighter’s wife wasn’t ever on my list of things to do.  It’s not safe…for a variety of reasons. Partially, because I’m a “people” person and when my main person isn’t around..which is more than a third of my life, I’m not quite as good at being me.  Partially, because so many of our moments-including Christmases, holidays, birthdays and nothing-special-but-just-sweet-moments are spent without our 4^th family member, which can be both bittersweet, painful and just down right lonely.  Partially, because the thing I used to fear most about a job was losing it, but now a very real worst fear about my husband’s job is losing him.  And partially, because I’m low-risk, high anxiety and like to have my ducks in a row.

There are a number of jobs that I would have been perfectly happy with my husband being;

Doctor, dietician, lawyer,

Butcher, baker or candlestick maker,

Claims adjuster, chiropractor, Contortionist

Food critic, Blacksmith, welder, reporter

Pastor, pilot, traveling magician, writer, or professional kite flyer...

But never on the radar was Fire Fighter.

And for a portion of this past year, I set my sights on the idea that 2013 might be the last year that we lived our life as a Fire Fighter family.  And because my husband loves me as selflessly as he does, he started envisioning his life this way as well.  And I checked the days off of my calendar…

Until one day, God told us no.  It wasn’t that there wasn’t an opportunity.  There was.  A great opportunity.  It wasn’t even that my heart changed.  It did not.  But God worked in both of our hearts a realization of something that would have brought me to a puddle of tears if it had been spoken in other parts of this year.  God was able to make clear to both of us this passion that Matthew has for his profession.  His calling.  Somewhere in my quest for “safe” I’d forgotten the thing that Matthew says he loves most about his job- he says “I know I’m going to meet someone on what is probably the worst day of their life and I get to help them through it.”  I forgot that sitting at a job that you hate…or even that you like just fine but aren’t called to, can be one of the most unfulfilling feelings in the world.  I forgot that the cushiest corner office is not safer then being in God’s will.  I forgot that God went with Daniel into the furnace, Moses into the sea, David to face a violent giant…surely He can be with my family in our day-to-day.

On my toughest Fire Fighter wife days, this light weight wife has been tempted with the thought “I never signed up for this!”  I wanted a husband who would be home at 6:05 for dinner every night, who I wouldn’t have to count in thirds on the calendar to see if he’ll be able to accompany me to a wedding or a holiday...or a Saturday, and who I didn’t have to end my days with our “good night” phone call being ended by the tones of another fire call ringing out- try going to sleep after that!  But God reminded me gently and lovingly that I didn’t make a vow to a non- Fire Fighter- I made a vow to Matthew- who was at that day and time a blank slate. Conveniently for me, “for better and for worse” also covers neurotic wives who may or may not call the firefighter dispatch line with a disguised voice and fake accent asking how “all of the fires and fire men are doing” when her husband hasn’t called back by 2 am…

Who would have ever picked their obstacle?  Who would have picked cancer or infertility or job loss or a number of things- most of which my little upset bubble cannot even compare with?  And those mornings when I’m mumbling under my breath, running late with a baby on my hip and sweat running down my back, I can at least rest in knowing I have a husband that loves me and loves us and is working very hard for his family. 

So in this year of contentment that God has given the Cox Family, my husband will keep living his passion and doing the job that God has called him to for this season of life…and I will put on my big girl panties and know that while I didn’t ever intentionally pick this for my own life…God picked me for this.  And that His grace is sufficient for me. 

Scrapbook Moments: The thank you tree, Gavin-isms and the prickly pear

Dear Diary,

My kids are so funny.  They make me laugh every day.  

The End.  

Or to elaborate...here are a few moments that I intend to cherish forever. I remember when my little brother was little and would say these precious and hilarious little boy things, I would ask my mom "do you think my kids will say cute things like that?"

Um. Yes.

I know every child has their own version of preciousness like this, and I love that there are our little memories of life.  So blessed to call these small, ordinary stories our own.

The Thank you Tree
Someone gave us this beautiful little idea earlier in the year and I'm SO GLAD since it will forever be a Cox Family tradition.  We embarked on a wagon ride journey early in November to pick out the perfect "Thank you Tree" (translation: lots of loose sticks that we could pick up in the dark).  This was actually quite a feet since our neighborhood is only about 10-12 years old, so there aren't really mature trees anywhere.  We were able to scrounge up quite the assortment of sticks- the sticks that were born to become our sweet little "thank you tree".

We were thankful for an assortment of things this year from "Starbucks happy hour" (that was mom) to "us all playing on the playground together" to "having a mommy and a sister" to Harper who just said "daddy"...or other times "do by doo".  

