Fox Family Christmas Newsletter

So my original idea this year was to skip sending out Christmas cards, but I had no idea how guilty I would feel as the Christmas cards came rolling in... (Thanks to all who are faithful and continue this tradition no matter how crazy and chaotic your lives are - we absolutely love catching up with you and your family!)

Let me start off this letter by saying, one of the main reasons I didn't want to do Christmas cards this year was because we have no good pictures of all of us! Family pictures are always a source of turmoil in our household. I've enclosed a few to give you a glimpse of the fun we have trying to get everybody to look in the same direction with a smile. Madelyn is particularly peeved at her mommy for forcefully placing her on her bottom after repeated attempts at escaping... the others were on strict orders to keep smiling and looking at the camera no matter what. They're actually pretty comical, now looking back... =0)


Brad is heading into his fifth year as Youth Pastor here in Coeur d' Alene, and loves working with teenagers. He has had a busy year -- as always! He amazes me with his ability at multi-tasking! There have been several times where I have been out for the day and have come home to a clean house, loads of laundry folded, and dinner hot and on the table -- something I've yet to accomplish! He's a superstar in all of our eyes! His ability at multi-tasking is seen not only by his family, but many others, as he serves in a variety of different areas in the NW Ministry Network: Youth Rep, Youth Council, Camp Director, Student Leadership Conference Director, and is in his second year of serving on the Board of Directors for Silver Lake Camp. And if that wasn't enough, he even found time to pass his ordination test! Next spring he will be ordained with the Assemblies of God.

Me =0) - I'm enjoying life as a stay-at-home mom! This summer I've been busy trying to create a "home". We moved two times within 3 months, going from our original house, to a townhome, and finally to our new house. We've almost doubled the size of our home, so I struggle to keep up with it at times. For some reason I thought if our house was bigger, it wouldn't get as messy.... I don't know what I was thinking?!? We just have more room to make bigger messes! We've had a steady stream of company almost every week throughout the summer and fall, and have enjoyed every minute of it. A couple of friends and I started a vinyl lettering company (www.decorthatsticks.com) this summer, it's been a fun "creative" outlet for me, and nice to enjoy adult conversation every once in a while. Another avenue of getting out of the house has been volunteering in Reagan's school. It's been nice getting to know her teacher, and classmates, and see what takes place during her days away from us. I've also made a few trips over to Seattle this spring and summer visiting my sister. And this November my brother moved back to Seattle from Arizona! It's so fun having family within driving distance again!

Reagan has probably gone through the most changes of anyone - it's been a year of landmarks for her! She started Kindergarten this fall, and is loving it! The first week of school she was already talking about a boy named, "Mason", and we've been hearing about him ever since... We're definitely going to be keeping an eye on this one! "Boy-crazy" is an understatement! In October, Reagan was given the "Star Reader Award", and she continues to amaze us with how well she cruises through reading books. (Which means mommy and daddy have officially had to find other ways to communicate secretly, spelling no longer works - rats!) She's had many other firsts this year which include: learning how to ride a bike without training wheels, playing soccer, riding the school bus, catching eleven fish, cutting her own hair, entering the world of sleep-overs with friends, and just today she wiggled her very loose front tooth, so even as I write, it looks like we have another "first" in the making! Reagan is full of drama, she loves to make up songs, and role-play all day long. She is often found "teaching" Josiah and scolding him about things that are "inappropriate" for him to do. She has a soft tender heart, and an eagerness to please others. Which means she is an excellent helper for mommy!

Josiah - I wish I carried a video camera around with me all day to video tape this funny little boy. If the words coming out of his mouth aren't funny, his excitement and facial expressions will have you cracking up! He is so enthusiastic, and full of life it's hard not to smile when you're around him. He talks non-stop about monster trucks, and anything else that has wheels. He knows more about tractors, and machinery than either Brad or myself. I used to make the mistake of calling everything a tractor, but after constantly being reprimanded with, "That's an excavator mom!" or "That's a back-hoe!" I've now learned to name things properly! =0) Not only does he have an awesome personality, but he also is our "sweetheart". He loves to hug and kiss, and gushes compliments every day. Josiah is my self-esteem booster, some days he almost brings me to tears. Especially on those rough days when nothing seems to go right, he seems to have an uncanny sense of when mommy needs some encouragement. He'll come running to me with his arms open wide and give me a big bear hug. Then he'll say in his sweet little voice, "You're beautiful mommy, when I grow up I'm going to marry you!" He's definitely a keeper!

Madelyn brings so much joy to our lives! She is a happy little girl with a smile for everyone. She already has the makings of a great sense of humor! We often find her popping around the corner of the stairs saying, "Boo!" to anyone that will listen. She squeals with delight when her older siblings chase her around the house, and cries in frustration when they smother her. She is such a mixture of personalities it will be fun to see what this next year will bring. Maddy is playful, happy, tenacious, feisty, and adventuresome. She is our climber of everything, digger of garbage cans, squealer of delight, splasher of toilets, kisser of faces, and our sweet baby girl.

As this year comes to a close I can't help but reflect on the goodness of God. He has blessed us over and above anything we could have asked or imagined. He is not only our provider, but our source of peace in times of turmoil, our comfort in times of sorrow, our joy in times of sadness. We hope that this Christmas season you will know that Christ longs to be your peace, comfort and joy too! We love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

~The Fox Family