Please Accept My Apology!

I know, I know...I'm behind! It has been absolutely CrAzY here for the last, oh hmmm...let say, 2 months!! Well, you can get caught up with us now.....and then we are checking out for another 2 weeks!! Tomorrow we head down to Wichita for a week and then we come home and head to Eastern Washington for a about a week! Nothing like taking vacation the week before you move! Thank goodness for packers and movers! We'll be at the Fox 9.5 (that's what we are calling the new hacienda!) all week....if you feel the urge to do some painting, don't be shy, come on over....we've got lots of brushes!! Signing off...until, well....the next time everyone sleeps until 8:00!

Gabe's Buddies!

Thursday night, we had Gabe's Going Away Party! He chose 8 of his bestest friends to spend the evening with! Each friend brought their email address, address and phone number so Gabe can stay in touch! By the way, Gabe has an email now...it is gabepfox@hotmail.com.... if you ever feel the need to get ahold of him! We set it up on Wednesday night....he has been checking it every hour on the hour...he is loving it! So, on Thursday night his best buddies came over to wish him well, eat some pizza, play some games and share some laughs!! Gabe has an absolutely awesome group of friends....He sure knows how to pick them! The kids had a blast, we headed up to the school's baseball field and played a heated game of wiffle ball....Shawn and I even got duked in to playing...which showed us how old we are....my shoulder is still hurting today from trying to tag one of the 9-year-olds out!! Guess I can't hang with the kids anymore! Charlie his very bestest buddy spent the night as well.....this little guy has been Gabe's friend since the first day...he is also our K-State switch over! He was a Husky fan until he met us...a true convert! They spent the whole day playing football, wii and spending a great amount of time talking and laughing and making all of those great memories that they will share for a lifetime! We are going to be out of town for a couple of weeks, but when we get back, we are going to spend one more day with his buddies! He had one little friend, Alex, that couldn't make it to the party...so we have to come up with a way to get one more playdate squeezed in! We love you guys...thanks for sharing your friendship with our little guy!

Charlie and Gabe......Like 2 Peas in a Pod!

Tia and Gabe! Tia made this for Gabe.....she was the one in tears when it was time to go! She is an absolute doll, if choosing your child's mate wasn't frowned upon...Tia would have been my choice ;) She has been preparing for this day (Gabe's going away) for half of the year...her Mom was telling me that anytime she thought about doing something for the last time with Gabe, she would start crying...poor thing! Thankfully we are in the age of technology....1500 miles won't seem like anything for these two!

Dad Comes To Washington!!

Last week we had the pleasure of our last tourist!!! My Dad came for a week long visit to the sunny and warm state of Washington!!! ha!! A couple of days before Dad arrived, I gave him a call and told him to pack a jacket....I'm sure he thought I was completely crazy...but after a day here, I believe he realized the importance! We were lucky to have a couple of beautiful Washington summer days while he was here, but we also had the completely yucky and rainy Washington we all know and love!! Despite the crazy weather, we had a great visit with Grandpa Glen! We were in full tourist mode from the minute he got here....I'm sure right now, he is completely enjoying the peace and quiet, and the rest that is much needed after a visit with the Fox Tour Guides! We started out on Thursday at Snoqualmie Falls and the Issaquah Fish Hatchery, plus lunch at Snoqualmie Pass! Friday we ventured north to Deception Pass on Whidbey for a picnic lunch, skipping rocks on the beach and a beautiful drive along the 30+ miles of Whidbey! We stopped off at Fort Casey and Coupeville to do some running (the boys of course!) and shopping! We ended the Whidbey trip with a ride on the ferry!! When we came home we were treated with Shawn making dinner...Salmon and Chicken, YUM! We ended Friday evening with coffee and our tourist drive from Mukilteo to Everett stopping off along the "rolling hill" park! Saturday we decided to head East of the Seattle to Leavenworth! Lucky for us Leavenworth boasts 300 days of sunshine..well they did not disappoint, about 10 minutes from there the rain miraculously stopped and it was a beautiful day! Sunday we traveled to Downtown Seattle to the Pike's Market, Seattle Center, for a ride on the Monorail, and to Fremont for a street fair and The Infamous Troll! The Fremont Fair was just an added bonus, our landlord was showing our house and we had to waste some time, so we were at the Fremont Troll and noticed something was going on...after a little investigating we found streets full of entertainers, food and shopping!!! Score! On Monday, poor Shawn had to return to work, but the sight-seeing must continue so we made a new stop, The Scratch Patch! This place is wall to wall rocks....the idea is for the kids (and adults!) to find rocks on the floor, match them to the identification page and then purchase a little bag to take a few of your finds home!! It was a pretty cool place, the boys love finding rocks, so what better way to do it than out of the rain and inside a house!! That evening for dessert we had Chocolate Spaghetti! This was one of our purchases from the market on Sunday....it was different, but in a good way! We boiled the spaghetti and topped it with ice cream and raspberries...how could it be bad??!! Tuesday was another full day....that morning we headed off to Edmonds Beach for a day of soaking up some sun--this was by far the best day we had had as far as weather was concerned! The boys swam in the freezing cold water, built a sand castle and we all enjoyed a picnic lunch...nothing beats a day at the beach except maybe a night at the AquaSox!! This was the first sporting event we have attended up here where the home team actually won...it seems the Fox curse was broken!! The AquaSox beat the Yakima Bears 5-3! We had a great evening listening to the hecklers taunt the Bears, eating Cracker Jacks, and watching some baseball! After the game, the boys ran down to the field to run the bases.....they had a blast!! We had a great time Grandpa Glen (Dad)...we are so happy you made it up!!! Hope you are getting rested up!

