Let's Make Some Christmas Cookies...

The Tuesday before Christmas the grand-kids and a good family friend and her kids all gathered at my mom's house to make Christmas cookies. We had so much fun, and I'm pretty sure Santa loved the cookies as well!!! As always I take a ton of pictures to share in the joy, fun, and excitement that we all had in doing our annual, Oma's Christmas Cookies!!!

Family Fun Day!!

This past Saturday we took a family day, we went on a day trip to Fredricksburg. It was so nice to be able to slow down and have some time for just ourselves. As my parents, niece, nephew, and my family went on our day trip, we decided to photograph our day so we could share it all with you!

Please enjoy a tour of our family day through photos!



We started out day with a nice picnic in the park followed by a tour of the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm. People dress up in wear from the 1900's and live the day to day life as they did back in 1915. The kids were able to help them with some of there activities that they do daily and have a great learning experience. It was so much fun...

This is a time line of the farm and the owners it's had up till present day.

When you first walk into the farm you see the many different livestock animals that are raised and butchered for food. Here is roughly a four month old calf. he hadn't gotten his lunch yet, so I let him suck on my hand. The kids were so worried that the moo cow was going to eat mommy. It became a great learning lesson for them, the calf let me open his mouth so I could show them that he didn't have any teeth yet, so it didn't hurt mommy.

Our next stop on the farm was the chicken and turkey coop area, Grandon was so excited that he found a turkey feather on the ground, we kept it and it's now in his room. They chickens had laid two eggs that more, and the kids before us were able to go into the coop and get the eggs, so much fun!!!

On the other side of the coop is where the out house was. Inside this outhouse was two toilet holes, I'm sure I don't have to explain that for y'all to understand why there was two holes ;)

From the outhouse and coop you turn to go into the back yard and the back side of the house, from here we went into the original kitchen. I wasn't able to get any pictures of the kitchen which I wish I had. There were two ladies in there cooking on an old time wood burning stove/oven.

This is in front of the "new" house that was built in 1917. This house was built because after the tenth child was born, the family out grew the old house and then built this house to help fit the family.

A shot of the front porch on the "new" house. The swing was so peaceful and romantic!

This is the front of the original house that the family lived in till they out grew it. Now it's used at the butcher house and the food storage area.

The wreaths and garland that is hung through out the houses and buildings are all handmade on the farm using the cedar that is naturally growing there.

Clayton and I had to stop for a photo op, we really enjoyed learning the history of the olden days.
A far view of the whole house part of the farm, this ends our Tour of the Living History Farm.

We continue with our tour...We are now in Fredricksburg...

Our first stop once we hit Fredricksburg was the big Christmas pyramid, this is one of the main reasons why we wanted to do our day trip in the first place. I have a much much smaller version of this on my dinning table. This is a 32 foot tall one that was all hand crafted and shipped from Germany. Now if you have no clue what this is ready the next picture.

So instead of trying to explain the Christmas Pyramid I figured this would be easier.

Our tour continues...

Behind the pyramid was a really cool park and The Pioneer Garden that had a ton of history there as well, we will start with the history part and then go to the fun part the kids at the park. Above this an old water wheel, it wasn't turning, but would have been cool if it had been.

This is a marking of the first settlers of Fredricksburg and the Native Americans doing a peace treaty and learning to co-live.

The Chief of The Native American Tribe watches over as the settlers converse and trade with the other Native Americans.

This plaque is pretty much explanatory. The plaque is mounted on a really cool rock! This plaque really made Clayton and I smile!

Grandon decided he wanted to climb the cool rock and get his picture taken. So he said cheese and I clicked away, he's so cute, just look at that chocolate mouth!!!

Now the fun section...The Park!!!

A really cute picture of Madison Playing on the playground! Doesn't she look so sweet???

When I was a little girl, my cousins, brothers, and I sat on a playground slide and took a picture, it's still one of my mom's favorite pictures ever, even though we don't have all the cousins in this picture, but it still came out really good and cute. I love how my kids have all there cousins close by to grow up with. (The cousins on my side at least)

Our Last Stop on our Tour...LUCKENBACH!!!

So when you think of Luckenbach, you always have the song playing in your head, "Let's go to Luckenbach Texas with Waylen, Willie, and the Boys..."

This plaque tells the history of Luckenbach, The main family name as it states in the plaque is "Engel" the great-great-great-grandson of August Engel, just happens to be an old family friend, and my old High School German teacher. It's awesome to see the history of not only my family, but my teacher's family as well.

This is a longhorn that you could sit on with a Santa hat and take a Christmas picture, only in Texas ;)

Christmas in Texas...This is how we roll!!!

We do our Christmas carolling on horses, and we deck them out in Christmas decorations. The kids thought the horses were so cool and really enjoyed watching them sing on the horses. We really have some great traditions that we do down here, and I'm so glad that we have them and they are different!


So that brings us to the end of our family fun day tour, thanks for joining in with us on our day, i hope you learned new things and felt like you were with us at least a little bit!

Merry Christmas Ya'll and a very Happy New Year
From our family to yours!
The Cox's

First Adjustment/Fill...

