my name is cox

valentines + kelly's birthday

2012-02-14T16:36:00.004-06:00

so far i have consumed roughly 2lbs of sugar and many other good treats today. tomorrow will be a detox day for sure. the office atmosphere is good for indulgence on holidays i tell you what. my dear wonderful friend kelly turned the big 4-0 today so we decorated her up (we like to keep it classy that way) and brought her to lunch at the amazing Sorrel and finished off the afternoon with some Sprinkles cupcakes. it has been a good day. cant wait to get home and end the evening snuggled up in my PJs, next to kyle finishing up Friday Night Lights. i cant believe its over!!!

kelly and lchess, ready to eat!

scallops for lunch...dont be jealousssssss

mmhmmm

sprinkles!!!!

magnetic fields - andrew in drag

2012-02-12T12:18:00.001-06:00

saturday morning

2012-02-11T12:07:00.002-06:00

blueberry muffins, bacon, xylophone playing, fresh OJ and a little lamb

sessy new bedroom

2012-02-11T09:32:00.001-06:00

i finally purchased curtains for our bedroom, it has only taken 6 years. its made a much needed improvement to the room. no more baby making for us, but it really does set a nice mood.

egg + avocado

2012-02-10T08:33:00.002-06:00

(i don't think i'm saying anything new here, but just thought i would highlight the moment since its on my mind....)

if we're not making scrambled eggs with bacon grease we are using avocado oil. stella and i just finished off our breakfast of scrambled egg whites with avocado oil and english white cheddar cheese and it was so good. sadly i think i only got 3 bites total. that girl knows what good food tastes like.

All that being said about avocado oil, i cannot get the image of eggs baked in an avocado that the kitchen posted about yesterday (thanks for the heads up amber!). I will definitely be trying this soon.

avocado oil

egg baked in avocado

banana bread

2012-02-10T07:17:00.000-06:00

just so i don't forget this recipe...it was so good, the loaf is already gone.

chicken

2012-02-09T14:31:00.001-06:00

courtesy of ben. possibly going in my kitchen.

olde photos

2012-02-09T14:28:00.001-06:00

i was going through old emails from ben just a moment ago, in search for a picture, when i came across these photos ben took with his 35mm at claire's wedding....the last day i had my aviators. claire and wade's wedding was so pretty and because i newly pregnant and stone cold sober through it i remember it all, which is a rarity (haha). i'm going to track down some more photos from this night, it was so much fun.

head phones

2012-02-09T12:57:00.007-06:00

we have a dvd player in our car, yes i know, not necessary, but its there nonetheless. now every time we get in the car stella points to the screen and screams, "ELMO!" i do have to say, it has saved us a few times on the road trips to austin. there are headphones that go with the screen and typically stella will hold them in her lap and can hear from them fine, but i turned around the other day and saw she had figured out how to put them on her head. smart girl!

dry cleaners

2012-02-09T12:53:00.001-06:00

we took an impromptu walk to the cleaners this morning, it was a nice day and i figured some exercise would do me good. got the baby in the stroller, a backpack of laundry on my back, 2 dogs at my side, pandora in my ears and away we went. went over surprisingly well, its not easy walking 5 living things (me, stella, pete, olive, and wee babe). the laundry was delivered and some calories were burned. success!

random gorilla man in the cleaners window

stella and the dogs patiently waiting while i dropped off the clothes

superbowl and whatnot

2012-02-09T12:45:00.004-06:00

we went to austin last weekend for a mice and rifles show. it was a lot of fun to see the boys play. austin is always such a good time, good friends, family and fun, it just goes by too fast! we had the night off saturday, my mom watched stella saturday night and we stayed out until the wee hours of the morning. kelli and kevin surprised us with donuts and coffee bright and early sunday morning...thats good friends right there. not only do they wake up early because they know you do, but they treat you with breakfast goodies as well. they are too much i tell you. too much.

sunday was of course Super Bowl. it was low key, claire and wade came over, made some chili, ate some amazing Whole Foods King Cake (go get some!) and watched some football. our neighbor had a party so we walked across the street and socialized for awhile. by the end of the night i was so full i couldn't see straight, but thats what Super Bowl sunday is all about...best american holiday if you ask me!

kitty - alive and well. yesterday he got stuck in the gate as i was leaving for work. somehow he leapt through the gate at the exact moment it was opening and was completely stuck. i was freaking out, luckily our nanny was home and was able to help me get him unstuck. poor kitty. after a can of tuna and some loving, he seems to be fine.

stella piled herself and all of her favorite toys onto the chair the other night and laid there with them for about 10 minutes. it was quite a sight, not only because of the pile but because she was still for so long!

*****

stella was having so much fun running around on our neighbors porch sunday afternoon, i took a million pictures. the one up above on the steps is my favorite, but here are a ton more.

