Formative Fox Family Fun

Recapping Boston's 5th Birthday!

2011-11-17T00:07:00.017-05:00

Boston's 5th Birthday was October 27th. (and yes, I'm just now getting around to blogging it.)

On Boston's birthday, his Gammi took him to the circus. (that explains the tiger face) Then, we had dinner with the Cersey's at Boston's favorite restaurant of all time - Chick-Fil-A!!

Boston wanted to have his birthday party at his house. So, we rented a 5-in-1 inflatable jump house with a slide. I should have taken a picture of the whole thing because it was massive.
Boston also requested to smack a pinata at his party.

Boston's Gammi made him 2 cakes this year. One just wouldn't do, I guess.

The baseball cake was pretty cool, but the He-Man was the hit for sure. The candle in his forehead my favorite touch. (In case you are wondering, No, He-Man has not made a come back yet, but Boston LOVES him anyway.)

Bossy scored some sweet gifts, like this one from Aunt Shell.

Boys will be boys, I guess. Here's Caiden and Boston beating up on poor Henry. (thanks for being such a good sport, Henry.)

After a long day of crazy jumping, sliding, cake eating fun, we all started to poop out.

Boston and his daddy on his big day.

If course, I made him pose with me too.

After everyone left the party, we still had 30 minutes before the rental company came to take the jump house away. Me, Chris and Boston wore ourselves out till the bitter end. It was soooo much fun.

.... and then we crashed. Hard.

What a fun birthday!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-08T15:59:00.013-05:00

We carved pumpkins with the Ross family on Halloween Eve.

We all had a great time and I hope that we've started a joint family pumpkin carving tradition.
We are so proud of our artwork.

Julie came over on Halloween to hand out candy for trick-or-treaters that dared to knock at my door. Thank you Julie for making it possible for me to trick-or-treat with Boston. You are the best!

I painted Boston's face because he refused to wear the Evil Jester mask. Apparently, I created a Jester MONSTER!

It didn't take long before Boston smeared his makeup.

Trick-or-Treating with daddy and a witch! (Gammi) Her costumes are always impressive.

Boston's friends where trick-or-treating in style. Their parents were pulling them behind their golf cart and they gave us a ride for a while. We got candy twice as fast!

Boston with his trick-or-treating buddies.

Happy Birthday Boston Wayne Fox

2011-10-26T21:09:00.023-04:00

I am the proud mother of a 5 year old son. Hard to believe that 5 years ago, my sweet baby Boston was born. His due date was the 20th but he was destined to be born on the 27th. His daddy and I were engaged on the 27th, married on the 27th and Chris's birthday is also on the 27th.

This is a picture of newborn Boston right after the nurses cleaned him up. He looks just about as shocked and scared as I was.

I wanted to post a few pictures of my amazing son to celebrate the past 5 years.
Here's Boston and his Daddy snoozing at the hospital before we took him home.

4 month old baby Boston. Man, how I miss those chubby arms!!

Boston's 1st birthday! He learned at an early age how to get down and celebrate, even covered in his own birthday cake.

Me and Boston on his 2nd birthday.

Boston's 3rd Birthday and his awesome Transformer pinata.

Boston's 4th birthday was all about Ninja Turtles. He was Raphael for Halloween that year.

From baby to 5, in the blink of an eye. Man, how the time flies. I feel so blessed to have been given such a wonderful son. Every year of motherhood is more enjoyable than the last. I am so proud of Boston and am grateful for every moment I get to share with him. Chris and I always say that we are the lucky ones.

Happy Birthday Boston Wayne! You are loved more than you can imagine.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-06T22:19:00.011-04:00

We took Boston to Randy's Pumpkin Patch, like we do every October. It never gets old... for Boston. He had a great time.
I just LOVE October! It's my favorite time year.

Tasha met us there with her sweet kids! Boston had such a blast with Taylor, Jordan and Adrianna.

Random Pictures

2011-05-16T17:08:00.011-04:00

So, I've neglected my family blog. These are some pictures that I posted back in May that I never actually posted. Better late than never. Here they are.

We took Boston to see the Gwinnett Braves and he met the mascot. We're not sure what specific rodent the mascot is, but he's friendly.
This is my sweet husband coming home from work with groceries in one hand and flowers for me in the other. Yep. I'm a lucky gal.

Boston chowing down on daddy's BBQ chicken.

It got a little messy.

We got Boston a new bike and he loves it! We need to work quickly on how to lose the training wheels.

Boston and his Navy tattoos. Tough boy.

Stinky and Butters.

Mother's Day

2011-05-13T17:20:00.010-04:00

Mothers all lined up in a row. Gramma, me, Mom and Amy.
Barry and Amy were gracious enough to host Mother's Day again. We enjoyed dinner together on their back deck.

Mother's Day with Chris's family was a little more wild. Rhonda wanted to go bowling for Mother's Day. Here's Boston and Gammi playing air hockey at the bowling alley.

Me and my bowling buddy.

Gammi and Boston

Daddy and Boston

We all had a fun time celebrating Mother's Day.

Bossy Blossoms

2011-03-27T18:43:00.007-04:00

Springtime is here and our yard needed some attention. We made a family trip to Home Depot for some supplies. We let Boston pick out some flowers, helped him plant them and then let him soak in the fruits of his labor. He's so proud of the flowers that he picked out and planted. Plus, our yard looks a little more colorful in the process. Win, win all around.

Boston picked out the yellow and red tulips.

Carey turned the DIRTY THIRTY!

2011-03-05T16:41:00.017-05:00

I'm WAY behind on my blogging these days, but better late than never, right. So, in Februrary, yes, February I kissed my twenties good-bye, but I sure had fun in the process. We spent the weekend in Durhamtown.

We rented the 3 bedroom/2 bath "Feed Barn" for 2 nights. It was no 4 star hotel but we got some good laughs out of it. It was dirty and rustic to say the least. Toilets didn't always flush, it took 5 minutes for a quick spurt of hot water to come out of the faucets and no central heating/air. One of the bedroom doors actually fell off of the hidges! But it had an awesome fire pit in the back yard! The first night Tina, Justin, Shelley and Andy spent the night. The next day, we rode 4-Wheelers with Andy and Shelley and had an absolute blast!

Andy (yellow), Shelley (red) and Chris (white)

This is me and Shelley trying to get unstuck. Man, it was muddy fun.

By the end of the day, we were COVERED in mud. I ended up cutting my losses and throwing my jeans away. No worries, they were my least favorite pair.

Check out the caked MUD. I wasn't kidding when I said that I wanted to get "dirty" when I turn thirty.

Me and my muddy hubby.

Hard core Chris.

After our 4-Wheeling adventures, the Hoffmeyers and Caldwells met up with us at the barn for an evening celebration. We played games, cooked our dinner over a bonfire and made smores. It was a super-fabulous birthday.

Thanks to my awesome friends who went out of their way to make my birthday so special. I am a very luck gal. Strawberry chocolate cake... mmmmm.....

The next day, we checked out of the lovely barn and spent the rest of the day with my family. My sweet mother made me a scrumptious dinner and cake. It was a birthday (weekend) to remember.

I just love my mom and dad. Love 'em.

Here's to 30 more... and 30 more...

My Snuggle Bugs

2011-01-10T01:14:00.005-05:00

I was so tired when I got home from work yesterday. Just couldn't get off the couch. Luckily, I had some company.

I passed out. Chris covered me up, and Stinky just couldn't resist. Look how sprawled out he is!
I love my kitty.

Santa Clause was good to Boston

2011-01-05T00:26:00.005-05:00

I guess Boston must have been a good boy because Santa pulled out all the stops this year. When Bossy came downstairs on Christmas morning, our entire living room was filled with an inflatable jump house. Santa even had to move the couch out of the living room to make enough space.

I can barely see his stocking! It's covered with so many goodies!
Opening present...

Merry Christmas!

Boston cracks me up with his presents. He doesn't blow through them like your typical super-excited kid on Christmas morning. He carefully opens each gift, examines it, asks questions about it and really appreciates it before moving on to the next one. It took us 4 hours to get through Christmas morning!! Good gracious!

I made a killer breakfast casserole. Chris has been begging me to make it again.

Pre-K Christmas Party

2010-12-22T15:08:00.010-05:00

Me and my little man at his Pre-K Christmas Party!
Gammi came too and joined in the festivities!!
Boston with his teacher, Ms. Nicole. We gave Ms. Nicole her first teacher ornament.
Boston and his class enjoying the holiday food.

