One Week Home

It has been a very busy week since we arrived home late last Saturday evening.  On the one hand, time moves so very slowly when eight months pregnant in the heat of the summer.  But on the other, how is it possible that a whole week past? Yet it feels like we arrived back home two days ago?  It actually frightens me that my perception of time passing is so inaccurate.

Bethany left early Monday morning for a week of Oakcrest girls camp.  This is a church owned and run girls camp for young women, but they only go once-- the summer after their 7th grade year.  She came home Friday afternoon and she LOVED it.  I was so happy that she had such a fun, uplifting week and wanted to soak it all in-- making new friends and enjoying all the experiences camp had to offer. 

We celebrated her homecoming with a bit more grown-up hair style.  Our friend and neighbor cut it and I think it is adorable on her!  I am so glad my Bethany is home.

Bethany is not the only one who needed a hair change.  I was growing my hair out throughout this pregnancy, thinking that if my body was getting markedly larger, my head should not remain small with a really short haircut.
But the longer hair was driving me nuts!  My head and neck were so hot and I didn't even like the longer hair anyway.  So I'm back to the pixie cut and I could not be happier.  This is the hairstyle for me at this point in my life-- even if Abe did say the shorter hair accentuates my growing tummy... hmmm.  Rash decisions at the end of a pregnancy often do not turn out well.  Fortunately for me, I think this one did. 
But you know what was a bad decision?  Trying to go shoe shopping this evening.  Wow!  That was uncomfortable!  It is getting harder to put my shoes on at home, much less try on pair after pair while sitting on a little stool.  

Elinor and her friend Megan collected and prepared individual habitats for about 30 snails.  They hoped to sell them to neighborhood friends today, but the heat of the day was too much.  They put off their snail stand to another day.  Let's pray they survive.

Clark left for Youth Conference on Thursday and got back home this afternoon.  They went rafting on the Green River and from all reports it was great fun.  I am so grateful for these experiences our children get to have with other great youth and for leaders who take time away from their families to plan and take the youth.  Both Clark and Bethany came home in such good spirits.  Thank you, thank you to those leaders!

My dear friend and sister-in-law, Mary, is staying in Utah with her family this week and she was so kind to bring us dinner Friday night.  The kids were so happy to see their cousins again so soon after the reunion and I just love talking with Mary.  She is a wise woman and as they have recently moved out to Kansas, I am hoping I still get plenty of time talking with her over the years. 

The  younger kids and I had a somewhat slower week.  Our washer has been having problems, so we took a couple of trips to the local laundromat.  Exciting.  Once again, laundromats are not bad things.  You can get a lot of laundry done in a short amount of time.  I do think the owners would be wise to make them more hospitable, welcoming, comfortable places.  Abe has been working tirelessly (when he's been home) to fix the washer and there is hope.  Perhaps next week we will enjoy the luxury of doing our laundry at home.  

And one more note about Abe, he has been working so hard this summer and he had a really great week at work this week.  I am very proud of him and thankful for his hard work in behalf of our family.

This week was also my birthday on Tuesday.  I was treated very well by so many people that I'm feeling more than a little guilty.  I don't think I'm as good a friend as I should be.  People are so very thoughtful and I would like to do better at remembering special events for other people.  Abe and I went out to dinner with my most favorite cousin, Ben, and his lovely wife Cali.  She is my age and due about a month after me with a surprise baby when they thought they were done.  We had lots to discuss and great conversation.

I don't know if I should hope that the next four weeks pass as quickly as this one did or not.  Now that this baby is almost upon us, I'm realizing there are quite a few things I really must get done and ready before his arrival.  I'm hoping to be induced on August 11th so we might be within the one month count down!

The Family Photo

The final event of the reunion was an attempt at a huge family picture and the baptisms of three cousins.  We left the baptism and immediately hit the road to head home.  This picture was snapped just as we were leaving Fox Hill heading to the picture.

Clark is 15!  Picture day and driving home day fell on Clark's birthday (again).  It is rather unfortunate for Clark that his birthday regularly falls on a reunion travel day.  His birthday celebration this year is spread over the month of July when we can fit it in with camps and youth conference and such. 
Grandpa made sure to stand on a higher step than Clark.

The four oldest grandsons-- from youngest to oldest and tallest to shortest-- Parker, Clark, Adam, and Ford.

Here is the picture with all the grandchildren, minus 4-- three who weren't there and one who wasn't feeling well and needed to go inside.  That's quite the posterity.