DIY: gold dipped bowl

2012-01-31T13:51:00.003-06:00

so pretty and seems so do-able!

weekend photos

2012-01-31T10:46:00.001-06:00

thursday, it was our usual routine, stella and i joined betty and austen for a walk around memorial followed a lot of playtime at the park. we stopped for some tacos on the way home and filled up our bellies....this then lead to a very good nap time. we had some friends over that afternoon for a little playtime at the house, since the ground was soaked from all the rain earlier in the week. it was fun to see four little girlies running around the house. stella did "ok" with sharing her toys, but do not mess with her dolls. haha.

friday, stella and i headed to fundamentally toys to get our friend rush a blast pad (this toy is legit, enjoyment for both parents and kiddos), but quickly got wrapped up in the dinosaurs and train set. we played there for nearly 2 hours (the employees were super nice and even gave stella a balloon :) ). we came home and decided to skip nap time (weeee!) and played in the sunshine all afternoon. her newest obsession is airplanes, when she sees or hears one she immediately points to the sky and with all the excitment she can muster shrieks "a plane! a plane!"

saturday was a lazy day, kyle and stella laid in bed watching toy story until almost 9am! that afternoon kyle had a softball practice that stella, richard and i went and watched. we came home, stella napped and kyle and i laid on a blanket in the front yard and took a nap. once we all woke up we headed to whole foods on a foodie mission. bacon wrapped shrimp kabobs and sirloin satays were on the menu. i also tried the king cake while we were there. hollllly mother. best thing i've ever eaten. will be picking one up in a few weeks...i suggest you do the same (get the berry flavor). richard joined us for the evening and we rented 30 minutes or less which was surprisingly funny. of course, fell asleep by 9pm. old folks.

sunday was another lazy morning (surprise surprise), i met kelly for a pedicure which was so awesome, and then we headed to rush's birthday party. stella got in the big bouncy for the first time. she also sprinted full force towards the pool about 20 times. the girl is fearless. we came home and watched monica on cupcake wars!!!!! the little bakery she works for made it on the show...it was so amazing to see her in action on the big screen.

this week started off so fun. claire and wade came over last night with some homeslice pizza dough fresh from austin and we made 3 delicious pizzas. brie and proscuitto, chicken sausage and mozzerella, and proscuitto and arugula. so amazingly good and filling. we started watching inglorious bastards and basically all fell asleep.

impromtu storytime

2012-01-30T10:37:00.001-06:00

richard caught a sweet moment saturday night with me and stella. i was cooking dinner and stella brough me her favorite book "stella is a star" and wanted me to read it right then and there. so, as i'm learning as a new parent, i dropped everything I thought was important at the moment (like getting the bread out of the oven and the shrimp on the bbq) and had a little storytime in the middle of the kitchen. mind you, this is one of the longest books we read, so it took a little time, but i loved it all the same.

weekend activites

2012-01-24T13:08:00.000-06:00

our life as depicted by kyle's new iphone (finally!).

stella had her first trip to the zoo saturday. i think she was more enamored by the hundreds of nooks she found to sit and the random ledges/benches she could climb than she was by the animals. but it was a fun adventure at any rate. our friends leila and carina joined us and the girls couldnt have been cuter together. although stella did have a minor breakdown by the end of the day. on a whim, kyle and i got a babysitter that night and went out to dinner just the two of us. its amazing how big these small things feel now.

sunday was spent relaxing at home. and in an amazingly indulgent moment i made some brownies from scratch which taste like heaven here on earth. i definitely made myself sick off of them. stella and kyle enjoyed the batter as you can see below. heres to hoping the week is as nice as the weekend was!

interview with a one year old

2012-01-24T09:21:00.002-06:00

too funny

a little bit of kitty

2012-01-20T06:31:00.002-06:00

i caught kitty in a rare moment of him cuddling on the couch. he can be so sweet when he wants to be.

white stripes - white moon

2012-01-19T13:58:00.001-06:00

barnyard animals

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

mom and i picked up a $3 pack of small (probably a choking hazard) plastic barnyard animals when we went grocery shopping. they have been the light of stella's life the past few weeks. and we now know cow, goat and pig...although almost every animal at this point is a cow to her.

keys, phone, wallet

2012-01-18T12:14:00.005-06:00

this rug made me laugh. since the day i met kyle this exact phrase has been his mantra. he likes to pride himself on the so very few times (like zero) he has ever lost his phone because of this. found here

stella likes the iphone

2012-01-18T10:55:00.001-06:00

however, she does not like it when you hold the iphone and take a picture of her.

drawrings

2012-01-18T10:51:00.000-06:00

You Know My Name Is Simon And I Like To Do Drawings

(you must play that audio above before reading)
when we were in austin a few weeks ago i finally remembered to ransack my mom's closet to find my dad's drawing book. In the late-90s he had an affinity for hand sketching horses and birds, and honestly, he was pretty good at it. i want to hang a few around the house in his memory. Below are a few of the photos which he did entirely by hand and learned by himself sitting in his lounge chair in the living room with a drawing pad in one hand and an image of a horse in another. the man was one of the most diligent people i knew.

however, not only did i find some amazing art by my dad, but an amazing art peice done by yours truly. i must have been around 12, so 7th grade-ish. and in case you cant read the text it says ,"Her name is Sarah. Sarah is the coolest person in her school.*" Also note, i am taller than the buildings and the tree.

