The Foss Family

Halloween and All Saints Day

2009-11-03T19:53:00.000-08:00

I've posted an album from our Halloween and All Saints Day celebrations (with a few random pics in there, too). I'm attempting to try my hand at being a better blogger/photo updater. Here's to a new beginning...

Oct 2009

Montana Summer :)

2009-07-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

We have headed north for the summer (just in time to miss the 100 degree weather... woohooo!) We're up in Montana enjoying the cooler weather and wonderful company of my family. We've had lots of fun times... exploring and fishing Wild Bill Lake, touring the zoo, camping in Cody... but the best part has just been getting to be together. Here are just a few photos of our adventures.

Easter photos

2009-04-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

I created an album with our Easter pics. I didn't take enough... it doesn't do our trip justice, but at least it's something. We went to Denver for Easter and had a wonderful time visiting with Jerome's family.

Here's the album if you want to check it out...

4-18-09

Bluebonnet photos

2009-04-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

I love bluebonnets! My poor boys always have to hear me OOoooh and Aaaah whenever we pass fields of them. Dana helped me snap some photos of the three boys, and these are some of my favorites.

2009-03-02T13:58:00.000-08:00

Wow... it's March already. Time flies when you're having fun! We're all doing well over here. One more week for Jerome before Spring Break. It's been a crazy semester. He's taking an extra class, so what was supposed to be an easy last semester of classes has turned into a very heavy one. Ah, but it's Jerome. He can handle it! Stephen is doing well. Still likes to play out in the "construction site" in our backyard. It's been really beautiful here lately, so we've had lots of time to play outside... yippy! Joseph is such a funny little bunny. He's copying everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) anybody (but especially Stephen) does. He's talking more and more, and I very much look forward to the day when I can listen to him and Stephen carrying on a conversation. Kolbe is growing and growing. After going to his 4 month well-baby exam, it looks like he's gonna be a bigger baby, like Stephen was. This Sunday at Church, a lady asked if he and Joseph were twins. Joseph didn't appreciate that comment, but I'm sure it won't be the only time he hears that. I'm doing good. Trying to get a mom's group started at our church. Seems so simple, but it takes time and perserverance. Here are a few pics to enjoy....

My three sons...

Stephen sharing the yellow icing with Joseph (from when we decorated Poppie's bday cake). What a "sweet" big brother!

Thanks for the St. Valentine's Day package Nana and Papa!

Daddy and Kolbe....

Summersaulting fun

2009-01-26T06:19:00.000-08:00

While Nana and Papa were here, we discovered that Joseph can summersault. Here are a few videos of the fun..

Here's JoJo...

Here's the AMAZING summersaulting brothers...

Here's Jerome's first attempt at a backwards summersault...

And here's the finale...

The AMAZING Foss dancers!

2008-12-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

They get their rhythm from their daddy. Hehe:)

Music Box

2008-12-03T21:12:00.000-08:00

You see, Nana was so sweet to send us this lovely music box. Unfortunately, something happened to it. Sorry Nana. I hope you think that it's funny. I sure do. :)

Getting ready for Christmas...

2008-12-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple video of the boys putting up ornaments on the tree. We're trying something new this year... we're putting up an ornament a day, hoping to build excitement for Christmas as it approaches. Stephen loves it, and Joseph... well... Joseph just loves life in general, as you can see by the video. :)

I uploaded them backwards, so you should watch the first one second and the second one first.

Baking cookies...

2008-11-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

We decided to bake cookies today. Stephen was quite the helper. He poured everything in the mixer and would lock it, but he was a little squirmish about actually turning it on. Then he helped knead the dough and (kinda) rolled it out, and he had a lot of fun using the cookie cutters (thank you Auntie Claire... no longer are they only used for bath toys!) Speaking of Auntie Claire, we thought of you and Isaac while we were cooking. As you can tell by the picture, Joseph and Isaac have quite a lot in common. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, check out Claire's blog... http://cchowlett.blogspot.com/

Here are Kolbe smiles...

2008-11-25T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hope it makes you smile....

Quite the show...

