Some Things That I Love

ABOUT ZOEY
-The way she says "whoa" or "ooh" or "ahh" when she sees something cool or is surprised by a near fall or something of the sort. It is so adorable in her little voice and body.
-She makes a little "pbht" sound (like blowing raspberries) when she makes a little mess-up like misses her footing or bumps into something. She also does it when she starts to get upset or frustrated.
-She is talking all the time now, not English, just her own language that consists of a lot of "lillerliller" type sounds with her tongue on her teeth.
-When we play "gonna getcha" (one of her favorite games) she runs away for a couple of steps, but inevitably turns around and runs toward the chaser while giggling every time!
- She has loved sneezing ever since she was a tiny baby. She used to get this huge grin after every one when she very first learned to control her smiles. Now those grins have turned into giggles. Sometimes her laughing in between sneezes will actually stop the next one from coming.

MOVIES
-About Time
-7 Pounds
-Slumdog Millionaire
-The Holiday
-The Family Stone
-The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

BOOKS
-Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search For Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia. By Elizabeth Gilbert
-Tao Te Ching. Translated by Stephen Mitchell
-The Gospel According to Jesus. By Stephen Mitchell

ABOUT LIFE
-Running through the sprinklers, especially at midnight
-The feeling of the grass on my toes, or the cement, or soft carpet anything really. I like being barefoot.
-School and learning
-Teeter totters
-Soft skin
-Waterfalls
-The soothing sound of my bedroom fan
-Ice cream sandwiches
-laughing
-Seeing other people's talents
-Seeing couples that are truly happy

Bird Watching

Zoey and I went to the Tracy Aviary this Tuesday. We got in for just a dollar with my Seven Peaks Pass of all Passes. It's not a very big place; nothing compared to the zoo, but we spent 2 hours there. Zoey was so enthralled by all the birds. She would climb out of her stroller, stand by the fence, point, and yell at almost every bird. She really got a good look at every one. Well, the ones that she could find. I had a hard time pointing out some of the owls that were camouflaged with the trees.

She cried every time we would walk away from one exhibit to see the next. She was just so sad to leave every bird. I thought it was kinda funny.

I tried to get some pictures, but my hands were always too full, so none of them turned out. Anyway, We really had a blast! Zoey had worn herself out by the end and feel asleep in the car. I can't wait to go back.

June Updates

Hola, just in case you were wondering..

ZOEY Is doing great. Last month she learned to do a somersault (with a little push to get over her head because her legs aren't quite long enough). She used to say some things in sign language, but has lost interest in that lately. She doesn't really wave very much anyhow either. I guess that's just old news to her. She really loves trucks right now. She spends a good amount of the day standing at our patio door watching for them to drive by. She points and says "ck" or "duh". Even if she just hears one drive by, she always points toward a window or in the direction of the road to make sure we know that she didn't miss it.

TANNER has been really busy at work trying to move their servers to their own office. At least from what I understand. I wouldn't know, but apparently that is no small task. We would like to take a vacation sometime for much needed break. 

I am challenging myself to drink 100 oz of water every day for a month. I've heard that water is good for you. Ha. Maybe I will turn into superwoman if do this. Who knows?!

I don't remember if I mentioned this already, but I've also been trying to learn Spanish. I'm just teaching myself with the help of the app and website called duolingo. I'm really enjoying it. But I wish I had someone to practice with me. There are these little spanish boys that live a couple houses down. Zoey loves to go visit them, their grandpa, and little dog when they are playing outside. It is fun to be able to start to understand some of the things that they say in Spanish. Maybe one day I will be able to communicate to the grandpa who doesn't speak a lick of English.

My little garden is pretty successful so far. I counted 14 tomatoes growing the other day. Everything else has been flowering too. I think a see a couple of bell peppers babies coming in and some green beans too!  I'm pretty excited about it coming along. I have pulled maybe five tiny little Weeds the entire time we've had this garden. Because it's right next to my house, it is so easy to take care of it and remember to water it. We've even had neighbors say stuff to us about how good it looks and how much better it seems to be doing than their gardens. If you look close, you can see alot of the tomatoes.

