School Starts

Last Monday was the first day of seminary for these two-- Elinor is a senior and Faith is a freshman and they are happy to be in the same class.  It was also Elinor's first day in the Pharmacy Technician program.  

Once again, Faith was my assistant in getting the school planners all organized, printed up, and bound.  After what has felt like one outrageously long summer (basically March- August) everyone was quite excited to get their fresh planners and get down to work.  It feels better to be in routine and be productive.  Peter is technically kindergarten because he has a late birthday and we "held him back", but he's very much doing first grade work and he is loving it!

Cute little Greta has been doing her gymnastics practice at home.  She has a notebook and earns stickers when she practices each of her tricks.  She is already improving and it's fun to be back to practicing gymnastics again.  And Faith is an excellent reference now since she works there.

Our cat look ginormous here.  It's really not.  Also, did I tell you how we got our missing cat back?  Turns out our neighbor had it and was "taking care of it" because it wandered over to their house.  Uh... if a cat wanders to your house, let it wander back away again.  Oh, well.  Mushi is home and we are glad.  

And we find our cat in magnificent positions.  I call this one, 2020. 

It's her nickname, so we got her a t-shirt.  It was interesting to try to explain to Peter was the term "Beefcake" actually meant.

Elinor and Faith were twinning on their way to swim practice on Saturday.

We joined some friends for a fierce game of kickball Thursday night.  Why don't more people play kickball regularly?  It is so fun.

Also, Abe and I are still unreasonably sore from the evening's exertions.  So clearly, we must play kickball more often so we are in better shape so we won't be so sore.

Sadly, Greta did get clocked by the ball a couple times as she danced and wandered aimlessly around the field.  Got to toughen these kids up:)

A wonderful dinner date with some Fox siblings and spouses.   Jesse and Amy were in town from Spokane so it was especially nice to have them join the tradition of sibling dinners here in Utah.

Kind of a sweet picture Abe snapped before church last week.  We were watching children's animated messages on the church's Gospel Library App.

So much about Corona stinks.  One of the things that isn't so bad, is that there are very limited numbers of patrons allowed at the public pool.  I don't know if people just haven't known that it's open, but we've always been able to get in.  And then it's awesome, because there are so few people there!  So we've been swimming quite a bit.

Chilling with the lifeguards.

Yesterday we took Cannon and George to the open house of their brand new ballet studio-- Central Utah Ballet.  As soon as Cannon got out of the car these three girls ran over to him, "Cannon!  Are you going here too?!"  There were hugs and cheering when he said he was.  So yeah.  Boys in ballet are rockstars!

These three youngest kids invited their three best friends over for a hot dog cookout and and summer evening playtime.  I am so grateful for this neighbor family and how well they play with our kiddos.  

So simple and enjoyable.

Bethany were off playing and the three younger kids were occupied playing with their friends, and Abe and I got to just sit and play a card game with Cannon and Faith.  In a large family there are different combinations of family members that regularly get grouped together.  To just be with Faith and Cannon isn't one of the regulars.  And that was just lovely.  

Clark and Alexa's Wedding Day

The sealing was at noon in the Bountiful temple.  It was so wonderful to get to be in a temple.  In Utah they've been mostly closed since March.  So to get to go to a sealing is a rare and wonderful treat.  

They were sealed for time and all eternity.  The ceremony is short and simple, with none of the pomp and circumstance of a traditional civil wedding.  And yet... the power and the spirit are strong and real and powerful.  God works through small and simple means.  The Holy Ghost speaks in a still small voice.  I enjoy a big, fun, loud, overblown party as much, if not more, than anyone.  But that pales in comparison to the true majesty of pure truth.  God doesn't need to be bigger and louder.  He is calm and peaceful and piercing.  

In the temple we wear white clothing.  Under normal circumstances the bride and groom have access to a dressing room to change into their traditional wedding clothing-- wedding dress and suit.  But with Covid, they arrive in their white clothes and leave in their white clothes.  In future years it will be pretty easy to identify exactly when a couple got married in the temple based on their leaving the temple pictures.