After lunch, the kids had a book exchange. This is Bossy picking out his book to open.

He was very eager to rip off the wrapping paper. (It was a Christmas book.)

Decorating our Christmas Trees

2010-12-15T23:23:00.005-05:00

Boston is soooo thrilled! I got him a 3 foot tree just for his bedroom. It makes a very festive night light! He's accumulated ornaments over the years, so his tree is personalized to him. He has some "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornaments he was given in 2006, the Grinch, Thomas the Train, Lightening McQueen and various superheros. It's actually really cute. (for a tacky tree) He had a blast decorating it.

This is Bossy helping me decorate our true "tacky tree" downstairs. All of the random ornaments go on this tree. (my color coordinated tree is in my living room) Truth be told, my tacky tree is by far my favorite.

Mommy's little helper.

Visiting Santa

2010-12-12T10:03:00.001-05:00

We took Boston to the Mall of Georgia to visit Santa. Boston told Santa that he wants Legos, Transformers and new shoes! Yep, new shoes. That's my boy.

This nutcracker was just his size!

For dinner, we took Boston to our family favorite - Chick-Fil-A! One of the cows was there dressed up like an elf.

Chris's Birthday Party

2010-11-28T15:48:00.000-05:00

Chris wanted to have a party at home this year. We had a crazy card, pajama birthday party. So, everyone came over in their comfy PJ's and we played cards. We had 3 card tables set up. 2 tables for 500 and 1 for poker. Good times.

Chris is wearing the crown that Boston wore when he turned one. Chris turned 31, so I thought it would be funny to add a "30" to the crown. So, now it says, "it's fun to be 31."
Shannon, Carey, Keith and Asha playing 500.

Chris, Tina, Brennan and Justin playing 500.

Mike, Shannon and Thiggy playing poker.

Chris trying to help Tina decide how to play her hand.

Happy Birthday Chris!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T02:18:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is quite busy for us because we split the day with both sides of our families.

Round #1: Thanksgiving at the Vander Horst's house. YUMMY!
Barry, Chris and Mom filling their plates.

I love my mom and dad! My parents have the most breathtaking red Japanese Maple tree in their back yard and it's always at it's peak at Thanksgiving. Perfect for picture taking.

Gramma pushing Bossy on the swing. My parents use to push me on that same swing when I was a kid. Heartwarming.

Family pictures. We needed a good one for our Christmas card. I think we found a winner. :)

Round #2: Thanksgiving at the Marco's. We were so stuffed by the end of the day. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Halloween

2010-11-14T11:37:00.000-05:00

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Love it. I'm sad to have to wait 11 more months to celebrate it again.

Boston was his favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Raph. Gammi came dressed as Iron Man.

The Caldwells came to celebrate Dash's 1st Halloween.

Michelle and Chris stayed at the house and handed out the candy to trick-or-treaters.

Our spooky house.

Boston's Birthday!

2010-11-03T23:19:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that my baby boy is 4 years old!! Boston LOVES the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (Raph, in particular is his favorite) Gammi is our family cake maker. I think this is her best work so far. Great job Rhonda!

On his way to a Halloween party, Jackson stopped in for a little birthday fun. Here are the best buds. Maybe Boston should consider a new best friend since Jackson is threatening his life at gunpoint.
Daddy's favorite gift to Boston. Sorry Bossy, you're doomed to be a RedSkins fan whether you like it or not.

Boss really wanted to bob for apples for his birthday. It ended up being the highlight of the party. Good call Boss.

The birthday boy with his prized newly bobbed apple.

It was cold and rainy so we had to hit the pinata inside the garage. The funny part was when the sting broke off of the pinata before the boys had smashed it open. They just hit it on the ground until they broke through.

Our wonderful family. Thanks so much for coming to Bossy's 4th birthday party. It meant a lot to have you there.

Randomnis

2010-11-03T22:56:00.001-04:00

My best friend, Tina turned the dirty thirty. Justin threw her a surprise birthday party at a cabin on Lake Hartwell. Tina and I have been friends since we were 12. It's been fun to watch her kiss her teenage years and twenties good-bye. I know that we will still be friends when she hits the 4-0, 5-0, 6-0...... Happy Birthday Teeny Beany.

Bossy and his bathtub devil horns. He looks so much like Chris in this picture. Especially the devil part. Ha! Ha! Ha!
Chris and I went to a Halloween costume party. We dressed up like the characters from our favorite TV show, Sons of Anarchy. Chris is Jax and I'm Tara.

Fright Fest at Six Flags

2010-11-03T22:56:00.000-04:00

We gave Boston a choice on how he wanted to celebrate his birthday.

Option #1: We could throw a big party on Saturday at our house with all of his friends and family, rent an inflatable jump and go all out.

Option#2: We would have a small, family party on his birthday and then go to Six Flags the following Saturday.

Boston chose the best of both worlds and opted to go to Six Flags. The Ross family went with us and we had a BLAST! Good choice Boston.

Fall Fun at Corn Dawgs

2010-10-18T00:56:00.000-04:00

Chris, Boston, Gammi and I went to Corns Dawgs to enjoy the fall festivities. We met up with our friends, Tasha and Adrianne and their children. Boston always has the best time playing with them.
Our little sunflowers, Boston, Adrianna, Taylor and Jordan.

Nice little family pic. We're sitting right in front of the corn maze. With the exception of Chris, we all wore our Halloween shirts. I just can't seem to get him out of those RedSkins shirts. :)

We had lots of fun riding on the Cow "Train", sliding down the slides, playing numerous games, walking though the corn maze and playing in the corn box. That's right corn box. It's what looks like an over sized sandbox but instead of sand, it has raw corn. Chris and the kids LOVED it!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-11T23:12:00.000-04:00

We LOVE Halloween! This October, we will celebrate our favorite holiday as much as possible. You should see my house! Boston keeps asking me if we can make it spookier. We took Bossy to a local Pumpkin Patch and had a great time. Boston asked to go through the haunted house! I had to hold him the whole time but he said that he loved it!
So tall. I can't believe he'll be 4 years old in just a few weeks!!

Bossy and his crazy mommy. Hey, not every ride at the pumpkin patch has to cost money.

Big boy on a big horse.

Such a heavy pumpkin.

Bos man and his daddy.

Boston Plays Soccer!

2010-10-11T21:36:00.000-04:00

Here is Boston with his team. Yep, only 5 team members. Go WOLVES! Except cheering for your sons 4 year soccer team seems silly when they don't even keep score. Boston has managed to score one point during a game. So, his future may not be in professional soccer, but at least he's having fun.

Boston looks like the red headed step-child of his team with his black shorts. During registration, we were counseled to not waste our $$$ on the matching shorts because no one else was going to buy them. Ummm. Really? This is obviously not the case. Oh well. Next time buddy. Luckily, Bossy is a 3-year old boy who could care less and has not even noticed.
Circle chant. "Go Wolves!"

Boston (#7) is learning about good sportsmanship. "Good Game, Good Game, Good Game, Good Game..."

Boston's First Soccer Practice

2010-08-25T11:57:00.000-04:00

Boston's first soccer practice was at 5:00 on Monday. What the duce? Why the coach thought 5:00 was a great start time is beyond me. I don't even get off work until 6:00! (Don't worry, we talked it out with the coach later. Turns out we aren't the only parents that were inconvenienced by a 5:00 start. It has now been changed to 6:00 PM) Luckily, Gampi just so happened to be off work that day and was able to take Boss Man to practice. Gampi was very sweet to swing by my office on his way to soccer practice so that I could wish my little man good luck. (that and Boston's cleats and shin guards are no picnic to put on. Either way, I'll take it!) Here 's me and my little soccer man at my work.

My work associates, Claudia and Amy got a "kick" out of my little stud muffin soccer man.
On his merry way to soccer practice. Look at those cute little shin guards!

Rollin' in Gampi's Trans Am.

More Mexico

2010-08-11T00:37:00.000-04:00

A storm blew in one afternoon for a few hours. The Foxs and Coxs made the most of it by playing our favorite card game - 500! Good times. No, GREAT times.

The resort provided different shows every night to add some entertainment to the evenings. Some were better than others. My personal favorite was the night of the magic show. Although, I'm pretty biased because the magician chose me out of the crowd to come up on stage to assist in one of his tricks.

