Fox Party of Five

Taking a Break!

2009-01-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I am taking a break from my blog for the time being. I am also doing Facebook, which is less time consuming so I am going to just stick with that for now. I can post pictures way quicker on there and can talk to a lot of people on the spot. I applaud all of you bloggers who are consistent with your posts and can find the time to do it. My kids are getting more demanding and it's hard for me to find the time to blog daily. I'm glad I experimented with it for this long and tracked some of my kids' life, especially the birth of Sophia. For now, I'm going to focus on my mothering duties and less time on the computer! I'm still trying to figure out how to juggle everything that comes with staying home and having a baby again in the house! Hopefully down the road I can find the time to start it up again! Thanks for all who visited the Fox Party of Five!

Thanks, Jodee, for a much needed Girls' Night out!

2009-01-22T20:32:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Jodee and I had a fun night of pedicures and margaritas tonight! We planned to get pedicures for my birthday and picked the cheapest place in town, where we discovered that you definitely get what you pay for at this joint! Thank goodness it was cheap, because they didn't do a very good job! Although the pedicures weren't the greatest, we at least got out of the house, got our toes painted and had lively conversation! Afterwards, we went for a drink and chips/salsa to chat some more while our hubbies dealt with the kids! We need to remember that our husbands are capable of handling the kids/house/etc. so we have to do this more often! I can't wait for our next one! Thanks again for being you

LIttle Miss Sophia...trying to sit up!

2009-01-20T12:44:00.000-08:00

It won't be long before Sophia is sitting up on her own...she is sooo close and we can't wait until she does. She looks so bored always having to lie on her back all of the time. She has starting rolling over but gets upset when she ends up on her stomach, so we roll her to her back and then she immediately rolls back to her stomach! We also got the exersaucer out for her and she is starting to like it. We can't believe that she is 5 months old next week! Where is my baby girl going?!? Time needs to stand still and stop these kids from growing!

Cameron's Birthday, Part 2!

2009-01-19T06:58:00.001-08:00

The whole clan outside next to the "Hotel for Dogs" sign

The boys being silly

Mommy and her birthday boy!

Cameron opening presents!

Part of the crew waiting for two others to join the party!

Cameron enjoying a couple juice boxes!

The boys hanging out!

Charlie and Grandma Kathy

Cameron ready to open presents from Grandma and Grandpa

Grandpa and Sophia

Cameron and his new "Patriots" jersey...he was so excited!

Charlie helping me wrap presents

Cameron spent his birthday with five friends, including Charlie, at the movie, "Hotel for Dogs." We first had a table set up at the theatre to have cookies and juice and open presents. Then the boys played and ran around the hallway of the theatre for awile...thank goodness the theatre wasn't busy yet and the staff didn't mind, because we had a hard time getting them to settle down! We then got a tour of the projection room upstairs where we all got to see how the movie reels worked and a crash course on movie production! The boys thought it was really cool to see an actual movie running on a reel and then see it projecting on the screen. The manager gave them each a piece of reel to take home, so they were excited! Once it was time for the movie, the manager had a whole row of seats reserved for all of us and also has our popcorn and drinks all set up. The boys loved the movie and were engrossed in it the whole time! Cameron said he had a great day and was super excited all day long!

Cameron's Birthday Party Sleepover!

2009-01-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

Three tired boys the morning after!

Cameron trying out his new cymbal!

Zade, Cameron and Cedric playing Rock Band!

Cameron had his first sleepover Friday night for his 8th birthday. We said he could invite two of his good friends, so he chose Zade and Cedric from his class. Cameron had spent the night at other kids' homes before, but we have never had kids stay here, except cousins. Overall, the boys were pretty well behaved, just a little wild, but that is boys! They mostly played on the computer and Wii and ran around all night! At about 10:30pm we got a call from our neighbor, Deb, who is pregnant, that her water broke and they wanted to bring their son, Chase over. We gladly said t0 bring him over and he could join the sleepover, too! He is also a great friend of Cameron's so it worked great to have him come stay with the boys, too! Cameron kept saying to Chase, "I hope your mom doesn't have her baby until after midnight so it's on my birthday!" He was super excited that Chase's sister would probably be born on his birthday...which by the way, she was! We did finally settle them down with a movie about 10:30pm but they didn't fall asleep until it was over around 12:30am! Of course, they woke up early around 7:30am! I heard Cedric say, "Cameron, thanks for inviting us...this is the best sleepover I've ever been to, I swear!" It was sooo cute! They had a fun night and Cameron loved having his two best friends stay over with him for his special day!

Happy 8th Birthday, Cameron!

2009-01-16T20:57:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Cameron's almost 8!

2009-01-14T18:18:00.001-08:00

Cameron is turning eight on January 17, so I thought I'd post pictures from last year. He had a movie party at the Joyo Theatre in Havelock and watched the "Bee Movie" with about 20 friends. They got the whole place for about 3 hours and got to have cupcakes and open presents on the stage, so they all thought it was pretty cool! It is a really old theatre with a lot of character, but needs some updating! I don't think the kids noticed, though, just me! Anyway, he had a great time and then family came to our house afterwards for food and more cake! Cameron got a bigger bike last year and many other fun things! This year he is again having a movie party but much smaller than last year. He is only having five of his closest friends and his brother to go see "Hotel for Dogs" which doesn't even come out until his birthday, so none of his friends will have seen it. We are just planning to go to Southpointe Movie Theatres since it is much closer and since Cameron is having fewer friends. The theatre allows us to bring cake and drinks and they will give the boys a tour of the projection room, so I'm sure that will be a hit, along with the movie and popcorn. We also told Cameron he can have two friends sleep over, but not all five! Luckily, he was fine with that and picked two of his best friends, Cedric and Zade to stay over. This will be our first sleep over, so hopefully it will go well!

Cute Polka Dotted Sophia!

2009-01-14T08:41:00.000-08:00

Aunt Tooty from NYC brought back this adorable dress for Sophia for Christmas. It is velvet and even cuter in person. My sister always finds the most unique and beautiful clothes for my kids...probably because she not only has great taste, but lives in the fashion capitol of the country! NYC has such awesome shopping and unlimited choices. I love going there to visit and especially shop, shop and shop! My kids love having a "cool", single aunt who completely spoils them!

American Idol!

2009-01-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

I am super excited that AMerican Idol starts up again tonight! It's a family affair at our house where all of us sit and watch it very intensely without interruptions! If the phone rings, we don't answer unless it's a commercial! I was sooo glad last year that David Cook won and have his new CD which, by the way, is awesome! I knew from Hollywood week last year that he would be a frontrunner and probably win! So, we'll see if I can predict the winner again this year! My husband things I am pretty lame that I even call and vote, but I just am so into the whole Idol experience! Call me crazy, but I am totally addicted and it's fun to have a family show that entertains all of us together!

Happy Birthday Aunt Tooty!

2009-01-10T07:39:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow">

Favorites of 2008!

2009-01-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

One of my favorites of Cam and daddy at the Twins baseball game

One of the best ones of Cameron!

The whole fam on Xmas Eve

The Three little angels!

Miss Sophia lounging!

Daddy and Charlie

My boys the day of Sophia's baptism

One of my favorites of Sophia...about a month old

Sophia's baptism

Some newborn (three days old) pictures

Daddy and his little girl getting ready to go home from the hospital

The day after Sophia was born

One of our favorite first pictures of Sophia

This was when we told Grandma Kathy that Sophia's middle name, Kathryn, was named after her (Grandma was so touched and just cried)...she was born on Grandma's birthday

Me and my three kids, right after Sophia was born

me and my daughter

The new big brothers, happy as can be!

The first picture of me and Sophia

The boys and their new sister

Charlie and Cameron rock climbing at the fair the day before I went into labor!

