Spring

I have always loved the Springtime and the events that take place...moving activities to and enjoying the outdoors, softball season, Memorial Day weekend, and the excitment and events that come with the end of a school year. Since moving to Phoenix, spring has become my favorite time of year. The weather is so beautiful and if you know me, you know I love Sunshine!! This time of year is great for us because it attracts and encourages our family to come and visit and we love that! We have had lots of fun with our visitors the past month and we want to tell them Thank You and Come Back Soon!!

I got one of the coolest surprises of my life one Friday night. Alan and I had just sat down on the couch to relax after a very busy day. I heard a knock at the door...Alan went to answer it and then yelled, "Jennie, it's one of your friends." So I get up and walk to the door and there at my front door is Jake and Natalie both with cameras capturing my surprised expression!

As I think back, there were plenty of hints that visitors were on there way that I should have clued in on....

Clue #1 Jake called to talk with Alan, but not much chit chat for me

Clue #2 That Friday afternoon as Alan and I drove home from the temple, Alan states, "Our house is a mess! We've got to clean when we get home!" Since when does Alan really care? Besides, our kids had been gone all day and the only thing that was really a mess was the fact that I started painting the boys room, so everything for their room was out in the family room.

Clue #3 After t-ball, Alan starts picking up, vacuuming and moving the mattresses from the family room onto the deck. Even though he hadn't eaten since breakfast, he skipped dinner to clean. This should have been a huge clue

Clue #4 Friday evening, Alan went outside to take a phone call on his cell

Clue #5 After the phone call, Madelyn comes inside and asks, "what does 10 minutes to cotton mean?" I looked at Alan and said, "If someone was planning to come and visit you WOULD tell me, right?" His response, "of course but noone is coming to visit." Yes, this should've not only been a clue, but a dead giveaway!

We all enjoyed a spring training baseball game, especially the warm sunshine. Jake and Nat especially because they had left snow in Cedar City and came to 90 degrees and sunny!

Jake and Natalie were so good to entertain and play with the kids. They played cards, took them on walks and to the park. They are so much fun and some of coolest people we know! Thanks for coming...you can surprise us anytime!

The Squire family was our next visitors who came a couple weeks later over Easter weekend. Alan's sister Annette her husband Ralph and their cute four kids, Tyler, Amie, Nate and Russell. Our kids were so excited to have some of their Cox cousins come to visit! They asked for days, how many more days until the Squire's are coming??

The first day, we hiked the Waterfall Trail at the White Tank Mountains. The kids all loved hiking in the outdoors, looking for rattlesnakes and lizards. They especially loved the ponds of water at the end and like all boys do, they had to throw a couple of rocks in!

The second day, we all woke up to drizzling rain and disappointed kids...the big Easter Egg Hunt at the Surprise Stadium was on the agenda. To our surprise, after loading everyone up and arriving at the stadium, the big egg hunt was canceled due to a little rain! The kids were so sad, and what made it worse was them knowing all their cousins in Utah still participated in the traditional egg hunt despite Snow!! But we made up for it with our own Easter egg hunt and the kids had just as much fun!

At the end of the treasure hunt, the discovered eggs were being tallied up, making sure they were all found. When the numbers came back and we knew one was missing, Uncle Ralph informed the kids that one had fallen into a deep hole. All the kids took a turn reaching their arms way down into this hole but all came up empty handed. However, Mason was determined to find it and sure enough, after several attempts, he came up with the last egg! He was thrilled!!

Of course, a highlight for Easter is decorating and coloring the eggs...

We also took the kids to Cabela's, a favorite for our kids!

We love our family and are so grateful when they come to visit! Hopefully they all know they are welcome anytime!!

Easter Sunday...what beautiful children!

Motherhood

When I was a little girl, I loved playing "house". My sisters and I had the whole set up, a real playhouse in the backyard with furniture, kitchen set, dolls and all the accessories. We spent hours and hours pretending to be moms: taking care of our babies, talking on the phone, fixing dinner (usually with water, mud and weeds), and writing out checks (when we were really lucky with old check blanks!) I couldn't wait to be a mom and get to do all these things for real. Now that I am mom of 3 and living that life I always dreamed of doing, it sometimes doesn't always fit what I had imagined it to be. To understand where I am coming from, you'll have to read the following email. I came across it while cleaning out my email account. It was an email I sent to my brothers over a year ago while they were in Iraq.


"Jake and Trav, you're always wondering what we've been up to and what's going on at our house. So here is an example of how my day went yesterday:

3:00am--Mason wet the bed, so we had to strip him and his sheets, started laundry, got him settled back down and back into my bed by 3:30.


