Merry Christmas 2019!
Christmas is a beautiful time to reflect on the past year and what God has done in our lives. It’s also that time of year when we get to post better-than-normal pictures of the family with the kids smiling all at the same time. We know some of you will not read the post but just skim through to look at the pictures..so we’ll try to keep the details brief and in a spirit of humility, we’ve chosen to display only the very BEST photos of us this year (I know...photoshop can only help some of us but so much). ;)
I guess you could say this year started with a bit of a scare...and with the only time in our married life when we spent seven straight nights away from the kids. Kari’s health had been declining due to acute pancolitis, and on January 14th we went for a visit to her doctor at Duke. The doctor sent us to the emergency room where we spent the next 7 hours in the waiting room, and from there, we were admitted to the hospital for the next seven days. The less-than-romantic getaway on the 4th floor at Duke hospital was not exactly how we would have liked to start the year, but we know it’s what the Lord had in store for us (You can read more about that experience in our last blog post if you’d like).
Here are a few quick lessons we’re still in the process of learning from this year:
- In our weakness, God is strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” God has been teaching us a lot about His grace this year. We know there is no grace in our imagination, so we’ve had to work very hard to focus on what is true, and not on what might happen or even dwell too long on what is happening that we’re fearful of.
- In addition to the physical weakness, we’ve also been reminded in very real ways that our battles in this world are not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). The battle against fear and anxiety has been very real for us this year. Micah has been studying Philippians for most of the year and 4:6-7 has been a go-to prayer over Kari and our whole family many, many times. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
- Next, we were reminded of just how amazing God’s church is when it’s operating as the body of Christ should. We were on the receiving end of SO MANY acts of love and compassion this year as our family struggled with ongoing health trials. Words don’t do it justice. Thank you, Antioch Community Church, as well as our friends and family. We love you all.
- Lastly, we were reminded of the significance and sanctity of our wedding vows. We stood at the altar on May 3rd, 2008 and vowed to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health. In Ravi Zacharias’ book, “I, Isaac, Take Thee Rebekah,” he addressed this daily decision beautifully, “...recognize that dying to yourself is an act of the will. You must choose to lay down your life in the best sense of the term. You surrender your will to the will of God by an act of commitment and in the power of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God. That is the indispensable beginning. No one likes to begin life with a funeral. But in a sense, that is where marriage begins. You choose to die to yourself and to bring to life a new affection.”
We’re genuinely grateful for the way that the Lord makes all things new and redeems even the toughest of years to bring Himself glory and to encourage and strengthen us.
Before getting to a few individual updates, here are a few quick event highlights from our year:
Trip to The Ark Encounter in Kentucky in March
We stayed in an Airbnb with family from both sides and enjoyed a visit to the Ark together. It was a pretty incredible sight that we’d highly recommend!Micah & Kari’s 11th anniversary
We managed an overnight getaway to Chapel Hill and thanked the Lord for yet another year of married bliss! ;)Jonathan (Kari’s sister) got hitched to his sweetheart Kimberly in May, and our whole family traveled up to Maryland to celebrate with them.
Trip to Holden Beach
Every year when we ask the kids what the highlight of their year was it’s almost always unanimous...our week-long trip to the beach with family!Trip to Carowinds in August
Micah, Kari, Blake, Seth, and Owen spent the day at Carowinds (amusement park) in August, and the boys got their fill of rides and coasters. It was a blast! Blake and Seth worked hard over the summer to raise money to go and to build up their savings accounts a bit more as well.Seth and Blake were baptized in August
After the boys came to the Lord and were saved in 2018, they decided they were both ready to be baptized in August of this year. It was such a special event, and as parents, it’s a delight to see the Lord work in your children’s hearts to draw them to Himself. It’s a work of the Lord and not of ourselves!
Here are a few individual updates to wrap it up with a bow!
Last year’s little surprise baby, Ian, has been SUCH an incredible blessing to all of us this year. With some pretty intense ups and downs, his easy-going nature has brought so much joy and laughter to us and helped eased tension many times. He turned one this fall and has such an agreeable personality that he been our first baby to not have the word “No!” in their first three words ever spoken. He has only recently started to learn how to throw little tantrums, and we can tell we are definitely becoming more lax in our parenting as we just sit back and laugh. The last baby is always the most spoiled. :)
Liza turned four in May and has been our resident nanny as she has shared a room with Ian this year. She is becoming more “girly” even among four rambunctious brothers (although we are still working on not pretending to burp as loud as possible at the table, just to earn a few snickers from the boys). She is passionate about, well, everything and is especially into coloring right now. We are noticing that the frequency of tantrums as decreased this year (praise GOD!) just before Kari lost every bit of sanity, and they have been replaced by an increased number of tea parties instead.