Me and my boys on the first day of school...just 6 days before having Sophia

Cam and Charlie running the bases at a KC Royals game

Daddy and his boys rough housing in their new bedroom

The four of us going to a Minnesota Twins game

This is just one of my favorites of Charlie

One of my favorites with my boys...at a museum in KC

Another one of my favorites of silly Charlie!

Charlie and Cameron swimming at a hotel in KC

Charlie and Cameron down front at Royals/Yankees game intensely watching!

Me and my boys at the Yankees/Royals game

I love watching Cameron play soccer!

Charlie and Cameron at a Huskers baseball game

We had such a wonderful year in 2008 that I wanted to look back at my photos and decided to post some of my favorites. I have many, many more, but that would take up hours, so I just put up the ones I love the most! As I said before, the year started with me finding out I was pregnant, so most of the year was spent with me carrying a baby in my belly to all of the events/vacations we went to. We love attending baseball games with our boys and went to many Husker baseball and Saltdog games, along with two KC Royals games and one trip to Minnesota to see the Yankees/Twins. Although I was pregnant, I still enjoyed traveling everywhere and vacationing with my family to baseball games, Worlds of Fun and CocoKey in KC. I can't wait until our next vacation when I won't be pregnant and can ride on rides (at Disney this spring) and not be too tired to swim! The best part of 2008 definitley was the birth of Sophia in August and the rest of the year enjoying being home with my kids. The holidays were fabulous not having to work retail for once and being able to relax and spend all the holiday with my family. Here's to an awesome 2009 and I hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane 2008!

Sophia's First "Real" Food!

2009-01-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

Sophia actually loved her cereal!

Charlie had to try out feeding Sophie!

Sophia getting ready to eat!

Today was the first time for Sophia to get baby food. She got to start with rice cereal and thought it was the greatest thing! I remember Cameron and Charlie wanted nothing to do with cereal, but Miss Sophia seems to love it. I don't know if it was just fun for her to have something different and eat from a spoon, or if she really did enjoy the cereal. Her Dr. said it should help her sleep better at night, so let's hope, because she still wakes up quite a bit to eat. As you can imagine, Charlie thought he was pretty neat to get to feed her himself! He actually did really well and was gentle with her, plusshe didn't seem to mind who fed her, as long as she got that cereal! Great start, Sophie!

Sophie's new highchair!

2009-01-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

We went to the Doctor for Sophie's four month check up, and it is now time to begin baby food! It's hard to believe we start that already...she still seems too little to be eating from a spoon! She has come down with a cold and cough, so I am waiting a couple of days to begin the food, just to get her much better. We did have to get out her highchair to try it out. Hopefully she'll like it when she starts getting fed. I'll post more photos when we actually start!

Sophia is four months old!

2009-01-04T15:44:00.001-08:00

Sophia Kathryn is already four months old! She seems soooo much bigger all of a sudden and smiles all of the time, except for when I try to take her picture! She started giggling a couple weeks ago, too! She is really starting to get her own personality and enjoys watching the boys play and talk to her. It's weird to think that just a year ago I was newly pregnant with her! Now we couldn't ever imagine our lives without her!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T21:10:00.000-08:00

As I look back on 2008, I reflect on all of the wonderful things that happened last year. First off, the first week of 2008 we began to tell everyone that we were expecting baby #3 and it would be due September 1. Although I was pretty sick most of my pregnancy, I didn't even mind because on April 15 we found out our baby was a GIRL! I was sooo excited I called everyone right there in the doctor's office and then headed to the mall to buy lots of girls clothes! We took a few mini vacations throughout the year. We went to KC twice to see baseball games and go to Worlds of Fun and then to Minnesota in June to see the Yankees vs. the Twins, along with our good friends, the Jaruszewski family. Towards the end of the summer we pretty much stayed put since I was pretty far in my pregnancy. The last week of August we attended the State Fair a couple of times and the day after we went the second time to the fair I started having contractions. On August 26 at 9:52am I delivered my sweet baby girl, Sophia Katherine, which was definitely the highlight of my year! The holidays were the most relaxing for me for the first time ever, since I no longer work retail! It was so nice to not have to work the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas for the first time in almost 20 years! I got to spend more time with all of my family and enjoyed the holidays like never before! The rest of 2008 was me getting adjusted to a new baby and being a new stay at home mom.

I look forward to the new year and plan to enjoy every minute of my time with my family. I realize that I have this great opportunity to be home with my kids and I intend to be the best at my job! I can't wait to see Cameron and Charlie both play soccer this spring and baseball this summer. It will be so fun to see Sophie grow so much this next year and interact with her brothers. We all are looking forward to our family vacation in March to Disneyland that we can hardly wait! It will be our first family vacation with all five of us!

Happy New Year to all!

Christmas at Grandma Karen's!

2008-12-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

All of us kids...Tom, mom, Mike, Tooty, Joe and I

Me and my Christmas baby!

Here we all are again!

My lovely family...Daddy, Mommy, Cam, Charlie and Sophie

My brother, Mike, and his kids, Brett and Natalie

My sister, Tooty, with Natalie and Brett

Aunt Tooty with Cameron and Charlie

Three generations of girls...me, Sophie and Grandma

Aunt Tooty and the Fox Kids

Aunt Tooty and Sophia

Cameron and Daddy playing Rock Band

Uncle Mike on drums, Cam singing and daddy on guitar!

Cam and Daddy jamming out!

Cameron loves to play the drums!

Brett on the drums with Cam and Natalie waiting their turn!

Brother Cam and Sophie

Brother Charlie and Sophie

Daddy and Charlie hooking up the "Wii"

Sophie with her new toys

All waiting to play the "Wii"

The girls...Grandma Karen, Tooty, me, Sophie and Aunt Millie

WE had a wonderful Christmas in Blair at Grandma Karen's house. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there and all of the kids had a blast, as always when at Grandma's. On Christmas Eve we opened presents and had a huge dinner with all of my siblings, my mom, my Aunt Millie and my Grandpa John. Later that evening, my Aunt Mary, Uncle Rocky, cousin Katie and her boyfriend, Troy, came over to visit and celebrate the season, too. Like usual, the kids got way too many presents but enjoyed opening them all and immediately played with them! Cameron and Charlie got "Rock Band" for their "Wii" from Santa on Christmas Eve morning, so we brought that up to Grandma's so everyone could play. It came with a drumset, guitar and microphone so you really can form your own Rock Band! It is a lot of fun to play and luckily Cameron and Charlie really love it! I can't believe another Christmas has came and went and the end of the year is almost here. Wow, time goes fast, especially around the holidays. We look forward to a relaxing New Year's Eve and a fantastic 2009!

Let the Christmas Festivities Begin!

2008-12-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

Cam and Charlie with their new hot wheels city!

Mommy and her baby girl!

Charlie and Cam with their new Joba Chamberlain and Alex Gordon baseball plaque

Charlie and his car tool set

Cameron and his new Sports book

Charlie and his new "Rock on " Pajamas

Sophie and her new stacking cups

Cameron and his new "I Carly" CD

Charlie got "Pixos"

Sophie watching everyone open presents

We celebrated Christmas at our house early since we will be spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at my mom's. Cameron and Charlie could hardly wait to start opening their presents. We told them we would open them at night so they had the countdown going all day. They first sorted their presents into piles and decided which ones they'd open first and put them in order. They even did the same for Sophie! After decorating cookies, we had them take their showers and get their pajamas on before dinner. We then ate and afterwards they could dive into the gift opening! Charlie was soooo excited he started opening his first one before any of us even sat down! All of the kids got many great gifts and seem to really enjoy everything. They will be playing with them for awhile until we make them go to bed to get ready for Santa!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Making Christmas Cookies!

2008-12-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

Lots of fun with sprinkles and red hots!

Sophie hanging out in her swing watching us decorate!

I loved frosting the cookies and then Cam and Charlie decorated!

Charlie enjoyed the sprinkles the most!

Sophie still hanging out!

The boys getting ready to make cookies!