I was amazed at how plentiful the area was with iguanas. They were almost everywhere you looked. We got some of them to eat right out of our hand!

Our everyday room service came with towel decorations. I was always so excited to come back to our room to see what different towel creature was waiting for us on our bed.

El Derado Resort in Mexico

2010-08-11T00:25:00.000-04:00

27 is our number! We were engaged and married on the 27th. Chris and Boston were both born on the 27th. We just had to get our pic with the 27.

Chris and I enjoying our vacay.

Having a grand 'ole time!

Dinner

Mexican night.

We had so much fun with Brennan and Asha. Good friends are hard to find and we found our selves some keepers in the Coxs. We are very fortunate.

Mexico

2010-08-11T00:17:00.000-04:00

Chris and I went on a super fabulous vacation at an all inclusive resort in Mexico with our friends, Brennan and Asha. We had the time of our lives! It was an experience of a lifetime, or maybe I should say, it's an experience that I hope to re-live repeatedly throughout my lifetime. An all inclusive vacation was the way to go.

This is me on the top bunk of a beach bed. Yes, that would be a bed on the beach. So perfectly relaxing. I experienced the best nap of my life on a covered beach bed as I slowly drifted off to sleep to the sound of the rolling waves. Below are some more pictures of pure relaxation.

POOL TIME! The resort had 4 pools to choose from.

We'd wash the chlorine off with some salt water. The snorkeling was amazing! Brennan found all sorts of sea creatures on the ocean floor, Chris and I chased a HUGE sting ray and I had the pleasure of seeing a sea turtle! Apparently, there were barracuda hanging out near our beach, but we never ran into one. I can't say that I'm disappointed about that one. I just feel so fortunate that I was able to sneak up on a sea turtle. It didn't let me enjoy the moment for very long. Those bad boys are FAST!

Kayaking was my personal favorite.

We took a ton of pics. More to come in future posts.

Family and such

2010-08-09T00:41:00.000-04:00

I left Bossy alone in the tub for just a few minutes and then he starts yelling, "MOMMY! Come look at what I did!" On my way to the bathroom, all sorts of crazy scenarios are flipping through my head of all the possible disasters he could have created while not under my watchful eye. To my relief, he had spelled his name all by himself and wanted to show it off. I was very proud of him.

Butters and Chris just hanging out. Doesn't Butters look thrilled?
Bossy and Nanny chillin' on the front porch.

Climbing

Nanny helped Boston climb one of the cherry trees in our front yard. She insisted it was time for him to learn. He had been trying to climb up it by himself for months, and this time he was successful with a little help from Nanny.

Boston and Grampa. So cute.

Phantom Father's Day

2010-08-07T02:00:00.000-04:00

For Father's Day, I set up a daddy/daughter date to see Phantom of the Opera. We had brunch at the Livingston before the play. We both had a great time. It was nice to spend some time just the two of us. Love you, daddy. Happy Father's Day!

Charleston, SC

2010-08-07T00:30:00.000-04:00

Chris and I took Boston and Gammy on a weekend trip to Charleston. Although the trip was short, we made the most out of every minute and had a great time. Boston enjoys the beach so much. He had a blast playing in the waves and digging in the sand.

Chris chillaxin' on the beach. Me and my little man. I just love him so much!

Gammy and Boston dug this deep hole...
and then buried Boston's legs in it.

All that sand shoveling was the perfect exercise for Boston to grow instant man arms. Oh wait, those arms look an awful lot like daddys'.

Mommy and Bossy enjoying the waves.

Father and son time.

Peachtree Road Race 2010

2010-07-29T23:50:00.000-04:00

This is our cotton trophy for running the race. We wear it with pride.

This picture was taken with Chris's phone, right after the we completed the race.
To all my adoring fans and blog followers, I deeply apologize for the laps in my blog entries. July has been quite a month for the Fox Family. (as you will discover in future posts) So, here's one to help ease your suffering, and I hope that more will follow shortly.
Chris and I celebrated our independence on the 4th of July by running a 10K. This was our first time participating on an organized race and we LOVED it. I'm honestly sad that I'll have to wait another year to do it again. 50,913 completed the Peachtree Road Race this year and it was fun to be a part of the excitement.
Chris was a superstar runner, and he completed the race in 49 minutes and 33 seconds. That puts him at 3,388th place out of the 50,913 that finished.
I was not quite as speedy finishing at 1 hour 5 minutes. And one hour running in the Georgia summer heat feels like an eternity - especially the last mile as it's really heating up. It was still an amazing experience and my adrenaline kept me pumping through the torturous heat. My goal for next year is to complete the race under an hour. Even if my time is 59 minutes, I'll be proud. Here's to next year...

Mother's Day

2010-06-03T23:51:00.000-04:00

I know it's a little late to post this but better late than never, right? Ok, so I had a wonderful mothers day! Chris treated me like the queen that I truly am. (LOL!) He let me sleep in and then woke me up with breakfast in bed. LOVED it! Then we went over to my brother, Barry's house to celebrate Mom's Day with my family. Barry and Amy have the cutest house with lots of land and a comfy back deck. The weather was great so we were able to have dinner on the porch.

Mother's picture. Gramma, Mom, Me and Amy. (missed you so much Courtney!!) I was so happy that my Gramma Warner was able to be with us. She lives in South Carolina so we don't get to see her as much as we would like to.

Barry and Chris handled the grill. The chicken was fabulous!

Amy and Boston on the 4-wheeler! What fun!! Barry's cute barn. Boston enjoyed climbing up to the top of the barn. It was a perfect 3 year old playground.

Happy Birthday to Jackson!

2010-05-30T00:59:00.000-04:00

Boston's best friend, Jackson Cersey recently turned 4 years old. Kristina and Justin threw him a fun Transformer-themed birthday party. They had an inflatable water slide equipped with dual water guns in their back yard. Perfect for a hot and humid Georgia day. The kids had a ball.
King of the mountain.
Action shot!

They had more fun trying to run up the slide than they had sliding down it. Boys will be boys.

Tina, Nicole and Brindi

Ryan, Chris and Jonny

Sleeping Sideways

2010-05-30T00:51:00.000-04:00

I checked on little man before I went to bed and found him in this peculiar position. He had thrown his pillows off the bed and decided to lay in their place. He's never done that before and hasn't done it since. (that I know of)

Stinky the Lion

2010-05-23T15:35:00.000-04:00

It's heating up in Georgia. As it gets warmer, my shedding animals decide to free themselves from their pesky winter coats... all over my house. It drives me crazy! So this year, I decided to take my long haired cat, Stinky to Bubbles for a "lion" cut. I'm sure the lion "mane" looks alot more powerful on a purebread, but it still cracked me up just the same. His tail is by far my faviorite part. Too funny. All jokes aside, it's really helped cut down on the fur balls. I'm sold. Stinky will be getting this cut every summer.

Relay For Life

2010-05-23T15:17:00.000-04:00

We went to Relay for LIFE last year and enjoyed ourselves so much that we've made it an annual tradition to attend. Boston has SOOO much fun there, and all the proceeds are donated to help fight against cancer. It's a total win, win. This year he really wanted to ride the bucket truck, but we kept distracting his excitement with other attractions. Now we can't pass a bucket truck without him noticing it and asking "when are we going to ride high up in the air on that truck?". I feel so bad that I didn't take him. We were just so afraid that he wasn't ready for it. Next year buddy, I PROMISE!!

He's all about anything that has to do with Halloween.
Jumping, jumping, jumping...
This jumparoo even had a slide. Weeeeee...
Propts to my forever love. Waffle House 4-va.
You KNOW you wish you had this T-shirt. Better yet, you know you wish you were eating a pecan waffle right now. LOL!
There was a "create-your-own cupcake/in ice cream cone" station. So deadly. Such a sugar rush. They put a cupcake on top of an ice cream cone. Then they let you choose your icing color. Then you choose from the cornucopia of endless toppings. How much sugar can we pile on top of sugar? That's the real question.

Even daddy couldn't resist a bite.

"Hey, Daddy, that's mine!!"

"It's MINE now!" Soooo mean...

Bossy LOVES mascots! It's funny to me because I was so scared of mascots when I was young. Don't know where he gets it from.

Chick-Fil-A. Don't you just LOVE it?

Is he happy or really surprised to be standing next to a clown? You be the judge.

Mmmmm. Chick-Fil-A....