This past Tuesday I went in for my first adjustment/fill for my LapBand, basically they tighten my band. The picture above pretty much explains how it all works, they take a needle filled with saline and insert it into my port to tight the band.

I was really nervous about getting my first fill. More nervous because I didn't know how it would fill, what to expect, or anything.

Everything went great with the expectation of me fainting and falling off the table onto the floor, knocking the cup of water out of my surgeons hand having him spill it all over me, and waking up laying on his floor with my mother, my daughter, and my doctor all looking over me.

I'm sure your asking yourself, why did I faint, well one reason is nerves, I couldn't get them in check as well as I thought I could, second, because the nerves in my stomach were messed with during the fill (which is normal) all my blood supply went to my stomach so when I sat up I didn't have any in my head and that causes you to faint.

I pretty much laughed at the whole thing, I'm used to be the one who all the weird things happen to, it's just pretty much me! I'm okay and nothing is hurt or harmed, I've been doing good since the fill, just trying to figure everything food wise out again, i.e. how much I can eat, what foods I can handle and which I cant, and etc.

Since Tuesday I've lost another 3 pounds and I'm almost to my post-Grandon, pre- Madison weight, that's a great feeling! I can't wait till I'm under 200!!! I'll continue to keep the updates coming!!!

Nana's Christmas party!!!

Every year my sister in law's mother does her annual Christmas party for her day care kids. She always asks Clayton to play Santa. Clayton always says yes, because he has so much fun doing it, and we all love to see the smile on the kids faces to see Santa! Not to mention Clayton makes a GREAT Santa!!!

Grandon went to Santa all by himself, and wasn't scared!

He really was excited!

Madison on the other hand, ummm I don't think so...

Just give me the present and don't talk or touch me...

Hey Santa!!!

They all were waiting so good for Santa to come!
And while they were waiting they sang some songs as well, listen to them below...

SSS

So this Christmas I've participated in a blog secret Santa, and have had so much fun with it. Not just shopping for a mystery person, but learning about all these cool new blog people! When I got to my mail box today, I had a surprise waiting for me from my secret Santa.

So my loot from my SS is pictured below:

1. Body Scrub
2. Pack of two ornaments
3. Pack of two apple candles, so cute!
4. 4 super super cute bookmarks
5. Martha's Classic thanksgiving DVD and recipe holder
6. A WHOLE bag of almond kisses, Which I will NOT share!!!

Thanks to my SSS, I LOVE everything you got me, and had a ton of fun opening everything!

Everything was wrapped pretty

Then I dug in

And look at all my goodies!!!

i-Cento Christmas Program

Last night Grandon had his first Christmas program with his school. They all had to wear Santa hats, and have been practicing three different Christmas songs that they made up and put together. You could hardly hear them on the stage cause they all got so shy, but they were so cute up there.

It's been so much fun watching Grandon grow this past year in school, he has learned so much and has improved on so many different levels. He loves school and never wants to leave when I go pick him up. Madison can't wait for her turn to start school, and neither can mommy, I'm ready for two days with NO kids what so ever!!!

The stage all ready to go

Singing "Ring, Ring, Ring, The Bells"

Singing "Ring, Ring, Ring, The Bells"

Singing "Twirling Christmas is here"

Breakfast with Santa...

A few weeks ago Sat. December 5th to be exact, I had my Scentsy party at my mother's house and since it was a girls only party Clayton took Grandon to eat Breakfast with Santa. Grandon had so much fun and was so excited to see Santa and do all the crafts that his work shop had set up for him! I just love Christmas time!!!

Scentsy Reminder!!!

Don't forget to go online and place your Scentsy order, my party is tomorrow, which means the show will close tomorrow evening, they are great gifts for yourself and for Christmas!!!

It will be shipped directly to your house!!!

ORDER NOW!!!

Soccer

Grandon was so excited that he got to be in soccer this year, he is still learning about it, and had some rough times there, but he is the youngest and the only 3 year old on his league, maybe next year he'll be more ready!

This Saturday will be his last soccer game, kinda sad, but we are ready for soccer to be over for a while anyways. It's been a great bonding experience for Clayton and Grandon though. It's been amazing watching my two boys do something together that is just theirs. This is the first time ever that Grandon has gotten this with his daddy, and it's really done wonders for their relationship!

We were able to get a few snap shots during picture day, I'll post more after Saturday, because it'll be his last game and awards! They just look so darn cute out there!!!

Cold and Bored, hmmm....

So, when the rare years of an actual cold winter hits us here in south Texas, we don't usually tend to take our kids outside, because we are a bunch of whimps! Nothing wrong with that, maybe if we lived in Alaska we'd be able to handle our 40 degree weather just a little better.

So this past Monday the kids and I stayed home and just relaxed, we didn't go anywhere and didn't do anything, till about 10:30, then we were house bound and got dressed and left. Before we got house bound though, my very creative and active kids decide they wanted to build a fort in the living room.

I remember building forts as a kid and it was so much fun, a tradition that should always be carried on! I encourage all fort building in my house for young and old!!! For it being there first time ever building a fort I think they did a pretty darn good job, and this is with no help from me!!!

What do you think?

If you look closely at the first picture you can see little legs under there, so cute!!!