Lovely September Days

One of the loveliest things in the world is when Abe takes the younger kids for an outing and I am left home alone.  Perhaps I've mentioned before that the nicest thing you can do for someone in this house is to let them be home alone. 

Their favorite outing as of late is to the pet store to visit the reptiles and get supplies for the reptiles that are already in our care.  Which, might I add, are far more numerous than I would prefer.  I thought my reptile days were done when Clark left on his mission.  'Tis not so.  We currently have two snakes, two green anoles, one crested gecko, and one leopard gecko.  Are you grossed out?  It's okay.  I'm kind of grossed out too.  But they love them and they are taking very good care of them. 

Faith got this little beauty today.

A little time at the park.

Breakfast together.

Nutcracker rehearsals for Central Utah Ballet are in full swing.  George is Fritz and Peter is a party boy.

Clark picked up Cannon from rehearsal last night and he snapped this picture for us.  Cannon is the Nutcracker.  Some people enjoy baseball season or football season.  We enjoy Nutcracker season:)

Bethany was home for some of Labor Day weekend.  It's always a treat when she comes home because we get to hear what new music she is working on.  I just love listening to her play and sing.  It's pretty much my favorite thing.

She had a few fellow Nauvoo performing missionaries over for games on Sunday evening.  What a delightful, happy group they are.

A little corn hole is always in order:)

George was pretty happy this week to finish last year's math book.  In our house, the yellow Delta/Division Math-U-See book is pretty tough and all the children feel somewhat traumatized by it.  George was no different and he is relieved to be done with it.

Fox siblings dinner Friday night to celebrate Phil's birthday. 

Because we were at this dinner, Clark was so good to pick up Cannon from rehearsal and then we went to Clark's apartment to retrieve Cannon.  This is how I found the two of them in Clark's room-- working on painting figures Clark has 3D printed.  For as much as I am NOT crafty, I suppose it is true that these things skip a generation.  Clark is incredibly creative and crafty.  I am impressed:)  I also really love the relationships that Clark has with his younger brothers.

Several years ago we were gifted this amazing detailed dolls house with exquisite little furniture for all the rooms.  We had moved it to the basement where it wasn't accessible for playing because Faith was too old and the boys weren't interested.  Today I cleaned out that area of the basement and we brought it upstairs and Greta was in HEAVEN!  She kept calling it her Jane Austen house--- because she is my daughter and she is familiar with fancy houses in Jane Austen movies.  Daughters are such joy!

George built himself this "hammock"-- which really resembles more a medical stretcher--- but it works.

I believe he used old closet poles and duct tape.  This is so typical George--- he is always on the lookout for projects to create and build around the house.

Faith and Abe went with the youth in our ward and all of the southwest valley to a suicide awareness concert by Alex Boye.  

Faith babysat her cousins last weekend and we loved having the girls come to church with us on Sunday.

The School Year Begins Again

 

Another school year is upon us.  Happy, happy day.   I love the start of a new school year.  We have purpose and direction again.  The schedule is back in full swing and it makes for happy kiddos and a very happy mama.  And now I only have five kiddos at home and to be honest, it makes my load feel a lot lighter. 

Faith, Cannon, and George are all doing a new science curriculum called Supercharged Science.  Years ago Bethany and Elinor did this same program, but it's come a long way since then.  The kids are LOVING it and I love that they love it and are having fun doing lots of experiments that require little to no effort from me. 

Cannon and Faith are finding they are much more efficient in getting school work done if they are away from the other kids.  Cannon often sets up shop in my room.

Faith usually works alone in her room, but occasionally she welcomes Greta in to do school work with her.  

Peter is a big fan of audio books.  He can often be found resting on his bed while listening.  I encourage this because its good for his vocabulary and it soothes his intense little soul. 

We got a couple new (to us) laptops this year because all the kids have parts of their school work they do on a computer.  There was a little too much competition for computer time.  

I took this picture because it humored me.  George was actually practicing his hymn in this position.  I guess he had it memorized and I guess he didn't want to be practicing.