4:00--Jalen wakes up to come into bed with me too. He never sleeps all night in his bed and once he's in bed with me, he hogs my side of the bed and I get very little sleep. Alan is in San Diego right now, so at least all three of us did fit in my bed.


6:00--Kids all up and ready for breakfast. (I will be glad when they are old enough that early mornings without much sleep during the night, they can pour their own bowls of cereal and watch cartoons! Unfortunately we're not at that point yet!)


8:30--Off to pick up two other kindergarteners and take them all to school


9:00--Back home, fighting with Mason, trying to get him excited for preschool


9:15--School bus honking for Mason, but I can't find him. He had hidden under his bed. I get him on the bus only by saying that I will promise to pick him up afterwards and he won't have to ride the bus


9:20--Get a call from the school nurse, stating Madelyn is there and says her tummy really hurts; so I hurry to go back to the school and pick her up.


9:30-Get 5 other little boys at my house for play group while their moms go run errands and do shopping. Find out that Madelyn's "tummy hurts" because she had to change her card from green to yellow at school yesterday and she is upset and nervous about going back. But she decides she wants to go to school and my friend takes her back to school.


11:55--Play group should be over so that I can hurry and pick up Mason from school but I got two phone calls from moms stating that they were running late.


12:00-- Load up Jalen and two extras to pick up Mason--but first have to change a poopy diaper on one of the boys whose Mom should have been there.


12:15--Trying to maintain 4 little boys in a very hectic, crowded preschool parking lot and school. Not an ideal situation. Yes I did look like the crazy mom without any parental control


12:45--One Mom says she has to take her husband to the ER--so wanting me to keep her son for awhile.


1:30-- I walk by the bathroom and see poop all over the toilet. My friends little boy had gone potty about 20-30 min. before, so I knew that he probably did not wipe very good. I go get him to see if he needs some help and find he had an accident in his underwear, had it all down his legs and it was now dry and very stinky and very very messy to clean up. (Hope I haven't grossed you out...but boys this is what motherhood is all about!)


2:00--Jalen not feeling good, has a fever and just wants me to hold and rock him


3:30--Get the boys in the car to go and pick up Madelyn and the other two that I carpool with at school. We have to park about 1 block away and then walk because the traffic getting in and out of the school parking lot is herendous. Keep in mind I have 3 little boys and now 3 kindergarteners during this walk


3:45--Get a phone call from my friend who is with her husband at the ER and needs me to keep her daughter who I just picked up from school at my house until they get home.


4:45--Trying to help kids with their homework (remind me why kindergartners should have homework every night?? We didn't and we turned out just fine, right?!), start dinner, talking on my cell with Kera as I get many interruptions on my home phone. One of which was the missionaries saying that they need a place to eat dinner in 30 minutes. SO for the next half hour I made probably 10-15 phone calls trying to find someone that was home, whose husband could be home, didn't have plans, and could provide a dinner that had no MSG in it (one of the Elders is allergic to MSG which is a preservative and found in SO much food). Finally I told the Elders that I wasn't having any luck. They finally decided that they could stay home and have something there. (Duh! Hello! I can't believe they didn't think of that in the first place! I know my brothers would never be like those clueless Elders!!)


6:00-My friend came to get her kids---and the rest of the evening was pretty normal bedtime routine stuff. But by this time of the day, something as simple as brushing the boys teeth was a huge endevor and required patience, of which I didn't have anymore!!! Today I am at work and although it was a rush to get everyone out the door by 7:15, I can say that my day has been much more relaxing and less stressful. This is why I work...for that 1 day a week that my sanity returns!"

Although this was not a typical day and did have a little more drama than usual...these days do happen. One thing for sure, these kinds of days were never part of my pretend world of motherhood!

Families Are Forever

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one principle that I have always felt very connected to and extremely grateful for is knowing that Families Are Forever...that we can see and live with one another even after life here has ended. As a young girl, this knowledge made me feel very peaceful and happy. It helped me see the importance of family and my own relationships I made with them. When I married Alan in the temple, and now with our own little family,this principle has stirred much deeper feelings in my heart. Three years ago, my aunt Michelle, who was someone I was very close to and loved almost like my mom, passed away. I felt an even greater appreciation for "Forever Families". She was so young to die and leave her young family...especially when she was doing so much good and inspired so many people, both within our family, neighborhood, ward, and the entire community. The knowledge that the gospel gives, gave me peace and hope for her sweet family.

I have again learned on a new and different level about the concept of Eternal Families. This past weekend, I had an amazing experience with some very good friends, Phil and Shannon Biancamano. Just over one year ago, this couple was baptized and became members of our ward.