Adiós! 

Jump!

*this was written in may*

Out of nowhere today, Zoey just crouched down and have her best shot at a really big jump. She, of course, didn't make it off the ground. It caught Tanner and I off guard it was so funny. She kept doing it for the rest of the night. We got a little video, but these attempts were not near as big as the first one. That girl cracks me up. I have no idea where she got the idea (or learned how) to just spontaneously start jumping. I still smile when I think about it.

Hogle Zoo

Zoey's first experience at the zoo was today. I'm really glad we went. She was tired from a day of no naps, so she just looked around quietly the whole time we were there. She did try to copy my elephant noise with her lips when we saw them; and she would snack her lips when she wanted a snack. But other than that, she was quiet.

It was cool to see the baby elephant nursing. The peacock gave us a nice little show too. There were a ton of kids on every statue, so we didn't feel the need to get poses there. They have a new exhibit opening in a couple of weeks. It's going to be like an African safari. We hear that some of the animals are going to be able roam around together. We want to go back to see it later in the year.

Hiking

We went up to this this canyon in Herriman called yellow fork fora little family hike. We had a really good time. We just got this nifty child carrier that is great for Zoey. She actually really likes it, but only if Tanner is the one who is carrying her. I don't know what her deal is, but if we switch so she's riding with me, she just cries. I think she is just that much of a daddy's girl.

Whenever dad is around, she doesn't want anything to do with me. She even cries every morning when he goes to work. I don't mind. We spend enough time together during the week; and I think it's pretty cute that she loves her daddy. Besides, up until a month or two ago, she has been attached to me, so I'm okay with the space. I just feel bad that he doesn't get a break from carrying her.

literally laughing out loud

I had to share this video because it's just so funny. She's laughing so hard she falls over! Too bad I couldn't get her face. If ever I need a pick-me-up, I'm watching this. 

Try copying this link into your url if the video doesn't work here.  

https://flic.kr/p/nDueyd

1st Birthday

Zoey is one year old! 

She weighs 19 lbs.

She is 28 inches tall.

She knows how to say "eat" (fingers to mouth), "all done" (shake both hands), "bye & hi"(wave), and "yay"(clap) in sign language.

She sleeps 12 hours a night  (7-7) and takes 2 naps that are usually an hour each.

She is curious and playful, but gets bored easily.

Her favorite show is Curious George.

She likes to dance to any music or beat that she hears-and she's actually on rhythm most of the time. She will even dance to the beat of the clothes washer. 

Rules that she loves to break: playing in the garbage, eating the books, unrolling the toilet paper, and playing in the toilet water. 

She hates getting her clothes changed. She also gets mad while I am cooking dinner. 

Daddy is her favorite. She cries when he leaves for work and when he hands her to me to take her to bed at night. If we go for a family walk, dad has to be the one to hold her, or she will walk. 

Games she loves: peek-a-boo/hide-and-seek (where I hide around the couch and she comes to find me or I jump out at her when she comes around the other side), walking down the sidewalk, sliding down the slide, riding on dad's shoulders, and digging in the dirt.

 Don't even think about looking at your phone or computer while she is around or else she will be all-up-in your business. It is so fun to see her big smiles catch the attention of everyone when we go out.  She loves all the attention up until someone, other than her parent, tries to pick her up. 

I am having such a blast being a mom to this little bundle of joy. I seriously wake up happy to start my day every day now. I love my Zoey! Happy Birthday Babe!

So, I tried to have a nice little 1 year old photo shoot. I have no idea how people do this. It was impossible to get Zoey to stay in a central location long enough to snap the dang pic, which we all know only takes a split second. Impossible, I tell you! These are the closest thing Tanner and I could get with our combined efforts. 

 I was trying to get that blue thing to be a canvas behind her. That failed. haha

 Notice how I have toys trying to lure her into the photo scene 

 This might be weird, but I thought it actually turned out kind of a cool detail pic.

