Easter 2012

Happy Easter 2012 from The Cox Family! We had a great Easter weekend celebrating Jesus! Camille's school has done a great job at teaching her the Easter story. They leave out some details to make things somewhat simple for a 2yr old mind, but Camille tells us "Jesus had a beard. Men were not nice to him. He bled on a cross and died. Then Jesus was alive." Fairly good summary from a 2yr old if you ask me. (The beard part she added herself- not part of the teachings :))

We don't do the Easter Bunny at our house, but we did give Camille an Easter basket Sunday morning from Mommy & Daddy in celebration of Jesus. Camille enjoyed seeing what was in her basket, though some of her facial expressions cracked me up!

We went to the early service at church on Easter morning. Camille looked sooo cute in her little Easter outfit!

Mimi came for church, so we were able to get some family photos taken.

John & Aya had us over for Easter lunch, which was a very delicious spread!! Camille REALLY enjoyed the dyed deviled eggs and the strawberry shortcake! Following the big lunch, Mimi hid eggs in our backyard and let Camille have her own private Easter Egg Hunt. She told everyone "My going to run fast and find them!" Camille had a funny strategy since she did not want to carry her basket. She would find an egg, run and put it in her basket, and then run back to find another egg. So it was as if she was running suicides. Too funny.

After she found all of her eggs, she carried her basket to the steps to open them. She was most taken by all the stickers. She used them ALL within a few minutes, making sure we all had our legs covered with butterfly and froggy stickers.

I forgot to mention the other fun we had over the weekend..... We took Camille swimming and out to dinner on Friday... and then she attended Sutton's 1st Birthday party on Saturday. Needless to say, she slept great last night after so much fun!!

Happy Holy Week!

Happy Holy Week and Happy Easter! The Cox household has been very busy the past few weeks. When are we ever not busy though?

Camille & Mommy had a great kick off to Easter at Chick Fil A recently. Our local Chick Fil A brought in a bounce house and the Easter Bunny. We even had a mini art project making bunny ears! Here are some pictures of our fun!

We also had a visit from Allie and Jack! Camille & I took them to the newly renovated Pullen Park for some afternoon fun. Both kids seemed to love the swings, though Jack definitely was taken by the sand. Camille preferred to assist Jack as to not get her hands and feet too dirty. We then braved it on the train with both kids and they loved it! They sat so still (once we started moving) and every time the train tooted the horn, they both got quiet and their eyes got so big! Too funny! Here are some pictures of the sand and train fun.

To the doctor (and potty) we will go.....

So, as of today, we have already been to the doctor about 5 times this year! Most of our visits have been related to Camille's asthma management plan or the recurring pink eye. Eww! However, today was yet another adventure for us.... what started as a pimple looking thing on Camille's rear end, progressed into what looked like a spider bite... then after taking a picture and sending to Uncle Mitch, we were advised to take Camille in to the doctor. Turns out, Camille had an abscess on her rear :( She hadn't complained of it hurting, but it sure didn't look good. Well, as soon as the doctor sent us to the procedure/surgical room, I knew it would be a rough morning.

The procedure was nothing short of pain and stress for both of us! Poor Camille had to be held down by me and 2 other nurses while the doctor numbed what he could and then took a scalpel to the abscess. All I saw was blood, so that wasn't too comforting. Camille was such a trooper! Though she did fight her little heart out to get off the table, she didn't scream and cry as much as I had thought- it was more clenching in pure agony. That poor little girl was hyperventilating after it was all said and done. It took lots of stickers and lollipops by the nurses to calm her down. She also cried the entire way to school- as I think her bottom was super sensitive. She told me she wanted to go to school, but wanted me to tell her teachers that she needed to be held all day :) They accommodated. So, we have to change the dressings and soak her little bum in warm water twice a day, plus take an antibiotic for 10 days.... and hope that this doesn't come back! I know after what I had to see and deal with today, that will be one spoiled girl this week! I kind of promised her anything she wanted while she was on the operating table :/

On a much brighter note.... Camille is potty trained!!!! She has been wearing big girl panties for 2 weeks now with only a few accidents. Every accident has been b/c we weren't close enough to a bathroom. We are working on that since she always tells us she needs to go potty, but its usually with very short notice.... kinda hard when you are outside. She is very proud of her new accomplishment, but is working it to her advantage in the "treat" department. Though she never cared about "potty treats" before, she now insists on treats after each successful trip, which is 5-6 times day!! She reminds me constantly if she didn't get her deserved M&M or chocolate. Whew. I'd rather give her more M&Ms than keep dealing with diapers though! When I pick her up from school, she proudly yells "no accidents, need treats!"

Speaking of school, Camille is going to be moving up to a new class in the next week or two. She has been going to Mrs. Brenda's class a few hours a week in preparation for the transition. While she will greatly miss Ms. Nicole, she is already excited to be considered a big girl. Her best buddy, Madelyn, is moving up with her, but her other friends are staying behind for awhile. We are so proud of our smarty pants, but she is definitely not my baby anymore. She is very independent these days and always tells me "my do it mommy." In her new class, they don't use sippy cups, only big girl cups... so that is something we are working on.... and then of course, more of her friends will be potty trained which will be great since she is the only one in her class right now. In her new class, she will graduate to the big kid playground with bigger slides and more toys and get to take part in a weekly Chapel service too.

Camille has had lots of Daddy time lately as I have been traveling with work and then have two weekends away in a row. She is certainly enjoying her time with him, though its fun to return and find her clinging to me and giving me lots of hugs and kisses. A few funny things she started saying thanks to Daddy.

There is always humor in what Camille tells me after a weekend with Daddy..... a few examples....

