August 17-30th, 2012

Hi All!

Hope you all are enjoying some of the last days of summer! 

The BIG news around here is...we are expecting! Baby #3 is due to arrive around March 9th and we couldn't be more excited. Blake and Seth still don't quite understand what's going on, but they do know there's a baby in mommy's belly. I told Blake I wasn't feeling good the other day because there was a baby in my belly and he said, "Mommy, you need to spit it out!". :)  

Micah and I have decided not to find out the gender of the baby, which will make it a fun surprise for all of us on the big day. We are very much looking forward to having a new baby around and I think the boys are going to love having a little brother or sister to play with and help take care of. I will be 13 weeks along this Saturday and doing great, other than a little morning sickness which hopefully I will say goodbye to very soon. :)

 

We had fun celebrating Will's birthday. We had a water balloon launcher and the guys had a contest to see which team of three was the best shot.Then we gave Will a good soaking in honor of his birthday.

Seth has already been practicing being an older brother. He and his "little brother" doll are practically inseparable these days. Seth carries him around the house and wraps him in blankets. Most mornings his doll joins us for breakfast by sitting in the center of the table and "watching Seth eat". I tell Seth to show the baby how how fast he can finish his breakfast. Doesn't always work. :) 

The boys' favorite thing is still their books. Blake can sit for a longer time than Seth, but they both really enjoy our morning reading time and Daddy's reading before bed. We usually come home from the library every two weeks with somewhere between 20 and 25 books. By the end of the two weeks each book has been read numerous times and mommy is ready for something else to read. :)

 Seth has trouble keeping his shoes on while outside. :)

 Blake now pulls out his "camera smile" when I go to take a picture of them. 

Seth likes to say, "Bye Mommy! I'm going to Hobby Lobby. See ya!" as he gets into his car. 

A company is coming tomorrow to make a template for our kitchen island counter-top. We are so excited to get the last big piece of the kitchen finished within the next few weeks. We are planning to begin hosting a weekly Bible study on Wednesday nights in a few weeks, so I'm hoping it will be done before then.

A few funnies from Blake and Seth...

Seth finally agreed to sit on the toilet the other day and miraculously, he went potty! I told Blake we needed to tell Daddy about it later. So, when Micah came home, Blake said "Daddy! Seth went twinkle on the toilet today!". Tinkle or twinkle, same thing, right?

The boy's favorite song to sing is "Your grace is enough, Your grace is enough for me...". Well, as arguments are springing up over just about everything lately, Seth started singing "Your grace is enough for me...(pause) NOT YOU Blake!!!" Sounds like we'll have to work on our Christian theology very soon... :)

In case you haven't heard, Kate is also expecting next year. She's due the first week in February and already looks so cute as a pregnant lady. :) Now to get Joy and James on board...

Love to you all, 

Kari, Micah, Blake and Seth

August 16th, 2012

Hi Everyone!

I hope you will enjoy the new format of our updates. Hopefully, it will save you some download time as well as storage in your email inboxes. :) 

We returned on Saturday from Holden Beach with the rest of the Fox family. We had such a great time and easily could have stayed another week. The boys loved the beach this year, thanks in a large part to the temperature of the water being much warmer than years past. Usually, we go in Sept. or Oct. so this was a nice change. They were both a year older so I think that helped a lot too.

We spent the mornings on the beach, afternoons napping, and evenings watching the Olympics. After Seth saw the runners he started mimicking them by crouching down with his fists in front of him and then taking off running to the other side of the house.

Blake and Seth loved the water! They never got quite brave enough to go in without holding someone's hand, but still loved it.

The whole Fox Gang! 

One of the restaurants we went to was right on the waterway. The boys were looking for crabs over the side. I had to tell Seth not to chew on the railing...reminded me of a puppy or something!

Seth's silly face yesterday. :)

We are excited about this weekend as we get to celebrate Will's 18th birthday on Saturday. Can you believe the youngest Shoemaker kid is now 18 years old!? Watch out world!

In other Shoemaker news... after thinking, researching, and praying for over a year Jonathan took the plunge last week and signed up for the Navy! He scored very well in the ASVAB exam and so had a wide range of areas he could sign up for within the Navy. Mom would be so proud!

A few Blake and Seth funnies....

On the way to the park today, somehow the subject of the cemetery and heaven came up. Blake said, "I am not going to the cemetery. I'm going to heaven." I asked Seth if he wanted to go to heaven too and he said, "No, I want to go to the park!." 

Micah was play-arguing with Blake on the way home about who got to hand me and flowers they got at the store. Seth interrupted and said, "Daddy, you have to share!"


Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Love, 

Kari, Micah, Blake and Seth

July 24th - Aug. 1st, 2012

Hi Everyone!

We have had quite the time the past three weeks. Birthdays, blueberry picking and bubbles...

 

Seth is really growing up and is pleasant to be around. (transformed from several months ago) We haven’t had any biting incidents or screaming in a while now, which I’m so thankful for! He likes to do everything that Blake does.

 

Seth’s second favorite toy is his “baby”. For the past month or so he has occasionally pretended that he’s a baby and will crawl on all fours and carry his blankets around. Somehow in his role playing, I even get called “baby”. He has said several times in response to questions I ask him “Okay baby” in a squeaky high-pitched voice. Not sure how I feel about being called “baby” by my two year old, but it’s so cute to watch! Anyway, he loooves his baby and takes good care of it throughout the day.

 One of Seth’s favorite presents he got was a toy musket like the one we got Blake. Now, Daddy, Blake and Seth all go hunting together in the backyard for polar bears, giant spiders and lions. Blake and Seth like to wear their special hunting hats that mommy says makes them a better hunter. Which is really just an excuse to get them used to wearing their hats for our trip the beach. ;) Micah’s gun in the picture is a BB gun just in case anyone was wondering if we were violating city ordinances. 

  
Our “Seffy”, as Seth calls himself, turned two years old. After talking about his birthday and going to the train park for weeks, the day finally arrived. He talked about the train and cupcakes and ice cream every single day leading up to it. Even the “hec-a-lopter” was there, although that one didn’t turn out to be so grand. After about one spin around the beloved ride, he decided it wasn’t for him and burst into tears. 

Seth got to share some of his big day with his uncle Scott, who shares his birthday.

We are getting ready to leave for the beach this Saturday! Blake was telling Seth in the car today that he needs to be sure to stay in the boat at the beach because there are sharks that might get him. Blake is the third parent in the home, in case anyone was wondering.

Yesterday at the library the boys were doing puzzles while I got new books and there was another little boy who was taking Blake’s pieces. Later, Blake told Micah that Seth told the boy “No!”. Micah said “Seth, were you standing up for your big brother?” and Blake says “No, he was just sitting in the chair.”

Speaking of standing up…Seth was climbing up on the step stool and by way of asking if it’s okay if he stood on the top step said, “Mommy, can I stand up for Jesus?”

Hope you all are doing well!

Love,

Kari