Here, she is holding the "one" that is in the first picture. She broke it the second I handed it to her. I can't even be a little bit mad because she is just so cute, and funny, and great. 

ON

Zoey said her first word today.  Maybe it is her third word.  She has been saying mamama and dadada for a couple of months now. But we have never really been sure if she knows the meaning or if they are just sounds like all the other googoo-gaga mumbo-jumbo.

"ON"

She said it for the first time after she had pulled all of her books off the shelf.  Tanner and I told her to put the books back on the shelf. When she put a book on the shelf, we were pleasantly surprised. We praised her and said "On. Yeah, put the book ON the shelf." So she continued stacking the books up on the shelf. With the placement of each new book, I would say, "on!"

After a couple of books on and off the shelf, she copied me, "on". It sounded like a coincidence. It could have just been another sound.  The n sound was not very distinct. She said it again though,  with the next book and the next. 

Cool, but then she lost interest in the books. I tagged the info in my brain to practice with her later - probably another day. 

It was somewhere around 10 minutes later when I was doing the dishes in the kitchen and I heard a little "clink" sound and that familiar, imperfect "on".  Tanner praised Zoey and then told me that she had put a toy on the dining chair as she said her first word in that adorable little voice! It was clear this time that she knew what she was doing. 

My First Garden

I have been wanting to grow a garden for the past couple of years now.  This is one of the reasons I wanted to buy a house so bad.  I was hoping for a yard of my own, because I thought it was necessary to have the long rows in the back to be able to have a garden at all.  When I started looking into the gardening process a couple months ago, a found a book about square foot gardening. In this book, Mel Bartholomew (weird that I had a friend in high school named Melanie Bartholomew) talks about a new method where you just plant in a 4ft x 4ft x 6in box. There are a ton of benefits; like little to no weeding, less space and seeds used, and not having to worry about the soil being too rocky or whatever. I am excited that even though we don't have the private yard I was hoping for, I can still have a garden. So we built the box (mine is 4'x2'), put the grid on, and transplanted some veggies.  I have absolutely no experience gardening, so I figured it might be easier to transplant this time instead of trying to start the seedlings.

There is still so much I don't know. I really have no clue what planting time is the best for each plant. We will see what survives. This time I planted a couple of tomatoes, a red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, and a couple of string beans. I am open to advice if anybody has any. 

We are also going to give composting a try. They say it is really easy, but I'm a little nervous about not having a bigger, private yard for this. I don't want it to stink really bad and be so close to us and the neighbors. I'll let you know how it all turns out. 

I almost forgot to add all the links that I have found helpful for my gardening. (mostly for my own benefit, but if you are interested...)

The All New Square Foot Gardening Book (word-for-word) http://books.google.com/books?id=Kvy1DZ6wjIkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=all+new+square+foot+gardening&hl=en#v=onepage&q=all%20new%20square%20foot%20gardening&f=false

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_foot_gardening

The Wealthy Earth (blog by someone who has been square foot gardening for years and years). http://thewealthyearth.com/

My Pinterest Garden Board http://www.pinterest.com/kassyccox/garden/

Migraines

Warning about a grim post.. No fun stories to follow. Mostly me just complaining. :) Read at your own risk.