2008-11-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

Jerome put on a puppet show for us the other night. Low budget, as you can tell by the puppets. :) But, Joseph stole the show. Check it out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBxcjyHltV4

Kolbe...

2008-11-15T11:21:00.001-08:00

-- Our sweet lil' boy --

Uncle Dave and Titi Laura come to visit

2008-11-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

Uncle Dave and Titi Laura came to visit! We had a wonderful time... here are some photos of our time together......

Hmmm... I'm still figuring out Picasa. It didn't upload all the pictures. Hmmm. Well, the rest are on our webalbum.

http://picasaweb.google.com/fossfamily654/110208#

Kolbe Augustine Foss has arrived

2008-10-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a little ditty that my mom made that sums it all up...

He made his debut on his own terms...
A SUNDAY baby he wanted to be!
Kolbe Augustine Foss has arrived
In a family of boys, he's three.

At 7 lbs, 6 ounces, he's a bit of a handful,
20 inches in length he stretches.
The pictures will give you a little look,
You can decided who he matches!

So October 5 will be the day
We celebrate each year...
Praise God for a beautiful baby boy,
I'm sure you'll agree, he's a "dear"!

Long time... no bloggy

2008-09-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry... it's been a while since my last blog. It's not that I've been incredibly busy or anything, it's just that sleep definitely wins when put up against blogging. Kolbe is wearing me out these days! Although there was a time where I happily thought he might just come early, after going in for my checkup today, I think he'll be riiiiiiiight on time. (10-2-08) That's okay... really... it's good for him to cook as long as he can so everything can develop nicely... it's just that this last month of pregnancy is a bit challenging for me. Ah... it's good, though. The 5-6 times I wake up a night to go to the bathroom is only preparing me for those late night feedings, right?!?

Although not the most flattering of photos, here's a shot of the basketball, I mean Kolbe...

I gotta give you a couple pictures of the other two, too. So here's Joseph with Papa...

Papa came to visit us around Labor Day weekend. We unfortunately had a death in the family, so he came for the funeral. A bittersweet experience, only because of our hope in God. Surely, Fran is in Heaven, and so our grief is coupled with joy. We enjoyed our time with Papa, and we even went to Westfest with him. Stephen especially enjoyed the parade... Candy and tractors?!? Could life get much better?!?

We're just taking it easy these days... preparing for Kolbe's arrival. Here's a photo of the boys in the tupperware that previously held the 0-3 month clothes. We finally pulled them out for Kolbe...

Jerome is an amazing husband and has really been a huge help. He's started his semester, but he's made sure to make plenty of time for anything I need. And I can't say enough about Nannie and Poppie (Jerome's parents), too. I tell ya, when you have a mother-in-law that will come over and clean your bathrooms so that you don't have to bend over your big belly to scrub a tub... you've got a good thing going. And thankfully Nana (my mom) will be here soon to help out, too. Gosh, I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family! Thanks be to God!

Okay... my bed is now yelling at me to come sleep in it. We can't have that silly bed waking up the boys, so I must go. :) Hopefully there will be more blogging in near future...

More Family Pictures

2008-08-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from the photo shoot at the Arboretum. What a good lookin' family!

Family pics

2008-08-11T08:41:00.001-07:00

We went to the Arboretum on Saturday and took some family pictures. Here are a few... more to come... maybe...

Our summer...

2008-08-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

We've had an exciting summer... Auntie Claire and Isaac came to visit from Australia! They, and Nana and Papa, basically got to stay with us for the month of June. Good times! Then we all flew to Alaska for Uncle Dave and Titi Laura's wedding (she's from Puerto Rico so we call her Titi instead of Auntie). We spent three weeks up there and had such a wonderful time. There's lots to blog about, but I just am having a hard time finding much time to do it. So bare with me (or is it bear... or beer... hehe) until I can get some time (and energy!) to blog again. :)

Uncle Dave got hitched!

2008-08-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

A quick blog... Uncle Dave got married! We love our Titi Laura! Here are some pics...

Uncle Matty T is in town!

2008-05-30T10:01:00.000-07:00

Uncle Matt is in town... hooray! He brought his friend Genevieve with him from California, and we've had great fun together. Here are some pics of our visit...

