The Art of Turning Lemons into Lemonade

I realize it has been awhile since my last blog update but here I am updating my blog for anyone who is interested about the life of The Four Foxes. The last few months have been quite hectic for our family. We learned in December that our tenant in our Vacaville home was no longer able to pay her rent and would be moving out. This left us no other choice but to make plans to move from Novato back to Vacaville. This move marked the third move in five months for our family. The last and final move exhausted me as it so happened to fall in the middle of Christmas. But as usual we were able to persevere and our stronger and happier for it. Our family was so happy to be back in our old neighborhood amongst family and friends.

A couple of weeks ago the girls and I left the house to go to a birthday party only to return to find our refrigerator water line busted and our house full of water. Since then it has been an interesting couple of weeks. We have shacked up with my in-laws and are waiting to get our house back in order. Hopefully the insurance company will be able to get the repairs started soon and we can look forward to moving back home.

My good friend and neighbor has always told me that you have to find a way to turn your lemons into lemonade. I think I have become an expert at this lately. Our move, which originally started out as a big lemon, turned into the most delicious lemonade by moving home to a neighborhood filled with the most amazing friends who welcomed us home like family. Our other big lemon, the house flood, will soon been squeezed into more delicious lemonade when the construction begins on our house and we move back in to a new and improved home.

All and all we are surviving and the girls are thriving even through all the chaos. God constantly watches over our family and protects us and continues to bless us all. I am grateful for everyday and the beautiful gifts in my life.

Love and Peace...Laura

Slide Ranch in Muir Beach

Today, the girls and I headed to the beautiful Slide Ranch in Muir Beach. This ranch sits on a bluff over looking the ocean which provides breath taking views. We arrived at the ranch a little after ten this morning and started the day by milking goats. Ryan was eager to try this whereas Taylor was far from excited but still gave it a shot. Both girls were successful at getting milk into the can. Afterwards, we headed off to the chicken coop to feed chickens, collect eggs from the hen house and then we watched the baby ducks waddle around. We then went to learn how to spin sheep's wool and made bracelets out of it. While spinning our wool on the bluff over looking the ocean, the girls and I spotted dolphins jumping up out of the water! You can imagine just how excited the two of them became when they realized what they were watching. The girls and I also really enjoyed exploring the vegetable garden and gathering tomatoes, fresh herbs, lemons and flowers. To finish up the day we colored and decorated animal art and the girls even got their faces painted. The girls were able to accomplish the three Ranch requirements which are: have fun, learn something new and get dirty! We had an amazing time together discovering all the Ranch had to offer. This was such a wonderful way to spend our Saturday and I highly recommend this Ranch as a top family spot to visit.

Good Friends Are Good For The Soul

Our family had another fabulous weekend. It was such a treat to have Matt home all weekend. On Friday night Taylor and I had a 'Mommy and Me' date with Auntie Michelle and big cousin Julia. Auntie Michelle and I took the girls to see Miley Cyrus and it was a very fun time. Taylor was mesmerized by Miley Cyrus and was very excited to be at her concert. She has not stopped talking about it since and shared her experience with her kindergarten class first thing this morning.

On Saturday, Matt and I took the girls to Crissy Field in San Fransisco and enjoyed watching the girls ride their bikes. I think with a little more practice Taylor will be saying "goodbye" to her training wheels! We brought a blanket and had a picnic lunch before heading back home to Novato.

On Sunday, We had the pleasure of hosting a BBQ for our great friends and old neighbors from Vacaville. We were so happy to have the opportunity to spend time with people we hold so close to our hearts. Taylor and Ryan were practically beside themselves to have their dear friends to play with. Although they are adjusting well to living in Novato they often remind me that this is not their "home." Ryan is notorious for reminding me in her own words that "my home is directly across the street from my best friends Briana and Amanda." Today Ryan asked if Briana and Amanda could live with us but I explained how this would not be possible because they would be homesick for their own mom and dad. She seemed to understand this but I do have to give her credit, she is certainly always brainstorming and trying to come up with solutions to things.

Today we were back to our normal routine. We went and had a nice morning play

date at the park with a friend from Taylor's kindergarten class. After dropping Taylor at school Ryan and I went shoe shopping for her and then treated ourselves to a pink slurpee...yummy!

So as you can see life is good for The Four Foxes and we have no complaints...just feeling fortunate to have such a beautiful and amazing family, wonderfully loyal friends and cherished memories to reflect on.

The girls and I spent a beautiful day in San Francisco today with my brother and his family. We took the kids with their bikes to ride around Golden Gate Park and then went and explored the Academy of Sciences. What an amazing place. We all enjoyed watching all the different aquatic life and the albino alligator was a sight to see! Afterwards, we ventured down to the Music Concourse and enjoyed the Golden Gate Band that was entertaining the crowd with some wonderful music. Madeleine, Ryan and Taylor were up on the stage putting on their best performance for their audience. We completely enjoyed our holiday weekend and now we are preparing for another week of kindergarten.

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as much as we did!