Sometime in January of this year, I was diagnosed with a migraine. It was more intense than I knew migraines could be. I had always thought that they were just seriously painful headaches, often associated with pain in the temples from light or noise or whatever. I have been lucky enough to have gone through my 21 years without having a real idea of what they can be. Well, in January, my luck must have ran out. I remember laying on my couch watching tv when my arm suddenly went numb like it had fallen asleep. It had no reason to be asleep though; I hadn't been putting any sort of pressure on it. A couple of minutes later, the numb, tingling feeling creeped like a sneaky mouse through each finger, back up my arm and into my face. I could feel it in my nose and tongue, like the little stars you see after you spin around and around. It was very bizarre and quite scary to be honest. I thought I was having a stroke. Tanner called 911 after I tried to say something to him and the words were incomprehensible because of my numb tongue. They sent the ambulance over, but the techs didn't see anything unusual with my vital signs or anything like that, so they left. I was feeling funny, but couldn't really explain why, so we thought we could wait it out. The numbness went away but then I couldn't form the sentences. I couldn't say what I was thinking. I told Tanner that I was going to go lay on the table. I meant couch, but could not say the dang word. I couldn't say anything right. It was really frustrating. Tanner ended up driving me to the hospital that night.  We had our sister-in-law stay at the house with Zoey until we got back.  The pain hit pretty soon after we got to the hospital and my memory is blurry from then on because of the amount of pain I was in. I mostly just remember that it was horrible. I couldn't express myself to tell people what I wanted. They all just looked at me like I was crazy. It was too long ago to go into details anyway.

It was quiet for a couple months after that. I had no other symptoms or pain or anything.  Last week though, I woke up at 5:30 with a tingly tongue. Slowly, the headache followed. It became worse and worse till I was so debilitated that I couldn't focus enough for Tanner to communicate with me. Every teeny light was so excruciating to see. It was very comparable to labor in pain levels. Tanner ended up staying home from work to take care of the baby while I slowly came back out of zombie land. Five hours later, the pain finally subsided to just a regular headache.  By bedtime, I was feeling better.  No fun, but the day was done.

Six days later, I woke up with tingly fingers again. This was yesterday.  Blah Blah Blah, lots of pain for hours on end; Husband missing another day of work; all the stuff I want to complain about, and here we are. I went to the doctor today and he have me some preventative meds and some other migraine relief just in case one happens to sneak past the prevention. I really hope they help.

Sometimes life is grim. I always catch myself wondering what I would do if I didn't live in this day and age where I can easily go to the doctor and get some drugs handed to me to make me feel better.  I am fortunate to have what I have and to live this life that I live.

Zoey's Friends and New Skills

They have a story time/play group at the library near us.  We went for the first time and Zoey was such a little social butterfly. I had so much fun just watching her walking around and checking out all of the different toys and friends.  I expected her to be nervous and cling to me, but that was not the case at all. She didn't even hang around. They had this gigantic dragon puppet that you put your whole arm into. One of the moms had it on her arm and was pretending to get her 3 year old daughter with it as she giggled. Zoey just wandered up to them, put her hand on the mom's back and watched them play. She was laughing right along with them. She was beside herself with joy. I wish I got a picture of it. It was seriously the cutest thing I have ever seen.  We are having so much together, this little munchkin and I. 

Zoey has discovered how to blow raspberries on my tummy. She thinks it is hilarious. Every time I lie down, she immediately comes over and tries to lift up my shirt.  

I can't believe how fast she is growing and learning. We bought a gate to put on the stairs a couple days ago because she kept trying to climb up them. Naturally, we didn't want her to climb up and then fall down. But she has already learned how to climb down safely on her tummy. I took the gate back. As long as I keep an eye on her, I believe she is safe. Here is proof.

Paragliding

 

Merry Christmas! We cashed in our vouchers to go paragliding last week.  Two tandem flights. I went first while Tanner held the baby and then we switched.  Each flight was a half hour.  We went to the Point of the Mountain in Salt Lake (south side).  The flights are usually $125, but we found a deal on Amazon Local for $85 each.  Money well spent in my opinion. Some of you know that I went skydiving for my eighteenth birthday.  I am always up for the adventure! I was expecting paragliding to be very similar.  It was different in the fact that is wasn't a super adrenaline rush.  Jumping out of an airplane is quite the thrill. It was very similar to the post-free-fall part of skydiving though (when the parachute goes up). Makes sense right? It was actually very relaxing. The view, of course, was amazing. We had to stay right above the ridge the whole time so that we didn't lose the updraft that was making us stay in the air. Boy, was it windy! and cold! Note, for the future: remember to where a warm wind breaking coat, even a winter coat. Snow pants would even be a good idea, like the ones you wear skiing. And warm gloves.  Dress the little ones warm too (even though they aren't actually going up). I did not expect it to be so cold with the sun shining and clear skies, but the strong winds on the mountain add a serious chill. 

