My Successful Monday

Successful day = Cleaning + Happy baby. My cleaning gloves came via UPS (thanks, Amazon!) so I got to work on the window blinds and bathrooms.

 Clean water bucket. Before I tackled the window blinds.

 I should have gotten a picture of the window blinds before...D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G just about sums it up. But the picture below is testament enough of how bad they were.

Ew. 

BUT, now they are gloriously clean. :) I was only going to do the one in the dining area because it was visibly dirty but ended up doing the living room and upstairs too! And then also cleaned the bathroom spic-n-span. Plus the usual daily tidy up. So I am welcoming any and all visitors because I've got one sparkly clean house! We may not answer the door because after all that work this is what we're doing now:

zzzzzz

Love, Aubrey

Quick Trip

We decided to make a surprise quick trip to Idaho for Kathy's birthday. We were heading North on I-15 and passed the "Welcome to Idaho" sign....it could have said "Welcome Home" and we wouldn't have known the difference. We soaked in all the Idaho beauty that we use to take for granted, that's for sure. Don't get me wrong, we really really like Utah but our hearts are still lingering in Idaho I think.

Kathy and Rulan got home from their Friday night date to find us in their house. (Their favorite part was that their grand-baby was there. We were just side line excitement. We'll take what we can get. ;) ) Taylin came over (to see Sam, mostly) so that was nice to see her and get caught up on how college life is going for her. She loves it!

On Saturday Becky came up from Boise to surprise Kathy as well. The roads were all clear except the road leading to the their driveway....so she finally made it after Rulan and Josh fished her out of the snow bank on the side of the slick corner. ;) I wish I could have snapped a picture of the surprised look on Kathy's face when she walked out of her bedroom and did a double take because she realized Becky was sitting on her couch. Kodak moment for sure.

It was a quick, but very enjoyable trip. Happy birthday to a wonderful person and amazing mother-in-law!

 I shouldn't even post this picture, cameras just don't do it justice...but it was such a beautiful drive! I love all the dark purples in the distance, with the snow covered mountains, and then there was a strip of blue sky. Just beautiful.

 Speaking of beautiful, there's my beautiful mother-in-law.

 And more beautiful things. My sister holding Sammie.

 That's a post-sneeze face.

Happy girl. :)

Love, Aubrey

Do good.

Either the bug barfed....

Or the bug pooped...

or....Sammy had a blowout.

I got on here to post more than just adorable pictures of Sam. (I know, I know, I'm a little in love with this snuggle bug.) But I also wanted to post a video that I watched this morning. I've watched it before, but it's such a good reminder to do good and to be good. And to remember that we don't always know what struggles people are facing. So be nice. And be good. Just be good. Cause being good is awesome. This video never gets old. I love listening to the voice of President Gordon B. Hinckley. Click here to watch.

I was walking through the store (I was actually leaving the store because I'm the kind of shopper who B-lines it to whatever I need and gets the heck outa dodge as fast as possible.) (after I pay for whatever I needed, of course!) and saw this wood sign. I liked it so much I stopped and took a picture of it. (It was an expensive piece of decorated wood....40 bucks...so I just took a picture of it and continued on my run-like-walk out of the store). But it's got a good message.

Yep, it sure is a good day. :)

My mom sent me a Chick-Fil-A cow when I was in college as a way to remember home. It was lost (or given to DI) in one of my moves or escapades of cleaning. She asks me about it every now and again and I feel bad for having departed with it. So I went to chick-fil-A and got another mini-cow. I think of home quite often even without a cow, but it's fun to have as a reminder of my mom's love for me.

Now, Daily Dose of Sammy Jo:

 She has slept from 11:00 pm-8:00 am the last few nights! And I walk in her room and she's just laying there with a smile of content. I love it.

She holds her head up so well! My baby is growing up so fast!

One last story: Anneka got her tooth knocked loose in her basketball game. Years ago my dad wrestled in high school. He got his tooth knocked loose but managed to push it back into place and forgot about. Years later (just a few years ago) it fell out while he was eating toast. (I'm sure there's more to the story but that's the part I know.) Dad was trying to console Anneka as she shed a few tears over her crooked tooth and said, "What's the worse that can happen....you'll look like me when you get older..". I wasn't there, but apparently his words of comfort led to more tears without much consoling effect. :) Thanks to our trusty Dr. Beck her tooth is straight again.

She's beautiful even with a crooked tooth.




Love, Aubrey

The Moonrise

Date night on Friday: Loaded Sammy in the car and we drove to Cafe Rio. We (me and Josh, obviously) shared a pulled pork salad, yum! Then for dessert we drove to Zaxby's and got a batch of WAY overpriced fried pickles.

I finished reading Carol Burnett's This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection. What a great read! What a great lady! The book had me laughing at least every other page. I really enjoyed her writing style...if I could learn to write more like Carol my journal (and blog) would be irresistibly fun and enjoyable to read. Until then if you're up for a good read and laugh read her book. :)

Moonrise. I LOVE watching the moonrise. It takes me back to the very first date Josh and I went on. We set out on our bikes (well actually it was borrowed bikes from roommates) to find some haunted swings. I had heard about them and that they were just a few miles out of town. So we set off. We ended up having 16 miles worth of conversation and good times (and sore legs the next day). The haunted swings are out on Poleline Road on the outskirts of Rexburg. As we were biking and searching I saw the lights in the distance of the approaching moonrise. So we kept waiting for it to come over the horizon. It was BEAUTIFUL. Finally it made its appearance. Except it wasn't the moon. It was the headlights from a tractor harvesting potatoes. So then we laughed the rest of the way to the swings because the long anticipated moonrise was a tractor!

