The Fowkes Family

Laughing Baby

2009-10-27T22:37:00.005-04:00

If you can watch this without smiling, I will send you $100 - it's that cute!

Just baby pictures. . . that's about it

2009-06-19T23:43:00.003-04:00

Besides Scout completing Kindergarten, we don't really have news or a recent outing to chronicle. But my Mom was giving me a hard time about only seeing baby pictures on Facebook - so here Mom, this one's for you. : - )

Baby Eleanor Has Arrived!

2009-04-08T15:39:00.002-04:00

Eleanor Renee Fowkes was born on Sunday, April 5 at 12:59pm. She weighed 10lbs 11oz and was 22 3/4 inches long. It was a very fast delivery - we arrived at the Birth Center at 10am and three hours later she was here! As many of you know, we had planned another homebirth, but Becky's Mom was already here and it made a lot more sense to let her stay home with our kids rather than kick them all out for who knew how long! We were home by about 7pm Sunday night - so we still got to sleep in our own bed the night she was born! It was a fantastic day!

We feel very blessed that she's here and that things went so smoothly. One unique little fun fact was that there was a "true knot" in her cord (it was not very tight and did not cause any problems). Our Nurse-Midwife, Marsha, (who was wonderful) has attended about 2,200 births over her 30 year career and said she's only ever seen seven other knots!

Scout and Isaak are doing well - they love their sister and want to hold her. Isaak often asks to "pet her". He got upset that he was not allowed to give her part of his cracker. Scout wants to change her diaper. It has been very helpful that Becky's Mom is here and Gerald is on Spring Break this week - we have been able to relax and not really worry about keeping anyone on a schedule. Next week might be a different story. . . .

Happy 3rd Birthday Isaak!

2009-02-17T21:55:00.005-05:00

Isaak has been to two birthday parties in the past two weeks and was very excited that it was finally his birthday! We decided to celebrate one night early because Gerald was going to be home. He wanted a "Batman Cake and cold ice cream". Neither of his parents are creative enough to have decorated a Batman cake themselves - so we did the next best thing - bought a sheet cake at Shoppers and threw a Batman figurine on top! Isaak insists that he's six and that his birthday will also be tomorrow. This is such a great age!

Becky's Mom used to always put a present on the table the morning of your birthday - what a great way to start a birthday! We've continued the tradition - so even though the candles had been blown out and the cake eaten, this is Isaak opening his morning birthday present. A Mr. Potato Head pirate outfit - fun stuff!

Ice Skating, Violin and Beyond

2009-02-08T22:15:00.003-05:00

We can't get our new camcorder to "talk" to our Mac, so we can't put any videos up. It will actually probably involve a software upgrade for the Mac - and then hopefully it will work. Otherwise Grandpa got us that nice camera and won't even be able to watch the footage we've been directed to get and post! For now (and we know, that's sooooooo 20th century) we only have a picture of Scout at her first violin recital. She was very excited to perform. Becky accompanied on the piano while Scout played the first "Twinkle Variation". It was fun to hear the more advanced students and see what's to come. The Suzuki Method is quite involved - we practice for about 30 minutes every single day!! It has been rewarding though, and Scout is improving every week. We are very proud of her.

Scout has been begging to go ice skating for quite awhile, so we finally went a few weeks ago. Gerald is about as unsteady on ice skates as the kids are - so he took turns with them clutching the wall and scooting around the first thirty yards of the rink. Becky just watched - ice skating + 7 months pregnant = um, no thanks. They had a good time though and have asked to go again! Notice the super-cool Princess knee pads on Issak (actually the elbow pads to go with Scout's set). Poor little brother - he already has to take her old Princess Backpack to the gym - he's probably going to have a major my-parents-wished-I-was-a-girl complex when he's older. Perhaps we should start the therapy fund now. . .

This picture is from the trip we took with Gerald's parents to Colonial Williamsburg, VA the week after Christmas. It was a fun trip and we were glad the weather was relatively warm. The definite highlight was the carriage ride -and petting the horses while waiting to board the carriage, of course.

More to Come. . . we promise!