Boston's 1st Day at Play School

2010-05-06T00:06:00.000-04:00

So, after 3 and a half years, we decided to send Boston off to day care. Actually, we were totally forced. Chris's mom was watching him for us while we were working but she had to go back to Virginia for a family emergency. So, we sucked it up. Bought Bossy a killer transformer backpack and sent him on his merry way to play with kids all day long. Great plan until he became VIOLENTLY ill only 3 days later. We figured that he'd eventually pick up bug from playing in the cesspool of germy dare care. But dang, THREE days later. Viruses take 2 days to incubate, so that's about right, I guess.

Other than getting sick, Boston seems to enjoy it for the most part. They make him take a 2 hour nap, and he doesn't much care for that. (Wah, wah. I wish someone made me take a nap everyday! Not much sympathy over here, buddy!) Boston gets a real kick out of wearing his backpack and it cracks me up. The first day, he wore it while he was eating his cereal! Wish I would have had the camera handy for that. It was too cute.

Recapping the Spring

2010-04-24T16:19:00.000-04:00

Chris and I at Piedmont Park. The weather has been so perfect this spring. We've taken full advantage of the beautiful weather before the typical Georgia heat and sticky humidity sets in.

Our cherry trees were gorgeous this spring. We were just a few days late with taking this picture. Wish we would have captured their full beauty while they were at full bloom. Next year...

Boston feeding his face instead of feeding the ducks at Alexander Park.

Happy Birthday to me. Chris took me out for my favorite - SUSHI! After our yummy dinner we checked into the Marriott in Atlanta where we enjoyed our "romance package".

Our room package included brunch. Keith, Shannon, Dash and Thiggy joined us. Thanks guys for coming out and helping me celebrate my last birthday in my twenties. Next year, it'll be my big 3-0! Yikes!

Brent's happy birthday. The family all had dinner at Long Horn. I love this picture of Bossy and Brent. Boston LOVES his Uncle Brent.

Chris, Boston and Butters passed out on the couch. Too dang cute.

Boston's 1st hike up Stone Mountain

2010-04-13T00:56:00.000-04:00

We bought a season pass to Stone Mtn Park and took Boston for his 1st hike up the mountain. He was so excited! He wanted to climb up every little boulder on the way up. He kept repeating the words, "hike, hike, hike". It was quite entertaining.
Chris and I were expecting to have to carry him up some of the way, but that little ball of energy hiked to the top of that mountain all by himself!! We were so proud.
After our mountain adventure, we went to the playground and then to the lake where we fed the ducks. It was a fun and exhausting day. Bos fell asleep on the way home. Poor little man was tuckered out!

Bossy and Chris chillin' at the top.

Just chillaxin'

What a HAM! OMG! I love this picture!

Easter

2010-04-05T03:50:00.000-04:00

The Easter Bunny found his way into our house again this year.

Boston enjoyed his Easter morning.

Superman & Batman DVD!

The thrill of the hunt. Of course, Butters had to be close by just in case he dropped some candy.

Chris's family came over to play yard games and enjoy an Easter feast. We all had a great time together. Happy Easter!!

Our snowmen and snow-woman

2010-02-13T14:53:00.000-05:00

The day after it snowed, the snow was in perfect condition for making a snowman. So, we decided to make 3 of them. One for Chris, one for me and one for Bossy.

Here's Chris and Boston rolling the bodies together.

Boston giving the snowman some good lovin'

Tada! Our snowman family is complete! Boston's has a Sponge Bob hat on. Chris's is decked out in RedSkins attire. Mine is a breasty Luau snow-woman, complete with a grass skirt. We had a lot of fun making them and got lots of laughs from our neighbors. It was a fun way to start my birthday off.

It DOES snow in Georgia!

2010-02-12T21:25:00.000-05:00

I'm welcoming in my 29th birthday with SNOW! What a great day! I got off of work early and was able to come home to prepare to play in our winter wonderland.

This is our picture of us taking our 1st step out into the fluffy fun stuff.

Look how excited Boss is to step out into the snow!
One big snuggly Fox family
Chris and Boston flying down our neighbors front yard on his snowboard. What fun! We don't have a sled, so we made do with what we have.

Carey, the snow angel?

I taught Boss how to make snow angels.

Making a snowman?....

Nah, why make a snowman, when you can build a torpedo in your front yard! Snowmen are sooooo 2009.

After our many hours of fun in the snow, we finally turned inside for a random dinner of gigantic cookies, soup and mussels. Yes, random but yummy and perfection still the same.

Happy Birthday to Michelle

2010-02-11T22:03:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Shell! We celebrated Michelle's happy birthday at Longhorn Steakhouse. Yum. Chocolate Stampede will satisfy any PMSing woman's craving for chocolate. It's a chocolate muse cake straight from the gods. Chris and I already want to go back to re-entertain our taste buds. Maybe tomorrow....

Just a tease...

2010-01-08T12:30:00.000-05:00

I bought Boston snow boots in preparation for the "arctic blast" that was going to hit us. As you can see from the pictures, the weatherman got us all excited for a light dusting. At least Chris didn't have to go into work until noon today.

This was a fun way to spend my last weekday before I start my new full time job. I will rejoin the rest of the full-time workers on Monday, January 11th. My part-time job just wasn't cutting it. It was fun while it lasted, and I am grateful for the time I was able to spend with Boston. I am very lucky that I had the opportunity to be a part-time stay at home mommy.

Christmas with the VanderHorst Family

2009-12-28T23:07:00.000-05:00

After Boston opened his presents from Santa, we went to my parents house for round 2 of Christmas.

I love my boys cheesy Christmas sweaters. So dang cute.

Gifts, gifts, gifts...

After presents had been opened, my mom made a FEAST!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T22:45:00.000-05:00

I didn't want to cook on Christmas Eve. So, we went to our favorite Asian fusion restaurant for dinner and had yummy basil rolls and seafood delight!

Then we went home to open ornaments and Christmas PJ's.

Then Boston went to bed, and Santa came to our house! Stinky was thrilled.

Christmas Morning! Oh,the joy of opening presents that Santa magically placed under the tree.

My house at Christmas time

2009-12-20T01:31:00.000-05:00

Those who know me well are aware of my impulsive need to decorate to fit the holiday season. (whichever holiday it happens to be) Boston has mimicked my behavior, as children often do. Although I started decorating BEFORE Thanksgiving, Boston is still asking me when we can decorate more. He gets such a kick out of it that I keep buying additional ornaments to add to my already decorated tree. I just can't say NO to him. (Well, at least in this case anyway)

In my efforts to keep my power bill at a relatively respectable level during the holiday season, I refrained from decorating the outside of my house this year. (with the exception of a few inflatables) So, here's the inside, since the outside is nothing to brag about this year.

Merry Christmas to all!

Strangers

2009-12-20T00:27:00.000-05:00

Isn't it our job as parents to teach our children to stay away from strangers? Especially the strange looking strangers. Sorry Boston. I have failed you.

Mom's Birthday

2009-12-20T00:15:00.000-05:00

Chris's mom, Rhonda recently had a birthday. She adores Charming Tails collectibles and also loves to decorate for Christmas. So, for her birthday we decided to get her some Christmas Charming Tails to decorate her house with. Happy Birthday, mom. We appreciate all that you do for us and love you more than you'll ever know.

Boston visits Santa

2009-12-05T17:42:00.000-05:00

We went to the Mall of Georgia so that Boston could talk with Santa. We waited a freakin' HOUR in line with the rest of the crazy parents and anxious children. When it was finally Bossy's turn to talk with Santa, he chatted it right up with him. Yet, when Santa asked him the big question, "What do you want for Christmas?", Boss had no clue what to say. He ended up telling Santa that he wanted lolly pops. Well, that will be easy enough.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T11:45:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful and FILLING Thanksgiving day. Boston and Chris started the day off by watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in their jammies. Thanksgiving is Chris's favorite holiday.

Round one of dinner was at my parents house. Sooo yummy!

After our filling meal, we decided to take a walk together. (or we would all just fall asleep if we had sat down with full bellies)

After my parents house, we had round 2 of Thanksgiving dinner with Chris's family. Man, we were stuffed by the end of the day. Mission accomplished!

We played Rock Band with Chris's family to help burn off our extra calories. It was fun.

Fall Leaves

2009-11-30T11:25:00.000-05:00

My parents have such beautiful trees in their yard. After our Thanksgiving walk, we couldn't help but to play in the golden leaves. Boston and Chris had the funniest leaf fight I've ever seen. No matter how hard he tried, poor Boston couldn't throw the leaves high enough to hit his daddy in the face.

