Coming this Christmas!

Camping Trip

Caroline's first month

Caroline Margaret joined the family last month -- very quickly and with only a little drama. On her birthday, I went to work for the morning, came home for lunch, and then took a nap, intending to go back in for the afternoon. My 1pm appointment cancelled, so I decided to stay home till the next appointment came around. (One of the perks of living close to the office -- especially handy for afternoon naps!) Around 2pm my water broke, and I wasn't having contractions yet, so I waited till 3 for Bryan to come home from work so we could go to the hospital together. At the time, I expected to have at least a few more hours to go at least. Well, Caroline made her appearance at 4:28 pm -- only about an hour or so after we arrived at the hospital! Luckily, everything worked out well, although my OB did have to RUN across the hospital to make it in time.

So, she's now almost a month old and has been a great baby. She and Carson have become acquainted a little, although he's not really sure whether or not she's interesting yet. We've been lucky to have visits from both sets of grandparents and Aunt Shannon with Emily and Julia. Caroline also got to meet her middle-name-sake Aunt Margaret on a trip to Texarkana over Labor Day weekend.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the first month:

Her first photo -- check out that weight! Big girl!


First headband (haven't decided what we think of these yet -- I'm sure we'll be convinced!)

Visits from grandparents,

and Aunt Shannon.

Here we are enjoying the fall-ish weather on DeeDee's porch in Texarkana. Thank goodness for cool!

Caroline is here!

As of Aug 12, Caroline Margaret Cox has joined the family!

39 weeks and counting...

Looking forward to welcoming our next adventure! I am looking forward to it more than anyone I think! Nothing comfy about being 39 weeks pregnant!

In the meantime, we've been keeping busy. Here's Carson and his friend Dalton enjoying some FunDip at a Botanic Garden concert -- the Star Wars and movie theme laser show! (It was at least 100 degrees out there but still fun!) The boys loved the lasers, and the music was good, too.


Carson's also been doing swimming lessons at the Y on Saturdays. He's a little apprehensive about putting his face in the water but otherwise is having a good time with Daddy! Here are a couple of him -- one at the lessons and one at the outdoor pool later -- looking awesome in his goggles!

Happy 4th of July

The 4th of July brought some excitement to the Cox Family, particularly Carson. Luckily, the relaxed atmosphere at Southlake allowed Mary Beth to adhere to her bed rest orders by lying on her side on a blanket. We listened to some big band music as we waited for the big show. Carson was excited about waving his flag, the fighter jet fly-over, and most of all, the fireworks. He danced and screamed for the entire 30 minute performance. Enjoy!

Spring and Summer Fun

We had such a nice spring in Fort Worth this year -- I am so lucky that the mild temperatures came in a year when I'm big and pregnant! If only June and July would be cool, too... Oh, well. We do live in Texas.

Here are a few pictures from Carson's birthday back in April. His birthday fell the same week as Easter this year, so we had some of his friends over for brunch and an Easter Egg hunt -- followed by make-your-own-cupcake time. (i.e. mommy was too lazy to decorate them herself!). We ended up with a really nice day and great company -- all around a good party!

Brunch -- yum!

Easter Egg chaos

Over Memorial Day weekend, we went over to Lake DeGray in Arkansas with the Myrick side. Lake DeGray is a state park, which means there isn't a lot of commercial development on the banks. There are a few cabins for rent -- in fact, we used to stay in these cabins when we were growing up, too! It was a beautiful weekend, and it was fun to introduce Carson to a place that has nostalgic value for me. Also always fun to get to see family!

Here are a few from the boat:

Daddy enjoying the ride.

Captain Uncle John

Mommy and Carson take a turn at the wheel. (and trying to avoid photos in the maternity swim-wear... so flattering!)

Aunt Margaret enjoying the water. It was a little on the cold side, but it still felt nice to get in for a minute.

(Carson just watched from the boat. A little too cold. And maybe a little too scary.)


Why get in when there's so much fun to be had on the boat? Snacks, toys, sunshine...


Here's a turtle we found on a short hike over at the Lake DeGray lodge one afternoon. Where did his head go?


Finishing off the afternoon hike with a lollipop and a sit with Grandpa in the air conditioning.