the Foxy Six

Sunday Photo Shoot

2009-08-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning all summer to do some pics of the kids. I wanted to do some studio shots but not pay a studio. Grandpa was going to do it but his cameras were stolen last week...so maddening that someone would take what is not theirs!
So here is my attempt at photographing the brood. I wonder if Ken gives lessons?!?!

Looking at these photographs of my children I am shocked at how big they are. I am also overwhelmed at how blessed I am to be their mother. Each day with them is a gift that I truly treasure, even if they are sassafrases!

Ah, those lazy days of summer!

2009-08-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

Nothing says summer like the slip and slide. And yes, I do feed Jack!

Yeah it's August!

2009-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

We've had an eventful summer thus far (to say the least) and we're looking forward to the next few weeks before school starts.

I'm so out of practice at this, I've been typing and deleting for 30 minutes now. I guess the pics will have to do the talking.

Consider us Caught Up!

2009-02-17T21:35:00.000-08:00

Has Facebook got you down?

2009-02-17T21:14:00.000-08:00

Well, no. But it sure cuts down on my blogging. I feel good if I can check my email every day! Let alone keep up with two sites. I promise to post some pics soon. Maybe even tonight after I do the dishes.

Ruby's One!

2009-01-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

Another milestone, Ruby's first birthday. She of course was sick so all the festivities had to be canceled. We had a small party with just the immediate family (and Nana). We had hotdogs and cupcakes, niether of which she did more than make a mess with! She got some fun toys from her brothers and sisters and some new clothes from Nana. The new swim suit is part of her gift from Mommy and Daddy.

Over the next week we celebrated several more times with the Foxes and that was fun too.

Christmas Pending...

2009-01-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

I had a few minutes today and thought I might post some pics from Christmas. Then I realized I didn't take ANY! Santa brought Jack a digital camera and Spencer a digital camcorder and they took the footage and pics all day. Hopefully, I can get them to do the next post...stay tuned!

My 8 Things Post (finally)

2009-01-01T17:03:00.000-08:00

8 TV Shows I Watch
My Name is Earl/the Office/30 Rock (thanks to DVR this is one show!)
House reruns
Keen Eddie
Jazz Tonight/games
Sports Center
Matlock and/or Perry Mason (with Ralph)
various children's shows
Venture Brothers

8 Favorite Restaurants
Bombay House
Fish Tacos de Hermosillo
Red Iguana
Crown Burger
Zeponie's Pizza
The Dodo
Neil's Halibut Fish & Chips
Kyoto

8 Things that Happened Today
ate black eyed peas and okra for luck in the new year
watched a bit of the Rose Bowl Parade
caught some football
walked two miles in the park
read Dave Barry's end of year article
made my bed!!!
watched the kids play Little Big Planet
my kids reminded me that I'm the "boringest mom in the world"..they claim to be joking

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
having my body back
our house being sold
watching Spencer spar
Ruby's first word
Penelope's new dance class
Jack's next basketball game
Chris and family's next visit
my Food Bank party

8 Things on my Wish List
a maid
Utes win Sugar Bowl
Broncos sign an awesome new head coach
Jazz win championship
40 lbs magically disappear from my body while I'm sleeping
Spencer would lose his gag reflex and eat better
Photo Shop skills
smarter Americans

8 Things I love
family
friends
the Plan of Salvation
nerds
music
making my husband and kids laugh
Ron Paul's revolution
escalator ramps with magnetic shopping carts

8 Things I can't Stand
people who profess to love this country while simultaneously, directly or indirectly destroying it
ignorance
bullies
bail outs
being told to "calm down"
people who text when they should be paying attention to something or someone else
worship of fashion or celebrity
being ignored

8 People I'm Tagging
nobody, but feel free to blog your 8 Things if you are so inclined!

Christmas is Coming!

2008-12-22T12:40:00.000-08:00

We saw the lights, had a pre-school program, and two family parties. We love this time of year!

Festival of the Trees

2008-12-05T22:12:00.000-08:00

We had the pleasure of attending the Festival of the Trees today. We saw a lot of cool things but by far my favorite (and the reason we went) was the tree dedicated in memory of my Uncle Dale.

As many of you know he used to entertain as Santa all season long and he loved everything Santa. I miss him dearly and this time of year I think of him even more.

I'm glad the Johnson girls (and helpers) did the tree, it's a beautiful tribute to a beautiful man.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

We took no photos for Thanksgiving but I still wanted to write about my favorite holiday. It was a great day filled with wonderful smells and delicious treats. We watched some football and a movie in HD (guess what Corb bought me for my birthday?!?!)

