April 8th - July 3rd, 2017

Hi Friends and Family, 

Happy summer to you! The blur of summer has officially begun and we are delighting in the bliss of the warm season festivities. That and, experiencing lots of bug bites, sunburns, occasional boredom, and other less-than-blissful things of summer. :) God is good though and we are striving to become more like Him each day through the grace He gives us. I say "striving" because we will never completely arrive at Christ-likeness, we can only keep our eyes fixed on that ever perfect example of Christ's life on earth and hope that we will in some way exude that God-love onto those we come in contact with. That's what it's all about, right? 

Here's a little of what we've been up to lately...

Our big home improvement project this year was to landscape our front yard. It's crazy how being a stay-at-home-mom can sound so limited in your exposer to various fields of work, but really as a home-maker, I get to dabble in all kinds of work. Not doing any one of them expertly by any means, but it's fun to try our hand at new things once in a while. Anyway, here's the "before" picture...

Our slave labor...I mean, cheerful helpers...

After! Micah did a great job and was so sweet to be willing to do almost all of it ourselves. Micah's brother, Caleb, did the lion's share of finishing the sidewalk for us. Thanks Caleb!

I think we are done with any more big projects this year. Whew! Seems like the more kids we have (or maybe it's the older we get) the more the thrill of conquering a DIY challenge begins to fade. Lol. Yup, our DIY itch should be satisfied for a while....at least until fall? ;)

Easter!

 One of the highlights of the boys' year is the Annual Homeschool Field Day every spring. Races, tug-o-war, bouncey houses, etc.. so much fun! I think they had a little over 200 kids from our county this year.

These next two pictures were just too funny not to include. This is a glimpse into my days at home... 

Finally sunny out after three days of rain...let's go outside...hmm...can't find Liza's coat...oh yeah, I just washed it...okay, have fun out there!...5 minutes later...(Liza's comes in looking like this)...apparently found the only puddle on the whole property and did a total face plant into it! Freshly cleaned coat and all. Sigh... 

...5 minutes later...all smiles...just being that dirty was the most traumatizing part. :P 

Speaking of Liza, she turned two! She's so much fun lately and is talking up a storm.

Being lazy parents, we decided to combine Liza's birthday with a end of the year piano recital with Blake and Seth. Maybe someday they'll forgive us for the pictures of their recital with pink streamers in the background. :P Blake and Seth have been doing a great job practicing the piano this year and it's cool to see them go sit and play something just for fun and not just when they are supposed to practicing. 

Liza...anything you can do I can do better...

Got a special visit from Dad as he was traveling through participating the "Ride for the Wall" motorcycle rally in D.C.. Here Owen is owning him in the matching game. :)

I've just decided this post is going to be waaay to long if I include every out of the ordinary activity that we've been up to the last three months. So a quick summary...we went camping with Uncle Jonathan in May in Virginia, had a great time! Liza was had a bit too much nature and preferred to spend large chunks of the time in the safety of the tent. 

Blake and Seth had a blast being on their first baseball team this summer. They won some and lost some, but enjoyed the game and getting to make new friends. 

I had the pleasure of flying down to Texas to visit Joy, James, Clark and Baby Charlotte a few weeks ago! She is just precious and it was so fun to spend more time getting to know my nephew and sitting and talking with Joy. 

Random pictures....bed time with Liza, baby and rabbit tucked in there too. So cute!

The Garden...

Our blackberry vines are in full production mode this week. So awesome to enjoy the rewards of our labors and harvest our own fruit from our property. Must be the Kansas side of me...

A meager offering, but maybe next year...

Owen at a butterfly farm we visited a few weeks ago. He's really growing up. Taught himself to ride a bike for the first time the other day.  :)

One of Micah's Father's Day cards from Blake. An accurate depiction I'd say!

Okay, I'm going to stop here. Liza and her "gasses". She is frequently heard wandering around the house saying "Where my gasses?"

Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July tomorrow! So many things to be thankful for as we reflect on the uniqueness and freedoms we enjoy in this country. 

Love to you all!

Kari & All

February 17th - April 7th, 2017

Hi Everyone! 

It's my favorite time of year again when the trees turn into beautiful blooms that make me think of a fairy land and grass turns a deep green. Everything feels fresh and new and we can hardly make ourselves stay inside long enough to finish school each day. 