Charlie liked making the cookies with the cookie cutters even more than Cam did!

We started the Christmas week with our annual day of making Christmas cookies. Cameron and Charlie liked the decorating part the most, of course. They pretty much left the cookie cutting to daddy! We tried a new sugar cookie recipe this year that called for almond extract which made the dough extra yummy! We will definitely use that same recipe next year! We made approximately 5 dozen cookies and delivered some to neighbors and will take the rest to my mom's tomorrow for Christmas. As always, we had a blast making and decorating the cookies and can't wait to have Sophie really help us next year!

Look at our new toys!

2008-12-22T14:42:00.000-08:00

Cameron and Charlie (with much help from Daddy) spent all day putting together their new legos and "Knex" toys. The Knex are similar to legos but just different shaped pieces. What they made were a roller coaster and ferris wheel that lights up! They are both really cool and the ferris wheel has little people that can ride it while the roller coaster makes sounds of the amusement park and people screaming while on the ride! They also made a helicopter with their new legos. The boys were able to do a lot of the work themselves, but they did need Daddy's help quite a bit since their were many instructions with many little pieces and parts. They were so excited with how they turned out and have been playing with them all day and night!

Christmas with the Fox Family!

2008-12-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

Charlie and his new minature radio

Cameron is sooo happy it's Christmas!

Cam and Charlie with their new baseball pitching machine

The whole gang!

Grandma and Grandpa and their grandkids

Silly Daddy and his boys!

Daddy and Charlie waiting to open presents

Cameron and Charlie with their little princess

Cameron patiently waiting for presents!

Cousin Gavin with all the presents!

We celebrated Christmas early with my husband's family in Norfolk over the weekend. Besides really super cold weather and lots of snow, we had a fabulous time! The kids were sooo excited and got many wonderful presents. Cameron and Charlie got legos, Knex, a baseball pitching machine, toy ATM machines, pajamas, games and books. Sophia got lots of clothes and many girlie toys finally! WE also got a zoo pass for our family for the new year, which we will deifinitely use a ton! Even though it was one of the coldest weekends ever, the boys did bring their sleds and played in the snow for awhile, since there was over a foot of snow in Norfolk! We rarely get that much snow here, so it was a real treat for the boys to have that much snow to play in for once! As always, we ate too much, got way too many presents and way too little sleep! Welcome to the week of Christmas festivities!

Daddy's Birthday!

2008-12-18T15:34:00.000-08:00

Daddy and his little angel!

Cameron helping Daddy open presents

Charlie loved helping Daddy with the presents

Daddy opening his "talking card"

Today was Daddy's 38th birthday (he'll probably kill me for telling his age, but mine's right around the corner, too)! He was lucky to have the day off and relax for a change. He started the day by getting his free birthday coffee from Starbucks and hung out with Sophie, Charlie and I until Cameron came home. We then opened his gifts which included a CD (John Legend), a book and a shirt. We also got him one of those talking "Hallmark" cards with the movie "Juno" saying that he is "like the coolest person we know", which we all do think and plus, he also likes that movie. We then went out to eat at Red Robin which was delicious and all of the kids were very well behaved, which made it a nice night out! We are now going to end the night with a movie and popcorn!

Hooray, Christmas is almost here!

2008-12-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

My kids are soooo ready for Christmas to get here, they can hardly stand it! We are celebrating Christmas with the in-laws this weekend, so let the festivities begin! Christmas is actually starting this week, since it is the last week of school before the holidays, Charlie is having a party and Santa comes to his preschool on Wednesday, and on Friday, Cameron has his holiday party at school. After this week, my kids are going to be climbing the walls awaiting Santa!

I thought I'd also make a list of the five things I LOVE about Christmas, since it's my favorite holiday!

1. I love decorating the tree and watching my husband try not to fall off of the roof putting up the Christmas lights!

2. I love watching my kids wake up on Christmas so excited to see what Santa brought!

3. I love getting together with all of my siblings and celebrating the holiday...it's one of the only times we're all together during the year!

4. I love driving my kids around looking at Christmas lights.

5. love all of the yummy food, wrapping gifts and singing Christmas carols!

Christmas 2007

2008-12-10T10:55:00.001-08:00

Cameron, Daddy and Charlie goofing off!

Since Christmas is right around the corner, I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and post some pictures of last year. It is always fun to look back on the previous holiday and see how the kids have changed. Cameron had just lost his two front teeth early last fall, so here they are barely coming in, and now they are totally in, so he definitely looks different! Charlie looks so little in these pictures, and seems way more grown up this year! It's amazing what one year can do! Also, two days after Christmas last year, I found out I was pregnant! I remember feeling a bit yucky on Christmas and I couldn't find anything that looked good on me to wear! I can't believe it's already another holiday season and we have a new little girl to celebrate it with!

Santa Claus at Time Warner Cable!

2008-12-10T10:48:00.001-08:00

Santa Claus came early this year at Daddy's work, Time Warner Cable, so we took all three kids to visit him. To our surprise, Sophie actually wasn't scared of Santa! She sat on his lap without crying, which we couldn't believe! I'm sure she'll get great presents this year for being so good! Cameron and Charlie told Santa they wanted an "Xbox 360" which will be a far fetch since they just got a "Wii" last year! Santa told them that alot of kids wanted the Xbox so he hopes he doesn't run out! We then enjoyed cookies afterwards and visited some of Daddy's coworkers. Now the kids are really excited for Christmas and are counting down the days until it is here!

Sophia Thinks She is SOOO Big!

2008-12-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

Sophie thought she was pretty neat sitting on this ride on toy!

Little Miss Sophia thinks she is bigger than three months old! She holds her head up on her own all of the time and even has lifted her head when she was lying down! I swear she'll be sitting up on her own in no time! I can't believe she is almost four months old already...it is so true that time goes by super fast the older you get! Next month my oldest will be eight years old...yikes! Where does the time go????

The Star City Parade!

2008-12-06T17:05:00.000-08:00

Mommy and Charlie watching the parade!

Charlie and Daddy waiting for the parade to start.

Charlie, Mommy and Sophie waiting for the parade!

Sophie's first parade and she was a real trooper, as always!
We went to the annual "Star City" holiday parade in our town that they have every year to celebrate the Christmas season. Travis takes the boys every year, and since I've always worked retail and couldn't get off on Saturdays, I have never been! So, this was Sophie's and my first Star City Parade and we loved it! Unfortunately, Cameron did not go with us because he had one of his good friend's birthday party to go instead at Champions Fun Center...he said he didn't want to miss the party and would be OK with missing the parade this time. Charlie and I actually got great seats in front right on the main street ("O" Street) because a couple people offered it to us on their blanket since they had extra room! We could see everything perfectly and a clown even came out from the parade and sat next to Charlie for a bit, just to be silly! They had four cool huge balloons...Elmo, Cookie Monster, Nemo and an airplane so Charlie thought those were super neat! Many high school bands from around the state and town played along with the UNL marching band who were fantastic! The parade ended with Santa and Mrs. Claus in their sleigh wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! Although it was a chilly day, we all bundled up and had blankets so kept warm and had a really fun time! I am so glad I finally can say I went to the Star City Parade!

Christmas Picture Time!

2008-12-04T06:43:00.000-08:00

We finally had the kids' Christmas pictures taken and it was quite the ordeal! Since Sophie is only 3 months old and can't sit up yet, it is very hard to find the right "pose" for her without upsetting her! Charlie was showing off and acting up and luckily my little photogenic one, Cameron, was an angel, because the other two weren't as cooperative! I think Cameron has been doing this for so long that he is just used to being in front of the camera more than the others. WE'll have to work on Charlie and Sophie to be just as good! Well, at least our photographer, Jenny, was able to capture a few good ones, even with wild kids! She always seems to get just the right pictures, somehow! Happy Holidays to all!

Outdoor Christmas Decorating!

2008-11-26T15:49:00.001-08:00

Daddy, Charlie and neighbors decorating!