Faith still enjoys her gymnastics and still has her tricks.

Aerial---Round-off, back handspring, back tuck---Five back handsprings

Nutcracker rehearsals have begun!  Cannon is first, George is 2nd and Peter is 4th in line.  This is Peter's first Nutcracker  and he is pretty excited.  It does mean more time in the studio, but its already the boys home away from home and they are happy to be there.

Greta isn't old enough to be in Central Utah Ballet's Nutcracker, but that doesn't stop her from performing her own shows at home.

This lasted about 45 minutes, but Click here to watch a small sample of her art:).  

Greta was so excited to get these beyond adorable glasses this week.  One eye is markedly weaker than the other, so she wears her glasses when doing her school work.  SO DANG CUTE!

Here she is wearing them for her violin practice.

Faith's cornhole set arrived last weekend.  Team CORNUCOPIA was immediately out practicing.

Cannon had an impressive first showing.  He may give us some real competition.

We had some family over Sunday evening and my dad also proved a worthy opponent.  

Peter had Tae Kwon Do testing last Saturday.  I adore his little pointy ballet toes!

He passed and now a proud senior blue belt. 

I'll end this post with a picture of our wonderful cat.  He's not the brightest cat, but he is a good cat.  He is quiet and tolerant and he amuses us with his comical sleeping positions

Moving Day for the Foxy Ladies

 

Last Tuesday, August 24th was moving day for Bethany and Elinor heading up to Logan and Utah State University.  It was a happy day for everyone.  

I had the honor of getting to drive them up and help them get moved into their respective apartments.  And no, they are not living together.  Bethany was so excited to get back up to school-- she loved her experience last semester and she loved her roommates-- most of whom are living together again this year, although in a different apartment complex.  Elinor was excited and a bit apprehensive to move out and have the college experience.

Elinor is living in Merrill Hall on campus.  It's apartment style (so no meal plan) and she has a shared room.  She didn't know any of her roommates going in, but she seems to like them all.  I will say, her dorm room is very well laid out with a LOT of storage.  She packed relatively lightly, so she is comfortably settled in her space.

She is on the third floor (by her request).  

Bethany is at Bridgerland apartments.  When her roommates picked this complex, I think they may have looked at pictures of a newly remodeled unit.  The unit they were assigned is... shall we say... not newly remodeled.  And it further away from campus and it costs more and the laundry is farther away.  So, she wasn't thrilled with that, but she was rolling with it and I'm sure she'll make the best of it.  Also, Bethany doesn't pack quite so lightly:)  She is however, pretty organized, so I'm sure she's settled in nicely too.

It is humble:)

And in somewhat disrepair.... Oh well, it reminds me of Abe's and my days at the GlenHOLE (Glenwood) down in Provo.

A little visit to the local Chick-fil-a for lunch.  It's pretty nice for Elinor that Bethany has already been up in Logan for a semester and kind of knows the ropes.  They've gotten together a few times already and I'm hoping having each other will stave off any bouts of homesickness.

And then THIS was so fun-- I spotted a long-lost friend!  Autumn and I were teenagers together in Monterey, CA back in the day.  I haven't seen her in person since my wedding.  She was dropping her oldest son off at Utah State as well.  That was pretty awesome.

Aggie ice cream and a little visit to the Campus Store.

Awww... sisters together at college.  How nice. 

And then things got silly.

The awkward school dance pose

And then we ran across some very familiar faces from home-- Aimee and Glen Shaw.  Our friends and neighbor and their boys are great friends with our kids.  They were moving their son  Bryson up to Logan as well.

We made a quick stop at the Deseret Book/Distribution Center and we found Elder Young-- a fellow young performing missionary from Nauvoo!  

I said good-bye to Bethany at her apartment.  

And then I dropped Elinor at her apartment.  And just like that, our first three children are moved out and away at college.   And it's good.  It's good for them and good for the kids at home.  It's good for me to take a step back and let them spread their wings.