The Last Gymnastics Class!

Last night was Grady's last class! He has learned so much and I can even tell he is getting stronger...maybe those strength training classes weren't so bad?!! He had such a great time....I'm glad he bugged me long enough to sign him up! Last night, they practiced bars, beam and did an obstacle course! He also received his report card....he did very well!! Way to Go Grady the Gymnast....We are so proud of you!

Looking for a Good Time...Head to a Log Show!!

On Saturday we ventured north a couple of hours to Deming, WA. to a log show! Now this is not generally what we do with a free Saturday, but Shawn is in the market to purchase a WoodMizer (if you are wondering, ask him!) and they were demonstrating the ins and outs of this machine at the log show....or they were supposed to be! Well, when we got there the "WoodMizer" stand was a single older gentleman with his small version of the WoodMizer waiting for a log to be delivered. So, Shawn was not able to order his, but he was able to talk to an actual owner...which was maybe better than talking to a salesman. This man LOVES his WoodMizer, in fact he is looking to upgrade to the version Shawn is wanting to purchase! So, while the reason for the drive was a bust, the log show did not disappoint! Now, for those of you that have never been to a log show, which is I'm guessing everyone, the log show is very similar to a rodeo, except instead of cowboys there are loggers and instead of horses and bulls there are chainsaws and logs! The loggers demonstrated and competed doing their everyday jobs...only this time it was for a crowd and bragging rights! All proceeds from the log show go directly to the busted up loggers and their families (that's what they call them....I didn't make this up!) We had a great time....I'm not saying its something I would want to do every weekend, but it was pretty fascinating watching these men and women climb up 70 feet to the top of a log, or chopping through a huge log in less than a minute with a hand saw!! A perfect way to get out, enjoy some sunshine and experience something new!!!

This guy was amazing....his name was Trebb Rainey and he was the best at EVERYTHING! If there were such a thing as Master Logger (which there may be?!), he would be it....he won every event he was in, except for the Standing Block Chop...which we are pretty sure he threw so someone else could win!

Goodbye 3rd Grade....Hello 4th Grade!!!

I do not know where this year has gone.....it has flown by!! This morning was Gabe's Awards Assembly, and he received some fantastic awards!! He received one for service on the lunch crew, one for Outstanding Leadership as his classes P.E. Commander, one for his Choir Performances, one for 100% Work Completed On Time (a very small number of these were awarded!), and the best for last....drum roll please....The Academic Achievement Award for Ms. Dodson's Class!!! This award was given for his effort all year , his continued improvement and accomplishments in all core areas of academics, his ability to complete and turn in all of his work, and his leadership to the class!! We are always so proud of our kids, but today you may be catching some of my beams of pride in Kansas!!! Gabe, We are SO Proud of YOU....You came, You saw, YOU CONQUERED this 3rd grade year!!!! Watch out Ewalt Elementary....Here comes Gabe...the 4th GRADER!!!!!!