2009-01-04T23:09:00.003-05:00

New Year's Resolution #7:
Update the blog more often than every two or three months. I always enjoy checking the blogs of friends and I'm glad they update theirs frequently!

We got back today from a week in Williamsburg, VA with Gerald's parents and will hit the ground running tomorrow! It was a very relaxing week. Grandparents are the best.

Thanksgiving was great, Christmas was great, we're happy to be a few days into 2009. We loved getting all of the Christmas cards from friends and family this year.

We have a ton of pictures/videos to go through and upload - but for now, here are a few. Thanks to our brother-in-law (who works for Disney) we got to spend a day at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando. The kids did well, it was crowded but we saw some cool stuff. Can you say $16 for four AA batteries? Not kidding.

We also visited the Kennedy Space Center while we were in Florida. As we were driving up we were actually kind of giddy! Our friend commented, "I've wanted to see this place since I was 9 years old!" It was a fun day!

We have a ton of Christmas pictures and videos - like I said, more to come soon!

Yes We Did!

2008-11-06T23:49:00.006-05:00

For the most part we use this blog as a "what we've been up to" for friends and family. But I've noticed that every now and then, our own friends and family use their blogs to express their ideas and (dare I say it?) agendas.. . . so here I go. .

This shouldn't surprise anybody, but we are thrilled that Obama won! Becky went to the rally in Prince William County on Monday night - the eve of the Election. There were 85,000 people there - it was amazing to look back and see this sea of people - ALL kinds of people! Literally, young and old, black and white, all styles of dress - you get the idea. He gave a great speech and it was worth standing for six hours to hear it - not because he said anything "new" (for Obama) but because the energy of that crowd was just palpable! I've been to big rock concerts (as in U2 and Pink Floyd) and football games with just as many people and it wasn't the same - not even close (sorry, LSU fans)!

I posted this video because we think it really captures Obama's eloquence as a speaker and the hope he's ignited in this country. It even won an Emmy! We're really excited at what the future holds and think Obama will make a great President!

As an aside, and mostly because it's kind of funny, here's the "No We Can't" response video someone made about McCain (mmmmmaybe not so easy to watch for those of you who might have wanted him to win. . . but it is slightly thought provoking) -

I promise, we'll stick to cute pictures and family news for awhile after this. : - )

Is it really the end of October??

2008-10-21T00:42:00.004-04:00

Wow, it's been seven weeks since school started and here we are. The weather went from in the 80s to in the 60s pretty much overnight (gotta love Virginia). Time to take down the "some kid might want to wear this again someday" tubs and root around for some long sleeves!

Scout enjoys Kindergarten - although I'm getting concerned that her lunches seem to be coming back less and less eaten. . . she says there's not enough time to eat. I'm guessing her mouth is working on chatting more than chewing! She likes her teacher and doesn't seem phased by the all-day length. We're still waiting for it to "pick up" a little - we've seen a lot of worksheets come home affirming she knows her colors and shapes. And that she can count to five. Indeed.

Isaak misses her while she's gone - he starts asking at lunch when we're going to go get her. Sweet boy. He has a self designated "Church Shirt" now and looooooves Nursery.

We've had some fun these last few weeks! We went to the National Book Festival on the Mall, have played some soccer, and went to the Circus with Becky's Dad and Sister (and niece, Gracie, remember her? She looks great!). The kids helped Gerald at his school's Car Wash on the same day that Becky soloed (with a horn quartet) with a local orchestra! It's been busy 'round here! Which is how we like it - especially when our bank accounts are reliant on how often that phone keeps a-ringin'! : - )

Oh yeah, did we mention we're having another baby?