Chris's 30th Birthday Party

2009-11-29T17:56:00.000-05:00

Well, my hubby said good-bye to his twenties and welcomed in his thirties with a bang! We rented out the entire 3rd floor of TAP, our favorite restaurant in Atlanta. Our good friend, Shelley is the manager at TAP and hooked us up with a great set up for Chris's birthday celebration.

We were so grateful for all of our friends and family members that were able to come party with us. There were some friends that were unable to make it due to the thanksgiving holiday. If you were not able to come, you were missed, and you missed out! :)
We had a DJ pumpin' tunes all night for us. He humored us with our many song requests.

Let the good times ROLL!

We had 2 TV's at the party. One was to play a DVD slide show of pictures of Chris with his loved ones. The slide show was a nice touch, reminding us all of the good times we've had with Chris and inspiring us to make more memories. The other TV was to broadcast the UGA vs GA Tech football game that was on during the party. This was a must for many of our guests and the guest of honor. Fortunately, the dawgs came out victorious.

Many different people made this party a success. Special thanks go out to the following:

- My parents for watching Boston overnight

- Shelley Labbe-Sweet for organizing the details of food, drinks, space and DJ.

- Kristina Cersey for helping me make the DVD picture slide show

- the friends and family members who came to the party. It would not have been the celebration it was with out you.

- Finally, Christopher Wayne Fox for having a 30th Birthday and giving us the reason to celebrate your wonderful life. I hope you had an unforgettably fun birthday celebration. I love you and look forward to the next 30 years.

Backyard Bonfire

2009-11-24T16:12:00.000-05:00

Chris and Boston love bonfires. Boston thoroughly enjoys gathering wood in our "forest", breaking the sticks and then throwing them in the fire. He's such a boy. Thanks to Keith and Shannon who made our backyard fire huddle complete.

Dad turns the big 6-0!

2009-11-24T15:37:00.001-05:00

My dad just celebrated his 60th birthday on November 21st. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! I love you so much.

Dad let Boston help him blow out all 3 of his birthday candles. The lack of candles was my bad. I made his cake and it was kind of a disaster. The more candles you put in it, the more it would fall apart. Ooops. Sorry dad. At least the cake was tasty, right?

Wedding at Serenbe Farms

2009-11-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

It's taken me over a month to post this, but better late than never right? Between this wedding, Boston's birthday, my mom's birthday and Halloween - October was quite a busy but memorable month.

We had the privilege of attending a wedding that we will never forget. Our friends, Shelley and Andy were married on October 17 th. They asked Boston to be their ring bearer during the ceremony. Below are pictures from the rehearsal dinner at the Farm House. The food was amazing!

We rented a 2 bedroom bungalow at Serenbe Farms with our good friends, Brennan and Asha. Asha was Shelley's Maid of Honor. Staying with Brennan, Asha and Bella really added to our overall experience. Serenbe Farms was such a unique place to have a wedding. We spent the night there 2 nights so we had all day before the wedding ceremony to enjoy the Farms. Despite the chill in the air, we enjoyed seeing the animals, jumping on the trampoline and walking around the beautiful landscape.

After enjoying our surroundings, it was soon time to prepare for the wedding ceremony. Boston looked so handsome in his tuxedo. I was such a proud mama. Well, with the exception of when Boston picked his nose right before he started walking down the isle during the wedding ceremony. Yep, he started digging for gold just as it was his turn to walk down. Once I got him to stop picking, he walked half way down the isle and then ran the rest of the way to Andy. (the groom) But I was so proud of the fact that he went down the isle all by himself and then stood by the groom for 3/4 of the ceremony. Overall, he did pretty well for a 3 year old ring bearer.

Below are pictures from the wedding reception. The reception was so much fun! The food was amazingly tasty and we had a lot of fun dancing the night away. After all, dancing was the best way to stay warm. :)

Andy and Shelley really outdid themselves for their wedding. Every little detail had been thought through and taken care of. They have such classy taste and the overall experience as a guest was thoroughly enjoyable. I hope they enjoyed as much as we did. They had a bonfire for all of the guests following both the wedding reception and rehearsal dinner. The bonfire was a ton of fun, but we tend to enjoy a good bonfire. BIG thanks go out to Shelley and Andy for letting us share in their special wedding weekend. We wish them a life-long marriage filled with happiness and personal fulfilment.

Bostons 3rd Birthday Party

2009-11-12T15:15:00.000-05:00

Boston had a birthday on October 27th! It's hard to believe that my baby is already 3! Boston had a fun birthday party to say the least. We rented a Batman inflatable jump for the backyard and that kept the kids entertained for quite some time. Even after the party was over me, Chris and Boston jumped in it for hours until the owners came to take it away. Boston will still look in the back yard and ask where the "jumpy thing" is.

Boston had quite a turn out for his party. Thank you to all our friends and family who came to help celebrate Bossy's big day.

BIG thanks go out to Gammy for making Boston an awesome Spiderman cake.

Soon it was pinata smacking time and the kids had a blast trying to get the transformer to release the candy. It was a cold day, but the kids stayed warm with all the outdoor activities.

Redskins vs. Falcons Game

2009-11-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

Hail to the Redskins! Hail Victory! Braves on the warpath! Fight for 'ole D.C.!

Well, the Skins fought and we cheered, but it was not a victorious day for the Redskins. Poor Chris. It's been 6 years since his beloved Redskins came to Atlanta. He was so excited to see "his boys" proudly sporting the burgundy and gold. But at the end of the forth quarter the score was 17 Redskins, 31 Falcons. Ouch! It was an embarrassing defeat. Yet, we made the most of it and had a great time anyway. I was so impressed with the great number of fellow Redskins fans at the game. We had "friends" at every turn.

We got camera happy!

Tailgating is always my favorite part. We met up with several of our co-workers before the game and ended up with a respectable crowd at our tailgate.

Halloween

2009-11-02T00:28:00.000-05:00

What a Halloween we had! It takes more than cold, rainy weather to keep us from trick-or-treating! Here's our gang at a neighbors house getting candy.

Jordan, Taylor, Adrianna and Boston striking a pose.
Carey, Gammy and Chris all dressed up like Spiderman so that we could be one big happy spider family. Gammy even padded her costume for muscle effect. When it came time to put Boston's Spiderman costume on, HE REFUSED!! We forcefully put the costume on him, and he cried about the padded muscles hurting him! We were so disappointed to go out of our way to match him, and then he just wasn't having it. What a PUNK!!
Adrianne, Tasha, Chris and Carey

We had some fun friends join us in our Halloween fun. Paula and her family & Tasha and her family joined us for trick-or-treating. It was fun to have a big group running from door to door. Shannon, Keith and Thiggy stayed at our house and handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. (thanks guys!!) All in all, we had a successfully fun filled Halloween.

Halloween festivities at our local Publix

2009-11-01T15:42:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, Publix was a Halloween hot spot! I was shocked to see how many trick-or-treaters were there. Every department had an organized event that the kids could participate in.

Jackson the dinosaur, Carey the devil and Boston the skeleton

Decorating pumpkins in the floral department

Ring toss in the meat department

Thanks to the Woods, Cerseys and Dollars for hanging out at Publix with us.

Mom's Birthday!

2009-10-12T13:24:00.000-04:00

My mom's birthday is October 13th. I invited my family over to my house for dinner to celebrate. We had a wonderful time spending time together and eating good food. (if I do say so myself)

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!!

Silly Boston

2009-10-08T15:00:00.000-04:00

Where's Boston? He has really gotten attached to his stuffed animals lately and wants more to add to his collection. I'm trying to be supportive of his childish desires, but I've always thought that stuffed animals were a waste of space. Oh well, at least he uses his. He chooses different ones to nap and sleep with. It's very tender to see him cuddle up with his fuzzy friends.

We had to capture the wild animal. It's hard to cage the beast inside. Butters didn't mind sharing her crate for a while.

Another Trip to South Carolina

2009-09-25T00:44:00.000-04:00

One of the reasons Courtney flew all the way from Utah was to visit our Grampa Warner. So, me, mom, dad and Courtney drove 6 hours in one day to do just that. It was great to visit with my grandparents again. We are wish Grampa nothing but the best during this physically and emotionally trying time. Love you Grampa.

