A Texas GRAND Christmas!

After asking Isabelle if she would rather have Santa come down our chimney or Grammie's chimney, we were quickly on the road to Houston for Christmas Eve! We were greeted by Grammie and Grandpa as well as Aunt Tara, Aunt Alee and Uncle Nick who were ready for a Texas Grand Christmas. Belle was thrilled to begin the festivities and spent the next week reading our GRAND itinerary and beaming with holiday spirit!

After keeping Isabelle in our bedroom upstairs until 7:00am we finally let her down the stairs to find all of Santa's surprises. She was excited with each and every gift she received and especially loved her "REAL" guitar from Grammie and Grandpa. She was also equally excited to pass out all of the gifts she had purchased and wrapped by herself and was more than eager to help everyone put them to use right away. We enjoyed a yummy Christmas dinner as well as our traditional Nativity puppet show before putting a very tired and overjoyed toddler to bed.

The next several days we enjoyed playing games, seeing movies, ice skating, working on puzzles, shopping, bowling, Grandpa's birthday, making funnel-cakes and anything/everything else we wanted to do. Since Jelly was actually 20 years younger than the next family member there we played with her all day and then put her to bed early and enjoyed some adult time in the evenings. Ben luckily was able to fairly easily close two deals over the holidays so even he was able to join in all of the traditional fun!

Although at moments it seemed like we were running a hospital with Dad's liver disease, Tara's eye-surgery, Belle's ear infections and me being 7 months pregnant, the rest of the crew was able to keep the festivities moving and we never skipped a beat. We were even able to meet up with Ben's parents and Uncle Jake and Aunt Katrina and Gordon for a few moments of Christmas cheer while they were passing through Houston to finalize a few more wedding plans for this month's big event!

We rang in the New Year with our friends the Meiers and a bbq and fire outside before a wild game of bunco. Little Jelly enjoyed her small fireworks and counting down to the New Year while banging pots and pans with a wooden spoon at about 7:45pm. Lucky for us, she never questioned that it wasn't actually midnight and she just assumed the rest of us went to bed shortly too!

It was a wonderful week long of parties and games and even though we were able to stay in Houston for the entire holiday, Isabelle still cried to leave her favorite place! We ended the fun with a New Year treasure hunt and Belle putting out the Grand Christmas torch before we packed the car as full as we could and made the trek home. We are thankful to everyone for all of their generous gifts this year and especially loved spending this special time of year with the ones we love!

Fa la la la la la la la la!

We have had so much fun enjoying this holiday season. Isabelle loves everything Christmas and we have spent many nights driving through the different neighborhoods near us in our PJ's looking at Christmas lights and singing carols. While grammie and grandpa were visiting for the weekend we spent the day downtown and after a nearly 2 hour wait, Belle finally was able to sit on Santa's lap and whispered that she was hoping for a scooter on Christmas morning...which Ben and I had never heard of until then. We then had fun walking around the Alamo and Riverwalk which were all lit up and beautiful for the holiday.


Belle has loved every minute of decorating and re-decorating the entire house many times and baking lots of holiday goodies which we have shared with our friends. We also had a great time at Fiesta Texas' Holiday in the Park with our friends the Haley's where Belle loved riding the rides with Dallon and Dawson and seeing all of the lights around the park.

With only 4 days left until Christmas the magic is still alive and little Jelly is tucked tightly in her Christmas quilted bed, hugging her stuffed Rudolph and smelling like gingerbread from her bath! Tonight in her bedtime prayers she said "Heavenly Father, I hope that Christmas comes very soon because I cannot wait and it is the best time ever!" What a wonderful time of year!

Remember November

Like the rest of 2009, somehow November came and went with us rushing in and out of town before we could ever catch our breath. Unfortunately the turkey month didn't start out too smoothly when Ben came home coughing from a business trip and was diagnosed with H1N1 the next day. He quickly shared his germs with Belle and after another 24 hours they were both officially victims of the swine flu. Even with Tamiflu to help, they both had fevers that raged for nearly a week and didn't eat, drink or sleep much for days. I knew Ben was seriously ill when he didn't even mention work for close to 48 hours and then still barely picked up his Blackberry for the entire work week. Thankfully, I had been vaccinated a few weeks prior and was able to stay healthy throughout the madness and tend to both of my babies.