The seven Fox brothers.  You can see how unfortunate it is that they have such a hard time expressing themselves.

The Fourth of July in Spokane

Abe took Faith, Cannon, and George on a hike around Fox Hill and my little sweeties gathered a bouquet of wild flowers for me.

Not only is Faith a sweetie, but she is one tough cookie as well-- giving George a piggy pack for much of the way.

For the evening's festivities on the Fourth of July, Uncle Michael arranged a program and ceremony to retire a flag.  Rather than having the Scouts do it, he has a color guard of young women.  They did a marvelous job and were very respectful.

Uncle Michael has a great reverence for our freedoms and the armed forces.  He is wisely striving to pass that on to his family and extended family.  It is interesting for me, coming from a strong military heritage.  I must admit that I love Memorial Day as a time to honor and revere those who have fought and sacrificed for our freedom, but come July 4th I appreciate a good celebration and party.

Sometimes the worst ideas are the most fun.  Thankfully, no one was injured.

I find it hard to believe that the young ladies could find no other meeting location for a little D&D adventure than the furnace room.  Perhaps they just wanted some privacy.

The young men usually feel the need for a display of physical dominance resulting in an arm wrestling tournament.  Ford (in red) skunks them all.

Silverwood Day 2014

Silverwood is the amusement park of the Northwest and it was the planned activity for the Fox family reunion yesterday.  Being 8 months pregnant, I had no wish to join the festivities.  So I got up and helped ready all of my people, wished Abe good luck and settled in for a day by my lonesome reading a book, writing letters, napping, and enjoying the silence.

There they all are, ready for a fun day of rides and cousins.  Silverwood is smaller than Lagoon and nowhere near as crowded, but still has big fun rides and a water park included.

When you're an adult, this is what makes amusement parks worth the hassle and heat.  Oh, the joy!  I like going to amusement parks, but not even this cutie could lure me there in my current condition on a hot day like this. 

But wait... what have we here?  Who is that man in the sun glasses and the cute little girl next to him.
Of all the crazy coincidences, my brother Matt and his wife Misty and their two girls happened to be at Silverwood-- six hours from their home in Vancouver, WA-- on the very same day that our family was up from Salt Lake.  We had no idea we would both be there.

Abe and Misty texted me and I was so sad I wasn't there to see them, but I still didn't see how it would be possible.  I'm just not in a condition to walk around in the heat all day.  But then Dad Fox said he would be leaving shortly to go just for lunch with the family and a couple of hours and then he'd be coming home.
YES, I'M IN!  My quiet day at home was not to be.  But it was worth it.

How fun for us to see both Abe's and my family on the same trip!

We just don't see them often enough.  George, Aliyah, and Cannon

 Bethany and Rosalie.

Elinor getting a goodbye hug from Rosalie.

Clark and Alexis all grown up.

George liked the train ride and meeting "The Marshall" in the Old West show.

Here is my favorite picture of the day.  John is almost three years older than Cannon, but they have been very good buddies on this whole trip.  John is a sweetheart.

I think he has made the reunion for Cannon.

Abe went on a big scary ride with Jesse and Amy.  He kind of knew it was a bad idea.  He tried to talk himself out of it saying, "I just don't need that in my life."  But he succumbed to peer pressure.

 So he did it.  And he regretted it.  And he never has to do it again.

Elinor was so happy to get to go up on stage and help the magician with a trick during the magic show.

We enjoyed a tasty lunch at a pavilion with the family.  Here is the 11 year-old group of girls.

Fun times at Silverwood.

No End in Sight

Yesterday, mid-day was a family hike that began at a park.  I will share pictures that Abe took, but I can't share any first-hand accounts of the events.

I can't say for sure, but the pictures suggest that everyone had a fun time.

Clark prefers hikes in a little more solitude when he hikes, but he said it was good anyway.  Too many people scare the wildlife away.

Not that life isn't wild enough with this many people.

They do love to be together and I think they are very cooperative to keep posing for Uncle Abe's fanatical picture taking!

Grandpa sharing some words of wisdom to the younger generation.

Later in the day was the youth temple trip.  Quite a remarkable group of young people.  This isn't all of them-- a few more can't make it until the last day of the reunion and a few more won't be able to come at all.

In the evening we had dinner at a pavilion and the annual Fox family talent show.  George gave a stirring rendition of "Everything is Awesome" from the Lego movie.