* - i'd like to note that i was not in fact the coolest person in the school of any grade level, nor have i ever been taller than any buildings.

soulsavers

2012-01-17T16:19:00.002-06:00

dont worry, its not a christian reference, just a band

weekend activities

2012-01-17T16:14:00.001-06:00

it was such a beautiful weekend, perfect mid-70s sunshine weather, a few parties with good friends, lots of good food....really doesnt get much better than that.

we spent both mornings playing in the backyard and actually laying out for a few minutes. stella helped kyle clean his truck (she is obsessed with playing in our cars) and destroyed a banana peel with pete's help. kyle also made the BEST chicken of my life on the grill for lunch saturday. i mean the juiciest most flavorful chicken i have ever had. it was such a treat to have a good feast mid-day.

saturday afternoon, we went to jett's house for his first birthday party. amber made it a carnival theme complete with a hot dog stand and cotton candy! stella loved all the games, cupcakes and balloons. it was refreshing to see a lot of old friends we hadnt seen in waaaay too long, like since halloween at least. sadly, we had to leave too soon because kyle had an audition. that night, richard came over and we watched some fooseball and ordered sushi. stella surprised us with her first ever put-herself-to-bed moment. around 7pm she looked up at us and said "night night", ran to her room, grabbed her blanket and pacifier and posted her self on the couch, face down with butt in the air. she was full on ready for bed! it was amazing.

sunday was a nice slow pace again. with much of the same morning activites, and again around her naptime, stella stopped playing, said "night night" and headed to her room. it really is amazing to see all this time of endless routine and effort finally coming together. who knows if it will last, but i'm definitely enjoying it at the moment. we went over to richard's house to watch the texans playoff game (and sadly lose). it was his aunt's birthday as well, so his mom had made a homemade lasagna...which was amazing! his mom also had a new puppy, Ouisie, who is hands down the cutest thing. stella was obsessed. we finished off the evening with some key lime pie and a walk and a few episodes of friday night lights, duh.

c'est très français, non?

2012-01-16T13:28:00.001-06:00

at Jett's first birthday party

outdoor toys for kids

2012-01-12T14:42:00.001-06:00

this has been a never ending battle for me. stella loves her some slide time, but i have moral issues against paying over $100 for a chunk of plastic. i've been searching and searching for another option but it really doesn't look like there is much else out there in the way of a small playset for kids besides little tikes. i may have lost this battle. such a tragedy.

however, i did come across other cool options for outdoor fun....

the Eero Aarnio Puppy

ikea - the virre slide. i need to see this in real life to see the size. if it comes up to my knee then its a no-go.

and when the time comes, a LikeABike

but who am i kidding, i'm probably going to cave and get her this.

real piggies

2012-01-12T11:57:00.000-06:00

we got ourselves some real pigtails today (as opposed to these). the mullet hair has been parted and twisty-tied into the most adorable pair of ponies i have ever seen on a little face.

kimichi blue

2012-01-12T11:54:00.003-06:00

i really like these, so please don't hate me. i love that they have a 90s silhouette and i love that they are wrapped in a somewhat tacky pattern. there is just something that calls to me when i look at them.

austin time

2012-01-10T16:42:00.002-06:00

we got to spend some time in austin this past weekend thanks to mice and rifles reunion show. i swear it has been at least 2 years since they have played live. the boys sounded awesome. it was so fun to see everyone and get to hang out past midnight.

on saturday auntie momo babysat allllll day for us and kyle and i got to tool around the town with kevin and kelli. we started the afternoon at a cute vietnamese restaurant called elizabeth street noodles (that was highly overpriced but had an amazing champagne punch). kelli and i trolled around south lamar, stopping at any cute boutique we saw. We even stumbled upon a cute little patisserie that had the most amazing macaroons (we tried the rose/champagne and the cardamom flavors). the boys had serious mantime watching the texans win their playoff game (YES!).