****Excuse the crazy look on his face..this was the 4th time we had tried to get a picture...the first one at school didn't turn out, the 2nd one at home wouldn't flip once I got it on the computer, the 3rd one he had his eyes closed...so this one, his eyes were open, it flipped on the computer and it wasn't too dark...so I was taking it "as is"!!!

End Of The Year Party!!!

Thursday, the clouds parted ways---at least for the afternoon!--and we enjoyed Gabe's Class Party!!! They had pizza, games, popsicles, a talent show, and their version of Soul Train! The kids had a great time!!! His class really gets along very well...I have had the pleasure of helping out in Gabe's class all three years while at Picnic Point and this year ,by far, has been the closest class! The talent show the kiddos put on was incredible...the kids performed in groups of 5-7 kids, complete with dancing and props! Gabe's group did the song Smile by Uncle Kracker! They sang the entire song with only the instrumentals....they did a fantastic job! They ended the talent show with a class sing of "We Are The Champions"! What a great way to end the year!

Gymnastics!!!

Tuesday night Grady had gymnastics!! He was the only one in his class that evening, and he was really eating up all of the attention! They practiced a little bit on the bars and beam, but mainly they ran through rotations. Grady really dislikes this...it is basically stretching, practicing balance, and building endurance...it's basically strength training...obviously Grady thinks he is strong enough! After practice he said, "I hope next week goes better!" So, let's keep our fingers crossed for Grady's sake...next week is the last class!!!

Mariners!

Yesterday was Little League Day at the Mariner's game, so we headed down to Seattle to take in a game! Since it was Little League Day, all kid's who were in a little league were allowed to walk with their families around the entire field! The parade is sort of like herding cattle....we are all packed together moving in the same general direction...but hey, you are on the actual baseball field and that is pretty awesome! So, after the parade we found our seats...settled in with some treats, and watched a pretty good game....aside from the score! We had a great time, and we are so happy we were able to check out one more Mariners game before heading home!

So, No game is complete without cotton candy....at least this time I remembered the baby wipes.....no doubt we needed them! Who taught these children how to eat??!!

Someday He'll Say "NO"!

Yep, someday my wonderful husband will be able to stand and look me in my pleading little puppy dog eyes and say No, but Saturday was not that day! On Saturday we headed back up to Snohomish...the third time in 6 weeks mind you, looking for something--not sure what, but something! Since we bought our new furniture, I have been itching for a coffee table...I don't know what I am looking for, but I like the way people are taking old steamer trunks and using them as a table! So, I've been online looking for one and I have found several...they were sort of expensive, but they were lovely and exactly what I had pictured! But, always the one looking for something better (meaning better bargain!), I decided I could put a little work into one...and get it just how I want it...so to Snohomish we go! Well, after going through nearly every store not seeing "the one", my ah ha moment came! There was the beauty just sitting a waiting for me to come to it's rescue! I ho and hummed about it....looked to Shawn for guidance, with only in return..."It's going to take some work...are you sure you want that?" With me replying, "Of course, It's perfect!" So ahome it goes....I started stripping the rust and old black paint yesterday...working an hour and a half and almost completing one of the sides...yikes...this is going to take some work! I have researched this project fully....I have books at the library waiting for me to pick them up...today Grady and I went to Home Depot to get some more steel wool and found the perfect paint to redo the now rusty black metal....ohhhh, it's going to look fantastic....Someday!

Grady the Gymnast!

Last week during gymnastics Grady finally learned the fundamentals behind a cartwheel! He's almost got it down now....Shawn has him running to do one, but he is still just a little nervous about straightening his legs out all of the way! He spent time flippin' and floppin' on the trampoline and mats and they did his favorite....bars! He can now flip all of the way around really fast and is working on flipping backwards...this, he is a little unsure about!

Way To Go Gabe!!

