Thankful!

What a wonderful time of year!!! There is that crispness in the air, food, lights are going up, family and friends, food, corny Christmas music and movies, food, a time to reflect on the birth of our Saviour and all we have to be thankful for, and did I mention FOOD??!! Oh how these next 4 weeks will fly and oh how the next 40 pounds will fly on too! I have so much to be thankful for my family, our health, jobs, and a home. Sometimes in the regular everyday running around I forget just how blessed I am!

Merry Christmas everyone....if you're in the neighborhood, stop on by...I'm sure I will have something low fat to snack on! HA!

He's Famous!

It appears someone and their Woodmizer is now famous!


Enjoy!

http://www.augustagazette.com/photos/x298224859/The-smell-of-sliced-cedar-in-the-air?foto=3

A Week or Two in the Life of Our Family!

Shoot, I've been very, very bad at blogging lately! I know we have been busy....but good grief! So, since the last update, the boys have started wrestling, we took a day trip to Manhattan and Alma, the boys have had birthday parties out of the wazoo!, and a patriotic concert! I do truly enjoy the busy life...but I have to admit, yesterday was the first day I had all day at the house...the first day laundry was completely caught up, the house in it's entirety was clean....it felt soooo good!

The boys seem to be enjoying wrestling...the last two weeks have been a camp, and next week the actual season starts. The boys are thinking it over this weekend whether they want to continue on. Shawn is coaching and loving every minute......I have been throwing in a wrestling move in here and there as I watch the boys....I swear, if they do continue on, I will probably end up pulling something doing my own wrestling in the bleachers! Both boys seem to have a knack for wrestling, and this is the one sport Shawn has complete knowledge of, so they are able to really work on moves and such at home! We'll let you know the outcome!

Grady (on top) getting some tips from Dad!

Gabe had a Patriotic program on Tuesday.....he even had a solo! Well, I say solo, he didn't actually sing, but he said a couple of lines of a poem! He spoke clearly and slowly....he was one of the few we were able to understand! He didn't even seem nervous! The fourth graders sang a few songs, then the fifth graders sang a couple and then the choirs combined to sing! They all did a fantastic job....if I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times....I LOVE these programs. I can't help but get misty-eyed during the Star Spangled Banner!

Last weekend we headed north to Alma and Manhattan! We started our day in Alma and Paxico antique shopping with my Dad! We found a couple of bargains and a great little bar for lunch! Later in the day we headed to Manhattan to visit Seth, Ang, Penner and Rig! The kids played, we had dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant and then down to Aggieville for coffee and cocoa! We had a great day...it was nice going away for a little road trip....sure there was plenty that needed to be done around here.....but, guess what.....it's still here!

Here Piggie Piggie!

Last night, something utterly disgusting happened. Shawn shot a feral hog on our property....ewww gross. This hog had created havoc for at least one night and possibly two. She was an utter annoyance to poor Princess, who while only trying to protect her family barked non-stop Thursday night, but managed to drive the protected family nuts until we figured out what was wrong! On Thursday night around 11:15, Shawn finally saw what she was barking at, but was unable to safely shoot the nasty hog. Yesterday evening around 6:00, the raunchy hog returned. Shawn went and stalked this swine...shot the thing, and then called Shannon to help load the beast on the truck. So, if you are in the Fox house in the next year, and we are serving pork chops....you better believe they are fresh off the farm....or at least the hay meadow!

****Feral Hog = Wild Beast....this was not a sweet little piggie from the barn yard next door!

Goofy!

Oops....I forgot about this until I looked back at the pictures! Thursday night Gabe had his debut in a play! It was part of an English assignment and entertainment during Family Reading Night at Ewalt! He played Goofy in "The King Who Couldn't Smile". He only had a handful of lines....but he presented them beautifully! Shawn and I were both talking later....there was no way when we were in 4th grade we would have stood in front of a group of people and remembered our names let alone our lines! The entire class did a fantastic job....we were very impressed!

Our First Cooking Lesson!