Greta was right there to congratulate the happy couple.

And there Greta stayed.

From left to right:  Celeste (Alexa's sister), Bethany, Elinor, Alexa, Kamry (Alexa's sister), Ashlynn (Alexa's sister), Faith.

There will be lots more, lots better pictures coming, but here's a first look at the new and improved Fox family:)

We had a luncheon at a pavilion in North Salt Lake after the sealing.

We waiting around a while for Clark and Alexa, but not for reasons you might expect:)  Rather they had a mix up and were locked out of their car in the basement of the parking structure of the Bountiful Temple.  Oops.

In the end the made it and it wasn't a problem at all.

Clark shared a few short words and then it was time to EAT!

Since they both served missions in Texas, BBQ was the natural choice for the luncheon menu.  R&R catered it and it was just right.

 I think they were happy to have a little table to themselves.

The kiddos

Some of the Hansen family.

We were grateful Daniel and Lori could be the extended Fox family representatives.

Cutting the cake-- they did not smash it into each other's faces.  To each his own, but I liked how they did it:)

A dance for the bride and groom.

A mother/son and uncle/niece dance.  What is my facial expression here?  No matter.  It was lovely and I cried-- because that's what I do.

Congratulations and all our love to the newlyweds!!!!

Clark and Alexa's Reception

 

This was a joyful moment!  Anyone reading this knows as well as I do that life it made up of exquisitely happy times and devastatingly heartbreaking times.  Moments that are so good you can't believe they are real, and times so hard you just keep wishing it was a bad dream you would wake up from.  And like everyone, we have all those times and the times in between.  These two days of wedding celebration for our oldest child and his beautiful bride were definitely among the best moments of our lives.

Lots of littles

Barbara and Allison Sherman were the first reception guests to arrive.

The new and improved Foxy Ladies Club.

Elinor-- age 17

Here is Aunt Diane and Uncle Lane taking advantage of one of the good things to come out of Covid-- the drive-by reception:)

It was so nice to be with all my siblings at the reception.

The Christensen family

My cousin Christy and her husband Matt.

We were so delighted to see so many from our ward who made the drive up to Bountiful.  It was amazing how to love and support from others can carry you through the happiest and saddest times.

Johansens.  Jeremy (middle) introduced Clark to to his favorite game, Heroscape.

Rachel, Bethany, Josh, Tanner, and Jake.

Marjorie and Lori.

The Brown/Godek clan.

The Allreds.

Elinor and her childhood friend Coy.

Thygersons and Andrea.

Andrea and James with the bride and groom.  Andrea has been a second mom to Clark and we are so grateful.  

Bethany, Zach, and mission buddy of Clark's (sorry I don't know his name, but I was in a picture taking mode and he was there so he's in the picture:)

Our "book club" group.  Well, it started out 16 years ago as a homeschool book club group--- now they are just our people. 

My adorable nieces-- Takara and Kaylee.

Such a beautiful view with a gorgeous sunset.  The day was very hot-- 100+ degrees.  But the evening was perfection!

The Taylor family.  We met and came to love this family when Clark was about 6 months old and their oldest just a couple months older.  How the time flew by.

Elinor, Lilianna, Olivia, and Cannon.

More love from our awesome Riverton ward.

Bethany and Jacob have been very close friends for a long time-- and although some of their pictures might suggest there is more going on between them-- let me assure you that is not the case:) Rather they are both interested in handsome young men.  Which frees them up to remain dear friends:)

With the exception of Alexa, everyone in the picture has spent some time as a Prototype X robotics team member.

The boys were tuckered out by the end of the evening.

Clark had a grand time with former mission companions and friends.

So much love.  So many friends.  And yet, the love birds and soon to be newlyweds, seemed happiest when the crowds all left and they were just with each other.  Just as it should be:)