We ended the night on the brinkkoeter couch with some homeslice pizza (pepperoni of course) to which the boys topped with salad and kevin added extra salt (what?) and rented Straw Dogs, which is hands down the worst movie i have ever seen.

we were home early on sunday, which is a first, and got to enjoy the good houston weather, as rare as it is. it was such a nice weekend, sometimes i really wish we could move back.

a few more new years

2012-01-10T16:09:00.001-06:00

a joyous cart ride

trying our our beautiful hats

mini-half-skeleton avec purple bow

a better view of the cheese plate situation

uncle banj and stells

new years

2012-01-05T07:13:00.003-06:00

new years was so much fun this year. most years we lay pretty low, barely make it to midnight. two years ago we actually went to see The Road and i couldn't stop crying all night (probably not the best decision). anyway, this year was more festive and sparkly. ben came to visit (yay!) and claire and wade came over with some sparklers, and the combination of the two couldn't have been better.

we made sliders, sipped on prosecco, gorged on a huge cheese plate, wore st. paddy's day hats (thats all that was at target!), watched the weirdness that is ryan seacrest and partied on the front porch until the wee hours of the morning. we were lucky that our neighbors decided to throw a huge party so we could even venture out and be a little social if we wanted, without the cost of a babysitter!

needless to say the following morning was a little rough for everyone, particularly kyle. haha. but everyone was up by 10 (me by 7:30 with the wee one), and we pigged out again on belgian waffles, bacon, eggs and biscuits. we had a little college moment that afternoon, napping in the sunshine in the front lawn, the boys tossing the football, stella playing in the dirt. it really was the best way to ring in the new year.

here are a few pictures, mainly of the sparkler experience...

cb2

2012-01-05T06:38:00.000-06:00

just got done browsing the new cb2 magazine that was in my mailbox and i was pretty impressed. there were a few things that sparked my fancy.

the 11-piece relic vase set would be cool to split with a friend

the leather butterfly chair for sure

the noir pendant lamp...i'll take 2

the stone resin bath accessories would definitely make your toothbrush look handsome

and the carpenter bench would look awesome on a front porch or patio

gotye - somebody that i used to know

2012-01-03T19:33:00.001-06:00

american apparel

2011-12-31T13:26:00.001-06:00

i just can't get over how cute this outfit is...thank you so much auntie kelli!!!! she is ringing in the new year in style.

breakfast

2011-12-31T12:53:00.003-06:00

stella now requires an audience with her breakfast

merry christmas

2011-12-31T12:41:00.001-06:00

stella must have been very good this year because she raked in the toys on christmas. she got a new kitchen, multiple riding toy options (a car, a kettler tricycle, and a grasshopper), some cool musical instruments, a sound machine, some toothbrushes (our new replacement for sticks!), the cutest new outfit, some food for her new kitchen, a teapot set, and so much more.

we spent christmas eve at kyle's family's house, the kids all played their hearts out and we ate some good food. then we woke up christmas morning, had our own family christmas (the first one yet!) and then headed to austin for some good times.

it has been such a relaxing break...this has definitely been one of the best christmases yet!

stella on the runway

2011-12-31T12:08:00.001-06:00

auntie momo took this picture of stella and i exiting our first flight together to minnesota. it was such a small plane that we didn't dock at a normal gate, we just walked down the plane's stairs and right on to the runway. so weird.

the brothers bloom

2011-12-31T12:05:00.000-06:00

i love this movie. that is all.

stella rocks out

2011-12-31T09:44:00.001-06:00

her newest dance move.

the coolest way to eat with a fork

2011-12-24T10:00:00.003-06:00

just in case you were wondering. and as kelli noted, a perfect diet plan as well...the food just falls off so you really never eat! perfect way to battle against the holiday binging.

date night

2011-12-24T09:54:00.002-06:00

its been awhile since kyle and i have been on a proper date. i brought up the idea during breakfast yesterday and kyle actually followed through! (haha just kidding) we went to eat at the cutest new restaurant near our house, Liberty Kitchen, and split the sliders and a skillet mac and cheese. kyle washed it down with their in-house brewed lager (i had a few tastes as well)...it was a really nice meal. then we headed to the theater to see the new Sherlock Holmes, which was really good, but because of the late showing time, i did fall asleep a few times. oops. it was so nice to get out of the house for a few hours and unwind just the two of us.

pumpkin pie

2011-12-24T09:43:00.003-06:00

i made the delicious pumpkin chiffon pie for christmas...and remembered to take pictures this time. this pie is seriously to die for and, honestly, not too difficult to make. i can't wait to eat it!!!!

making the crust

the filling and meringue

the finished pies!

uncle albert

2011-12-20T15:37:00.001-06:00

fast forward to 2:18 minute mark

hallacas

2011-12-20T11:21:00.003-06:00

this past weekend we were invited to my cousin's house to make hallacas (aka venezuelan tamales). I had never heard of them but was excited to be invited to something cooking involved during the holiday season (i love cooking with people this time of year) and to maybe start a new family tradition.

however, what i did not know was what a looooooonnnnngg process this was and how much back breaking work it takes to complete. now i understand why this is traditionally done while drinking lots and lots of tequila.

needless to say it turned out to be a really fun day. we got to see family, learn something new and eat a delicious meal! done and done.