Stephen, the paper boy...

Building an arch at the Mayborn Museum...

Playing with trucks and trains...

Joseph... not quite tall enough... but trying!

Fireman Stephen...

At the zoo...

Yea for Uncle Matty T!!

Playing in the Spray Park at the zoo...

Having lots of fun...

Stephen...

2008-05-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

The other day, I asked Stephen "What we should do tomorrow?" and he replied, "Plant a garden." I thought it was a cute response, but having the very brown thumb that I do, I didn't actually envision planting a garden. Well, Stephen took matters into his own hands. He found some supplies next to our shed and planted his own garden. He moved the pots where he wanted them, added some lattice for decoration, and then planted some seeds (buttons he had found). Here's a picture of him watering his garden...

He also surprised me one day when he decided to take care of his puppy. He found a bottle on the rocking chair and proceeded to feed it to his puppy. Then he carefully put puppy down for a nap. When he got up, he made sure puppy ate again. Then Puppy needed to swing. Puppy, Puppy, Puppy! Hopefully it is a reflection of the help he'll be with Baby #3!

Stephen carefully put him in the baby swing... :)

Here's a great picture of Jerome and the boys swinging...

I am really enjoying his creativity and imagination. What a fun kiddo!

Belly shot

2008-05-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a pretty recent belly shot. Kolbe (we think that's his name... he hasn't said otherwise, yet) is really growing. Yesterday, we were watching a movie, and Jerome could feel him kick! He's being a good baby... not making me sick or tooooo terribly tired. Just growing and kicking around in there. He's actually right now kicking as I type. :)

Joseph's first step

2008-05-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

Joseph is sooooooooo ready to be running after Stephen... he's not there yet, but at least he's getting closer to walking after him! Yesterday, he took his first step... I think I can consider it his first. He was pulled up to the couch, turned to me, took a step, and then lunged into my lap. He didn't get far, but he did it all on his own. He's been standing up without holding on to things a lot more, too. Today, he actually clapped a couple times while standing on his own. (It was a big clapping day... he's just figured out that he can do it.) He's gotta learn to walk soon... his cousin Isaac will be here in only two weeks, so then there will be two that he'll be running after! :) Here are a few fun pictures of the little guy....

MMmmmMMmm.... spoon.

Learning the art of fencing

Look at those pearly whites!

Getting into trouble... the little monkey

Our little bookworm

2008-05-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

A photo from 2007... yes, out of date... but appropriate for the post, I think. :)

Stephen is so funny. He looooves reading books, and he remembers them so well that he quotes them throughout the day. For example, Jerome showed him our new umbrella, and as Stephen was twirling it on his shoulder, he said, "Tut tut... it looks like rain." (A quote from Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.) And at breakfast yesterday he said, "I'm feeling embarrassed in polar bear pants." (A spin off of a Sesame Street book about feelings... the actual words are "I'm feeling embarrassed in polka dot pants, but Stephen was wearing polar bear pants... so there ya go. I only wish I could convey his expression, too. It was so cute.) I've mentioned that we're known as the Tonka Truck people at the library because we've checked out all of the Tonka Truck books. Well, I often hear him quoting those books as he's playing with his trucks. Today, he was playing with a dump truck and said, "The mighty dump truck is king of the construction site." He cracks me up. :)

Joseph is so different... it's already obvious. Yes, he's only 9 months old, but he has very little interest in books. Well, except to maybe chew on them. :) But, I bet with Stephen's example -- because it is also quite obvious that Joseph very much looks up to Stephen -- that one day Joseph will become a reader, too. Until then, he can chew on the board books.

Baby BOY #3

2008-05-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Baby #3's 3D sonogram...

We went to the doctor today and had an ultrasound... and yep, we're having another boy! We're so excited (not that we wouldn't be if it were a girl...). The baby looks very healthy, so all is good. I'll keep you posted once we've decided on a name. :)

Stephen the little helper

2008-05-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of Stephen... he's really becoming a good little helper. He even volunteers to help without being asked.