Last night the boys had their first cooking lesson! I decided a few months ago, that I was going to start this little cooking lesson thing with the boys, I had initially thought I would start it next summer, but they had been showing a lot of interest, so I decided to start it early! Our first project was Spaghetti, Caesar salad, Corn, Garlic Bread and Pudding! The boys did a fabulous job. I basically just stood back and instructed....Gabe was in charge of the hot stuff-stove stuff, and Grady was in charge of everything else. I'm going to make some very lucky girls some fabulous husbands....or at least keep 2 single guys from starving to death when they no longer live at home! Way to go my Little Chefs.....Very proud of you!

Grady's Award!

On Friday, the 30th, Grady received his classes Citizenship Award. Ewalt does it a little differently, we were not told he received this award until after it happened....I was a little bummed I was in the building while he was receiving, but had no idea! He was modest as usual.....when he came up to me with his award, he said, "Here Mom, I got this piece of paper, can you hold it, so I can go to the Halloween Parade?" He was recognized in front of the school and got to eat lunch with Mr. Clark, the principal. He was especially excited about the lunch bit...I guess after lunch Mr. Clark treated them to candy bars and something from his treasure box! The prizes were definitely better than that silly piece of paper!

Halloween Galore!

Between the 29th and 31st our family took celebrating Halloween to a whole new level! Gabe wore 3 different costumes, we had more candy than any one family should consume, and had more fun than we had in a while! The boys started out with Halloween parties at school on Friday, complete with a parade through the school, games, candy, cupcakes, juice...the whole shebang! On Saturday night, we headed to the Swartz's for a Halloween party for the whole family! The party was a lot of fun....they went all out...they even had a haunted garage for all of us to go through! The boys had fun playing soccer and basketball with their buddies, and Shawn and I had a nice time getting to know some of the parents a little better! On Sunday after church and our naps, we finally carved our pumpkins! We were very late getting this done this year....so instead of the intricate pumpkins we usually carve, we set the kiddos loose on their own designs! I may be biased, but I think they did a fabulous job! After the pumpkin carving, we went trick-or-treating with Shannon and Erin and their kids! We covered a lot of Augusta....and took in a lot of candy! The kids had a blast running from one house to the next and the parents were able to catch up from time to time to test the candy! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Gabe W. Bush! First of Three Halloween Costumes! Somebody couldn't decide who they wanted to be!

Gabe and a few of his classmates during their class party!

Grady's Class

Grady and Rylee working very hard on their Halloween Project Pack!!!

Heading to the Swartz's! Watch out here comes an Oriole and Batman!

What a cute couple!! Heading to the Swartz's

Grady is still not a huge fan of the guts of the pumpkin!

Gabe working diligently on his pumpkin!

Some spooky cuties ready to head out in search of a sugar rush!

Augusta VS Derby

Gabe had his last game on the 30th! The Orioles ended their season with a win, 18-6!!! Their final record was 5-3. Gabe had a pretty good game....he was in on several offensive plays and a few defensive plays. Gabe learned so much this year....he improved so much from the beginning of the season! This sport season was a challenge....we not only started 3 days after moving into our home, but it was way more intense than I think any of us had imagined. Gabe learned not only football, but perseverance, patience, and teamwork...something he will take with him no matter where his next venture may take him! Way To Go Gabe....We Are Proud Of YOU!

Pumpkin Patch!

On the 28th, Grady's Kindergarten class headed to the AppleJack Pumpkin Patch! This was far and away the best pumpkin patch we have ever been to! There were all sorts of activities for the kiddos to do....they had a rip line, a huge pillow bounce, a corn maze, a milo maze, an enormous slide, a petting farm, rope climb, a playground and of course a hayrack ride and the pumpkin patch. The rip line was by far the best part of the day.....the last hour of our trip was spent at just the rip cord...the kids never got bored...and I never got bored watching them either...they would squeal and giggle each trip down the cord, like it was their first time! AppleJack Pumpkin Patch definitely received a two thumbs up!

Grady going down the rip cord!

Grady and his classmates jumping on the huge pillow bounce!

Grady and Wyatt racing down the slide!

Grady, Wyatt and Haze....after the big pumpkin hunt!