thanks so much for inviting us aaron and alicia!!! xoxo

step by step process of the hallacas below (should be noted that alicia started making the meat around 8am saturday morning and we didnt sit down to eat a finished hallaca until almost 9pm...and the work was only halfway done. alicia and aaron still had to make bollos out of the leftover maize and plaintain leaves.)

that spirit of christmas

2011-12-19T10:31:00.001-06:00

16 months and still a champ

2011-12-18T08:13:00.002-06:00

she's lengthening out, over the 100th percentile in height...and after visiting alexis in minnesota i now realize she also has giant feet. this girl is gonna be tall. not to mention smart. she has the verbal skills of a 2 year old.

minnesota

2011-12-17T09:28:00.003-06:00

stella and i went up to minnesota last weekend to visit my mom's family. luckily my mom and sister caught the same flight as me so i had help on the plane for stella's FIRST plane ride. she was a champ, slept the entire flight, arms like limp noodles.

we had a lot of fun and were surprisingly un-cold, despite my pre trip anxiety about turning into icicles while we were there. my mom's family is amazing, we had so much fun hanging out together. we ate a ton, as always, lounged around-at one point we got i think it was 18 people on the couch and played a rousing (and probably not child appropriate, even though there were children playing) game of telephone, saw carter play hockey, ice skated (on our shoes) on the pond behind missy's house and had a little snowball fight.

post snowball fight

playing in the airport while waiting on our flight to minnesota (had to get our energy out!)

sleeping on the plane..i do not know how i would have done this without monica!

drawing (and eating) crayons with alexis

pre snack before the lunch for grandma's 80th birthday

stella + santa

2011-12-12T16:32:00.002-06:00

last thursday my aunt and uncle took a quick trip to houston to do some xmas shopping and stella and i decided to join them. It was so fun rummaging around the galleria with no where to be and nothing to really do (i mean i should have been buying xmas presents, but what did i do...spend $200 on myself at zara...whoops!). anyway, on our way to jcrew (yes jcrew, and no i didnt purchase anything...very sad) we stumbled upon santa! and no line! so we took a picture. if this had not happened in such a happenstance situation i can guaratee you i would not have a santa picture this year. i cant deal with those lines.

obviously the old bearded man had nothing on stella. she didnt even flinch when i sat her on his lap.

hairdo

2011-12-07T07:55:00.002-06:00

this hairdo was possible thanks to cheerios and pocoyo playing on the ipad. thank you both for all that you do for me.

mayonnaise!

2011-12-06T14:35:00.000-06:00

aka "may your days"

park

2011-12-05T15:44:00.002-06:00

we took a little walk yesterday morning before the rain and winds blew in (yet again). it was surprisingly pleasant outside. we ran into a few friends along the way and even got to play with miss leila at the park....she was nice enough to let us borrow her firetruck for a little while.

i love tha dawgs!

2011-12-05T15:24:00.003-06:00

moments before this was taken she was riding pete like a horsey....

to which pete said,

and olive was still left wondering why no one was playing with her. poor olive.

arrrrmpits

2011-12-05T12:32:00.000-06:00

some xmas gift ideas via pinterest

2011-12-04T05:49:00.002-06:00

golden snakeskin shopper

Source: zara.com via Sarah on Pinterest

brass arrow bracelet

Source: odetteny.com via Sarah on Pinterest

or this arrow cuff

Source: odetteny.com via Sarah on Pinterest

tocca - stella scent

Source: sephora.com via Sarah on Pinterest

lamb pillow

Source: westelm.com via Sarah on Pinterest

watercolor calendar

Source: lindaandharriett.com via Sarah on Pinterest

cool clock

Source: shop-generalstore.com via Sarah on Pinterest

xmas card 2011

2011-12-04T05:42:00.002-06:00

Hiiiiiiiiiiiii!

......and some outtakes from the shoot

(my personal favorite)

was really difficult to keep pete off of the sheepskin

just cause

2011-12-04T05:39:00.001-06:00

we never have pictures of the 2 of us

nothing beats a good book and a bath

2011-12-04T05:35:00.001-06:00

stella and her need to push things

2011-12-04T05:28:00.003-06:00

the lawnmower

(and when you try to take the lawnmower away)

she is not spoiled at all i swear

also, we saw our friend abigail at the park the other day and stella thought she would help push her home.

trench coat and sweater dress

2011-12-04T05:27:00.000-06:00

kitty's new bed

2011-12-04T05:22:00.003-06:00

a planter, somehow he makes it look comfortable

or a williams sonoma bag filled with random items by stella

koozie

2011-12-04T05:20:00.001-06:00

stella made herself a perfect sippiecup koozie

art

2011-12-04T05:18:00.002-06:00

got some new art in the house, both courtesy of ben, and by "courtesy" i mean "created by." i am an idiot though, i ordered the canvas print on a group on for picture it on canvas and didn't read the fine print. i thought it was going to be a 24x36 size and its a 16x20. i am in the process of reordering because i want this mother to be BIG.