Today I was feeling a bit tired and less than enthusiastic about emptying the dishwasher, and I felt the need to announce this to him. I wasn't asking him to help, I just said, "AAaaaallllrriigghtt... I'll empty the dishwasher even though I don't really want to. Sometimes we just have to do things even when we don't feel like it." I was trying to make it a teaching moment... so he could remember it when he's asked to pick up his toys and doesn't want to. Well, he surprised me and came over and put away all the silverware. Not only did it surprise me that he helped, but also that he did such a good job. He's really growing up.

He also helped me "vacuum" today. He's really good about pulling out his popper and "vacuuming" all the rooms. And at H.E.B. he helped put all the groceries on the conveyor belt. Then when we got home he helped put them away. What a kid! I'm just so proud... and thankful... that he's becoming such a good lil' helper.

This picture is of him "washing the dishes." This was a while back, but I couldn't resist posting it. :)

Deere season

2008-05-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

Stephen is mega-into tractors these days. We're actually known at the library as the Tonka Truck people. We've checked out every Tonka Truck book they have... some several times. I can tell you all about graders, backhoes, loaders, dump trucks, cranes... yeah... we know tractors. (Although I'm not sure if calling all of them tractors is appropriate... maybe I should say "heavy machinery.") Anywho... it's apparently "Deere" season here in Texas, and they had a lot of John Deere tractors out at the mall. So we took Stephen and Joseph and let them climb aboard the tractors. I think it was a dream come true for Stephen. :) Here are some fun pictures of our adventure....

Can you see his excitement????

Tractors is so dummmmb... but so much fuuuunnnn....

Trying to reach the pedals...

Even Joseph had a good time!

Yahoo for Deere season!!

Joseph's check-up

2008-05-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

Joseph had his 9 month checkup... and all looks good. Although he may be smaller than Stephen was, I tell you he packs a punch! Auntie Lauren calls him her little Altoid, because he's curiously strong. He weighed in at a little over 18 lbs and is 28 inches tall. That puts him in the 20th percentile for weight and 40th for height. A wee little guy, but cuter than cute. Papa says his smile is in the 99th percentile, and I think that's what counts anyways. :)

He's already walking along furniture, and we've caught him more and more often standing up without holding on to things. He'll be walking on his own soon... which makes him very excited. He can't wait to catch up to Stephen. He looooOOOOoooooves his big brother. Anything Stephen does is HILARIOUS. I could tickle him all day and maybe get a chuckle, but if Stephen even touches him, he busts out laughing.

Here we go...

2008-05-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today is the BIG day... I'm going to start blogging about my boys! There are so many fun stories to share about these kiddos (and their daddy) that I have to start writing them down. So here begins my attempt to chronicle our wonderfully blessed life.

Today was a big day for Joseph... he finally cut his second front tooth. His total tooth count is up to 6... 4 of those came last month, and of those, three in a week! I think he's trying to get four this month, too, because those bottom gums are looking swollen. All in all, he's handling it like a champ... although the nighttime wakings haven't been terribly fun. All for a good cause, though. Teeth are important.

Jerome had a good day, too. Tonight was the Political Science Awards Banquet. Not only did we get to enjoy a yummy free dinner, as well as win a football koozie and umbrella (door prizes), but Jerome was also awarded the Distinguished Masters Student award. There's a proper name for it, but I'm not sure what it is. Basically he was recognized above all the other masters students. Hooray! And in case you didn't know, he also passed his comprehensive exams with a high pass. I'm very proud of him. All of his hard work (and trust me, I know how hard he works!) is paying off. Yet, glory be God's.

Stephen had a good day, as well... although no earth-shattering news. I think the biggest accomplishment for today was his beautiful rendition of"Happy Birthday" sung to Titi Laura. Oh yes... Happy Birthday, Laura! He also has managed to stay awake until 10pm, even though he had only the slightest of naps. He's very much like his daddy... they can push through exhaustion. Not me, though. So, I think that I'll stop here. There will be more to write tomorrow. Joseph is going in for his 9mo well baby check-up. It's always fun to see how much he's grown. Yes, tomorrow's another day. So... until then...