The finished project!

Cameron and neighbors, Emily and Jada helping decorate a tree

Charlie and neighbor, Will, helping Daddy with the lights in the yard

Now that the inside of our house is fully decorated for the holidays, Daddy has completed the decorations for the outside as well. Cameron and Charlie really had fun this year helping Daddy with the decorations and kept wanting to add more lights! Even the neighbor kids joined in the festivities and helped decorate, too! For some reason, we tend to attract all of the neighborhood kids to our house! Well, at least they helped with the work and we think the lights turned out great! As always, Daddy did a fabulous job on the lights! I tease him that he reminds me of Clark Griswold from Christmas Vacation because he gets so into the lights and thinks "more is better"! I think he secretly wants to win the neighborhood lighting contest, since his co-worker up the street won last year! Maybe Daddy will have a good chance of winning this year! Good Luck Daddy and thanks for all the beautiful lights!

Weekend Wedding!

2008-11-23T06:26:00.000-08:00

Charlie & Dannielle...he thought she was a real princess!

Blake and Cameron dancing away!

"Mommy, quit taking my picture"

Charlie and Jada

Charlie and Cameron dancing

Daddy the videographer

Jodi dancing with the kids

Buddies, Blake and Cameron

Mommy and her boys!

The whole gang...Jada, Blake, Cameron and Charlie

We attended our friends', John and Dannielle's, wedding this past Saturday night. Daddy actually filmed the wedding and reception, so Mommy was in charge of the kids all night, except Sophie, who Grandma Kathy was nice enough to come and babysit her. John and Dannielle's daughter, Mackenzie, is the same age as Cameron and they went to daycare together since they were two years old! Also, our neighbors Craig, Jodi, Jada and Blake were there, too, so Cameron and Charlie enjoyed partying down with them and dancing the night away. This was Charlie's first wedding so he thought it was pretty cool, and asked when "Mommy and Daddy were getting married again" because he wanted to see it! Jada and Blake's mom and dad were in the wedding party, so I actually had four kids at the wedding to occupy, who were really good and well behaved, so it worked out well! We had a fun night and the kids are ready for another dance party soon!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

2008-11-22T06:42:00.000-08:00

Our Personalized Christmas Stockings...Had to get Sophia one this year!

Our banister

The tree!

Sophie's first Christmas...she's thinking...wait until next year I'll have my hands into it, too!

Charlie and Cameron loved hanging the ornaments!

We all love the new red lights!

Since the boys have been pestering us for about a week now to put up the Christmas tree, we finally gave in and did it this weekend. They love, love, love to decorate it and open up all of the boxes of ornaments and remember them from years past. Our tree is filled with ornaments from when I was little, ones I bought when I was in college and ones our family have collected over the years, so there is lots of meaning to each and every one of them. So many of them I can remember when I got it or who I got it from. We now have several from Cameron and Charlie that they have made at school and we carry them over year after year. It is so fun to see the boys put the ornaments on the tree and talk about them and remember making them. We changed our lights on our tree this year to red ones (we've always had white ones every year) and we love the new look. Our tree is very eclectic with tons of different ornaments and none that really match, but that's what makes it our own personal Christmas tree with much tradition of remembering ornaments of past Christmases!

Grandma Max's "Crispy Cookies"

2008-11-20T14:53:00.002-08:00

It is another very cold day here so I decided to make my favorite cookies, which are from my late Grandma Maxine's recipe. I remember them from when I was younger and started making them on my own the last few years. My kids love them as much as me and even my hubby eats a ton of them, considering he doesn't eat many sweets. They are super easy to make and are yummy, yummy! They are made with oatmeal, butterscotch chips, rice krispies and lots of sugar! My Grandma was an excellent cook and this will be the first holiday season without her, so we all will deeply miss her. She always had something delicious at her house or if she came to visit she always brought homemade cinnamon rolls, pie or rolls. Everything she made was delicious and I especially enjoyed everything she baked! We all miss you Grandma Max!

Charlie and Sophie!

2008-11-19T10:38:00.000-08:00

Charlie has really enjoyed his schedule change! He now only goes to preschool part-time, which is only for 2 1/2 hours on Mon-Wed.-Fridays instead of all day, every day. He says he loves being home before Cameron gets home from school and especially loves to be with his sister Sophie much more! He can't get enough of her and wants to hold and kiss her as much as I let him! He has actually been a big help to me during the day, with fetching diapers, pacifer, blanket, etc. when I need something for her and my hands are full! It is quite the change for me being home all day with two little ones now, but I am cherishing every moment, because before I know it, Charlie will be in kindergarten next year all day and Sophie will be walking all over the place!

Makin' a Cake for CubScout Cake Raffle!

2008-11-18T10:14:00.000-08:00

Cameron, Sophie & Charlie showing off their cake!

Cameron & Charlie very proud of their "eyeballs"!

The "eyeballs" cake!

Daddy & Cameron decorating the eyeballs

Charlie taking a break from baking and holding Sophie!

Daddy & Cameron mixing the cake

Charlie watching Cameron pour the ingredients, worrying he'd spill!

Daddy helping Charlie pour the batter into the pan

Charlie loved the mixing part!

The boys waiting for Daddy to give them their instructions

Last night Daddy and his boys baked a cake for the CubScouts cake raffle. Cameron and daddy chose to make little "eyeball cakes" since one of daddy's coworkers gave him some for the kids for Halloween, so he got the recipe and tried it with Cam. We think they turned out super and we sampled them and they taste even better than they look! Each scout is to make a cake of any kind and then Wednesday night there will be a raffle to go towards "Operation Santa Claus" which is a charity program that purchases gifts for children in need. This is a great cause and it will be fun to see the creativity of the other scouts' cakes. I am anxious to see what kind of cake my boys bid on and bring home!

Just a lazy Sunday...

2008-11-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

Sophia just hanging out!

Charlie and Cameron wanted popsicles on this chilly day!

It was another casual, laid back Sunday at the Fox house today. We went to church, then to
Super Target and home for a day inside, since it is starting to get much colder outside. The boys played cards, games, hot wheels and watched tv most of the day, and Sophie took a 3 1/2 hour nap, so mommy got some much needed cleaning done. Daddy mowed the grass for the last time this season and shot some video with his new camera. It was a very relaxing day and nice to not have anything planned to do for a change!

Cousin Brett's Birthday Party!

2008-11-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

Brett and Cameron

Mike and Charlie playing the Playstation!

Cameron raking Mike's leaves!

Charlie got bored with bowling and moved to eating ice cream instead!

Brett, Mike and Natalie at the bowling alley.

Cameron bowling a strike!

Sophie being content as always!

Charlie and Cameron watching everyone bowl!

Charlie, Mommy and Cameron!

We celebrated my nephew, Brett's, ninth birthday this weekend in Omaha. We went bowling and then to my brother, Mike's, house afterwards where the kids played. Charlie played baseball with Mike on his play station and Cameron enjoyed raking leaves! We have no large trees to have fallen leaves at our house, so Cameron actually thought it was pretty cool to rake up a huge pile of leaves! My good friend from high school, Becky, stopped over to visit and catch up on things, too, since she leaves close to my brother...it was great to see her...it had been way too long! The kids had a great time together and once again, Sophia was a real trooper!

Goodbye Fulltime Preschool for Charlie, Hello Part-time!

2008-11-10T19:44:00.000-08:00

Charlie loves being home with mommy and Sophie!