Cannon played his piano recital piece, "The Prince of Denmark".  Do you see that in his eyes?  That's called focus.  Serious laser-focus.  The piano teacher and mother in me is very proud.

And Faith played her recital piece, "Eine Kliene Nachtmusik" (A Little Night Music) which she can't ever announce without giggling a little.

We didn't have a lot of originality in our talent show numbers, but Elinor mixed things up a little by singing while accompanying herself on the piano.

Bethany played "You  Raise Me Up" and I tried to accompany her, but did a pretty crummy job on the little keyboard.  She, however, did very well; although I do not look very happy in this picture.

These reunions are very near to being too much fun.  At the very least they are exhausting.  Kids conk out pretty easily at night and sleep-in a while in the morning.  Here is how we found Cannon and Faith this morning.  They are good little friends and they quite melt my heart.

A Change of Heart

Alright, alright.  I admit it.  This is really fun.  For all of my whining about getting here to the Fox Family reunion, I am quite enjoying myself.  I'll also admit right off that Abe is doing more than his fair share of parenting as I do more than my fair share of resting.  I am very grateful because even as I write this he is off with all the kids and a few extra cousins to boot on a family hike while I sit in a very cool and comfortable air-conditioned room.  Not really fair, but quite lovely for me.

Yesterday was the first official reunion day and it started off with a bang, canoeing down a stretch of the Spokane River.  Somewhat of a logistical nightmare, somehow or other, it worked.  Everyone who wanted to go got to go and nobody drown. SUCCESS!

Oh, and nobody got terribly sunburned or sick either.  That is a really good day!

Cousins Gentri and Elinor.

Julia and Bethany have been the same height forever.  But Julia got her growth spurt first and passed Bethany up.

Faith and Eliza-- we have so many pictures of these two together at reunions over the years.

 I could have sworn I packed it, but I couldn't find George's swim suit.  Thanks to Aunt Amy, he wore a swim diaper instead.  However, he made sure people knew he wasn't wearing a diaper.  I can understand that a few years from now he might be embarrassed by this picture, but it warms my heart because it really captures my little Georgie-love.

Tiffany, Baby Hallie, Amy and I.  Most of the moms stayed at the home-base park while the menfolk shuttled children and canoes up and down the river.  Ours was not the most adventuresome lot, but it worked for me.

  We had lots of happy swimmers.

The Jolley Foxes.
Kathleen Jolley Fox
Cannon Jolley Fox
Abraham Jolley Fox

James Russell Fox and George Russell Fox.  George loves his Grandpa!

It happened.  We knew it would happen.  Clark caught a snake yesterday on one of his hikes around the property.  He says it is a rubber boa.  I have no reason to doubt his expertise.  But seriously, how can he make some money off his gift?  We need a business plan.

Love, love, love talking with my many sister-in-laws.  Do you see the two little babies on laps.  They are so cute, but I am reminded how much work babies are too.  Oh, my goodness, here we go again!

Each year we repeat some favorite activities, and we try out a few new activities.  This year saw the addition of "So You Think you Can Dance-- Fox edition".  Samatha and Michael's family won the whole thing with a very enthusiastic, musical, and well prepared family dance-- "The Hustle".

"Gangnam Style" was working the crowd and had great participation from Daniel and Lori's and Philip and Katie's families.

"Harlam Shake" from Russell and Melissa's family was wild and crazy, but we needed more!!! My only complaint as one of the judges was it wasn't long enough!

Baden and Mary danced to "Everything is Awesome" from the Lego movie and it attracted every stray toddler and preschooler on the property!  George (far right) came and joined in as soon as he heard the music.

The Abe and Betsy Fox family failed in family unity and planning, but at the last minute Abe and Elinor and Bethany pulled together more of a lip sync than a dance to "Word of Wizzum'" from Sons of Provo.  It's irreverent, but we love it.

And I'll give you one guess what the final closing dance number would be at the Fox Family reunion Dance Off.

Did you guess it yet?

Yes, that's right.  "What Does the Fox Say?"
It was a beautiful thing.  Look how moved Bethany was.  It was inspirational.

 I think Grandma and Grandpa were enjoying watching their posterity.

And just in case that wasn't enough fun for one day, we had an outdoor movie screen and movie theater popcorn to send everyone off to bed.

Just not sleeping in regular beds-- rather a huge cousin sleepover on the lawn.  No one was eaten by a cougar or trampled by a moose during the night, so once again, SUCCESS!