It was our turn to go to the Fox dinner this year and it was fantastic! I am grateful to have married into a family that I love and that loves me. My children receive the greatest benefit, as they are loved beyond measure by so many people.

We also were able to have pie with Corbin's grandparents and swing by my Aunt Lisa's open house and visit with family members we don't see often enough.

It was a lovely day all around. The best part was that when I got home, the dishes were done and there was still a half a pan of West Virginia dressing in the fridge- yum!

The big game.

2008-12-05T21:50:00.000-08:00

Here we are celebrating...now for those of you that have known me for a long time-I've been a "recovered Cougar fan" now for 13 or 14 years. (thanks James) GO UTES!

Trip to the Centerville Fire Station

2008-12-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

Spencer needed this for scouts, the last thing so he could earn his Wolf.

The fire fighters were so cute and patient, they let the kids crawl all over everything. We had a super time!

Halloween Part 5

2008-12-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

The crew headed out- we were the first on the street!

And yes, Ruby is wearing a different costume.
She had to wear the mouse to town because I couldn't find the wings.

When I got home there they were!

Is this our last year for Jack to dress up?

This is Penelope and one of four boys she is considering for marriage. Not to worry, she told me that she would wait until she's 34!

The kids ate candy until Monday when it got loaded up and donated to the Food Bank.

Halloween Part 4

2008-12-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

Trick-or-treating at Nana's work. Please do not mention to her that her photo has been blogged!

Yes, we left with bags at capacity and they hadn't even knocked on one door!

It was really fun to see everyone and their cute kids and Linda (coworker of Nana's) had a prize for cutest costume and Penelope won! She was completely embarrassed...I was grateful, I half expected her to parade around or run a victory lap!

Cousin Eli arrived to late for the contest and I guess was not too happy about it!!

Are you tired? I was!

Halloween Part 3

2008-12-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

Trick-or-treating at Daddy's work.

Lots of funny guy's and gals with loads of candy!

Shown are our two favorite costumes...

Bags are over half full already.
This holiday is totally sponsered by some dental association, I know it!

Halloween Part 2

2008-12-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

Visited Grandma T. We love her!

Ate gross looking, but delicious tasting cookie finger made by Aunt Colleen.

Halloween Part 1

2008-12-05T21:05:00.000-08:00

Catching up is hard to do, but I'm going to do my best.

This is Halloween morning, no school, good weather, and pumpkin carving. We had a great time. We turned on Nana's stereo that she has in the garage and cranked the oldies. I'm not sure what station, it's Papa's!

Penelope wanted nothing to do with the slimey pumpkin so she colored some decorations from pre-school.

Ruby watched from the sidelines, desperate to get her hands ( and mouth, no doubt) on those orange things!

Chuck Your Grandma

2008-10-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to dine at Chuck Your Grandma (as my children call it) for Jack's birthday dinner. By fortunate I mean it's nice to eat at a place where everybody eats what they want, dessert is included (or the only thing some people eat), the low key atmosphere lends itself to noisy children and when they have to pull out the vacuum after you leave, you don't feel too bad.

The photos that follow are just a sample of just how much fun we are at the dinner table...oh, that's Ruby's first chicken leg. She stole it right off of Penelope's plate. I've never seen a person love a piece of food quite so much. We had to pry it out of her hand when it was time to go!

Happy 11th Birthday Jack!!!

Soccer Kids

2008-10-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Our Mom went to Mexico and all we got were these AWESOME soccer uniforms!

Danni and Ruby's Big Adventure

2008-10-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

We set out on the breezy morning of October 10th to travel to see the Thompson family now living in Mexico. Flying to Tucson and driving the rest of the way was the economic solution. It was actually great to spend a few hours in the car with Chris and Lucia, catching up. Oh, and by the way, Roman Octavio is a doll! (Ruby loved him too.)

Hermosillo is a cool place, and I am in NO WAY referring to the temperature. It averaged 100 degrees most days we were there. The locals were grateful it had started to cool down!

We were thrilled to spend time with Kennedy and CJ, although they are very busy. There lives are very disciplined and organized during the week and they are doing great! Their Spanish is so good and they are doing well in school. They impressed me every day with their fearlessness and hard work. I'm so proud of them.

My bother is working at the Consulate and works very hard. Lucia is the cutest new mom in the world with the cutest baby ever.