Now that my maternity leave pay has ended, Charlie started going part time to preschool instead of fulltime. We decided when we had Sophie that we would keep Charlie going fulltime to keep him on his schedule and routine. Since there was so much change with a new baby, we wanted him to still have the consistency of what he knew and give me a chance to develop a schedule and adjust to being home with a new baby, too. Now that my work pay has run out it was time to cut down the daycare expense and instead of Charlie going all day every day, he now only goes to preschool Mon-Wed-Friday from 9am-11:30am which is quite the change for me! Daddy always took him in the morning on his way to work and I didn't have to pick him up until 6pm if I didn't want to. I now realize how good I had it the last two months! Anyway, Sophie is more on a schedule and Charlie is much more adjusted to having her around that I actually am happy to have him here in the day with us now. I think we did the right think by leaving him in fulltime daycare while I got used to a baby again and Charlie got in the swing of things, too. I now feel we are all better adjusted to everything and I am feeling way more in my groove finally! Plus, Charlie is so excited to be at home more with me and Sophie and loves to go with and pick Cameron up from school.

Visit from the Premo Family!

2008-11-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

Keri & Paula

Lexi, Charlie, Jerrod, Cameron & Savannah

The boys!

Sophia loving all of the attention from the Premo family!

Sophia & Lexi

Our old neighbors, the Premo's, came for a visit to meet Sophie this weekend. Paula and Vinnie and their three kids, Jerrod, Lexi and Savannah used to live across the street from us and moved about a year and a half ago and now live in Colorado. They came for our annual Fourth of July party but hadn't met Sophie yet, so they made a special trip to see all of us! The kids always have a great time together and Paula and I love to catch up and visit about every and anything! We used to hang out all of the time when she lived here and she always brought fun and laughter to all of the neighborhood gatherings! We sure do miss all of them and hope to make a trip out to Colorado this summer, especially since hopefully my brother, Joe, will be moving there, too!

Monthly Fox/Leader Playdate!

2008-11-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

I love this one of Carson trying to "escape" from getting his picture taken!

Charlie playing with trains!

Cameron and Kamree enjoying brownies!

Cameron trying to build the trainset for Charlie and Carson

Mommy, Sophie and Charlie

Mommy and her baby girl!

Sophie and Kamree...Sophie is not looking like a "doll" so much anymore!

Little Miss Sophie

Sophie loving all of the attention from Kamree!

Kamree pointing out the heart on Sophie's shirt saying it was "pretty"!

The two princesses in training!

We can't wait until we can get pedicures with our mommies!

Cameron & Charlie playing trains and Carson observing in the background...still not wanting to get in the picture!

We had another fabulous time with the Leader family for our monthly playdate. It was sooo cold outside so we were stuck inside playing trains, board games and enjoying pizza, brownies and good old tv! Kamree loved holding and sitting by Sophie and the boys got out every toy imaginable, leaving Jodee's house a disaster! Hopefully we got most everything put back for you ok, Jodee! As usual, Jodee and I caught up on our gossiping and the usual chit chatting! We all had a nice and relaxing evening and always look forward to our playdates together and watching the kids interact. Hopefully we can turn it into a bi-monthly playdate instead of just once a month, but it may get harder to get together with the busy holidays approaching us! We'll see what happens! Thanks again, Leader Family, for another fun time for the Fox Party of Five!

Cub Scouts Meeting at the Fox House!

2008-11-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

The bookends...Trav found these in a magazine for $150 to buy...they made them for $3!

Cameron being silly!

All of the boys with their screwdrivers!

Charlie taking part in the building activity!

Cameron showing off his bookend!

Daddy showing Charlie how to assemble the bookend!

Charlie ready to be a carpenter!

Toolman Charlie!

Sophie being nice and quiet in her bouncy seat!

Daddy conducted the weekly Cub Scouts Meeting for Cameron's den at our house this week. The boys had many things they were to bring to this meeting. First of all, each one discussed an endangered animal, the food chain, a collection of choice and chores they were to do around the house. For example, Cameron talked about the red panda that is endangered, which he went online himself and googled "red panda" (that was his choice of animal!) and found information on it to discuss! He also had chores he did like helping out with Sophie, recycling and picking up toys at the end of the day. The collection he brought to the meeting is his coin collection of quarters from each state that he has been collecting for a couple of years. Each boy had to talk in front of the group about all of these things and then they went to the garage where they built bookends and recipe holders. As always, Charlie took part in the meeting by taking part in the building in the garage! He has all of a sudden taking a liking to tools and building things with daddy, so this was the highlight of the night for him! Cameron has always enjoyed putting things together, so hopefully both boys will have the knack for home improvement and doing projects like their dad!

What to do with all that Halloween Candy!

2008-11-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

The treat bags!

If you are like me, you have way too much leftover Halloween candy! Between trickortreating at the zoo, daycare and our neighborhood, we have way too much and I can't seem to leave it alone! So, instead of constantly being tempted by it in our pantry, I decided to make treat bags for Cameron's Christmas party at school. Obviously that is a way off, but now I have that done for his party and the candy is out of my sight! I still did save a huge bowl for the boys to munch on here and there, but at least there isn't as much as before!

Sophia Kathryn is Two Months Old!

2008-11-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

Sophie and brother Cameron

Cameron loves his sister!

The boys with their little sis!

Charlie adores Sophia!

Charlie loves to hold his sister...but she doesn't always like it!

Mommy and her precious little angel!

Sophie is now two months old and boy, how time flies! We went to the Doctor today for her two month checkup and she is now 11 pounds! I was shocked thinking she should only be around 10pounds, so she is growing perfectly the doc said! I can't believe she has already experienced her first Halloween and Christmas right around the corner. She is such a wonderful addition to our family and we are so lucky to have her. It is so crazy to think that just a year ago we were debating on whether to "try" for another baby and now our little girl is actually here! We were so blessed to get a little girl finally and are so happy to have her in our lives. Her brothers love her SO much and can't get enough of her. They argue over who gets to sit next to her in the car and who gets to give her the pacifier! Hopefully in another year when she's into all of their stuff they still will want her around...I know I'll never get tired of her...she's my little girl angel!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

Cameron...the two headed monster!

My princess, Sophia!

What a diva!

Charlie and his long lost neighbor, Tasja!

Miss Sophia!

Sophia being a trooper trickortreating around the neighborhood!

Cameron and buddy, Chase

Charlie the policeman!

Daddy and his little girl!

All the boys...Charlie, Chase, Keegan, Zade and Cameron

The boys "playing" !

Mommy and her princess!

Best buds...Cameron, Blake, Chase, Charlie and Jada!

Real Policeman, Derek, and Charlie!

Charlie, Cameron and sad Sophie!

Sophie was ready to go outside!

Halloween night was a wonderful time for the Fox family! It was another perfect day and the best weather for Halloween that I can ever remember! We didn't even need coats and Sophie was happy the whole time. Daddy had the day off so he cooked vegetable beef soup and it was delicious! Our old neighbors, Mark and April and their little girls came for dinner and trickortreating, too. Cameron's next door neighbor and good buddy, Chase, joined us for trickortreating like he has every year since we've lived next to each other. Cameron and Charlie really got into the trickortreating and loved every minute of it! Now it is time to sort candy and hopefully not eat it all in one sitting!

Boo at the Zoo!

2008-10-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Charlie on the train

Cameron, Mommy, Sophia & Charlie riding the train

Mommy & her little "black cat" Sophie

Charlie & Cameron with "McGruff" the police dog

Police officer Charlie and a real policeman!

Charlie and a fireman

Charlie, Daddy & Sophia trickortreating at the zoo

Cameron, Charlie, Mommy & Homer Simpson!

Had to have a picture with the Saltdogs!

The boys and Sophie with Homer from the Saltdogs!

Charlie loving the trickortreating zoo extravaganza!

Charlie, Cameron, Mommy & Sophia at the zoo

Mommy and her little girl!

Before the zoo...Charlie, Cameron & Sophia!

Still waiting to go trickortreating at the zoo!

Crazy two-headed monster, Cameron!

The two-headed monster being silly instead of scary!

Two crazy kids waiting for candy!

A policeman and a monster...together!

My two boys!

The happy policeman, Charlie!