anyway, thanks for the prints ben, i LOVE them!

thanksgiving

2011-12-04T05:02:00.003-06:00

thanksgiving was very low key this year which i thoroughly enjoyed. we spent the day with kyle's family, the boys went to the LAST AND FINAL (dun dun dunnnn!!!) UT vs. A&M game and were gone most the day. i haven't been in the cooking mood lately but woke up thanksgiving morning determined to whip up something for the feast.

i found the most amazing pumpkin pie recipe at apartment therapy's the kitchn site, it is literally to die for. it tastes like heaven mixed with vanilla.

Recipe here: Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

sadly i didn't document the pie very well, but here is one picture i got

i also made No Bake Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies

definitely another one for the books. they taste like reeses with a hint of hazelnut. to. die. for.

i also decided to make a fresh greek salad to add some crispness and health to the meal and roasted some veggies for another side option. it was nice to relax and cook for a few hours and watch the macy's parade.

stella had a great time at brad and michele's house, i always joke that they should charge admission to their house because they literally have any toy a kid would want. stella and william had some good bonding time. here are a few pics

the next day we headed to kyle's family's house on the san bernard river for some R&R with the brinkks. it turned into a cold and rainy weekend, which i was so thankful for. we watched movies (lost of jane austen flicks) and cooked and ate and ate and ate. it was such a good weekend.

had to make a quick pitstop in lake jackson because kyle forgot his guitar. and yes, we braved best buy on black friday...

iPad time with auntie kelli

man attempting to weather the storm

and a little game of guesstures

stella and her babies

2011-12-02T14:37:00.001-06:00

she has a new affinity for her dollys these days. i caught a little moment on camera when she had lined up a few of her friends and was feeding them one by one with her little spoon.

quick recap part 2

2011-12-02T14:12:00.003-06:00

so in early november we got our first cold cold front of the year, which we all had been dreaming about since about june 1. so it was finally time to pull out the winter wardrobe.

This is stella's first hoodie.

it does not impair her ability to bend

we also discovered an awesome game of sticks in a cup! she was obsessed for about an hour with it. Here are some photos, i have video. she was captured.

then there of course is always some kind of dog/baby game happening in our house. olive has turned out to be quite the babysitter.

lets back it up a minute

2011-12-02T13:44:00.003-06:00

i have not been a dutiful blogger as of late. here is a quick recap of things that have happened in our world

ok we'll start with halloween

it all began with the pumpkin patch.

quickly followed up by a halloween party at a near-by country club where our friends are members (fancy!)...it really was a fun party but i think stella was a bit too young for all the festivities, but it was to get out of the house (and so cold!!)

we then hosted a halloween party for our friends. i had an outdoor movie playing for the kiddos (scooby doo and its the great pumpkin patch charlie brown!...which was a huge hit). i made a little maze out of our neighbor's moving boxes for the kids to run through, which was smashed to smithereens by the end of the night (sadly didn't get a picture of smashed existence). i was still feeling pretty puny so i crashed early and kyle stayed up with the partiers until 3am. all in all it was a good turn out and i'm glad we did it, especially since i will be out of town for Lights in the Heights this year!! :(

then it was halloween night! our first "trick or treat" experience. this term is used loosely because there really wasn't any trick or treating going on, more like taking a walk. our friends JB and Estela were home and passing out candy on their porch so we joined them. stella got her first lollipop, and she was obsessed. it was really funny and really sticky.

so here are a slew of photos from what i just described.

our little indian

the pile of foam cubes at the country club

family portrait

clown action

halloween party

outdoor movie

maze of destruction

my amazing ninja turtle costume (large dogs costume at target)

costume winner goes to richard

he is not a UT fan

brawny man

new baby jaxon made an appearance!

trick or treat!

she preferred her headdress as a bracelet

lollys

girls only lollys

standard

that was a lot, i'll leave it there for now...more photos in a bit.

Abuelita hot chocolate

2011-11-22T19:24:00.001-06:00

Hete what's happening in our house at the moment.

alright!

2011-11-15T11:47:00.001-06:00

we learned a new word this weekend while playing at the park with daddy-o...

shari's photos

2011-11-01T13:50:00.004-05:00

Shari is our wonderful nanny who spends a few days with stella each week. they have a good time together and she takes some awesome pictures. here are a few (probably too many but i really couldnt keep any out they are all so adorable)....thanks shari!!!

i like to refer to this photo as "beer gut"

playtime at proctor park

library time

sticks!

happy halloween (almost)

2011-10-26T13:29:00.003-05:00

i get abnoramlly excited about the holidays. and it seems to have heightened to a new level since having stella. i love everything about this season, the smells, the foods, the parties, the decorations, the movies, the music. its awful i know. you should see it when my brother and sister and i get together. its a ridiculous sight.

anyway, i had every intention of sending out a halloween card this year but we didnt get to the pumpkin patch until last weekend and i didnt want to spend $20 on overnight shipping so i thought i would share it with you here. thanks for your help ben!!