Last Friday, Alan and I were able to attend with them in the temple and be part of them receiving their endowments and then watching their family be sealed together. This was a new experience for me and all I can say was that it touched my heart so deeply. Watching Phil and Shannon this past year take all the steps in preparing for this day has been inspiring and has strengthened my own belief and testimony of our church. And then to observe their temple marriage and then the sealing of their beautiful children was absolutely amazing. I can't really describe the feelings, other than I felt so warm and happy and fulfilled. I saw another piece of what it means to have your family forever. I am so grateful for this experience and for Phil and Shannon...they are great examples to me and I cherish our friendship.

As I think back on the circumstances that brought me to know Shannon, I can't help but feel that there was a hand that put us just at the right places and at the right time. About 3 years ago, I took a job that I wasn't too excited about. As a new nurse, I needed a position in the hospital where I could really learn and keep up with my skills. However, due to several obstacles and for the best thing for my family, I took a job in an outpatient facility. This is where I met a girl named Pam who was also LDS. Because I didn't work at this job very often, I didn't see or talk to Pam much. Then one Sunday, I saw Pam in my ward and went to talk to her. She was visitng my ward and bringing her good friend Shannon, who lived in my ward boundaries and who was interested in taking the lessons from the missionaries. This became such an easy transition...I was a ward missionary and a friend of Pam's, so this gave Shannon an immediate connection to our ward. I feel so grateful that I have experienced watching her and Phil choose to join the church. Their dedication, faith and love for the Gospel has truly touched me and strengthened my own testimony. So thank you Phil and Shannon...you are both amazing!

The Biancamano's...Phil, Shannon, Hannah and Gavin

Ahoy, there Matey's!

Captain Mason and the rest of his shipmates had great pirate fun for his Birthday Party! The treasure hunt was the favorite game because of course...there was a treasure chest full of loot! They had lots of fun saying pirate talk like "Ahoy me Matey" and "Shiver me timbers" and "Aaarrggh!" Mason has such fun friends that are all great kids, too. Thanks for celebrating with us and making his birthday a swash bucklin blast!

Captain Mason with his deckmates

Mason and Maggie Mecham

Jalen, Caviston Herbert, Brody Matson, and Mason

Brock Hammond in pirate action...Aarrgh!

I love this picture...catching the kids redhanded...stealing candy off the cake!

Mason with his Pirate ship

Happy Birthday To Mason!

Happy Birthday to you!

Mason was so excited to open his presents. He went through them so fast...quickest present opener I have ever seen!

Of course when the last one was opened, his response was "Is that all?!" But he had a wonderful day and has loved all his presents...so THANK YOU to everyone!

Mama's Sweet Boy

The last day in February (whether it be the 28th or 29th) is a very special day in our home because we get to celebrate Mason's Birthday. He is turning FIVE! I can't believe how fast he has grown up...time just goes by way too quickly. Those sweet moments of Mason as a newborn, toddler, and little boy did not last long enough. Mason has a very special place in my heart. He is such a Sweet Boy...very loving in the way he combs my hair behind my ear and then whispers "I love you"; never too big or cool to hold my hand when going for a walk; and his sweet smile wins me over everytime. Despite that he is FIVE now and truly not my little baby anymore, he will always be Mama's Sweet Boy!




Fun Facts
Name: Mason Alan Cox
Born on Leap Year! February 29th 2004 at 8:30 am
Weight: 7 lbs 4 oz and 21 inches
Adored by his Big Sister, who for the first few days couldn't share enough kisses while patting his head and whispering "Soft, Baby"
The night we went to the hospital, Manti's high school basketball team was playing in the state championship game. Alan was planning to go, but we thought Baby was on his way, so a little disappointed, Alan took me to the hospital instead. However, it was a very long night, with much anticipation from all our family. The last thing Alan's mom said to me before leaving town that weekend was "Just whatever you do, don't have that baby on leap year!" We were running out of time...but Mason was born the next morning (of course leap year) and we were so grateful to have him! Growing up in rival high schools, the nurses at the hospital did have fun making sure that Mason was adored in a blue hat (NO RED) and little booties that said Go Bulldogs!



Mason was such a fun little boy, but a very mischevious one! I couldn't leave him for a second without finding a HUGE mess, usually in the kitchen.

As a toddler, Mason discovered the outdoors and couldn't get enough of it. He loved to escape across the street to check out our neighbors horses and dogs; go to the farm with his dad, ride the 4 wheelers, and in the big feed truck.

