Cottage week & Jenny comes to visit

Lots has been happening in our neck of the woods. In August we had the Templeman family cottage week and my sis in law took some great family pics of us. Kirra got to meet her new cousin beckham ( the only boy in a family of 5 girls). We also had my friend Jenny from nursing school come visit us for a week and we took her to see downtown Toronto where Ted works and showed her the cottage. It was so much fun to see her again I just love that i have such a good friend. Even though we haven't seen each other in over a year we can just pick right up where we left off. oh and Ted and I have yet to celebrate it, but we had our 7 yr anniversary in August too. Wow does time fly.











Baby beckham born old 6 weeks after kirra and is almost her size.


Daddy and kirra having a much needed nap


One night during the week all the adults go out for dinner and this year we had the older kids watch the younger ones and this is what it looks like when we return.


Ted started work end of August and this is his view from his office. Pretty cool view of the CN tower.


Meeting Ted for lunch in the city.


Outside city hall in Toronto one of our parliament buildings.


On top the CN tower it was very windy and kirra loved it.


Sitting in the glass floor in the CN tower looking straight down. I hadn't done that since I was a kid and I have to say I was a little hesitant to step onto it.


Kirra and Jenny at the cottage


Our anniversary that I forgot but my hubby remembered and came home with these. so sweet


Jenny's last night with us. We mss her so much.

We moved

Well we are finally all unpacked it only took us a month! So now that Ted has graduated and passed the bar he is working in downtown toronto with the same firm he worked for last summer. We moved from Windsor to Brampton but its bitter sweet because we are sad to leave so many close friends in Windsor but also nice to me close to family and only 2 hr from the cottage!  Anyways people keep asking to see pics of our new place so here are some of the main living area and kitchen. I still need pics of kirra room and the master bedroom but I haven't decorated them yet so pics to come later.

Yosemite

Well we made the trek to Yosemite National Park in California for teds family vacation this year and we were pleasantly surprised how good kirra was through all the traveling. However she ended up catching a nasty bug on the plane ride over and was very sick with a bad fever for 2 miserable days. Ted and I were questioning where our angel baby had disappeared to, but thank goodness she returned a few days later! Despite those couple days we had lots of fun in all the Yosemite "dirt". We hiked (Ted got to climb half dome this year with all the boys)--and my only request as a concerned wife was to please not go close to the edge (its about 5000 feet straight down). And what do I find out after they all returned? That Ted instead of heeding to my simple request, not only goes to the edge but proceeds to stick his head over edge long enough for his bro in law Brent to catch a nice pic of the event! I'm so happy I have such an obedient husband. Nonetheless, he returned home safely thankfully. We also went to the river lots and enjoyed all the family company. Here's a few pics:



Ted hanging his head over the edge if half dome.


Half dome hike.


Family hike to Yosemite falls.


Going into Yosemite village on the one rainy day.





Grandpa cox & kirra


Grandma cox & Kirra

Fathers day, 3 months & Chicago

Well today we celebrated Teds 1st fathers day. It was so fun seeing my baby girl with her daddy. He is such a good dad to kirra. She loves to stand straight up on her daddy's lap. They love to play together although they haven't had much time doing that lately as Ted has been studying for the bar exam. He has taken the 1st half and this week he writes the 2nd half. I will be so happy when he is done so I can finally have my husband back.



Other thing we have been up to. We ran a 5K in may which was my first race back post baby which felt good.( only 10 lbs more to go to be back to my pre baby wt. almost there ) We took a trip to Chicago for my birthday, which was so fun I now love that city. And now the packing has begun. Oh and we finally found a place to live I will post pics when we move in.








Kirra on the run. Ted pushed her in the stroller the hole way.



At navy pier where we went on a ferris wheel ride and took a cool boat tour of the city



My birthday dinner at Maggiano's Italian. It was a fantastic meal and atmosphere


Boat tour


Aquarium in Chicago

Ted took a video of us on the boat


Kirra turned 3 months, I can't believe it time is Going way too fast.


She likes to do tummy time right after her bath. Look at those rolls on her arms.