Last week, a note came from Picnic Point Elementary inviting us to celebrate Gabe!!! You all know how much I love these sort of notes from school, so I was bursting inside trying to keep this a secret from Gabe! Well, it ended up not being a surprise, but that doesn't take away any of the excitement! Gabe was selected by his classmates for this month's virtue of effort! From January through April, Picnic Point teachers have been selecting one student from their classes for the month's recognition award..cooperation, responsibility, etc...but this month, they decided to let the student's vote on their choice! So, what a fantastic honor to not only be selected, but to be selected by your peers! During the recognition lunch, the students were called up one by one, given their award and read some of the reasons why their classmates had chosen them! I'm sure each student in Gabe's class deserved this award, but I have witnessed the effort Gabe has put into this entire 3rd grade year! Because he is in a 3rd/4th grade combo class, Gabe is expected to do above and beyond a typical 3rd grade level - most of his projects, reports, science, and social studies are 4th grade level, while math and reading are kept at upper 3rd grade, lower 4th grade - which is a bonus for him, but has also added a lot of pressure most 3rd graders are not feeling this year! So, while we knew what kind of effort Gabe has put into this year...it was awesome knowing other people saw it too! Some of the comments were "I chose Gabe Fox because he is always learning something new and goes above and beyond." "I chose Gabe because he always tries his best on everything." "One Friday I was looking at my Friday folder and something didn't make standard, but Gabe's did and he is always going an extra mile on everything." WOW, now if that doesn't humble you as a parent I don't know what will! We are so proud of Gabe.....he has been such a blessing and an awesome example to so many!!! WAY TO GO GABE!

Quack, Quack....Let's Ride the Ducks!!

Yesterday we headed down to downtown Seattle for one of the last things on our "To Do in Seattle" list! It was none other than the huge tourist attraction of Ride The Ducks!! Originally, it was the boys who were pushing us to do this....but, in the end I think Shawn and I had the better time!!! Our tour guide was an absolute jewel! She was the best...we spent most of the tour in stitches...she was hilarious! Even though, we have done a lot of things around here...we were still able to learn some stuff....there is this little hole in the wall recording studio where songs like Barracuda were recorded...you would drive right by this dump and never be the wiser that in there right at that moment the next recording hit could be taking place! We also saw the floating house which was used to record "Sleepless in Seattle". I know it's hard to see, but it was the house behind the little guy on the board! Along with the park where Heath Ledger was playing paint ball in "10 Things I Hate About You". We also saw one of the boats that was used during one of the fishing seasons on "Deadliest Catch". I don't know why this sort of stuff interests me, but it does...I eat this stuff up! This is definitely a must do, if you all visit Seattle....I wish we would have done this earlier....there was so much to learn, it would have been great to know some of the stuff we just drive by and know nothing about! Anywho, it was great way to end our Tour of Downtown Seattle! Mission Complete!

Seattle Skyline from Lake Union.....Gorgeous...even in the rain!

So this is totally for my sister...this is what they use for the shots of Seattle Grace on Grey's Anatomy! It is actually KOMO 4 News and it has a great little restaurant on the first floor....the best burgers in town!!! Although, I'd skip the garlic fries...we are all still tasting them today!

Hiking the Day Away!!

On Sunday, we braved the crummy rainy weather and headed down to Mt. Rainier for some hiking! Lucky for us...it was dry for the most part while we were hiking! Mt. Rainier National Park is enormous...so, even though it was raining and you couldn't see Mt. Rainier...we were able to drive far enough to get out of the rain and still be hiking the great trails you get at Mt. Rainier! We hiked 3 different areas...all of which were new to us! The first trail was almost completely snow packed...this year though, all of us were dressed for the occasion! You may remember last Memorial day while hiking at Mt. Rainier, some of us...hmmm..Gabe and I...were dressed for summer and ended up waist deep in the snow! So, to keep Shawn and Grady from having to roll around laughing at us...we dressed the part this year! We then did a short hike around a deep crevice with rushing water! It was 115 feet to 180 feet deep from the top to the bottom...it was pretty amazing! Our last hike was our longest....around 5 miles round trip! The boys and Shawn had a great time...I on the other hand..really need something to hike towards! We were aimlessly hiking on this one....and while that is fun in the beginning all of the trees and fungus start looking the same to me...but I stuck it out...for a while! We had a great time....on our way home we stopped off in Enumclaw a fantastic little find of a town! We had dinner at an Italian Cafe with a pie shoppe attached! The food was absolutely delicious...I'm sure any pounds we were able to hike off, were gained right back with the slice of pie all of us devoured after dinner! I would really like to find time to head back to Enumclaw before we leave....it was such a great little town...all of the townspeople were out walking around on Sunday evening...there were great shops and more little eateries that needed my tasting! But, as we were going over our remaining 6 weekends in Washington...I don't think we are going to be able to squeeze it in! Oh well, it will give me something to do when we come back for a visit!