Owen turned six this year, and through many tears and toil (tears on his part, toil on mom’s part), he finished his reading lesson book this summer just before our beach trip. Owen continues to be our all-around sports champion and can whirl a back-handed frisbee with more accuracy than either of his older brothers (don’t tell them that). He still has a tough job being the third boy, but it just means he gets extra helpings of love and attention from mom and dad.
Blake turned double digits this summer! (Does that mean we are officially grown-ups now?) He has stepped up this year in his role as the firstborn and almost always has a good attitude. Blake still shows a knack for academics and is excelling in math and language arts. He likes to think deeply and asks great questions during our devotion times. Acting is one of his passions, and he is super enthused about writing and directing a short Christmas skit for church this year.
For Kari, this year has held some intense times of both trial and growth. At times it has felt like her health has dominated much of our spare time and emotions this year, but we are so very thankful that the past three months have been more stable for her. She has relished having her sister, Joy, live in the same town and gets to indulge in girls’ nights out more frequently. Homeschooling takes up most of her time and energy on an average day. Kari and the kids both have enjoyed taking one school day per week for a field trip instead of bookwork, and that has helped everyone not get bogged down. It’s a full season of motherhood with both babies and biology lessons in the house, but it’s just that, a season. She is so glad to feel well enough lately to start getting back into a few activities outside the home. She is still not where she’d like to be health-wise but is learning to trust God for the future and to find joy in each day.
Micah celebrated his 10-year workiversary this summer at North Star and continues to be a valuable member of the team there. He had the pleasure of visiting an axe throwing venue for the first time for his brother’s birthday, and we’re pretty sure his beard grew about three additional inches. Micah has gotten into a solid running routine this year and ran a 10K in September with a personal best time. He hopes to run a 10-mile race in April! Micah continues to be an awesome servant-leader in our home and frequently amazes me with his selfless attitude. (Kari here) :)
Last year’s little surprise baby, Ian, has been SUCH an incredible blessing to all of us this year. With some pretty intense ups and downs, his easy-going nature has brought so much joy and laughter to us and helped eased tension many times. He turned one this fall and has such an agreeable personality that he been our first baby to not have the word “No!” in their first three words ever spoken. He has only recently started to learn how to throw little tantrums, and we can tell we are definitely becoming more lax in our parenting as we just sit back and laugh. The last baby is always the most spoiled. :)
Liza turned four in May and has been our resident nanny as she has shared a room with Ian this year. She is becoming more “girly” even among four rambunctious brothers (although we are still working on not pretending to burp as loud as possible at the table, just to earn a few snickers from the boys). She is passionate about, well, everything and is especially into coloring right now. We are noticing that the frequency of tantrums as decreased this year (praise GOD!) just before Kari lost every bit of sanity, and they have been replaced by an increased number of tea parties instead. 
Owen turned six this year, and through many tears and toil (tears on his part, toil on mom’s part), he finished his reading lesson book this summer just before our beach trip. Owen continues to be our all-around sports champion and can whirl a back-handed frisbee with more accuracy than either of his older brothers (don’t tell them that). He still has a tough job being the third boy, but it just means he gets extra helpings of love and attention from mom and dad. 
Seth’s been taking leaps and bounds in his advancement in piano playing this year. We have all benefited from his love of piano as we listen to him practice or just play for fun. He turned nine this summer, and he loves to spend his free time outside. Micah helped the boys build a workbench this summer, and Seth has been creatively constructing various items such as a three-legged stool and wooden boxes.
Blake turned double digits this summer! (Does that mean we are officially grown-ups now?) He has stepped up this year in his role as the firstborn and almost always has a good attitude. Blake still shows a knack for academics and is excelling in math and language arts. He likes to think deeply and asks great questions during our devotion times. Acting is one of his passions, and he is super enthused about writing and directing a short Christmas skit for church this year. 
For Kari, this year has held some intense times of both trial and growth. At times it has felt like her health has dominated much of our spare time and emotions this year, but we are so very thankful that the past three months have been more stable for her. She has relished having her sister, Joy, live in the same town and gets to indulge in girls’ nights out more frequently. Homeschooling takes up most of her time and energy on an average day. Kari and the kids both have enjoyed taking one school day per week for a field trip instead of bookwork, and that has helped everyone not get bogged down. It’s a full season of motherhood with both babies and biology lessons in the house, but it’s just that, a season. She is so glad to feel well enough lately to start getting back into a few activities outside the home. She is still not where she’d like to be health-wise but is learning to trust God for the future and to find joy in each day. 
Micah celebrated his 10-year workiversary this summer at North Star and continues to be a valuable member of the team there. He had the pleasure of visiting an axe throwing venue for the first time for his brother’s birthday, and we’re pretty sure his beard grew about three additional inches. Micah has gotten into a solid running routine this year and ran a 10K in September with a personal best time. He hopes to run a 10-mile race in April! Micah continues to be an awesome servant-leader in our home and frequently amazes me with his selfless attitude. (Kari here) :)
If you are still reading here, thank you for enduring to the end. We love you all, and we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Much love,
The Foxes
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