Carey, Grampa and Courtney
My mother with her parents

Courtney Visits Georgia

2009-09-23T11:59:00.000-04:00

My sister came to visit us in Georgia! She stayed 5 nights and I spent 4 nights at my parents house so that I could be with her as much as possible. It was so great to be with my big sis again. She wasn't able to bring any of her kids with her and that was a bummer. I adore her kids!! Yet, it was nice to have her less distracted during her visit. We were able to play some board games without the interruption of our children. Thanks to Rhonda and Jim for watching Boston some for me so that I could spend some quality time with my sister.

Visiting my Grandparents in South Carolina

2009-09-14T17:50:00.000-04:00

We drove 7 hours in one day (round trip) to visit my grandparents in South Carolina. It was wonderful to catch up with them. Aren't my Grandparents the cutest? I just love them so much and wish that we could move their home in South Carolina to Loganville, Georgia. Grampa started chemotherapy to treat his recently detected pancreatic cancer. I love my grampa very much and am hoping for a speedy recovery.

Labor Day at Hilton Head Island

2009-09-11T21:33:00.000-04:00

We went to Hilton Head Island for Labor Day with Chris's parents. This was Boston's first trip to the beach. After watching the waves roll in a few times, he said that the ocean looked like Diet Coke. I guess the bubbles on the sand kinda resembles Diet Coke. Boston cracked us up when he experienced his very first taste of ocean water. We were looking forward to his initial reaction, so we did not prepare him for the salty taste. Naturally, he was shocked and started spitting it out. When Chris asked him what the water tasted like, Boston replied, "It tastes like GROSS!!!" Too bad the ocean doesn't taste like Diet Coke.

Family photo on the sand dunes.
Daddy being sympathetic to Boston's tummy ache.

Chris and I brought our bikes with us and enjoyed a LONG bike ride. We were so excited about how bike friendly the streets are. While exploring the island, we came across Christopher Drive and just had to stop for the photo op. It was an enjoyable ride, but someone paid the price with sore leg muscles the next day. (and that someone was not me) ;)

Chris and Boston getting silly with the crab legs. Bos loves to make funny faces. At least he's not camera shy...

Fresh crab legs is one of my top reasons for a vacation to the ocean. It's a must!!

Yummy ice cream at "Hilton Head Ice Cream". For such a unique little ice cream shop, I'm surprised that they couldn't come up with a name with a little more personality.

Posing with the dolphin at Hilton Head Ice Cream.

The whole gang at "The Crazy Crab". I love that Spanish Moss but it freaked Boston out when it was dark. It was funny.

Gettin' CRAZY at The Crazy Crab.

More faces at The Crazy Crab.

Daddy buried his feet in the sand.

Me and my little man. Although, he's not so little anymore. I can't believe that he'll be 3 next month!!

All in all, I'd say Boston's 1st trip to the beach was a success. We were only there 2.5 days, but it was long enough to make some sweet memories.

Braves Game

2009-08-30T21:15:00.000-04:00

Chris and I had the pleasure of tailgating before a Braves Game with some friends. It had been a while since we've tailgated and we really enjoyed ourselves. We got to the parking lot so early that we were able to find a perfect spot with shade and some grass. Good times.

Me and Tasha posing before the game.

Thanks to Chris' parents for watching Boston for us so that we could get away for a while.

My Grandma is 91 Years Old!!

2009-08-16T20:35:00.000-04:00

My Gramma celebrated her 91st birthday! We should all be so lucky in health. She's earned it though. All through life, she's been active and eats relatively healthy. (with the exception of her daily cups of coffee, but who doesn't have a vice?) Even at 91 years of age, she drives herself to church every Sunday, she volunteers once a week at her local hospital and keeps a part time job at a health food store. She is truly an inspiration!! You go Gramma!

I've never seen Boston smile so BIG!

All you have to do is walk inside my Grammas house and you will instantly discover that she is Dutch. Dutch decor all around, windmills and wooden shoes are no stranger there. Boston couldn't help himself and just had to prance around in the wooden shoes. They're no Stride Rites, but they sure are fun to tap around in. I have a similar picture of myself as a child in these shoes. I should blog it and compare these pics. Dang, not scanner. Just use your imagination and keep in mind that I was a very cute kid. :) :)

Grampa's Workshop

2009-08-14T14:12:00.000-04:00

My parents have been watching Boston for me while I go to work. Thanks mom and dad! Usually Chris's mom, Rhonda takes care of him while I'm working, but she's been in Virginia visiting with her family. So Boston has been having a BLAST over at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Here's Boston in my dad's handy workshop. Boss loves to "fix" things with tools. He always gets so excited whenever Chris gets his toolbox out. Screwdrivers and hammers are his favorite.

Baby Bella

2009-08-11T12:50:00.000-04:00

We drove to Alabama to visit Brennan & Asha and their new baby, Annabella. Fortunately, Boston slept most of the way there. (and slept like a pimp, I might add) Boston was fascinated by Bella and always wanted to be near her. It was too cute. Below is a picture of Boston stealing his first kiss under the (disapproving) watchful eye of new daddy, Brennan.
Pregnant Melissa held Bella for hours, no doubt dreaming of November when she will have her own little one to love on.

Adrianne gave the dogs some good lovin', as I'm sure they were feeling a little left out.

Good 'Ole Saturday

2009-08-02T23:57:00.000-04:00

We decided to check out Alexander Park. It's a new, local park that has trails and disk golf. The guys threw the disks while Electra and I entertained Boston with the playground and bike riding. The trail is a little short for bikes, but the guys are thrilled to have a disk golfing course closer than Lanora Park. Looks like we'll be spending more time there.

Boston wearing Electra's fun glasses.
We had to cool down after fun at the park. Glad the Caldwells have a sweet neighborhood pool.

Boys will be boys.

All play and no food makes us all a dull crowd. A feast was needed.

The Victorious Thundercats

2009-08-02T23:47:00.000-04:00

I am overjoyed to announce that the Thundercats FINALLY won their first softball game. It took us 13 games to finally find our groove. Hopefully this will be the start of a winning streak. We were so excited afterwards that we had to go out and celebrate. Luckily Chick-Fil-A doesn't discriminate against sweaty, smelly, bloody and dirty patrons. Ryan, baby Aiden, Brindi, Jessica, Carey, Coach Andy, Chris, Tina, Justin, Johnny and Nicole. Thanks to Brindi for remembering the camera!

Off Roading

2009-07-24T17:11:00.000-04:00

Boston and his best friend, Jackson truckin' in his Ford F-150. The boys had a blast tearing up the grass in our back yard. It was well worth it to see the smiles on their faces. They were so good about taking turns driving.Boston trying to run over Butters. Unfortunately, he was not successful in his efforts. Guess I'll have to find another way to get rid of that dog. They had their sippy cups in the cup holders in the truck and they were fascinated with the working radio. Wish I had one of these when I was little.

Lake Lanier

2009-07-23T09:34:00.000-04:00

On our "merry" way to Lake Lanier. It was a long drive for him.

Bos and Mommy

Feeding the fish with Theresa

Swimming with daddy

Boston climbed in and out of the water all by himself!!

Buddy, the golden retriever trying to retrieve Chris and Boston from the water.

Backyard Boston

2009-07-22T10:46:00.000-04:00

Boston loves the flower bed we have in the back yard. He always wants to pick the flowers, which he knows is a big NO NO. He loves to pet the turtle, ladybug and snail decorations. He's so funny.

I planted an autumn azalea this summer and it started blooming already! I think it's a little confused.

Couples Baby Shower

2009-07-15T13:14:00.000-04:00

Chris and I helped throw a Couples Baby Shower for our good friends, Brennan and Asha Cox. Thanks to the Caldwells and Shelley for going in with us on this. It would have been difficult to do with out all of us chipping in together to throw a good bash. The shower was Luau themed, so everyone wore Hawaiian attire. It was fun to see the girls in cute dresses and the guys in their Hawaiian shirts. Themed parties are always my favorite!

This was my watermelon concoction for the shower. If you can’t tell that it’s a baby carriage, then I failed miserably.
We had dinner catered from Dickey’s BBQ and it was yummy!

Rachael and her precious son, Dylan. I wish I had one of those handy slings when Boston was a baby.
Chris, Brian, Leo, Adrianne and Brennan chillin' on the back porch. We spent alot of time outside. During the day, the guys played volleyball and bocce while the girls stayed in the A/C.