"Boo Carolina"
"Kitty cats fighting. Sound like kids. Not. Kitty cats in my bushes. Scared me."
"Let's go Mommy! Vamanos!"

And the best:
"Credit. Gimmie my money."

And to be fair, her new phrase that she tells me on a regular basis that she certainly learned from me:
"Not right now. In a minute" (this is in response to when I tell her it is bath or bed time)

The greatest show on earth..... Fully Charged!

Camille had her first circus experience this weekend. The Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus stopped in Raleigh recently with their Fully Charged 2012 Tour. I was a little hesitant to take her, thinking that she was a little too young, but I think she enjoyed it. Ever since we bought the tickets, Camille would randomly ask me, "Millie go to circus today?" Needless to say, she was super excited to learn that Saturday was the day. Our seats were fairly close, which helped us all get excited. Camille was glued to the stage for most of the time, especially when the animals came out. Her favorite part was anytime the elephants came out. She squealed and laughed every time they made a move. The circus lasted almost 2 hours, so Camille did start to zone at the end since she was overdue for a nap. All in all, we each had a great time and were glad we went. Upon leaving, they gave us an elephant poster to which Camille was sooo happy about. It is now up on our fridge for her to look at each day. If you ask her what she liked most at the circus, she will definitely tell you "elephants." Occasionally she will mention the clowns or her friend Mary that she spotted during intermission :)

Viva Las Vegas

Well, Nick and I survived our trip to Las Vegas. It was so hard to leave Camille behind for 4 days, but she was in good hands with her grandparents (and John & Aya). This was a first time trip for both of us, so it was fun flying into Nevada and getting to overlook the huge mountains and canyons! Very impressive and beautiful (and very different from NC)! We experienced as much as we could in 4 days- shopping, eating, gambling, drinking, and site seeing. Needless to say, we were exhausted trying to keep up the pace. I think we were the only visitors that only gambled at night (and we are talking quarter slots :)) and didn't drink ourselves sick. I am proud of both :) I was warned before leaving that Vegas is one of a kind, but I had no concept of how true that really is! I was glad to "experience" it but VERY glad to come home. It is hard to document everything, but here are some captioned pictures to give you a sense.

These two pictures are of our hotel, Aria. It is one of the newest hotels on the strip and very modern in decor. Upon entering our room for the first time, the curtains opened and music turned on! At night, you would hit the "goodnight" button and all lights, tv, music, and curtains would turn off/close. Very cool. Also, our hotel was one of the biggest in my mind- it had a few nightclubs, at least 10 restaurants, a casino, a spa, 3-4 pools, shops, etc... you get the point..... Most of the hotels offer all of that but in a smaller space.

The closest hotel to ours was The Cosmopolitan.... I liked this hotel b/c of this crystal sitting area! Very chic. We ate dinner there at China Poblano one night- you could get upscale mexican and chinese dishes together!  

This is The Bellagio. What I liked most about this hotel was the outdoor water show. It happened every 15 minutes. The water movements coordinated with the music. They also had beautiful floral decorations. I would like to know how often those are watered/replaced....We did eat one meal here, Yellowfins, or something like that... we got sushi- it was good, but not as good as our Raleigh favorite- Mura!

This is Caesar's Palace, probably the fanciest one of them all. The murals on the ceiling were so impressive and the statues were very ornate. Caesar's had the best shopping by far, everything from Gap to Prada!

Mandalay Bay is one that I didn't get pictures of. We ate lunch at The Border Grill there. Some of you might be familiar with the one in LA or have seen them on the Food Network. Delicious!!

The Miracle Mile/ Planet Hollywood had a few good shops too, nothing like Caesar's but still fun. Just to give you a sense of how crazy this place is, this was taken inside....

We did adventure out of the strip one day to see The Hoover Dam... sooo impressive. I took a bunch of pictures!

If some of you have been before, you still may notice a new addition. The bridge we are standing on in the above picture and that is in the background of the others took 5 years to complete, but was finished about a year ago. There are certain areas around the dam that are in Arizona, so we were in two states at once!

This one statue is said to bring good luck to those that touch the feet...... Excuse my outfit in these pics, it got pretty windy, so I had to borrow Nick's over sized jacket :)

It was funny traveling outside of the Vegas strip, b/c there wasn't much outside that small radius.

The Venetian hotel was very impressive too.... Nick, who has been to Venice, commented on the many similarities. Our favorite restaurant of the trip was here, Postria, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. Our meals were exceptional!!!

We did venture to The Mirage too... I just wanted to see King Ink, a famous tattoo parlor... not trashy at all, though I still would never get a tattoo. There was a neat volcano show outside The Mirage that was HUGE! We could feel the shaking and heat on our faces!

We did manage to get in a show at Luxor, Criss Angel. The hotel had given us free tickets, but they were upper level and almost to the back of the small theatre. When we arrived, the hostess bumped us up to 2nd row!!!! We felt very VIP. I did take my mom's advise and refused to go on stage for any of the acts/performances. I did get thrown a piece of paper for audience participation, but I smoothly threw it to the girl behind me :) I still can't comprehend all that magic stuff, but it was still neat to try and figure out.

Most of the craziness I saw was on the streets of the strip. There were all these bums dressed up as Disney characters and the like trying to make a few bucks by offering to have their picture taken. Not cool seeing Winnie the Pooh passed out drunk on the sidewalk one morning. Kids beware! The scariest was the guy with the snakes. Most of you know that I DON'T like snakes AT ALL. It took everything in me to get close enough for a picture. Don't worry, I kept my guard up the entire time and then quickly ran!

I'm sure there are lots more stories to share, but it has been a crazy week so far... I've already been to Mississippi and back!