I loved it though.  Pondering on and listening to the blessings in our life, hearing Gavin say "and what are you thank you for, Harper," hearing our little family give thanks to the One who has blessed us with so much.  We left it up through Christmas to remind us of our blessings...and it's still up now- although for far less symbolic reasons...mostly because I haven't taken it down yet.

Stories about Harper 

Our Harpie is a feisty little booger.  We've decided she's our little spit fire girl.  That girl can grin a powerful grin, but can also be a little pistol when she wants to be.  Who said being a girl was meant to be all syruppy and sweet and full of gum drops?

She loves her baby dolls and loves to kiss them and rock them and hug them.  But more importantly than baby dolls...she loves anything that Gavin is playing with and has a gravitational pull towards microphones and dancing.  No idea where that came from.

There's a place where she has bitten on her bed and you can see the teeth imprint in the wood.  Every morning when I go to wake her up, she'll stand there and act like she's giving me a piece of the wood. She'll pretend to pick up a little piece in between in her two tiny fingers and hand it to me with much aplomb.  So sweet.

She also LOVES to help cook and stir and help pour the cereal in the morning.  She always wants "a kick" (and there's way more "k" than vowels when she says it).  Lately is also very into fruit loops and will make a mad, warrior dash like sprint when she sees the pantry door open to try to weasel her little hand in to get some.  Words that describe Harper: spry, like a prickly pear, sensitive, cheeser, independent, sillyishly serious and jabbery.


Gavin-isms
A few things that this mama will remember forever..



The other day after complaining that his tummy hurt and then taking a drink of milk he stated with excitement, "Mom! This milk is feeling me better!"

Instead of saying "nothing", Gavin says "anything". Example:
Me: Gavin what are you doing?
Gavin: Anything...

Me: Gavin, What's wrong
Gavin: (sometimes in a pouty voice) Anything, mom.
I LOVE it.  The other day, he actually said "nothing" and it about broke my heart.  I think it was just a fluke though.  It shouldn't happen again...

He loves to wear "comfy pants" and has started putting his own clothes on...which leads us to strange afternoon discoveries of shirts and pants on backwards.  He loves to put together fun pajama combos and can be seen in anything except a match set of jammies.

And look at those sweet little fingers holding that cup! 

The other day, my sister asked Gavin what he wanted for Christmas and for some reason he answered- a bell!  When she asked him why, he answered "so I can ring it for Mommy.  Mommy will think it's cool."

Speaking of cool...Gavin has a saying- not sure where he got it, but he says that "girls are beautiful and boys are cool."  So if I ever say that anything is beautiful, he'll say, "no it's not, Mom, it's cool."  I keep forgetting.

Gavin is a bossy little thing...but oh my goodness, what a good, big brother.  I guess he's just decided that he's the third parent.  When he bosses Harper, I'll say something inspirational that a truly great parent would say like "Gavin, are you the mommy?"  He'll reply...(why am I surprised?)..with something like "no, I'm the daddy!"  Funny- he doesn't usually say things like that when Matthew is around...

 

I've overheard him saying things like "Harper- I not going to pick up your cup for you because you dropped it on purpose."  Or "stop crying, Harper, I can't hear you when you whine.".  Hmmm... I can't imagine where he's learned phrases like that!

Gavin has gotten into a bad habit of ALWAYS having to go to the bathroom during dinner.  I would think that he's just trying to ditch dinner time except for that he really goes.  It's really cute though because when he leaves the table he'll say "okay, mom, I go to the bathroom and I be right back" and he'll repeat it to every member of the family at the table until he is acknowledged with an "okay".  Even Harper knows that she has to be fully informed about his bathroom intentions and has to confirm her receipt of the information.  He repeats it to every member and then says it reassuringly the whole way he's walking to the bathroom...as though we might forget.  I LOVE it.  I'm pretty sure every meal's escape brings me to the place where I am clasping my chest with a maternally blissful heart palpitation.  I seriously could not love that kid any more.

And speaking of bathroom humor, Harper has started telling us that she wants to go "boop" or "poppy".  Most of the time it's just a fun way to get to take her clothes off and get a lot of attention while she sits on the potty, but SOMETIMES she actually does go potty! The other night we were all gathered around her while she attempted to go "poppy" and she actually went!  We all exploded in encouragement, but Gavin was probably the most excited of all of us.  He exclaimed "Harper!  That was amazing.  That was just dicolous!!" LOVE.  He also stated quite the contrary an hour or so later when Harper pottied on the carpet.  He said with much disdain "Harper, that is not amazing."  Oh well.  You win some, you lose some.

What a gift.  Every day.  

Not every day is perfect...in fact most days are far from it, but I'm so happy for these little pieces of everyday-edness that will be written on my heart forever.