First Day of Kindergarten

2008-09-04T00:02:00.007-04:00

Scout started Kindergarten yesterday! She had a great first day and was very proud of herself for "buying her own lunch". But then she told me this morning (the 2nd day of school) she only wants to pack a lunch because "the buying line is too long". She was very excited to go and we're happy and proud that her first day was a good one. Isaak cried for about half an hour once he realized she wasn't coming back with us to the car - poor guy. When I picked her up yesterday Scout said, "I want to go to Kindergarten everyday!". Grandpa Woodward quipped that we should tell her she now "gets to go" to school or work everyday for the next sixty years!!
Here she is - ready for school and the reunion with Isaak that afternoon:

Photographic Evidence

2008-08-31T01:09:00.004-04:00

After unpacking the car we found the camera! Yay! So here are the few pictures we took before we lost it while on our trip. Becky with the awesome GPS that got us to California and back again, the kids with Grandpa Fowkes at a rest stop in Wyoming, each kid in the car, and the kids on the beach in California! We're glad to have our camera back - as are the Grandparents we're sure.

Top Three Funniest Moments

2008-08-24T23:06:00.002-04:00

Here are our top three funniest moments of the summer.

These are all true!

3. When Becky was encouraging her students to keep practice journals, and journals in general for that matter, she commented that she had a journal entry from the San Francisco Earthquake. An 11 year old horn camper at Cazadero exclaimed, "You were alive in 1906??"
2. After driving over 6,000 miles through sixteen states, seeing over a dozen far-away family members, swimming in multiple hotel pools and going out of our way to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Embarcadero in San Francisco, old growth Redwoods and the beaches in California, aaaand the famous Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico - Scout told us the best part of the trip was eating at the Waffle House.
1. At a waterpark a sixish year old girl took one look at Gerald, looked him in the eye and said, "You're turning into a WEREWOLF"!!!

We still can't find the camera. . .

2008-08-19T23:35:00.004-04:00

But here are some of the cool places we visited this summer -
San Francisco, California: the kids played on this really cool sculpture for an hour and we had a great seafood lunch on the Embarcadero (where Becky saw Conan O'Brian in line for gelato).
The Monterey Bay Aquarium, California: it's am amazing place - the tanks are HUGE and the displays are breathtaking. The kids got to "pet" rays, sea cucumbers and sea stars. We watched the sea otters play and the jellyfish glow in the dark.
Phoenix (actually Mesa), Arizona: We visited Gerald's sister and her kids - the cousins had so much fun playing. Scout slept on the top bunk with her cousin, Colton. Isaak learned to say "stupid", and Scout and her younger cousin Camryn got ahold of a pair of scissors - with which they cut the head and hands off of a stuffed Dora doll!
Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico: we watched the famous bat flight and toured "The Big Room" which was amazing! We got to see an active stalagtite "drip" and Scout and Isaak earned "Junior Ranger" badges!
Austin - Texas: Gerald checked out the School of Music at UT Austin and we saw replicated dinosaur tracks - wow!
We also had quick stops in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Knoxville, Tennessee where we exploited our friends for their washing machines and enjoyed some good food.

What a great trip! The kids did great in the car (thank you, DVD player). We had a good time and have made some wonderful memories - without any photographic evidence of ever having gone. : - ) Phew, after driving almost 6,000 miles we are glad to be home!

We can't find the camera. . .

2008-08-06T02:11:00.002-04:00

And therefore can't publish pictures!! Argh!! Our trip our West has been great! One the drive out we spent time in Ohio with friends and in Salt Lake City with family. Music Camp was fantastic - what could be better than making music with friends and teaching kids among old growth redwoods in 75 degree weather in July? On our short breaks we spent a day on the Embarcadero in San Francsico, visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, visited cousins in Fairfield and caught up with many old friends over various lunches and dinners. We're finally on our way home! We'll be in Mesa, Arizona for the next few days visiting Gerald's sister and her five kids. It was 106 degrees at 9pm - but we'll take it over the Virginia humidity anyday!!

Our loose plan is to get home sometime next week - that's the great thing about driving - we can be flexible!

Hopefully we'll find the #*&% camera by then!!

A visit from Grandparents

2008-06-04T23:30:00.003-04:00

Becky's parents are preparing to move to Australia this summer (for her Dad's job and just for a few years). They came for a visit over Memorial Day weekend and we really enjoyed getting to see them. While they were here Becky played the National Anthem with a Woodwind Quintet for a Potomac Nationals game (single A baseball) - NOW they can say they've seen their kid has arrived! After the grandparents headed home we went to see the Memorial Day Concert at the Capitol in DC - it's a fun outdoor concert. Scout had her last day of Preschool and Gerald's last day of school is next week. It'll be great to have him home!