Being the middle child often brings challenges, but there's also the benefits of always having a friend to play with. Mason loves to build forts, go on a pretend campout or airplane ride, play school, and ride bikes with Madelyn and Jalen.

Mason had a very challenging year this last year when he broke his femur, had two rods placed, and then another surgery later in the year to take the rods out. He was limited at weeks at a time with running, climbing, and playing. But Mason made the most of it...he was always positive, smiling, and never complained. He truly is such a sweet boy!

Mason can spend a lot of time entertaining himself. He enjoys puzzles, coloring and practicing his letters and is very good at it. He loves to build with blocks, legos, and magnetics. His creativity and talent amazes me! I am so grateful to have Mason in our family. I love him so much and am thankful that he is my sweet boy! Happy Birthday Mason, we love you!!

To Do List

Are any of you listmakers? I grew up with a list almost everyday made by my mom on a yellow stick-it note for my daily chores and reminders. Sometimes it was even just a quick "don't forget to take your laundry downstairs, XOXO Mom". Whatever the case, I loved them. Now, I see myself taking after my mom. I like to make lists for everything...for my kids, the grocery store, daily to-do's, projects for down the road, lists for upcoming events or parties, and my favorite: love-to's (things I would LOVE to accomplish, but rarely get a chance to actually do them.) But I am so proud of myself because I have recently found time and accomplished 3 of my love-to's!



1. The first one you may have noticed when coming onto my blog...it finally has music!! This is something I wanted to do when I first created my blog 8 months ago. So why has it taken so long to do? Maybe because I didn't know how to do it and mostly, because I thought it would be technical, difficult and of course--time consuming. However, it was very easy. Anyhow, I am pleased that it is finally done and can make a checkmark on my list!

2. I finally finished the quilts I started for Mason and Jalen back in August. For the past 2 months, all I needed to do was finish the binding on one of the quilts but actually making time for this seemed impossible. But they are done and were such a fun project! Thanks mom for your help!!

3. A couple of years ago after first moving to Surprise, my friend Candace and I participated in our Stake Fun run. Because we were not runners and in fact never once ran even around the block before the event, it was done all for fun. We weren't even able to run the entire 5k or 2.3 miles, we had to walk a couple of times. During this race, there were several people passing us along the way who were working on their second time around the route to accomplish the 10k. I thought, Wow. I could NEVER run that far. It takes so much effort, dedication, and willpower to accomplish running 4.5 miles. But I thought how neat it would be to actually do it. So this became something on my "love-to" list. It's been a long time since then and I have taken up on running. Slowly but surely, little by little, and with the help of my running buddies Becca and Brittanie, we have been running decent distances. To my surprise, I clocked one of my routes the other day and it was over 4.5 miles! Silly to say, but I felt exhilirated! I never thought I could be a runner, so I really feel like I have accomplished something! So what does this mean? I could participate and finish a 10k race and maybe, just maybe, I'll think about pushing to do a 1/2 marathon.......maybe........someday!!

What Is Heaven Like?

Recently, Mason and Jalen have shared their insight on what they think Heaven Is Like....

During Jalen's first sharing time lesson in Primary, the children were all asked to color a picture to show what they thought Heaven was like. Pictures were being made of clouds, families, Jesus, the sun, flowers, etc. Jalen picture was just a scribble, but when asked to share what picture he had drawn or what Heaven is Like, Jalen stated that their were lots of rats and rattlesnakes in Heaven! Another Sunbeam next to him, Olivia, firmly exclaimed that there are NOT rats and rattlesnakes in Heaven. Jalen's response..."Oh YES THERE IS!"
For a little boy who truly is ALL BOY, maybe heaven to him would be one with snakes and rats.
I personally hope Olivia is right!

One morning while driving Mason to preschool, I had a very interesting conversation with him and his friend Ethan about Heaven. First, they were interested in knowing if there would be snow in Heaven and how long it could last. They both had amusing insights at why or why not the snow would melt...for example Heaven is up in the clouds so the snow would stay a long time, but then if Heaven is up in the sky it is also right by the sun so maybe the snow would melt quickly.
The next question asked was are their toys in Heaven? When I stated no, both Ethan and Mason were devastated! No toys?! What are we supposed to do all the time? Can't we take some with us? I didn't have the heart to say no, so instead I asked if they could take just one thing, what would it be. Mason's response, "my treasure box with all my specials things inside" and Ethan's response, "my Star War's nintendo game...then I can be the Bad guy...there has to be bad guys in heaven, too!"
What a fun conversation this was and with two adorable little boys who are just trying to figure it all out and discover What Heaven is Like!