Unfortunately, in normal Cosby style, we didn't have a lot of time to be "ill" as we had tickets to Curious George Live in DFW the following weekend. We considered skipping the show but knew Belle would be disappointed to miss her favorite friend so we cut our trip shorter than planned and hopped on quick flights for a fast weekend getaway. Curious George was everything that Jelly hoped he would be and we all had a great time visiting with Grandma Ruth, Grandpa Van and some of our family who were able to join us in Dallas for the weekend.
After our quick trip to DFW, we rushed back to unpack and pack our bags again and were on our way to Houston for the Thanksgiving weekend the following day. We started the holiday with the annual Coles Crossing Turkey Trot and then enjoyed a yummy feast of our favorite foods. After mapping out a Black Friday shopping plan for Tara and Grammie, Ben and I left Belle in their care and caught another flight, this time to the Big Apple...just the two of us!
We enjoyed 4 days in NYC sleeping in, shopping late, eating whatever we wanted, etc. We started our days with a jog through Central Park and a bagel from Rupert's and we hit all of the shopping hot-spots I planned to do damage in...some more than once! We went to Mary Poppins on Broadway and ate at Ellen's Stardust Diner which we always enjoy. We watched the ice skaters at Bryant Park and enjoyed the lights at Rockefeller Center. It was a perfect way to celebrate my 30th birthday (in August) and our last few days before we are joined by a new baby on our outings.

Sadly, we had clearly rushed Belle's recovery from the H1N1 virus and after a couple nights of her not sleeping or eating my parents finally took her to the doctor where she was then diagnosed with Bronchitis and the early stages of pneumonia, both secondary infections from the Swine Flu. Thankfully, after a few days on antibiotics and steroids she started to feel much better and was able to better enjoy her last few days in Houston. While mom and dad were away, Jelly enjoyed Christmas shopping with Aunt Tara and Grammie, taking care of Koshka while Alee and Nick were on vacation and helping Grandpa at work.
It was once again a crazy and fun few weeks and Belle cried real tears when it was finally time to head back to San Antonio. Lucky for her, by the time we arrived home it was already the 2nd of December and time for the really busy season to begin...and we haven't slowed down yet!

And then there were four!

It's hard to imagine that another child could ever bring the joy, laughter and happiness that sweet little Isabelle consistently brings into our small family, but we are about to find out! Ben and I learned that our family would soon be expanding on Fathers Day and waited as long as we could before sharing the news with the new big sister. We knew that 9 months would seem like an eternity to a young mind so at least 6 months would be slightly less painful. Isabelle was certain from the beginning that she was going to have a baby sister, so when the big ultrasound day arrived she was thrilled to be in the room when Dr. Theis announced that she was going to get just what she hoped for...a baby girl! She had threatened beforehand that if it was a baby boy, she "would not let him in!" She actually said right in the exam room "Come on, let's go shopping!" Ben is definitely outnumbered now and he couldn't be more excited to be surrounded by girls! I echoed Belle's enthusiasm and we quickly went to Target where Jelly made her first purchases for her new little sister!

It has been fun to get excited about a baby again and to watch Belle's interest grow as my tummy starts to expand. She is sure the baby will come any day now since she cannot imagine me getting any bigger...and at 26 weeks I wish I was done growing rather than just beginning. Every time we are in a clothing store she picks out two matching outfits, one in a toddler size and one in a baby size, and coos "oh, look how cute me and my baby sister will be!" We are expecting our newest family member the very last day of February/very first day of March and so far Baby Cosby measures right on time which thrills me since I was pregnant with tiny Belle nearly 42 weeks! We still have much to do to feel prepared for our next adventure, like choosing just what we are going to name our new baby girl, Isabelle was such an easy name choice naming her after my Great Grandma, but time is passing quickly and with the busy holiday season beginning we know that our family of three will be a family of four in just a few short weeks...regardless if we feel ready or not!

It's Autum Time, It's Autum Time...

Somehow October has already come and gone and the weather in San Antonio almost has a true fall feel. We enjoyed a busy month as usual and tried to remember to grab the camera to document some of our fun. Belle loved going to a local church's pumpkin patch and picking out some nice round pumpkins for our porch, but when we cut one open and tried to get her to help us carve it, she told us it was too icky and wanted nothing to do with it. She went into the next room and told us to yell to her when we were done!

Ben and Belle have a Saturday tradition of making an early stop at Krispy Kreme after their morning exercise. Jelly is always excited when the donuts are decorated with festive sprinkles and especially looks forward to her latest addiction, chocolate milk! She has daddy to thank for introducing her to all the yummy parts of life.