We went to our annual "Boo at the Zoo" at the Lincoln Children's Zoo tonight. We have went every year since Cameron was one and the kids really enjoy it. This was Sophie's first time at the zoo and she was a trooper, like usual! She slept part of the time, otherwise she never made a peep and even rode her first train ride! This is an annual fundraiser for the zoo to make money to fund the zoo and feed the animals during the winter when they are closed, so we love to take part in this great cause! The kids have a blast "trick-or-treating" at stations set up all throughout the zoo and get candy and lots of coupons for free kids' meals around town. The weather today was 75 degrees which is definitely the nicest it has ever been for Boo at the Zoo. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to do the real thing tomorrow night!

The Boys are Away, so the Girls Play!

2008-10-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

Since Cameron and Charlie are on fall break all week, they are spending most of the week in Norfolk with their Grandma and Grandpa. Sophie and I took them up there Sunday night and we stayed until Tuesday and came back. Grandpa is bringing them back tomorrow afternoon, so Sophie and I have been shopping and enjoying a very quiet house! I think, though, that she misses her brothers because she was a bit fussy tonight, which is not like her! I think it may be too quiet for her and she is not used to that! We plan to go to "Boo at the Zoo" tomorrow night to trick or treat, so the boys are excited to get back and start the Halloween festivities! We really miss them and can't wait for them to come home! Our house is definitely not the same without our boys!

A Walk Down Memory Lane...

2008-10-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

Christmas last year!
Christmas 2006
Christmas 2006
Christmas 2005
Christmas card picture 2005

Christmas 2004
Christmas picture 2004
I can't believe how much Charlie looks like Sophie here!

I was just going through old pictures and stumbled across Christmas photos of the past. The first few years we, or I should say, my hubby, took the Christmas card photos and they actually turned out pretty well. However, once we discovered our photographer, Jenny Gegg, we have used her the past two Christmases and really enjoy her work. She is awesome with kids and we are so lucky to have found her. We will be taking our Christmas pictures in a couple of weeks, so I thought I'd post the last four years before Miss Sophie enters into the Christmas card mix! Can't wait to see how this year's turns out!

Sophie is eight weeks old!

2008-10-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

Sophie is eight weeks old and filling out more and more! She already doesn't look as fragile and tiny as she used to! She is starting to coo and try to "talk" too! Everyone has been telling me that the baby stage goes super fast, and I forgot how true that is! The adorable pink hat she is wearing is from a former co-worker of mine who actually knitted it himself for Sophie! I think it is super cute and he sent it just in time for this cool weather coming up! Thanks, Jeff, for the awesome little hat...we all love it!

Roca Berry Farms Pumpkin Patch with the Jaruszewski's!

2008-10-20T07:14:00.001-07:00

Most of the gang on the hayride!
Martina and her momma!

Cam & Elena on the hayride

Cathy, Elena, Keri, Charlie & Sophie on train
The Fox Family!
The Jaruszewski Family!

Martina, Elena & Julianna!
Martina and Cameron!
Martina and Charlie!
5 kids as flowers!
Cam, Martina and Charlie on top 0f haystack!

Cam, Charlie & Martina feeding goats

The three Jaruszewski girls!
My little Sophie "flower"

Cam on a trike
Charlie riding a trike

Elena as "Alice in Wonderland"!
Daddy and Charlie
Cathy!
Martina!
Keri!
Charlie in "jail"!
Cameron in "jail"!

Cameron bowling
Martina, Elena, Cam & Charlie feeding goats
Charlie petting a goat

We had a beautiful day at the Roca Berry Farm Pumpkin Patch on Saturday afternoon with the Jaruszewski family. The kids enjoyed haunted houses, trikes, goats, haystacks, CandyLand and a hayrack ride. The weather was perfect for a fall day of pumpkin patch fun!

Jaruszewski Family Visit!

2008-10-20T06:25:00.001-07:00

All of the kiddos!

All of the Kids again
Martina and Sophie

Cam and his girls!
Four great friends!
All 4 of us again!
Cam, Martina & Elena on computer

Cathy, Julianna & Sophie
Cathy & Charlie
Cathy playing w/Sophie
Cathy "posing" Sophie!
Sophie loved Cathy!
Charlie & Elena playing cars!
Cathy couldn't get enough of Sophie!
Cathy and Sophie, again!
Charlie loved playing w/Elena!
On the computer....
Martina loved holding Sophie!
Cameron loved hanging with Martina!
Joe and Travis enjoying a cocktail!
Charlie & Elena playing cars!
Precious Julianna!

Again, the three amigos!

We had a wonderful visit with our friends from Minnesota, the Jaruszewski family! Travis and I met Joe and Cathy on our honeymoon 11 years ago in Jamaica and have been friends since! I remember Joe and Cathy wearing "bride and groom" baseball caps so I knew they had just gotten married, too. We ended up chit chatting with them immediately and instantly hit it off and had lots in common. It was great to have someone (Cathy) to compare wedding stories with and share the "post wedding blues" with, too! Cathy and I spent the week sharing stories of the wedding planning up to the big day and then realized they lived just minutes from my Aunt Diane in Minnesota! We then knew we would be able to keep in touch since we go to Minnesota once a year anyway! We had so much fun with them in Jamaica and spent our entire honeymoon with them enjoying the many sites of our trip! Over the last 11 years we have either traveled their way or they have come our way while keeping in touch and now 6 children later they are becoming friends! It is so fun to see our kids interact with each other and hopefully have long lasting friendships, too! We spent this past weekend catching up and showing off our new Sophie! I forgot how much Cathy loved babies and she took care of Sophie almost more than me! I felt like I was on vacation with Cathy taking her from me every second she could get her hands on her! We spent Saturday at the Roca Berry Farm Pumpkin Patch and all of the kids had a blast! The weather was a perfect fall day and the place was not crowded at all so the kids had the run of the place! Most of the rest of the weekend was filled with relaxation, food, fun, movies and most of all great conversation with our friends! Cameron and Charlie are already asking when we are going to Minnesota! We will for sure be planning a trip this upcoming summer!

Sophie is seven weeks old!

2008-10-16T14:30:00.001-07:00

Sophia is now 7 weeks old and really growing! I can tell her clothes are fitting differently and she is able to wear the next size finally! I'm sick of the newborn summer stuff and glad she is able to transition into the fall stuff now that she is getting bigger. We found this new bow yesterday at one of my new favorite stores, "Divas and Darlings" that is just down the street from me, so it has been a dangerous place for us to frequent! It carries the cutest baby clothes and accessories that are unique and different than every other store in town. We bought the bow for her xmas pictures so you'll see it again down the road, that is, if I don't change her wardrobe for the pictures by then! Knowing me, I'm sure I'll change my mind a hundred times!

Cool Weather=Indoor Activities!

2008-10-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

Charlie playing the "Wii"!
Cameron on the computer
Playing football inside!
Playing catch inside!
Charlie playing with Lincoln Logs trainset.

Charlie sad that the logs fell down!
Charlie loves any "Wii" baseball game!

Now with fall upon us, we have to get back to finding things to do inside. The last couple of days have been much cooler and rainy, so we have been stuck inside. All of the indoor games we played last winter are coming back into play again, like the "Wii" game system, UNO, computer games, "Guess Who" board game and even Nerf football! It has actually been a nice change to get out the board games again and not have to be running around outside all of the time. Not that I don't enjoy the outdoors, but I do love the change of seasons and am ready to be inside for awhile. Last night got really cold and we even turned on the fireplace and daddy made the boys "kid coffee" as they call it, which is steamed milk with vanilla flavoring (he uses his capuccino maker to make them, so they think it's the real deal!) The days of being outdoors until 9pm. are over until spring! Welcome to fall!

Little "Foxy" Sophie!