*the greenwood king office in our neighborhood puts on a free pumpkin patch every year for the kids. it was so much fun, balloons, cookies, pumpkins, kids everywhere. we got a beast of a pumpkin that we will be carving tonight with Claire! its buming me out that i dont feel 100% right now, but just have to power through! weeeeeeeee!!

here is stella enjoying the balloon she got at the pumpkin patch. she wouldnt let it out of her sight all day.

and a few pics of the action at the pumpkin patch

i'm telling you the balloon was definitely the highlight

oh and she somehow managed to pull off a pumpkin stem, and was very proud of herself

and met some new friends "hiiii!!"

"hi pawpaw!"

2011-10-25T15:00:00.005-05:00

sunday we drove east to visit my dad's family and to enjoy a little home cookin. it was a great trip all around, minus the mosquito attacks. stella has roughly 16 bites on her face alone. i really hope the cold front that is supposed to happen in a few days takes out most of the mosquitoes.

anyway, stella had a blast being the center of attention and getting to visit with so many new people. she has really started to have an imagination and play with her toys in a whole new way. my mawmaw gave her a simple plastic bowl and spoon and stella would stir and stir and stir and then put the spoon in her mouth to "taste" what she was making. it was so funny.

she also got her first taste of satsumas! she loved wandering through pawpaw's citrus trees and even picked her own fruit. i'm so sad i didnt get a picture of the scene but lets just say there was satsuma juice everywhere..evidence below.

my grandparents house also back up to a train, which can make for a sleepless night, but the kids really love it. stella was captivated, the conductor rang the bell and "choo chooed!" just for her!

mawmaw also got her the coolest little guitar toy that stella just adores.

we ate rotisserie chicken fresh off of pawpaw's grill, butter beans, dirty rice, green beans, and mustard greens (all from pawpaw's garden). AND to top it all off we had a to-die-for dessert that my aunt made (courtesy of alicia). in a nut shell it was a pie, with pecan cookie crust, vanilla pudding in the center, BUT the pudding was made using bluebell ice cream instead of milk!!!!!! and then topped with whipped cream and coconut flakes. i'm telling you, my family can cook. and thankfully i was feeling well enough to eat!

anyway, thankfully my uncle caught one of the sweetest moments on video of stella saying "hi pawpaw". we were repeating it over and over and she finally just said it! and not only did she say it she went right up to him. it was so sweet.

a little bit of stella

2011-10-22T12:43:00.002-05:00

long hiatus here, going to upload a few photos of the wee babe. obviously we've been up to a lot of playing in our driveway. haha. weather is finally enjoyable so we've been trying to take advantage of it.

also found out we're pregnant again, so its been a lot of early nights and battling nausea lately. pretty boring around these parts.

here are the photos...some halloween pics to follow....

playing it cool

just trying to help

the trick worked! now i can escape

enjoying some tutu time

our bubble machine...high tech

enjoying the bubbles?

finally she got what she wanted

a little bucket time

and of course "baaaalllll"

a nice little pose

and monkey time

punk rock baby

2011-09-08T20:07:00.003-05:00

kyle finally got his den-of-man-music (aka garage) all set up, so we were breaking it in with a fun filled family evening amongst guitars, drums, dusty weights and rusted tools. stella decided to jump on the mic for some ad libbage and pure entertainment.

bonjour girl

2011-09-08T19:27:00.000-05:00

"i hate that girl in the green dress"

kewl kids

2011-09-07T11:05:00.002-05:00

niko niko organics fall 2011 line....LOVE that zigzag shirt for me!!

Source: niconicoclothing.com via Sarah on Pinterest

texas wildfires

2011-09-07T09:47:00.001-05:00

please god, make these fires stop

baby sunglasses

2011-09-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

yes! finally cool eyewear for the chillins.

Source: coosandahhs.com via Sarah on Pinterest

the safest way to play with kitty

2011-09-04T10:24:00.002-05:00

stella's obsession with sticks and kitty's obsession with swatting anything that moves has made the playing environment between these two pretty volatile. however, we may have found a fix.

this morning, as usual, kitty was sitting at the window waiting on one of his minions (i.e.: me or kyle) to let him in to eat. stella ran to the window and started poking the stick at him, to which he started swatting, but there was glass dividing them so no one could get hurt! huzzah!

bano

2011-09-02T20:44:00.006-05:00

it occurred to me i have never posted anything about our home remodel we did ONE YEAR ago. the house is still a work in progress (i can't imagine a day when it won't be), but i am pretty content with our guest bathroom. it was so basic basic basic when we bought this house....standard home depot counter/sink combo, linoleum flooring, zero tiling in the tub, horrible faucets, no drain in the tub...basically as generic and plastic as they come. so we basically ripped everything out and started from scratch (except left the tub).

we subway tiled the whole shower area, up to the ceiling, and installed Kohler purist fixtures.

i found the sink at an antique store down the street, in the backyard, all rusted and corroded for $20.

the shelving unit is ikea

light fixtures ikea - discontinued

towel bar - west elm

medicine cabinet

black penny rounds with black grout

spanish posters from...well...spain.