We have usually been out of town over the Halloween holiday and missed all of the trick-or-treating fun so Belle was thrilled to learn just what this time of year was all about. After first wishing to be Angelina Ballerina she finally decided to dress as Doctor Cosby for the festivities which suited her perfect since it is her favorite game to play. (She even told a few doors that she was not just a doctor but actually an Obstetrician.) She definitely got her fill of candy after attending our Ward's Trunk-or-Treat party and then trick-or-treating around the neighborhood on Halloween night. She actually does not have much of a sweet tooth and after an entire week surrounded by candy, she ate one sucker and drank a juice box she received in her bucket. After dumping all of her loot out on the floor, she separated it herself into 4 piles: a dad pile, a mom pile, a Jelly pile and a pile to give away. Her pile by far was the smallest consisting of only smarties, suckers and M&M's and it was interesting to see what she thought both Ben and I would enjoy.



One of Belle's favorite moments was the American Heart Society's Dog Costume Parade at the hospital Halloween morning. We had seen advertisements for the event and Belle was determined to be in attendance. Although Ben thought that maybe she and I made the whole thing up, it didn't disappoint with over 50 dogs in full Halloween costumes parading and competing in several categories. The only disappointment was for poor Jelly who wished so bad she had a dog herself to march proudly around the parking lot wearing something silly.

It was a speedy month but we were happy to be home to participate in some of the usual holiday traditions that go along with the month of October. Now it is November 2nd and we already have all of our Halloween decor put away and are looking forward to being grateful with Thanksgiving!

We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow...

Ben has been on the road every week for the last several months so when he told me that he had some strategy meetings in Palm Beach, FL and that I was invited, I quickly made arrangements for our little getaway! We made the three hour drive to Houston on Sunday and left Belle and our car with Aunt Alee and Uncle Nick to find Grammie and Grandpa later. Isabelle was not the least bit sad for us to leave and kept telling me I'm in good hands mom! Ben and I then returned quickly home before boarding the private-jet first thing the next morning. The plane ride was lovely as it was just the 10 of us going together from San Antonio and we skipped all of the usual airport baggage-screening, etc. Once in Palm Beach we took a car to The Breakers Resort where we enjoyed a quick lunch before Ben headed to meetings for the afternoon. I stayed busy myself enjoying a manicure and pedicure at the spa and ironing clothes for our dinner reservation that evening. After a yummy dinner we were surprised how tired we were and slept heavenly in our ocean-view room.



The next morning we had free time together and we spent a few hours at the beach. I also relaxed with a prenatal-massage while Ben rented some ocean-sport equipment and braved the wide open water. It was incredibly hot and I think we both could have laid under the cabana for several more hours but a dinner-cruise was on the itinerary so off we went. It was fun to see some of the spots Ben and I had toured 8 years prior on our honeymoon on Singer Island and again we were full and tired when we returned back to the resort. After another quiet day for me and a few more meetings for Ben, it was finally time to return back to reality. I boarded a flight to Houston and Ben was off to Washington DC to continue working.

I was thrilled when I was greeted by a happy Isabelle and Grammie at the airport with a welcome home balloon and flower. Isabelle had had a wonderful vacation of her own playing with Aunt Alee and Grammie. They had shopped, made crafts, baked, decorated for Halloween, visited friends, etc. We were able to continue the fun a bit longer as Belle and I enjoyed another couple days playing in Houston. Two of Belle's most favorite activities were chasing and playing with Alee's cat Koshka and going on a date to McDonald's for dinner with Grandpa.

After visiting three more states for work, Ben then flew into Houston as well and he and I took one more opportunity to have a little fun together listening to U2 Live! I had bought the tickets back in April and had no idea what October would bring but knew that I could never let Bono get this close and not get Ben tickets. We have actually enjoyed several awesome concerts this year and this was no exception. Ben indulged me with yet another Gary Allan concert in February, we had sung along to Billy Joel/Elton John in their Dueling Piano Tour in the Spring and rocked out to Coldplay in the summer. U2 was the icing on the cake and after Bono's third encore and another very late night, we barely made it back to my parents before we were fast asleep.

Finally after 12 days it was time to really return to reality and make the drive back to San Antonio. Isabelle cried and said Can't we stay too long? She can never get enough of Houston and of playing with her most favorite people. It was a very nice break for all of us and we are so grateful for our family and for all of their help in making it possible. Now it's time for Halloween and although Ben is yet again on the road, Belle and I plan on being in San Antonio for at least a few weeks!