Since then we've watched many moonrises together. We visited those haunted swings countless times and a few of them just to see the moonrise and watch the stars (which I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO DO). Other times we watch it as we are driving, or as we are out on a walk together. That is one of the many things I miss about Idaho...we'd often times just drive those few miles out of town to enjoy the simple beauties of nature.

Well, good news. There is a moon rise in Utah too! Upstairs in Sam's room I was rocking her to sleep and looking out of her window which faces the mountains to the East. (Not sure which mountains they are, but they are big and cool and close.) And there it was....the lights, announcing the soon approaching moon! I ran in our room and woke Josh out of dreamland to come and see the moon rise! He comes in and the three of us stand there at the window (well, Sam can't stand yet so I'm holding her) watching the beauty unfold before us. Josh finally says, "Aubrey, it's not a tractor hahaha, but it is just the lights from the ski resort." I look at him and he winks at me with a smirk (a rather handsome smirk). And me secretly hoping that he's just pulling my leg. And then it appears! The moon, it's really the moon. In its full glory. I cannot even explain how exciting that moment was for me. Then Josh went back to bed and I held Samantha and while rocking her I continued to look at the moon with the mountains lit up around it thinking about everything that's transpired since that tractor-haunted-swing-bike-ride-night. There have been many moons since that first "moon rise" and all I can think is "how did I get so lucky?" Lucky to go on that first adventure with him and lucky enough to have an eternity of adventures to come. And so lucky to have such a wonderful daughter that lights up our lives brighter than any full moon ever will. I am so blessed. And so so so soooo grateful.

We went to the right ward on Sunday, 1 point for the Cook family! Everyone was nice and friendly. This is not the highlight of church but I just thought it was rather funny that the Relief Society has a closet full of blankets and before third hour (which is Relief Society) they pass around the blankets. I thought the cool air was refreshing but the other ladies were bundling under the covers wishing the heat were turned up a notch or two. It was just quite the sight to see all these ladies under blankets during class.

The highlight of church was Sam. It was bound to happen sooner or later, I guess. She unloaded her bowels during the passing of the sacrament, loud and proud. And then smiled a smile of relief afterwards. Josh and I had to stifle our laughter.

 Sam in her Sunday best.

 Sam waking up from a nap. That's how I feel too when I wake up from a nice long nap.

 She LOVES her dad.

 He's pretty in love himself.

 Can't get enough of her!

 Those cheeks!

And those eyes! This is probably the BEST picture my phone has ever taken. And it only begins to capture the beauty of her blue eyes. She is so full of life, laughter, and smiles.

Love, Aubrey

An Extraordinary Person (My MOM, of course!)

Happy birthday to the best mom in the whole universe.






Love, Aubrey

Two Months Old

Look who's 2 months old! (On 1/5/2015) She's as cute as ever. She smiles a lot. She's a chubby little snuggle bug. She's got deep blue eyes that melt my heart on a daily basis. Samantha is 11 pounds 8 ounces now. She likes bath time. She is starting to grasp objects. She always falls asleep in the car (well, unless she's super hungry. Then we get stopped at all the red lights and she absolutely LOVES that (NOT!) ). She's able to hold her head up and loves looking back and forth and back and forth. And back and forth. Especially at 2 in the morning when all mommy wants to do is sleep. ;) She's (for the most part) and good sleeper. Nine times out of ten she will have spit bubbles coming out of her mouth. She is growing and developing quite beautifully and Josh and I are so happy and blessed to have such an adorable and healthy addition to our family. Sammy Jo is wonderful.

Love, Aubrey

PS- Taylin started college!

Ogden

Few more pictures from our last moments in Rexburg.

 Move out here, Skyler! ;)

We sure are going to miss living in the Rowe's basement apartment.

I am so happy that Skyler came for a few weeks. She was my closest friend growing up and still remains dear to my heart. Sisters are the best!

We LOVE Ogden. So far, anyways. We've both decided that we are going to embrace this new adventure with an enthusiastic welcome. I like the mountains that are in our backyard. The sunsets are nice. There are actually stars visible at night (not as many as in Idaho, but some will do). All the people that we've met so far have been pleasant. We like our home. And we still have family close by. 

Grandma and Grandpa Cozzens and Aunt Sonya stopped by Danny and Tiffannie's on their way to New Mexico. It was tempting to climb aboard and go with them because my dad was also flying into New Mexico and he hasn't met Sammy yet. Plus, I love my dad and miss him terribly! But my practical and very logical father said he'd see her in due time and traveling with a newborn isn't the best idea considering weather and travel conditions... and no room in the car. It was a nice idea though. 

It was such a treat to see Grandma and Grandpa and Sonya. Getting together with family is always a treat. I am so inspired as we enjoy each others company and conversation. It's fun to be updated on everyone's life. It is evident that while we are abundantly blessed we also all have trials and hard times, but it is even more evident that because our lives are centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ we can still find joy in the journey with a hope that everything will work out for the best. In the Lord's time. I am thankful for my immediate family and also my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and all the other extended branches of the family tree because they inspire and teach me to be better.

 Davis got a fun remote control car for Christmas. So him and Josh had fun controlling it remotely from the inside of the house. Josh had to get Davis' help because he kept running it off the driveway.

 Grandma Cozzens holding Samantha Jo.

 Ava holding Sammy.

 Good ole Grandpa Cozzens and Samantha Jo

It is so nice to have Danny and Tiffannie's family living close by. They have great kids. We sure love their family! 

Other than that we are still unpacking, cleaning, and getting everything organized. Josh starts his job at Pineae Greenhouse tomorrow (Monday). He's very excited! I'm so proud of him and excited for him! I think I'm more nervous than he is....the first day is always a little nerve racking, right? But he's a star at taking things in stride and going with the flow and making the best of every situation. That's why he's my better half. :)

These two are my pride and joy.

Love, Aubrey