2008-10-14T11:59:00.000-07:00

Sophie can finally wear this adorable Gymboree "Fox" outfit that my mom got her when she was born. It was the first gift we got in the hospital and my mom gave it to us when she arrived the night before she was born. She couldn't wait until she actually was born for us to open it, because she thought it was so cute. It is pink velour and sooo soft and fits Sophie perfectly now that she is a little bigger. It is perfect for today since it is extra cool out, too. Sophia Fox is "pretty in pink" in her "Fox" threads!

Charlie loves his little siser!

2008-10-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

Cameron adores Sophia!
Charlie can't seem to get enough of Sophie! He is always talking to her and touching her! Sometimes he gets so close to her and in her face that she gets mad, but we know he means well, so we are trying not to harp on him about it so much! We feel like we are always telling him to "not get so close" and "leave her alone, she's sleeping" because she usually is content and him tends to upset her! She seems to recognize his voice and he loves trying to make her smile. He's just trying to be a great big brother, but he still is only four! Cameron, too, loves Sophie very much, but knows how to keep his distance and helps me out so much with getting diapers, pacifier, etc. for me when I need it! I have two very helpful boys that are going to be very protective over their little sister!

Charlie up close and personal with Sophie!

Sophie all stretched out!

Vala's Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-12T07:02:00.001-07:00

We spent all day Saturday celebrating cousin Natalie's birthday at Vala's Pumpkin Patch outside of Gretna. We played glow in the dark golf, rode the trikes and pedal cars, visited the haunted graveyard, went in the scary mine, fed goats, jumped on haystacks, went through corn mazes and enjoyed the yummy kettle corn! This place has gotten so huge and has so many activities you can spend the entire day there and still not do everything! All of the kids love going there and have a blast, even without getting to do it all! We even ran into Great Aunt Mary, cousins Annie, Lauren and Ava, so spent some fun time with all of them, too! Sophie was a real trooper and pretty much slept most of the time, in between feedings! After the patch, we went into Gretna and opened presents and ate at Godfathers. I think Natalie had a great birthday and everyone enjoyed celebrating it with her!
Charlie as a Ghost!
Brett, Natalie & Charlie on the bus!

Charlie feeding goats
Buddies Charlie, Cameron & Brett

Charlie jumping in the haystacks!
The corn maze!

Charlie in mid-air!

Sophie sleeps!
Mommy & Charlie
The whole gang...almost!
Cam, Brett & Daddy riding the pedalcar
Uncle Mike, Natalie & Charlie in the car

Cameron searching for "gold"!
Mommy and Sophia
Cam & Charlie "duck" racing !
Racing plastic ducks in water!
Charlie riding a trike on a trail.

Charlie, Natalie & Cameron looking at baby animals.

Halloween 2007!

2008-10-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

My little "Yankee" at our baseball party!
Charlie thought he was a real baseball player with the fake grass, bases and big screen!
Cameron ready to bat in the garage!
Mommy & Daddy at our baseball party!
Mommy dancing at our party!

My two boys!

Ready to go get candy!

I love this one with Cam "peeking" in the background!

My scary "Scream" boy, Cameron!
Cameron peeking again!

I am copying my best friend, Jodee, and posting pictures from last year's Halloween since I didn't have a blog back then! Plus, I have some really fun pictures of the boys that I wanted to post...Charlie as "Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean" and Cameron as the "Scream guy" from the Scream movie. We try to wear our costumes as much as possible by going to "Boo at the Zoo", a daycare party and of course the actual Halloween night! Our neighborhood also hosts a annual "around the block" party where everyone on our street decorates their garage to a theme and dresses up/serves food/drink to that actual theme. Last year our theme was "baseball" and we all dressed as baseball players and served popcorn/pretzels/beer/pop. My husband even got astroturf for our garage floor with bases to resemble a baseball field. He then set up a movie camera and big screen so you could see yourself on the screen when you were "up to bat!" It is always a good time and so fun to see what the other neighbors come up with for a theme.

Sophie thinks she is soooo big!

2008-10-08T20:57:00.001-07:00

Miss Sophia hit six weeks old and thinks she is a big girl now! She has gotten so strong with holding her head up and is really starting to smile! She is so much more alert and stays awake for longer periods of time. She acts like she really is listening to you and interacting with us more each day. Before we know it she'll be walking and running all over the place! I just want to keep my little girl a baby forever!

Ghost Stories and Smores for Cub Scouts!

2008-10-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Sophie enjoying the outdoor party, too!

The whole cub scout gang!

Goofy Cameron getting ready to roast his marshmellow!
Charlie eating his smore!

Cameron, Zade, Blake and of course Charlie in their scout "pose!"

Cameron and Daddy doing the basketball activity.

Daddy, Cameron & Charlie getting everything ready for the party.

The den leaders, Travis & Garen, preparing notes for the meeting!
Cameron, Charlie & Jada waiting for the others to arrive.

Tonight we hosted a Cub Scouts meeting at our house for Cameron's den. We told horror stories and had hot cocoa and smores. The boys loved it and really got them all in the mood for Halloween (if they weren't already)! Of course, Charlie was right in the mix of it all, thinking he is a seven year old, too! The boys enjoyed activities that will earn them their next "badge" and had fun doing them all with their parents, too! It was a perfect evening to be outside with a bonfire and roasting marshmellows!

Playdate Fun at the Leader Home!

2008-10-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

Kamree holding her baby "doll" Sophie!
Rainy day means Candy Land fun for the boys!

Pizza and brownies for all!

We spent last night at a playdate at my best friend, Jodee's, house. She is the best hostess and always makes us feel at home. That might be a bad thing for her, though, because my kids help themselves to any and everything at her house, especially all of her yummy snacks! We had pizza and brownies and the kids enjoyed finger painting and board games, due to the rainy day. It was just what I needed...a night away from cooking, cleaning and being cooped up at my house. Thanks a million, Jodee, for a fun night away! Our treat next time!

Sophia is Six Weeks old!

2008-10-06T19:31:00.002-07:00

Mommy & Daddy with Sophie

Daddy & his little girl!

Mommy and her girl!
Little Miss Sophie!
Charlie & Sophie

Cameron & Sophie

I can't believe Sophie is six weeks old! The time goes faster and faster each week! I am amazed that she is over 8 pounds and wearing the next size and that Halloween is almost here! I thought the time would drag when I started staying home, but actually it is the opposite...time couldn't go faster! Between getting kids up and ready for school, all of Sophie feedings/changings, cleaning, laundry, cooking and picking kids up from school the day is gone! I used to think it was crazy working fulltime and running to and from daycare and kids activites, but staying home might be even busier! I guess that could be because there is always something that needs done at home! When I was at work I forgot about everything that needed done at home, while now I am always thinking it! Either way, I am very glad to have the opportunity to be at home for my kids and be able to walk my oldest to and from school and not have to have someone else watch him after school. He has even made comments to his friends like, "my mom will always come get me after school and is always home now." When I heard him tell one of his friends that the other day, I knew I was doing the right thing by staying home!

Sophia is Six

2008-10-06T19:31:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Run!

2008-10-04T13:34:00.001-07:00

Cameron ran in the seventh annual Pumpkin Run here in Lincoln. Any child from preschool-fifth grade can run a mile. It is not a competition, just a fun little race for kids to participate in and have a good time while getting exercise, too! Cameron ended the race just below 10 minutes, 20 seconds, so he was thrilled with that outcome and even got a medal and a coupon for a free pumpkin at Earl May. Next year Charlie has informed us that he wants to run, too! Maybe mommie or daddy will run with then, too!

Cub Scouts Hayrack Ride!

2008-10-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

Friday night Grandma Karen came and babysat Sophie so Trav, the boys and I could attend Cameron's Cub Scout Hayrack ride at Pioneer's Park here in Lincoln. We first roasted marshmellows and then made smores and drank hot cocoa. It was such a beautiful night and it was fun to have a night out with just the boys again. I feel I have neglected them a bit since I have had Sophie. They needed a night out with just mom and dad! We then went on a hayrack ride that was so much fun because it was really dark by the time we got on and the boys loved it! Two of Cameron's good friends are in cub scouts so he enjoyed hanging with them and Charlie just follows like he is a seven year old! For some reason they had a woman driving the tractor pulling us and she had a hard time getting up some of the hills, which gave us quite a giggle! She also got lost a few times in the dark, so it made it a fun adventure for all!