Here's some of what we've been up to...

Our kittens have grown! They've also wised up to the fact that being picked up by anyone smaller than 12 is going to mean being squeezed, thus they've gotten hard to catch. They are now 100% outdoor cats...much to Micah's delight.

Liza being slightly less than precious at our mid-semester picnic with Archway, the boys' co-op classes. Just a few weeks until summer break!

Micah and the boys installed a railing in the front of our house last month - yay!

Owen turned four! He is a delight and comes up with the most random and hilarious things.

Playing Duck-Duck-Goose at his party. 

Secret Selfie during church...shhh...don't tell Gan Gan we were using the phone. 

We attended Reptile Day at the Life and Science Museum in Raleigh last month and saw all sorts of creepy crawly creatures. One of the handlers was explaining how a large salamander can actually regenerate a lost limb and had a strange blank stare when we said, "Wow! God is so amazing!". 

Touching a huge iguana!

Less than perfect backdrop for a family photo at the museum...wait, I take that back...I just realized Liza didn't make the picture...sigh, oh well!

Every morning around 9:45am Liza somehow gets her blankets and passy out of bed (passy is supposed to be just for bedtime) and drags it around the house until snack time at 10:00am when she shrieks with delights and throws them all down on the floor in exchange for a banana or cashews. 

I went with Micah to his main event this year as president of our local Rotary. It was reverse raffle fundraising event for a local summer program for troubled youth. He had a lot to organize and did a wonderful job facilitating the event.

Liza in awe at the fantastic play made by one of the famous Tarheel team members.

Railing finished! On to some landscaping!

Liza has a friend down the road named Lincoln. Lincoln is 17mo old and is about an inch taller than her. He is a BIG boy! Liza was delighted to have a handsome driver. She was so funny. She kept climbing into the car, calling Lincoln to sit next to her and then she would just sit there and smile really big.

Part of school each day is Seth reading to Owen a library book or two. 

We've a few gorgeous days of weather the last few weeks and one of the days we hit our favorite Putt-Putt place. Can you guess who wasn't the winner?

Pops (my grandfather on my dad's side) sent the kids a hand-made jigsaw puzzle! I just think it's super cool that they have something made by their great-grandfather.

The church hosted a women's retreat last weekend for the ladies in the church and I got to spend four days at the beach! It was totally refreshing as usual. I even got to finish complete sentences when talking with my friends!

Pops, this picture is for you. Seth loves his truck and was glad to join the ranks of large truck owners around here. 

April showers...

Attempting to make squid models for a school project. 

Here is a lady who has become special to us. Mrs. Nadine used to live next door and had to move last year because of declining health. She pops in every once in a while when she's back in the area. I like the old-fashioned "just stopping by" ways. The house was a di-saster and I had to literally dig the couch out from under a pile of books and laundry to offer her a seat, but that's the small stuff and shouldn't keep us from enjoying impromptu company. We Americans need to "just stop by" more often. 

Funnies...

"My mouth burps when I tell it to...most of the time." -A proud exclamation from Owen.

"I like spring and winter, but I haven't tried summer yet." -Owen

Owen - "I want to be the president when I grow up."    One of those moments when you just stop what you are doing and smile and think of all the wonderful possibilities his future might hold, until....   "or superman, or batman, or..."   

Driving in the van and listening to Google Maps speak the directions, Owen says "Alexa sounds tired." 

Other news...

Scott is doing well in Japan and getting ready to be deployed on a ship this summer for four months. 

Business is moving right along for Dad in Manhattan Kansas. He is really enjoying his work and sounds like he's doing a great job as well. 

Joy and James are expecting baby #2, a girl, in June and Clark is enjoying the bliss of being an only child for just a few more months. 

Blake and Seth start baseball practice next week! They are super excited and I'm excited to be starting our first year organized sports as a family. 

As always, I hope you all are doing well! I better run, Liza and Owen are making a mess as Blake and Seth are simultaneously trying to tidy up, so there is undoubtably a squabble about to erupt. 

Love to you all! Happy Easter!

Love, 

Kari, Micah, Blake, Seth, Owen and Liza

January 1st - February 16th, 2017

Happy New Year Everyone!