Scout's Birthday

2008-06-04T23:14:00.003-04:00

We celebrated Scout's birthday a few weeks ago - which included cupcakes for the Preschool. Isaak vs. cupcake. . . the cupcake won!
We had her party at a nearby park and they had a great time! The weather was perfect and the kids had a lot of fun popping balloons with their feet and running an obstacle course on the playground.
Scout's party was an "Ariel" themed party - no, I am NOT talented enough to have made that cake! Thank you, Bloom! We are excited for Scout to be five years old - and amazed at how quickly the time is passing!

Gracie has a new liver!!

2008-04-29T00:05:00.014-04:00

Our niece had her liver transplant on Sunday night! Her surgery was over 8 hours long and her recovery is (so far) going very well - the doctors are saying "all of her numbers are where they should be" and we are very grateful for the skill of her surgeons. It's been a mix of emotions - relief and joy mixed with sorrow and gratitude for the donor family. We're praying for them as well. . .

While waiting for news about Gracie Gerald and the kids enjoyed watching "The Care Bears Movie" - I think Gerald enjoyed the company more than the content. . .

We enjoyed a day at the zoo on Saturday - Isaak couldn't get enough of the sea lions. Why is it that the National Zoo seems to be a constant uphill walk? At one point, Scout and Dad had to have a very serious discussion about whether or not a trip to the restroom was in order - ah the stubbornness of a four year old (who has been doing the pee-pee dance for ten minutes!)

I took this picture this morning, yes it is raining and I call it - "Mother of the Year"
A big "thank you" to our friends and family who showed so much love and concern for our family over these past few weeks - we'll keep you posted on Gracie's progress!

Gracie

2008-04-21T10:06:00.002-04:00

For those of you who don't know - our 14 mos. old niece Gracie Pitre (Becky's sister's first baby) is in the PICU at The Children't Hospital in Denver. She was born with a congenital condition that has led to the complete failure of her liver. She is awaiting transplant and our hope and prayer is that she can remain stable until an organ becomes available. She is in renal failure and on a ventilator - the miracle is that a drug they're trying (which has never been used on a pediatric patient before) is WORKING. Sooooo. . . if you have an extra minute while saying your prayers please remember the Pitre family.

2008-04-01T22:31:00.007-04:00

Wow - Easter and Spring Break have come and gone! We took a quick trip to the Air & Space Museum in DC. Scout's favorite room was the "Universe Room" where she got to see the galaxy and look through a telescope.

We enjoyed a weekend trip to New York City - Gerald took his HS orchestra and we tagged along. We got to see Becky's college, ride the subway, play in Central Park, eat a hot dog, go to "the Madagascar Zoo", eat in China Town and ride an elevator with an operator - a 100% NYC weekend!

During the break, Isaak had tubes put in his ears - a minor surgery with a quick recovery - hastened even more by the popsicle the nurse gave him!

For Easter we had an egg hunt at home and then took the kids to a friend's house while we went to be Catholic for the day and play our gig - and hey, for $800, can you blame us??

Ike thought we were a little bit crazy for telling him to hunt for eggs when clearly, there was readily available candy to eat in the basket!

A big thank you to Grandma and Grandpa Fowkes for the Easter clothes!

And finally, the dust is still settling - literally - from our project of putting shower in the basement bathroom. No, we did not undertake this feat ourselves - we hired a guy and he did a great job. Now if you come visit us you won't have to climb two flights of stairs to take a shower!

Is it really April? This is the month we register Scout for kindergarten and Gerald turns 31!

Crack(er) Heads

2008-03-05T00:59:00.003-05:00

Who needs Toys R Us when you have perfectly good cardboard boxes laying around?

Isaak's Birthday

2008-03-04T21:08:00.011-05:00

Isaak turned two years old a few weeks ago! We enjoyed gifts from Grandparents, new books, clothes, playing dinosaurs and eating cake. Gerald especially enjoyed the packaging of the Bubble Machine (which was totally the winning gift!) Who knew such thrills could be had for under $10?