While we were eating lunch, these little birds kept flying around us..no doubt, most of their diet comes from the hikers!! The birds would actually fly down and eat right out of our hands!!

h.a.p.p.y. b.i.r.t.h.d.a.y. s.h.a.w.n.

Shawn turned the big 3-6 on Friday!!! Now, he is a little more low key than Grady, so he opted for a quiet evening at home! We had crab, shrimp, veggie stir fry, new potatoes and french bread....now that was a delicious dinner! For his birthday dessert Shawn chose cream puffs! I used to make these all the time for him, but I admit, it has been a long time since I had spoiled him with these tasty little treats! I'm not sure why I don't make them more often...I'm sure it has nothing to do with the 10 pounds I gain just looking at them ;)...they are not that hard to make...a little time consuming, but pretty easy! So, Grady and I put on our chef's hats on Friday and whipped up some cream puffs and eclairs! YUM-O!!! Shawn had a great time...at least that is what he said....Thanks for all of the gifts, cards, emails and phone calls!!! HaPpY BiRtHdAy ShAwN!!!!

HaPpY BiRtHdAy GrAdY!!!!!!

Our little fella turned 5.....oh my goodness, how did that happen! I swear just yesterday I was convincing Gabe that his little brother wasn't broken, eventually Grady wouldn't cry so much...if we just hung in there! Thankfully he did stop crying...he has grown into a wonderfully delighful young man...whom we can't get enough of! He is the laughter every family needs....when times get tough, it's Grady that brings the best out in all 3 of us! What would we have done had God not blessed us with him?! From his quick entrance into our world, I should have known there would never be a dull moment with Grady around! We love our little Graders!!! So, enough with the mushy gushy mommy stuff!! A couple of weeks ago, I asked Grady what he would like to do for his birthday.....never fear, he had a list! First we were going to have lunch with Josiah at McDonald's, then after Gabe and Dad got home we would head to Chuck E. Cheese for playtime, then to Blue C Sushi for dinner, and back home for Trophy's Cupcakes! Wow, now he knows how to celebrate! So, his wish was our command...at least for that day! We had lunch with Josiah and Carla...the boys played for about an hour and a half....ate some yummy chicken nuggets and Mrs. Fields cookies for dessert! After Mickey D's we headed home to pick up Gabe and Shawn and headed down to Chuck E. Cheese for some game time! The boys (and I mean all 3) had a blast! Next stop was Blue C Sushi....this place is Grady's favorite, not because of the sushi, but because the food runs around the entire restaurant on a conveyor belt and you just grab off what you want! We then headed towards home for presents and cupcakes!!! Grady had a fabulous day....the next day, he said it was his best birthday ever!!! Thanks to everyone for the phone calls and gifts...he ate up every minute!!! HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY GRADY!

Red Sox VS. Marlins!

Last Wednesday was the the Red Sox last game of the season. It was a rematch with the Marlins.....it ended much better than the last time we met up with them! The final score was 11-9...but that was a lot better than the last score! Gabe had one of his best games of the season...he played 1st, SS, pitcher and center field! He had several great stops at ss and pitcher along with an out at 1st! He only got up to bat twice, but on his first up, he hit a double!! He scored 2 people in on that run! His next at bat, he hit a pop up, but fortunately the 2nd baseman wasn't able to get ahold of it! Even though the Red Sox didn't win...it was nice to end on a positive note....this was a trying year! Looking back, we should have played Gabe up to the next league. We have struggled with this nearly every year...Gabe is always the youngest because of his birthday, so when we saw the opportunity for him to be one of the oldest we thought that was the best decision....well, not this time! At the older age level, he would have had the play time he was ready for...a lot of times this year he was left standing, just waiting for someone to hit the ball! Thankfully, Gabe loves us even when we make the not so wise decisions as parents....we all saw this year through, and now, we hope not to make the same mistake twice....Lucky Grady!