It feels like Christmas was forever ago, but New Year's was yesterday. We are already in knee-deep in February and we are back into school, classes and "everyday" days.

I was just looking through some pictures of last year and (finally) finishing up Liza's baby book this afternoon. It's true what the old ladies in the grocery store tell you about raising littles, "The days are long, but the years fly by!". Liza is definitely out of the baby stage and now a toddler, as much I don't want to admit it yet. She is such a delight right now despite the ear-piercing volume she likes to maintain as of late. Owen is super cute with the things he comes up with and Blake and Seth are doing well with school and helping me out around the house.

Here's a little of what we've been up to since our last post in December...

 Micah was so excited about meeting his first niece, Katie, (Hannah and Isaiah's little girl). She is such a cutie!

We all doted over baby Ryan (Kate's 3rd), so sweet!

One of the highlights was both cooking together and of course, eating together. 

Clark not so sure about the whole sharing thing and Liza's not concerned with personal space at all.

We got a quick tour of Noah's store in Kansas City. Pretty cool stuff!

Blake in the warehouse.

Not seen in the picture is Micah with a Batman mask on and tormenting poor Clark. 

The cousins!

We tried to get picture of everyone looking and smiling, but...

Blake reading during Bible time. I think Seth is yawning in this picture. 

Some sort of tragedy has  occurred. Most likely someone has picked up a toy she didn't know she wanted until this moment. 

The sisters!

The kids table for the week. A rowdy bunch these.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig.

We celebrated our Christmas together the morning after we got back from Kansas. The thought of opening presents made the ride home a little easier. :)

You know you've had a fun Christmas, when your living room looks like this afterwards.

The same day, we packed up again and went to Nana and Gan Gan's to stay the night for our Fox Family Christmas celebration.

All in all we got to celebrate Christmas three times! Super spoiled for sure!

Back home, a new year begun and school started up again. 

Our October kittens have really grown up. They are starting to venture outside more and hopefully, by summer will be mostly outdoor kitties. 

We had a big snow a few weeks ago! Well, "big" for the Carolina's that is. :) Owen is still waking up and taking in the glory of it all!

Putting away the last of the Christmas decorations and just had to get a picture of our demented gingerbread man before he was tossed in the trash. 

Owen is enjoying what he calls "his school" lately, which means he goes into the school room and pulls out any activity he wants and does it. 

Liza has discovered pockets, how to get undressed, and she loves to change her shoes multiple times a day.

Owen got a very special present from Pops Shoemaker a few weeks ago. If only he can keep Liza from sitting on the back, it should last for a good long time. :) 

Hot cocoa date with Mommy. :) A rare treat!

Updates...

Micah and I had the privilege to join the other elders at our church on a yearly retreat to the mountains in January. It was very refreshing and nice to have a time to make plans ahead for the church body. We are enjoying being a part of the leadership team at church.

We skype with Scott in Japan every once in a while and he is doing well. We were bummed to not have him with us at Christmas, but maybe next year. He is enjoying his job more and getting used to the climate and location more and more. 

Jonathan is officially out of the Navy and just started his new job with an intelligence agency in Maryland. He didn't have to move and actually still works in the same building as before, just not for the military anymore. :)

We have signed Blake and Seth up for baseball this Spring! They are super excited. We have been holding off in taking the plunge into organized sports until they were a little older and it's hard to believe that time has come. Should be fun!

Micah has been super busy at work this month, which is good, but sometimes leaves him feeling a bit "brain fried" by the end of the day. Thankfully, playing with the boys in the evening doesn't require much brain work, so it works out well. He gets to unwind, I get a break, and the boys get to play with their favorite playmate! 

Funnies...

"Owen, did you run into Liza on purpose?"  Owen- "No, my shoulder did."

"Did your shoes track that mud in the house?" Owen- "No, Blake's shoes did" (He was wearing Blake's shoes)  :)

"I might get busy and fall down"   - Owen (instead of "dizzy")

Blake- "Can you speak Russia" Owen- "Russian" B-"Can you speak Chinese?"  O-"Chinese"    B-"Can you speak Italian?"  O- "Italian"

Owen regretfully... "Mommy, I like you, but (sigh) Daddy ties my shoes tighter than you can."

Hope you all are doing well!

Love, 

The Foxes