Asha is due August 4th and we are so excited to meet “Bella”. Asha makes pregnancy look good! I’m going to miss rubbing her belly. We wish nothing but the best for Asha and Brennan as they dive into parenthood in just a few short weeks!

Attack the Cupcake! (Couples Shower Continued)

2009-07-15T12:58:00.000-04:00

We couldn’t have a party with the Cox’s and their crew and not get a little crazy. At the end of the night, there were some left over cup cakes from the cupcake cake. Instead of consuming them like civilized adults, we decided it would be more fun to play the “eat a whole cupcake in one bite” game. There were many that refused to participate, and they missed out on a good time. Their loss. Wait a minute… but we’re the ones who have pictures of us with icing all over our faces…

4th of July

2009-07-05T18:10:00.000-04:00

Chris and I hosted our annual 4th of July party and had a great time with friends & family. Thanks to all who came and contributed to the fun and success of the party.

The excessive Georgia heat did not keep us down. We still enjoyed our outdoor activities. Here's Boston, Tina and Jackson lounging in the hammock.
Badminton was a shuttlecocking hit. Some of us even stayed up till 3:30 AM playing because it wasn't so stinking hot out then. Here's Nicole and Johnny having fun, despite the humidity.

Pregnant Shannon makes it looks so graceful.

Watching Chris' firework display. The babies were not amused by the loud sounds, and our neighbor was not amused when a firework landed in their front porch. And I was not amused the next day when it was time to clean up all the fireworks. Oh well, it was fun at the time. :)

I was so happy that my big brother, Jason and Margaret came.

Shannon, Carey & Shonda showing off festive temporary tattoos.

Thanks again to everyone that came to celebrate their independence with the Fox's. We loved having you there.

Happy 4th of July!

Pool Fun

2009-07-05T17:51:00.000-04:00

Tina has been so kind to share her sweet neighborhood pool with us. The pool even has a fun slide! Boston LOVED the slide, once he finally found the nerve to go down it. Top right is me and Boston. Bottom left is Tina and one-year-old Drake! We had tons of fun. Thanks Teeny!

What's been going on

2009-06-23T11:05:00.000-04:00

Fathers Day~

Man, I spaced it. I totally forgot my camera and have no pictures to add with this entry. To sum up, Chris got what he wanted for Father's Day - RELAXATION! He got to sleep in and watch TV until it was time to have dinner with his dad. Boston made him an adorable Fathers Day card, and I gave him a pair of real baseball pants to wear at our co-ed softball games. Chris and his family always take Jim to Golden Coral for Fathers Day dinner at Jim's recurring request. I went to my parents house and had dinner with my family. My grandparents also came and it was nice to be with the Vander Horsts and Warners.

Softball~

The Thundercats finished their last game of the spring season on June 18th but don't worry, we've signed up for summer ball. Apparently we all love the game so much that we are willing to expose ourselves to extreme Georgia heat and humidity. If you'd like more details on our fun softball league, visit the Thundercats blog at: http://thundercatsteam.blogspot.com/ (very special thanks to Kristina for taking the time to create and update the Thundercats blog. Jessica took some great pictures at our last game. Great job Jess! Can't wait for you to join our team.)

Fun in the sun~

Speaking of the Georgia heat, pool time has never been more appropriate. Luckily, I have friends in high places. Many of my friends have pools and fortunately for Boston, they have been generous with sharing. Boston LOVES to swim and improves every time we go to the pool. (well, with a little help from a floatation device :) If Chris and I ever move, a neighborhood pool will be a priority in our decision making.

Boston "swimming" in the Frailey's sweet pool /Megan, Lexi, Jackson and Boston

Braves Game

2009-06-16T10:59:00.000-04:00

We went to the Braves game with a big bunch of people (the Cerseys, Dollars, Pearsons, Nicole Wood to name a few) when the entire upper level seats were only $1! Score! Boston had a great time playing with the other kids and learning the “tomahawk chop”. The game went into overtime all the way up to 15 innings but we called it quits during the 13th. You can only push a 2 and a half year old so far.

Boston is the cutest!! I love the backdrop of Atlanta behind him.

These were some of my favorites of Boston with Jackson, Drake, Megan and Alexis. (Boston's obsession) He loves "his" Lexie!

Renaissance Festival

2009-06-09T15:08:00.000-04:00

We went to the Renaissance Festival with John, Jennifer and Jackson Barry this past weekend. Aside from the excessive heat, we all had a great time. There is so much to do, see and eat. Turkey legs, deep fried foods, meats on sticks and the best ginger beer (ale) I've ever had! Boston loved the petting zoo and was mesmerized by all of the elaborate costumes. I think we will take Boston every year now because he enjoyed himself so much. We’ll just need to start saving our pennies now for next year because it’s a place you can really drop some coin. There are some free activities and shows, but it seemed like most of the things Boston was most interested in cost money.

Boston with some cleavage

We promised Boston that he could pick out a sword, and this was the mighty staff he ended up with. He loves it!!

Fox's and Barry's and super tall guy

Dirty, Dirty, Keith is 30!!

2009-06-09T14:31:00.000-04:00

Chris and I have been friends with Keith since high school. Keith is the first of our high school friends to hit the big 3-0! Chris' 30th is also creeping up fast. We plan on throwing him a big bash this November when he kisses his twenties good-bye.

Weekend Update

2009-06-05T11:15:00.000-04:00

We had a cook out at our house with Chris' family on Sunday. Nanny won't be in Georgia for much longer, so we are wanting to spend more time with her before she goes home to Virginia.

Above: Jay, Michelle, Chris, Boston, Brent, Butters, Nanny and Rhonda

We hung out with some friends in Atlanta on Saturday. Chris forgot to wear sunblock. :) Special thanks goes to Rhonda for watching Boston. Without you, our social life would be close to nonexistent.

Krogering

2009-05-28T12:16:00.000-04:00

Who says grocery shopping is a pain? Chris looks like he's having a great time. OK, maybe Boston is having a little more fun.

This may be a strange thing to blog, but I had my camera in my purse. Why not? Everyday is worth celebrating, even if it is a routine work and errands type of day.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-28T11:44:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day Weekend RUINED by inclement weather? Nah, not when you're with this gang. Chris and I went to Alabama for the long weekend to visit friends. We rented a pontoon boat for the whole day on Sunday, and we where PUMPED! Unfortunately it rained, so our boating plans would have to wait for a sunny day. We made the most of it though. We went to an indoor fun land, and had a great time playing glow in the dark miniature golf...

racing go-carts...
and playing video games.

We are lucky to have such fun friends. Happy Memorial Day!

Mothers Day Celebration at Jillians

2009-05-17T19:39:00.000-04:00

Chris's mom was in Virginia on Mothers Day. Now that she's here, we celebrated a week later at Jillians. We had a great time playing all the games.

Carey, Boston, Rhonda, Nanny, Jim, Jay and Shells hands. :) Guess she didn't want to be in the picture.
"Dad, let me shoot some of the bad guys too!"

I LOVE Chick-Fil-A!

2009-05-13T16:34:00.000-04:00

Jackson and Boston with the Chick-Fil-A cow. I feel the need to express my deep love and admiration for Chick-Fil-A. Any fast food establishment that wants to be successful should mimic the business structure and mentality that Truett Cathy has put in place for Chick-Fil-A. My kid is obsessed with Chick-Fil-A and requests to eat there frequently. He loves the nuggets, fries, Polynesian sauce and of course, playing on the playground after his meal. I love it because I can take my child to an inexpensive restaurant, yet receive customer service that far exceeds fast food standards. Children's place mats and sanitizing wipes are always available to accommodate OCD mothers, like myself. Kristina, Nicole and I took our kids there for lunch, and I love that the Chick-Fil-A mascot was there to play with the kids on a random Wednesday afternoon.

Relay For Life

2009-05-10T17:11:00.000-04:00

The company I work for participates in Relay For Life every year. Gwinnett holds the largest Relay For Life in the entire country! I highly recommend it to families. It's free admission, kids have a blast and all proceeds go to the fight against cancer. We had a great time walking the track, eating great food and spinning multiple wheels for prizes.

Chris's dad died of cancer when he was 9 years old. Relay For Life is a great way for us to pay tribute to Chris' dad and the short life he lived.

