Our Life in the Yellow Brick House

So we pretty much became hermit crabs after the holidays. All of that travel left us longing for lazy weekends around the house. And that's exactly what we've been enjoying the past few weeks. I am pretty pumped about this because it means I have a clean house, organized closets and a DVR that is very near empty.   My Martin Luther King Jr. Day project. I should have taken a before because it's come a long way. And in case there was any doubt, this purchase proved that I am a huge nerd. I was so excited to find these rubber tubs to house my cleaning supplies. However, we were ready for a change this weekend. Back in October my wonderful husband bought me a spa package, which expires at the end of this month. I am horrible at making time for pampering. There are just always so many other more important things to do. So, I FINALLY got around to scheduling my appointments on Wednesday, which meant two back-to-back days of spa visits. I have such a rough life! :) ...

Before the New Year got here, I had very good intentions. I am not one for New Year’s resolutions, but I saw this pin on Pinterest and thought it was such a clever idea! Unfortunately with the holiday and post-holiday craziness, I never took the time to start. So I’m going to do that now. My goal is to find one original thing each day that I’m grateful for. I am hoping this will help me focus on the positive things in my life a little more in 2013. I spent far too much time in 2012 on negative thoughts and wishing circumstances were different. So that stops now! Don’t worry, I won’t be dragging you all into this resolution with daily posts, but I may update you from time to time. Another exciting thing going on in the Fox household since the New Year is a focus on healthy living. Although I’m rarely sick, I wouldn’t consider myself to be all that healthy. I don’t usually make any attempt to exercise and potatoes are my favorite food – not by themselves but smothered in butter, ...

Even though we had a great time on our trip to Branson last month, there was a bit of a cloud over the trip because the day before we left Kyle’s dog Zoey passed away. It was very sudden and has been hard for his whole family. His parents came down a few weekends ago and brought some old pictures and we smiled as we looked through them remembering what a huge, lovable, gentle giant she was. She came into the family just shortly after Kyle and I started dating, so I felt we always had a special connection. Plus, she didn’t lick me, so she was always my favorite. Kyle was determined not to like her because he had found a stray dog that his parents didn’t let him keep just weeks earlier. However, it didn’t take long for her to melt his heart. They were best buds and he had so much fun goofing around and cuddling with her. She is most definitely missed! Here are some pictures I was able to find of a boy and his sweet Zodie Zo.

Over the holidays Asher said some pretty funny things and Mom and Dad told us stories of some of the things he’s said recently, so I thought I’d do a post about it. Asher is only 3 but he talks so much like an adult. There is nothing more fun than listening to him! I can’t wait until Conner and Henry start talking! Asher saw some cows coming up across the street at my parents house. I said, "Asher, tell Uncle about those cows." And he said, "Well, Mark Cameron takes care of the cows but Jean Ann owns the property." Mom told us the other day when they were going into the grocery store Asher said he needed his shoes and socks off because his feet were hot. This boy would live without pants, socks and shoes if he could. My Mom told him that businesses usually have a sign that says, “No shirt, no shoes, no service.” She then asked if he understood what that meant. She said, “It means that if you don’t have your shirt on or your shoes on, you can’t go in and shop...

We were thrilled that Zach got to come home for Christmas and we tried to spend as much time as we could with him before he had to go back to California. We are hoping to make a trip there in May, but until then, I guess we’ll be limited to Skype and phone conversations. Here are a few pictures from his visit. One of my favorite things about traveling by airplane is seeing families welcoming their soldiers at the airport. I didn’t really think that would be me, but now that we have three siblings in the armed forces, it is. I was so glad I was able to be there when Zach made it home for his first visit back. Watching Asher and Zach is so fun. They spent a lot of time together when Zach was in college and Josh and Stacy were living with Mom and Dad. When Zach got home, they picked up just where they left off. Asher wanted to do everything with Uncle and when anyone else was playing with him, he was always pretending to be Uncle. It was so sweet. Most of his visit was plann...

After the craziness of Christmas, we were excited to see the Fox family again to celebrate Henry’s first birthday. It seems like just yesterday that I woke up to the text of his arrival. He is such a smart, curious and cute little man, and we are so proud to be his Godparents. We went up the night before his party and got to spend some extra time with him and help with set-up. Here are a few of the pictures/videos from the weekend.  While the girls decorated, the boys played and laughed, and laughed, and laughed.   Stacie made all of the cute decorations.    Every Mickey party needs a Mickey cake! Stacie did a great job on it!  Nana and the birthday boy!  Henry's almost walking!  Papa and Cousin Conner Mothers and Sons  Proud Parents  Henry did a good job opening all of his presents and especially liked the tissue paper.   I loved Henry's reaction to this present!...

Since graduating college, I’ve grown quite fond of endings and beginnings. Back then, they were happening every few months and you got to experience a sense of accomplishment and taking on a new adventure at least three times a year. After college, that changed quite a bit, especially since I’ve had no major job changes or moves. However, you can always count on the end of the year. It brings with it time to reflect on the good and bad of the past and look forward to the future, whatever it may bring. This year our Christmas card featured some top moments of 2012. I am kind of an amateur at the Christmas card thing, and I did not order enough, so I thought I’d share an extended version here so everyone can enjoy. Next year I’ll do a better job at getting it to you by mail. So with no further ado, here are some of our top moments of 2012… Although Henry was born on the last day of 2011, we didn’t get to meet him until 2013. What a joy it’s been to watch him gro...