6th street sign (in homage to our roots in austin) - an antique store find and gift from my MOL

and a lot of inspiration from door sixteen

here is the completed look...

baby harem pantaloons

2011-09-02T20:40:00.001-05:00

really is too cute for words

only thing missing is the super straight ponytail that is sitting atop her head, i don't know why i didn't get that in view!

my evening

2011-09-02T19:30:00.005-05:00

pretty low key evening in the cox household tonight...kyle's at the gymnasium, makin those muscles. i have opted for a more intimate evening with my la creme chardonney and you tube videos of feist...and trying to not be sad that i'm not in NYC with mom and ben :( maybe i'll finally watch Annie Hall, since i netflixed it about 2 weeks ago and its still sitting on my kitchen counter unopened.

ya'll have a good friday night now, ya hear? (just finished reading The Help and cannot get southern drawls out of my head).

coupled with this

Zara Online!!!!

2011-09-02T11:34:00.005-05:00

i just found out (i'm probably the last one to figure it out) that Zara online is opening on Sept. 7th!!!

thats only 5 days away!!

looking to purchase a "few" things:

and of course a few things for miss stella...

the aquarium

2011-09-02T10:28:00.001-05:00

the other weekend we went to the houston aquarium with some friends. despite our deep hatred for the developer, tillman fertitta (read: furtits --tis a story for another day) and our better judgement to attend an indoor public activity on a saturday during the hottest summer ever, it was pretty impressive (read: the longest lines ever, and did NOT get to see the shark exhibit!). i did hold back tears when we saw the white tiger because he is in such a small space...(i still get sad thinking about...i'm hoping he gets to run wild and smell the outside air at least once in awhile). BUT we ended the whole affair in the bar drinking blue moon while our babies roamed in the A/C. Can't really complain about that!

babies + technology

2011-09-01T16:35:00.003-05:00

stella loves the ipad. and honestly, i think she knows how to work it better than me sometimes (she loves pressing the home button and tapping the screen with her wee little pointer finger...so cute!). this suppressing heat has left me little other options in the way of entertainment, so the iPad (and reruns of the OC and sex and the city) it is.

american apparel kiddos

2011-08-31T13:49:00.003-05:00

after hearing about it for weeks from both Kelli and then Ben i finally took the plunge and looked at what american apparel kids department have been so diligently working on. i cannot believe it, it is too cute for words. why is everything so much cuter miniature style? watch out pocketbook, you're about to be empty.

Ben!

2011-08-31T11:16:00.002-05:00

Ben was featured on Look/Hear today...such a cutie pie!! He was waiting in line at a starbucks and was approached by a writer at look/hear because he and the other guy in the photo were standing next to each other in almost idential outfits. AND they both happened to be from Texas. funny coincidnece

interesting/creepy video

2011-08-31T11:13:00.002-05:00

via NYC Taught Me.

Symmetry from Everynone on Vimeo.

the tale of two ponies

2011-08-26T12:01:00.003-05:00

there really isn't a tale, i just wanted to post this picture, but there are two ponies (or otherwise known as ponytails)

2 things

2011-08-26T11:55:00.002-05:00

the j in jcrew

2011-08-22T15:04:00.004-05:00

awesome article

stella + olive

2011-08-21T11:19:00.001-05:00

lofticries

2011-08-21T11:18:00.001-05:00

breakfast of champions

2011-08-20T09:38:00.000-05:00

mmmm that's good!

2011-08-18T19:24:00.001-05:00

i wish i could look like this in orange pants

2011-08-17T16:27:00.001-05:00

hilarious

2011-08-17T15:36:00.001-05:00

shoes

2011-08-17T15:14:00.001-05:00

if i had a shoe cabinet like this maybe i would own cooler shoes

bedside stand

2011-08-14T11:28:00.001-05:00

love it

via

olive got a haircut

2011-08-12T15:42:00.002-05:00

so sleek now. and in aaron's words "still black"

and for comparison

baby olive, with mange

happy birthday poopypants

2011-08-12T15:36:00.002-05:00

1 year - August 11, 2011

wore her birthday suit

played at the children's museum

just turned 1 and already scouting the college prep courses

cupcake time

what more could a girl want, party dress, ellie and a stick

another instance of cupcakes

fastest year ever.