Tanner loved it and want to take lessons to learn how to do it solo. The cool thing about paragliding is that it is so simple and light. It's just a back pack. You can take it with you on a hike and fly down from the top.  We definitely recommend it! Check out all of our paragliding pictures here.

We've Moved

It's official! The Cox family now has a home that we can call our own. We were able to move in last Saturday, the 15th. Thank you to our parents and to the other Cox brothers (and family) for making the move not only possible, but 100 times easier. In the week that we have lived here, we keep finding things that make us love our new home even more.  Things like the quietness or our dishwasher, microwave, and garage door.  We have noticed that there are a lot of dogs, and a lot of dog poop in our neighbors yards. But we are in the end unit; no one brings their dogs over to our yard, therefore, no poop!  I know that I would have had a huge issue with this if we had moved into another place.  Some of the other great things include parks, hiking trails, basketball courts, splash pads, pools, and fitness centers really close.  We are thrilled that we can start personalizing our house. We can paint if we want to, or mount a tv on the wall, or have a garden. No one will tell us that these things are not allowed and we will not have to worry about changing someone else's property.  We do have some restrictions with the HOA, but nothing I am worried about.  If you are interested, I posted pictures here or you can check out the link to all of our pictures on flickr.    

We're buying a house!

We are so excited! Our offer was accepted on Sunday for a nice town house in Herriman.  The seller is wanting to close soon, so things are moving quickly.  We just had our inspection today and will keep moving forward with the appraisal, etc.  It is crazy how many people are involved in us buying this house.  I knew it was going to be a large process, but I feel pretty naive. I am learning something new everyday.

We started browsing the internet around December, but nothing serious.  I had a realtor contact me through utahhomes.com in the beginning of it all. He set up an automatic email system that would email me new listings that met our search criteria.  I contacted Wells Fargo in January to see what I needed to do to get started on the financial side of it.  I wasn't even sure what we could afford. We met with the home mortgage advisor and were pre-approved that same day.  So I started paying closer attention to those emails from the realtor, as well as the previously posted ads online.

We fell in love with the third house we toured, but didn't expect everything to happen so fast. We toured the place on Friday, put an offer on it on Saturday, and were accepted on Sunday.  Our home for the next five years -or something- was determined by a 20 minute walk-through.

A little bit about our future home:  It is 2300 square feet. 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms upstairs. 1/2 bathroom, living room, and kitchen on the main floor. unfinished basement.  It is an end unit town home, which gives us a larger yard/play area. It is not private, but also not infested with dog poop like a lot of the grass in front of the homes next door.  2 car garage with extra parking right across the street. and a fire place! I didn't know this until after the ball was rolling, but we are half a mile away from trail heads for hiking. I am excited to enjoy some great hikes. Oh, the view in AMAZING, and I haven't even hiked to the top yet! Here are some of the highlights of the new house. See our old house here.

The front door

 side and patio

 Master bathroom has separate tub and shower and 2 sinks

 large walk-in closet

 laundry room (with shelves!)

 looking from the garage door and kitchen into the dining and living

 we are excited for that fridge and pantry

House on Grevillea Lane

We are now responsible to find someone to rent the house we are living in now to avoid paying double rent/mortgage. I put an ad up today and have had about 10 appointments scheduled to tour, so I don't think we will have a problem.  We have loved living here (all except for sharing the driveway with three other houses).  Actually, if I could pick this house up and move it to a new location, I would.  Here are some pics of our current residence in West Jordan. See our new house here.

main floor: 1/2 bath, kitchen, dining, and living

upstairs:  master bedroom, bathroom, and closet

next door, our laundry room, Zoey's room, second bathroom, and guest bedroom

and our very messy basement storage area