Leap Year

Gee we get one more day of February this year! Yippee! We're always saying there aren't enough hours in a day or days in a month. How productive were you with one more day in February? I'm still behind as ever. What I would like to do is clone myself. Just someone to go to work for me. I would lounge around the house and watch TV - take naps - eat. Oh yeah I forgot I have missionaries living in my house. 3 now to be exact. They are up at 6:30 sharp. We hear their alarm. They eat breakfast at 7 am sharp. Then they don't leave the house until noon and are back at 1:00 for lunch. Sometime they wait until 2 but then they are always back at 4:00 for dinner. Then they are there until 6 or 7. Then back once or twice to use the bathroom or get something and home by 9:30. So I guess if I stayed home I really wouldn't have the house to myself. No use cloning myself. I'm sure Ed wouldn't want 2 Lorrie's.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Even though no one reads this anymore - I want to apologize for not posting birthdays. I could not get into the Cox Family Blog on my computer at home. It would let me in but wouldn't let me post anything. It let me change the background, strangly, but nothing else. I finally tried at work and I'm in!! Its actually been a depressing month for me. I hate when bad things happen to good people. And to be really honest I don't think people realize when they make a decision for themself - how many people that effects. Grandpa Cox's Birthday is coming up on Saturday and I just want to say that he was the most unselfish man I have ever known. He always put everyone before himself. He was a giver! He would give the shirt off his back even if it was his last shirt and worry about it later. All he wanted was love and kindness in his family and would hide hurt feelings and anger to keep the peace. I know that its a dream to think all people can be like that, but what a great world it would be if we could be more caring, and less selfish. That we would think of others first, and our wants second. I really believe our children will suffer if we don't. Life is more about giving than taking. Let us be the givers. Let us be more like Grandpa. Happy Birthday Dad. We Love You!

Happy New Year!

What a great way to start out the New Year with the blessing of a new family member. Congratulations Levi & Dania! I decided to make a tally of our family members. There are 30 grandchildren & 59 great grandchildren. By my account and I could be wrong - of course, the numbers change so fast around here we're always afraid to ask whats new. But I do know there is another great grandchild on the way. (TJ & Misha) There is also a wedding coming up - Emma and Marshall and the date I heard was Feb. 18th. I'm not a very good reporter I work mostly on hear say but I know someone will correct me if I'm wrong. The family Christmas party was a success and we are looking forward to next year. The decision was made to put a family in charge. Ricks family took this year and the Olson's will be in charge next year. The scarey thing is that it will be here before we know it. As I was taking down my Christmas tree today I went through a little sadness as I always do at the end of the Christmas season. But I know that time passses so fast I'll be putting it up again soon. Am I the only one that thinks that way? Well, here we are in 2012. A new year - a new beginning to be better than we were last year. Yes on Monday we will start our new diets, we'll vow to be a better friend, a better mom, dad, sister, we'll make a new committment to read the Book of Mormon, to de clutter our homes, get more organized. Do any of these sound familiar? I wish you all a Happy successful New Year and Good luck with those New Years resolutions. As for me I am working on all of the above and added a new one this year - I hope I can figure out my new IPHONE! I hate it right now and I know hate is a strong word, but I hope to turn it to love someday. Happy New Year Family!

Christmas Shopping

I had a rude awakening yesterday. I cannot shop til I drop anymore. I now drop way before the shopping is done. Its pityful. Do you remember when you were in school and how you felt the day after your 1st day of PE. Well times that times 10 and thats how I feel today. I hate to admit it but I now envy the 250 lb. grandma on her scooter shopping away. When did standing and walking become such a dread. Maybe its sitting for 9 hours a day that has made me so unfit. Maybe its my age. I used to love shopping and go for hours and hours. I remember when me my sisters and mom would load into a car and we would leave early in the morning shop til the stores closed. We spent hours looking for that one special doll or toy that one of the kids wanted. It was go go go till we could go no longer. And the shopping didn't end until Christmas. I was never done and always looking for that one special thing. Then there was the baking and wrapping & grocery shopping. Well, that still has to happen. Now that we've added daughter in laws, a son in law and grandkids my list has grown & grown. Ed gets mad because he thinks we should just give them money. But how personal is that. It just wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't worry my self sick, shopping, trying to find exactly the right thing, and then watch them open their gifts and wonder if they really like it, and in then end wish I had given money or gift certificates. It just wouldn't be Christmas. And it takes a whole year for me to rest up, relax and start all over again. I don't know if its because my list gets longer every year or that I'm getting older and tireder but as I say every year, next year we just might give money and gift certificates.

Fasten Your Seat belts

We are approaching December at a high rate of speed so fasten your seat belts and hang on. I don't even know where November went but I do know we went through it because I vaguely remember turning 61 years old and then something about mom taking a tumble in the Safeway parking lot, Thanksgiving at the church, eating a little - and I do stress little - bit of turkey, a laugh out loud game of family fued, Austin's successful heart surgery, Haley & Matt's beautiful wedding, and on the very last day of November, two new beautiful babies born into the family. Preston Chamberlain and Aleana Bisnett. Whew!!! I know December is going to fly by as fast because the calendar is already filled with work, parties, programs, birthdays and Christmas celebrations. If it wasn't for the work I would half way enjoy my job, and even though it consumes me to my very core, as God as my witness I am going to enjoy the month of December. I'm going to take a deep breath, laugh alot more, stress a little less, sleep the whole night, and keep in mind what is most important this time of year. Its all about the birth of our Savior, being with family, and giving yourself permission to shop till you drop. Happy December everyone! Enjoy it before its gone!!

Thanksgiving!

I really think this blog should be turned over to someone less busy and stressed than me. Well, who should that be. I know, I know, everyone is busy and stressed! There are many exciting things happening in the family right now. Haley's wedding Nov. 26th, Levi & Dania's baby, sadly Austin's surgery which we are all praying for his fast recovery, and November has more family birthday's than any other month! We also have Thanksgiving coming up. Which we are having at the church this year. The main food has been assigned and we are asking the married grandkids to bring salads and side dishes. Whatever you have brought other years is just great. I think the traditional Cox-Martinez football game is still on. I myself have never gotten to see it - but maybe this will be the year. We have many things to be thankful for this year. Our family is growing and when all is said and done is there anything more important in this life than family!! I love you all!!!

Is it October already????

OMgosh!! Where has the time gone. I haven't even changed the family birthday calendar. I don't think anyone is reading this anymore anyway but I'll try to do better. I have found out that no matter what is going on, life stands still for no one! September was a full month of celebrating. Rick & Sharon and Ed and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversaries, Just can't believe how fast those 40 years have passed by. Our kids are grown, and we've doubled our families with wonderful daughter and son in laws and grandkids. We couldn't wait for our kids to grow up and move out and now we long for them to come home and bring the grandkids. The clean house that once seemed an impossible dream sits quiet and polished begging for little ones to come mess it up! We made it through the rough times and the poor times when we wondered how we were going to make it to the next pay day and how we could make 1 lb of hamburger feed a family of 8. You would never find a family now eating homemade hot dog pizza, or mashed potato pie, heck my kids probably wouldn't even eat it now, but they loved it then. I remember once finding $5.00 and Ed and I were so thrilled we could go to Burger King and have two Wopper meals for five dollars! We didn't have much when the kids were little but they didn't know it. I long for those days, but am greatful for what we have now. One thing I do know is that I don't have to worry about how many more years we have together because I know we will be together for eternity.