We shopped, went site seeing, saw the Naranjeros (Hermosillo's pro baseball team) play, we visited family, hung out at the country club, visited both of the kids schools and ate amazing food. I was pampered and spoiled and it has been a little difficult to return to normal life!

All in all, it was a great success and I can't wait to go back.

Rock Band Continued

2008-09-21T06:55:00.000-07:00

This is our life now. As soon as the kids are ready for bed, we spend some quality time ROCKING!

Of course the children fight over the drums, is drumming a genetic trait?

I think the singing is the most fun (easiest) and Jack told me that I was "the best singer in the world" because I passed Tom Sawyer on expert.
(Don't tell him that I've heard that song a thousand times!)

Rock band...at last?

2008-09-18T14:19:00.001-07:00

Corb turned 35 this week WOW! He's taking it pretty well. To help soften the blow of old age, his children (with the help of their mother's debit card) purchased Rock Band for our Wii. It has been so much fun watching the kids play with their dad. Jack told me he thought this was a "really good way to get us kids into rock music", as if the countless albums they have listened to didn't do the job! I knew Corb missed being in a band but I didn't know he was waiting for me to give birth to his band mates!!! I hope to have some photos to post soon- keep checking, I'm sure they'll ROCK!

Back to School

2008-09-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

I had a few minutes this morning and sat down to reflect on the last few weeks.

This time of year is my most favorite. I love back to school (I even look forward to some day going back!), I enjoy the fall weather and I love football. That pretty much makes fall the best time of year.

There's a lot of excitement this year as we are in the process of moving. That means the boys started a new school. They were a bit nervous but are adjusting fine. I'm grateful that they have an easy time making friends and adjust well to new situations.

Penelope started a week later (she thought she would die) and she's back at Miss Stephanie's for her pre-k year. She loves school and can't wait to go to "real school" with her brohters next year.

The first day was really fun and they're into the swing of things now, it's as if the summer never happened! Jack is in 5th grade and Spencer is in 3rd grade.

I'm really excited for Jack- this was my favorite grade in elementary school. I was able to spend the last two weeks of that year in my Uncle Dale's classroom and it was a highlight of my childhood.

I look forward to another year of fun!

Ruby crawls now!

2008-09-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official, Ruby can crawl. She's been lunging now for a couple of weeks,
but today, she decided to do it for real.

I guess you can say "life as I know it, is OVER!"

Funny Kids

2008-08-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

Penelope asked me yesterday when we were driving home from her soccer game, "Mom does everybody have taste bugs?" When I asked her where she learned that word, she replied, "on Sesame Street. They were talking about the tongue." It was all I could do not to laugh.

She's always doing that. She makes up whatever it is she thinks she heard...I love it!

Oh, and by the way, she actually played during the game. She even had an assist and a goal!

Striker's Cup 2008

2008-08-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

Jack was able to participate in the Striker's Cup this week. This is the first opportunity he has had to play with his new team the Wasatch Thunder. It was a really fun week with three regular matches which the team won two and tied the third. They then had enough points to play for the championship. Jack's team won 5 to 1 and Jack had two goals and one assist- it was a great time.

Team captain Jack and a very pushy La Roca kid.

Jack getting ready to make a play on the ball.

Waiting for the ball.

Right after passing it back to the middle to the open man.

Farmington Flash: Newest Players

2008-08-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

Announcing the newest players to sign with the Farmington City Flash- Penelope and Spencer.

Penelope, formerly unsigned, hopes to bring charm and beauty to the team. "Pigtails are a very important part of my game plan" Penny was quoted before her first match. Her qualifications are: she's four years old, graceful, and has logged thousands of hours watching her brothers play. She's also not afraid to run hard or push when necessary.

Spencer, formerly with Rush of Bountiful, is very excited to be strapping on his cleats again. He's thrilled to be playing further north and looks forward to finding his role on his new team. He said earlier this month, upon signing with Farmington, "I'm pretty sure this jersey is pink, not white." His qualifications are: speed, energy and the pure love of being anywhere someone is watching him.

Both athletes hope to continue to bring pride to the Fox name, following in their big brother Jack's soccer footsteps. Their parents were quote as saying "we have how many games and practices a week?!?!?"

We look forward to a season full of fun and excitement and many, many blog posts with pictures!

Forgot one!

2008-08-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

Penelope didn't actually attend tennis camp with the boys but she tried to participate!

Tennis camp?

2008-08-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

This week was the end of tennis camp. I'm not sure the boys learned much, but they had tons of fun.