Baby blessing & Teds graduation

Kirra Elizabeth Cox was blessed in church on May 6th by her daddy with lots of family and friends surrounding her. It was a beautiful day and everything went perfect. She didn't make a peep the entire blessing which Ted was very worried about. She was asleep in his arms until he started the blessing and grandpa cox saw her big beautiful eyes pop open just as her daddy said her name. It was the most beautiful blessing I have ever heard. In the blessing Ted said what a joy it was to hold her in his arms and that long before she was born her voice was heard. He also said she truly is Gods promise fulfilled (which is the meaning of her middle name Elizabeth). Ironically, we only found out the etimology of her name after we had chosen it but it was fitting to be sure.
We had teds parents come for the blessing and his cousin Sonya with all her family. My sister and 2 brothers and their families also came down and stayed for the weekend. We helped fill the chapel that day and the funny thing is if teds entire family came we could have filled it with just our 2 families. Kirra was grand kid #19 on my side and # 30 on teds. We celebrated afterwards at our house outside with beautiful weather and a BBQ.

Three generations. outside our first little home Which I will miss and always remember as kirras first home.

This is my favorite picture. We really are so blessed to have her

Only one side of the family minus one of my brothers; and none of teds siblings and kids! Can you imagine everybody in one place! (only gonna happen when we're all dead, Ted says!)

Proud grandparents.

She was so smiley for the pictures

The following weekend Ted graduated from LAW school, cum laude with a dual degree from University of Windsor in Canada and University of Detroit in the U.S. I can't believe it; those 3 years felt like they just flew by. At graduation, each graduate gets "hooded" by the dean which is part of receiving your doctorate degree. It was a special day for us as he is the first in his family to get a doctorate degree. I'm so proud of him and his hard work. One thing you all may not know, but one of the main reasons ted decided and wanted to go to law school was that he has always had a desire to be in a profession where he can help people and have them come to him for counsel and advice. I know he will be a great lawyer as he always says he his dad taught him from a young age " anything worth doing is worth doing well," Just like he works hard at being a good husband and dad. Congrats Hun we love u.

This is Ted with his best buddy, JP. JP will be working for a labor/employment firm on Bay Street.

This is Ted with his favorite gal pal, Alana (like Banana). Alana will be clerking for the Supreme Court of Canada this fall! We are all proud of her for achieving this huge honor.


Yesterday was my first mothers day and I loved cuddling my little girl. It was a wonderful day and I squeezed in extra kisses and hugs. There were flowers and a card waiting for me when I woke up but I dont have any pictures to show unfortunately. My birthday/ mother day present is a trip to Chicago this week and from there the rest of our Summer gets pretty chaotic. Things like going to the cottage for a long weekend, running my first 5K post baby (arg I'm so not ready), Yosemite camping with cox clan, and oh dont forget moving finding new place to live and Ted writing bar exam! A fun filled summer for us we get 2months off together before Ted starts work and it's jammed packed. So if u don't hear form us for awhile that's why.

Location:E Superior St,Chicago,United States

1 month +

So kirra is a little over 1 month now and growing like a weed. We went to dr. Last week and she is now 9lbs 4oz and 22 inches. She is starting to out grow some of her newborn clothes but I refuse to put them away yet because I might break down that she is no longer in newborn size. Time is going way to fast.


I try to imprint every moment with her in my memory. She is pretty much sleeping through the night now going at least 6-7 hrs and last night she went 8. At one point I woke up when she normally does to feed and checked on her just to make sure she was alive! She is such a happy baby smiling lots now and we have even got a few giggle. She makes us laugh quite frequently at her rather loud flatulence ( that she gets from her dad) I love being her mommy and spending every minute with her. I just wish she would stay little forever.





This pic is kirra meeting her 1st boyfriend Ryan ( my friend from work heather her little boy) who was born on same day at same hospital.


This was my labor nurse deb who I love and was amazing. We went back to work to visit her so she could see how big kirra had grown. They had lots of snuggles





She loves bath time, Ted calls this her strike a pose shot


And last lots of smiles these days

...except for tummy time, we hate that...