Cameron's Final Flag Football Game!

2008-10-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

Cameron had his last football game last week and scored the first touchdown again! He has really enjoyed playing for the first time this year and we don't know if he'll pick this again or soccer next fall. We never know, because that is a whole year away and he could change his mind a hundred times before then! As long as he has fun we'll let him play which ever he chooses, but only one sport at a time, we decided! Charlie has already told us that since he turns five in March he'll now be able to play spring soccer and baseball in the summer, so with two kids in activities, we'll be much busier!

Charlie and neighbor, Jada, playing "Spiderman" on the soccer nets next to the football field!

Bathtime Fun for Sophia!

2008-10-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Sophie seems to now enjoy getting clean! Although it has been said that babies only need to take a bath every few days, I like to give my kids baths every night! I love the clean smell of the baby soap and it tends to become a routine that soothes them. Today we went for Sophie's one month checkup and she now weighs 8 pounds 3 ounces! I thought her clothes/diapers were starting to fit smaller, so now maybe she will be in line to wear her fall/winter clothes in no time!

Sophia Kathryn's Baptism

2008-09-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

Sophie got baptized yesterday and was very good during the whole service and never cried! There were two other baby girls being baptized also and the female pastor conducted it, so it was an all girl gathering, which was so cute when she said, "let's welcome these daughters into our congregation!" My sister, Tooty, was Sophie's sponsor and they even matched wearing shades of purple! We found Sophie's adorable bow over the weekend that went perfectly with her dress. After the service, everyone came to our house for lunch and spent most of the day outside, since the weather was in the 80's! It was all in all a beautiful day for our precious little girl!

Aunt Tooty's Visit!

2008-09-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with Aunt Tooty here this past weekend. Her and Grandma Karen came Friday night and stayed until Sunday night. We enjoyed their cooking, company and just hanging out! Friday night we girls watched the movie "Sex and the City" and went shopping, of course, most of the day on Saturday. Then on Saturday night we all went and met Uncle Mike, Aunt Diane and Aunt Mary at the "N-Zone" for a little NE Football Tailgating. Cameron and Charlie thought it was sooo cool seeing all of the Husker fans and madness that they want to go and do it again next weekend! Sophie already experienced her first Husker tailgating and all of the college girls were falling all over her! We were all extremely sad seeing Grandma and Tooty leave after days of family fun. We can't wait for Tooty to come back for xmas...luckily it is just around the corner!

Aunt Tooty is coming for a visit!

2008-09-26T09:35:00.001-07:00

My sister, Mary, aka "Tooty" is coming to visit this weekend and meet her newest niece, Sophia Kathryn! We are all so excited to see her, especially Cameron and Charlie. They just adore her and love spending time with her, so it will be great to have her here for a few days. She is also going to be Sophie's godmother for her baptism this Sunday, so we're very thrilled she was able to come home for it. We don't get to see Tooty as much as we'd like since she lives in NYC, but at least we have a fun place to visit if we want to see her...hopefully I will get there this winter sometime and maybe next summer we can take the boys to a Yankee game...they are dying to go, especially with a new stadium being built!

Fall, Flag Football and Fun!

2008-09-24T20:14:00.001-07:00

Cameron had another flag football game last night and they won, with Cameron scoring the only two touchdowns of the game! Trav and I ask ourselves how our boys became so athletic, because we are far from it! Cameron is very competitive and wants to be the best at everything he does, so that may be part of it! Whether it's school, baseball, football or even a board game, Cameron wants to succeed and win! Hopefully that is a good thing, although we don't want him to be too competitive and he needs to learn that failure is also a learning experience that winning isn't everything...try explaining that to a seven year old!

National Stay At Home Week is Here!

2008-09-23T12:16:00.001-07:00

Many of my favorites shows are finally starting up again...Desperate Housewives, CSI Miami, Dancing with the Stars and my favorite of all...Brothers and Sisters! My sister and I joke that this show is very similar to our family...five children, deceased dad, lots of drama! Enjoy a sneak peak of the season premiere of Bros and Sis and get hooked like me!

Sophia...Now Four Weeks old!

2008-09-22T06:24:00.001-07:00

Sophie is four weeks old tomorrow and she definitely is growing! Her clothes are starting to get smaller and even the newborn diapers are getting snug finally! Also, we think Sophie has started smiling now, too! I couldn't remember when babies start to smile, but both Trav and I think she did yesterday and today I think I caught a few from her! She is really alert now and more awake each day. However, last night she fell asleep at 7pm. and I had to wake her at 1:45am. to feed her! I couldn't believe she slept almost 7 hours and probably would have slept more if I hadn't waken her up! The Dr. said to still feed her every 2-3 hours, going no longer than 4 hours in between, which I guess I did last night! I tried waking her up twice within that 7 hour time frame but she was so asleep I couldn't get her to eat at all! I thought I always heard to "never wake a sleeping baby!" I'm sure she'll be awake all day today and want to "snack" a ton!

Applejack Festival!

2008-09-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we went to the annual Applejack Festival in Nebraska City. They have a parade, pick your own apples, a hayrack ride, apple tasting and much more! As you can see, we picked many apples and Charlie ate while he picked! Thank goodness my boys love apples, because we came home with 10 pounds worth! They actually won't last long because we eat apples every night for a bed time snack! At least they like something healthy before bedtime! Sophie seemed to enjoy the outdoors and she even went on the hayrack ride, which was very bouncy, but it seemed ok to her! We can't wait for more hayrack rides and fall fun coming up in the next few months!

Consignment Sale Finds!

2008-09-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

I went to our city's semi-annual consignment sale, Neat Repeatz, and found a few things for Sophie. Everything here that I got was only $30 and hardly looked liked they had been worn. In fact, the pink dress and denim skirt still had the Gymboree price tags on them! All of the items were either Gap or Gymboree that I got, so I was quite excited. Unfortunately, I think my boys are getting too big because I didn't find anything for them. Everything looked too worn or outdated, and I'm just a little too picky for some of that stuff! Anyway, Sophie needs more cutesy stuff to add to her wardrobe, so it's always easy finding stuff for her for now, at least!

More Sophia Kate at three weeks old!

2008-09-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

Here are more pictures of Miss Sophie at three weeks old. She is becoming more alert and can seem to identify familiar voices. She also is awake more and definitely likes to be held and cuddled! My husband says she is already spoiled but I informed him that you can't spoil a baby at only three weeks old, can you?

Rollerblading, anyone?

2008-09-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

Cameron and Charlie decided to get their rollerblades out last night, which they hadn't used in awhile, so they were a bit rusty! There was a lot of falling down, but they still seemed to have fun. The five of us all went for a walk around the block since the weather was beautiful...we have to enjoy it while it is still nice before winter hits!

Sophie...Three weeks old today!

2008-09-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

Sophie is three weeks today! She has been gaining weight and is almost 7 pounds already! The boys still adore her and we love watching her change and grow!

TGIF!

2008-09-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

I am sooo glad it is Friday and the weekend is here! I've never waited for the weekend so much as I do now that I stay home. I used to work so many weekends that I almost dreaded them, but now I long for them to have my hubby home to help! Plus, I don't have to run around as much picking kids up from school and going to activities. The weekends now are our family time that all five of us are together and it is very enjoyable for a change!

First Photos of The Fox Party of Five!

2008-09-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures that were taken when Sophie was just 5 days old. She was very cooperative for a newborn and overall my boys were pretty good, too. Charlie was showing off a bit and being rowdy, but we still managed to get some good shots. Cameron was by far the best little photogenic boy as usual! Hopefully the xmas card pictures will turn out as well when we have those taken in November.