Spencer dances off the court and more or less goofs off all the time. He is a grade-a clown!

Jack, well, he's a competitor. Even if the game is silly- he's in it to win it!

Penelope plays doctor

2008-08-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Some of us attract mosquitoes- Penelope is one of them.
She came home from swimming with the family and had 10 or so all over her body, including her face. She was itching terribly and came to me for a solution. I applied the cream and thought I had helped. She came to find me a while later to let me know that she had "fixed the mosquito bites"!

Ruby and Her Milestones

2008-07-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

In the last two weeks Ruby has grown up a lot. Okay, that's probably a bit melodramatic but she does have three new tricks! She finally started eating solids. We've been trying for about two months to no avail. This has been very important to her Nana that she learn to eat solids.

She also has her first tooth. This milestone is bittersweet because we really love the
toothless grin. But as you can plainly see, her grin is still just as darling.

And last, but certainly not least, she's sitting up! This is a particularly wonderful thing as she's
preferred the sitting position since birth.

She's growing so fast, each day she dazzles and amazes the entire family. We are so glad she's here, what a delight Ruby is in our home.

Pineview '08

2008-07-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe another Pineview trip has come and gone! We had a wonderful time this year...Mommy wasn't pregnant and Ruby isn't mobile yet. We are so lucky to belong to such a wonderful family and have a tradition that we love as well. We were in a new camp ground this year, and except for a little trouble with some tall weeds, it was great. The kids loved the sand and the water, the boys enjoyed tubing behind the boat, (thanks Uncle Lamar), and we enjoyed watching it all from the shady beach.

There was delicious food every meal- we all really have cooking for 70+ people down to a science! The t-shirt painting (Spencer's favorite) was kicked up a notch this year and we did tie dying. Thanks to Grandma, the girls and Jack have darling shirts.

One of the best things for me was that my niece Kennedy was able to come. She's so helpful and a lot of fun. Corb's family was extremely hospitable and by the time we left she felt like one of the cousins!

The last night Uncle Clay coordinated a "talent" show that the brave and the silly participated in. Spencer performed a short dialogue of his own making using a funny voice, Penelope (terrified) sang the clean up song from Dora Saves the Mermaid, and all the little kids sang a few primary songs which Jack reluctantly joined in on. Other kids did or sang silly things and a few of the more grown up cousins sang as well (Aunt Amy and Uncle Mont did a particularly beautiful and touching song). One of the funniest performances came at the end when Kennedy and cousin Whitney sang a song and Aunt Amy and Aunt Julie 80's danced to it! It was so funny!

We are all looking forward to another year...

Happy Independence Day

2008-07-07T14:13:00.001-07:00

We love to go to Nana and Papa's and watch the fireworks from the back deck. We watch the Kaysville and Lagoon shows. This year they were amazing! It's nice and quiet and we have comfy chairs to sit on and there are no crowds.

After we're done watching we go out front and do our own show. This year Jack got to light a few and all the kids had fun with the sparklers.

Piano Recital June 30th, 2008

2008-07-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

I got an Easy Bake Oven for my birthday

2008-07-07T13:38:00.000-07:00

Am I the luckiest four year old in the world or what!?! Even though the box says eight and up, my Aunt Kimmy got me the deluxe oven. I had so much fun stirring and pouring, if only the cake actually tasted good...my Mom says she'll find some from scratch recipes so we can have fun making something and enjoy eating it too! Love, Peanut

2008-07-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Here they are, the stars of the show. Ruby, Spencer, Penelope, and Jack. June is gone and we're in the full swing of summer. Last night the boys had their piano recital. It was great fun. They both performed extremely well. I must say, they have incredible rhythm, their pieces had swing. I love that they are so use to performing and competing. They both have more experience and confidence than I ever will. Hopefully I can get back into the picture habit so I can keep up to date with our activities!

2008-07-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

The spring flew by us. With all the activities for the three big kids and adding a new baby, I'm lucky if I can just catch my breath! Here are just a sampling of the children: last day of school, visiting Grandma T., pre-school program, and yellow belt testing. All of which were wonderful experiences for all...

Catching up...it's what I do!

2008-07-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

In April, Spencer was baptized. This is a photo of him on the big day with all his Grandpa's.

2008-03-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Now that was a Happy Valentine's Day

Our pretty baby Ruby

techno-phobe

2008-03-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

My husband thinks I'm a techno-phobe. I'm attempting to prove him wrong! I guess we'll see how it goes...