When it gets dark, the entire track is outlined with candle luminaries. There is a moment when everyone stops what they are doing to pay their respects to those who have been diagnosed with cancer. Relay participants that have been effected by cancer hold candles and walk the track as a group following a bagpipe player. It is an emotional moment and I couldn't help but to let a few tears out.But it's not all tears and seriousness. Boston had a great time winning fabulous prizes and posing for fun pictures. We've never taken Boston to a carnival but after this experience, it is apparent that he would enjoy it.

I'm grateful to work for a company that participates in such a wonderful cause.

Weekend at Callaway Gardens

2009-05-05T11:48:00.000-04:00

Chris and I went to Callaway Gardens with Brennan, Asha, Keith and Shannon. We took our bikes and I got to ride the 10 mile trail with the guys. Asha and Shannon are pregnant so bike riding was not the best idea for them. They went to the butterfly observatory and enjoyed their walk. The beach was still closed so we didn't get to swim, but we found other activities to get into. Miniature golf and shuffle board were open and FREE! I had never played shuffle board before and really enjoyed it. The weather was perfect and we all had a great time.

Fun on Lake Sinclair

2009-04-27T10:29:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we had a wonderful time with Keith, Shannon, Seth and Jennifer at their parents’ house on Lake Sinclair. Boston loved riding on their sweet pontoon boat. The water was freezing, but it didn’t keep us from swimming. However, it did discourage us from getting in again. Boston got a real kick out of holding Seth’s catch of the day and playing with the minnows. It was so relaxing to be on the water. (well, as relaxed as you can be with an excited toddler on a boat and dock) Seriously though, there are few things I prefer over being on a lake. I was in heaven. Thanks to the Caldwells for sharing their lake home with us. We loved it.

Softball Battle Wounds

2009-04-22T10:53:00.000-04:00

Chris and I joined a co-ed softball team. We are the defeatable Thundercats. So far, we’ve played 2 games and lost 2 games. We play every Thursday at Bethesda Park if anyone is ever interested in supporting the Thundercats. This week we have a double header because we got rained out a few weeks ago. I’m worried about Chris’s leg though. The last game we played, Chris injured his leg running the bases. Yeah, that sounds pretty wimpy, but in his defense, he did get a triple off of a bunt! It was fun to watch, up until he limped to the dug out. Uh-oh. He pulled something major in thigh, but we don’t know exactly what the problem is because he refuses to seek medical treatment. Hopefully he will be able to play our games this week.

Chris and I got pretty beat up at our last game. The 1st two pictures are of my strawberry bruise on my arm. I was playing 2nd and was trying to catch the fastest ground ball I’d ever seen. Right before it reached my glove, the ball must have hit a rock because it bounced up and nailed my arm. The crazy thing is that the ball just kept going...all the way to the outfield. There was a lot of force behind that ball. I wonder what kind of battle wounds we will walk away with this Thursday…

The 1st two pics are of my arm, and the last one is Chris' thigh. I swear the camera doesn't do us justice!

Betsy and Jackie come to visit

2009-04-21T15:36:00.000-04:00

For those who knew me as a young teenager on up, know that Betsy has been one of my very close friends for quite some time now. We have seen each other through many adventures in our crazy teenage days, we roomed in college for a short time and have been brides maids in each others weddings. Sadly, Betsy has lived in Michigan for about half of our friendship. Yet through the miles we have remained close. I was elated last week when Betsy and her wife, Jackie drove down to stay with us over Betsy's spring break. This was her first time meeting Boston and of course, he LOVED her. (what kid doesn't?) We had a lot of fun during their visit. We went to an Atlanta Braves Game, the GA Aquarium, a Gwinnett Braves Game and hosted a house party so that Betsy could catch up with friends she hadn't seen in a while. It was sad to see them go, but hopefully they will be back in November for Chris's 30th birthday bash extravaganza! Jackie, Chris, Betsy and Carey

Melissa brought these too-cute panda bear cup cakes to our house party. Can you believe she MADE them herself! Amazing! Martha Stewart would be so proud.

A "friendly" game of whiffle ball in our back yard. We love it! I should have taken a picture of both teams. Ooops. There was another team of people who played with us. (sorry to leave you out of the picture...Tina, Justin, Melissa, Nicole, Jonny, Jackie, Jeff, Keith, Shannon)

Betsy and Jackie at the Aquarium. Betsy had never been to an aquarium before, so this was a must on her trip to GA list.

Carey, Boston and Betsy

Boston mesmerized by the jellyfish

Music lover in the making

2009-03-24T10:59:00.000-04:00

Boston has shown interest in my guitar lately. I think it's because he sees his Uncle Brent playing quite often. Hopefully he'll pick it up quickly when he's a bit older, of course. For now, it makes some cute pictures!

Best of Luck to the Preggos!

2009-03-10T10:27:00.000-04:00

Our friends, Rachael and Jennifer are very close to their due dates, so we thought we'd hang out one last time before their lives change forever. They both are graciously handling the challenges that pregnancy has thrown at them. From heartburn, swelling, constant numbness all the way to bed rest, they are chugging right along with smiles on their faces. Not to mention how adorable they are with their almost full term bellies. They're both just gorgeous pregnant women. I am extremely excited for both of them and wish them the best. I can't wait to hold their babies!

Asha (in the middle) is also pregnant and her due date is Aug 4th. So exciting!!

Good-Bye to the truck

2009-03-05T23:35:00.000-05:00

We had such an unusual experience with the snowstorm that I forgot to write about another important event that took place this past weekend. After much deliberation, Chris and I agreed that it was financially best to sell his beloved 2006 Toyota Tundra. It was a beautiful truck with only 18K miles! It was with a heavy heart that we let it go. Poor Chris. I am amazed with his selfless act to give it up. The truck was his baby and it was truly moving to see him sacrifice something so important to him for the benefit of our family. I am lucky to be married to such a wonderful, understanding man. Chris, I PROMISE that we will get you a new (4-door) vehicle of your choosing once my car is paid off. I LOVE YOU!

Farewell...

Rock-N-Roll

2009-03-05T19:38:00.000-05:00

We love to play Rock Band. Keith and Shannon came over to play and Shannon let Boston "help" her. Boston LOVED it! He's been begging to play again ever since. Thanks Shannon for getting our child hooked. :)

More SNOW pictures!

2009-03-02T16:34:00.000-05:00

Our house covered in snow! (9:30 AM, the day after the snow fell)

After Boston's nap, we went back outside and enjoyed the snow until it got dark. This picture is daddy and Boston walking through our neighborhood.
A LOT more snow fell during Boston's nap. The first "snow in Ga" entry I posted was before Boston's nap. You can see a big difference just a few hours made in the snow accumulation.

Look at those HUGE snow flakes!

It SNOWED today in Georgia!

2009-03-01T16:39:00.000-05:00

That’s right. It’s the first day of March and it actually snowed today. Some times it was slush, but there were also times where the large flakes were worthy to be falling in Utah. Boston couldn't wait to get outside and play in it. We had the best time throwing snowballs at each other. The snow was perfect for compacting. It had just the right amount of slush to it for snowball making. Poor Boston didn’t really have snow appropriate clothing. We had to bring him inside before he was ready because his hands and feet were getting too cold. I think he would have played in it all day if we would have let him. What fun!

Also, I must note the ongoing phenomenon that has been occurring all day. Not only has it been snowing, but THUNDER, yes thunder has been accompanying it throughout the day. STRANGE things are happening today in the great state of Georgia.

Snowmobiling at Daniels Summit, Utah

2009-02-24T16:21:00.000-05:00

Chris and I went snowmobiling for the first time in our lives. I’ll never know why it has taken us 28/29 years to discover this enormous amount of fun. If I lived in a snow-friendly environment, you bet your butt that I’d own a pair of snowmobiles. Seriously, Chris and I had more laugh-out-loud, adrenaline rushing, heart pumping, wind in your face fun than we’ve ever experienced. And boy was that wind ever COLD! Chris’s iPod actually froze half way through the day! But we were having so much fun that it was easy to forget the nip in the air. The trails took us up to 10,000 feet high! We had beautiful views the whole way, but they were especially breathtaking at the summit.

Evening at Daniels Summit Lodge, Utah

2009-02-24T16:17:00.000-05:00

After our play date with the mountain, we reluctantly turned our snowmobiles in and headed to our room at the Daniel’s Summit Lodge. Feeling giddy and on our natural high, we enjoyed the rest of our evening with dinner and having fun our own quirky way. It was a day to remember. It also was an amazing place to wake up on my birthday.