Fossum Family NEWsletter- all things new 2008

Happy Holidays to everyone! We thought that it would be fast this year to write our newsletter online. Most of the newsletters get thrown away, so we thought that those of you who really want to know what's going on with us this year will come to our blog! A lot has happened this year, it has flown by, and a lot of new NEWS has come our way.....this letter is written by me, Sarah. It's just wierd and uncomfortable to write in third person so I will take responsibility for writing this!...
January- I got a NEW foot. After running a half marathon I thought my foot was broken. Little did I know it was an extra bone on the inner side of my left foot that needed to be removed. The doctor said it was as big as a walnut and the end was broken off! Now I can run like a gazelle (well, almost). We drove up to Rexburg to the open house of the NEW Rexburg temple. It is beautiful and breathtaking and our kids thought it was the coolest thing to be able to go inside! They loved the celestial room and all the crystals in the chandeleir(sp?).
February -John got a NEW church calling, Elders Quorum President. After that I was soon released from YW and put in scouts (dangit) but it has been good for me to work with Enoch. John is doing great in his calling and he makes all the guys feel important and welcome. I think he will soon be the new bishop, j/k but it wouldn't surprise me.
March- John and I reNEWed our wedding vows as we celebrated our ten year anniversary. We saved money by taking the kids over to Liz and David's for the night. Who would spend money on a hotel when you can just hang out at home? We went to dinner and a movie, my favorite date.
April- John picked up a NEW hobby- running. He ran the Salt Lake Marathon, one of his first races. He made it in great time and didn't even feel too tired afterward. Woo-hoo! He also ran the Provo river Marathon this year and others that seemed like a breeze. After trying to convince him for years to run, I think he has finally discovered his NEW talent.
May- Besides turning nine, Enoch went to the dentist and discovered he had two more NEW cavities! I think Enoch can beat any kid with all the work he has had done to his teeth. You name it and he has probably had it done, therefore, he is very afraid of the dentist and we had to bribe him with a NEW toy.
June-John took Enoch and Isaac and drove down to Arizona with his Dad to see Chris and Kimbie in their NEW location. They went four wheeling on Chris' property, went swimming and played at the park. They said it was hot, but fun to be with family. I stayed home with the twins to rest my pregnant belly and all it's NEW stretchmarks.
Jacob and Benjamin turned five and received some NEW bikes. They taught themselves how to ride without training wheels and thought it was fun to have NEW bruises.
July-Isaac and Jacob decided to dive into something NEW this summer and took swimming lessons. They loved it! Ben tried for one session and wanted to quit after the first day(better luck next summer). We drove up to NEW territory to the Anderson family reunion(my mom's side) in Boise and had fun at Marla and Rick's house. They rented a large blow up slide and the kids played in it all day. The boys tried to make excuses to stay longer.
Isaac turned 7 and we went to Fairview because it was our 24th of July tradition with the Fossum side. This is nothing NEW, but I did get a NEW spider bite on my leg and misquito bites all over. Fun!
August - Our NEW baby girl, Rachel Elizabeth, arrived on August 20th. She is such a sweet little princess, or shall we say big? She weighed 9'7 and was born by c-section. I was kind of relieved because I don't know how I would have pushed her out. She had beautiful brown hair and lots of it, which was a surprise because our boys were all bald blondies. I was given three showers and received tons of NEW clothes, which is sad to say because she has outgrown a lot of them already. The boys love her and spoil her with NEW kisses every day. She is a daddy's girl and has a big girl look on her face whenever John holds her. We are so lucky and blessed to have this new little angel in our home!
John and I bought some NEW toys. I sold my vinyl letter company and bought a NEW camera. I would have to say it is the best investment I have made thus far. You can never spend too much money on memories. John decided to splurge and buy a 52 in. plasma tv. That may come as a shock to some people since John isn't one to go out and splurge like that. I think I'm still in shock at the sporatic and exciting move he made. Way to go! But John received another NEW job teaching online at Devry University so he's feeling in control of our finances. I think that is three jobs for him now. He's always been a slave when it comes to work.
September- The boys have been loving their NEW teachers in school. Enoch is now in fourth grade and loves Spelling and Reading. Isaac is in first grade and is the oldest in his class and lets everyone know. The twins, Jake and Ben, started pre-school this year (yes I am holding them back as well) and love their teacher, my sister of a friend Alisa Gilchrist.
October- I turned 33 this year on Halloween, which is nothing NEW, but John did give me something NEW- a mixer that I have been wanting for forever. I love it and use it every day. We all dressed up in NEW costumes this year. I was surprised when John came home from work with a wig to dress up in after I had complained that he never dresses up. He's a sweetie.
We also started doing something a little NEW, and that is one-on-one dates with our boys. We switch off taking one boy a week on a date so that we can give them a little extra attention. The boys have loved going to Nickel Cade, Cabella's, miniture golfing, etc. It's all sheer entertainment for them and sheer agony for us. But we do love the extra alone time we get with each of them.
November-John and I have started working out at the NEW rec center just down the street. It's a nice facility. I go with a couple friends around six every morning to run, do aerobics classes, and lift weights. John lifts weights with his friend and I think he's almost as buff as my brother Andy(but not quite)
My brother Sam surprised me with a birthday gift this year to go see my favorite band Coldplay on their NEW viva la vida tour. I went with Liz and David and we had the time of our lives. John stayed home with the kids and said he didn't want to miss the BYU vs. UT football game. Um, Coldplay or Football? That's a hard decision, haha.
We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner at Mom and Dad Fossum's this year and loved their NEW idea- eating in the garage! It was warm cuz mom put heaters out there. Loved it!
December- The boys have been having fun with all this NEW snow we have been receiving. They just discovered how to build a snowman. This time of year reminds us of all the NEW years resolutions that we want to make.
And of course we get to celebrate the birth of our Savior who gives us NEW life if we but believe. We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We love and appreciate all of you. Words cannot describe how you complete our lives.
With Love,
the Fossums
John, Sarah, Enoch, Isaac, Jacob and Benjamin, and our little Princess, Rachel Elizabeth

Lights on Temple Square

On Black Friday we went up to Salt Lake City to enjoy the lights at Temple Square. Martin and Ingrid watched Rachel while we went and took the boys to the Joseph Smith movie at the JSMB. We have been reading the Doctrine and Covenants this year as a family so the boys loved to see the movie because it brought the book to life for them. Enoch and Isaac especially loved it. Then when the movie was over we walked outside and the lights were turned on. It was a beautiful sight. I took some pictures with my night setting on my camera and think they turned out okay.

After that we went to Martin and Ingrids and had nachoes for dinner and were able to chat for awhile. I really miss those days when we could just sit back and hang out. It was a fun night and something jolly to bring in the Christmas spirit!

What a Wonderful Life!!

Happy Thanksgiving! This year we spent Turkey Day at Mom and Dad Fossum's in Highland. We thought it would be fun to spend the night so that it would feel like we were actually going on a trip for Thanksgiving. We should have stayed a whole week considering how much stuff we packed up just for the night. But it was really fun. We had pizza the night before and surprised the boys with Kung Fu Panda and Wall-e that we got on dvd so that we could have a movie night. I think they've watched Kung Fu Panda a million times already.

John's sisters Ingrid and Cat came on Thanksgiving with their families. They all live in the area as well. Mom decorated the garage and we ate out there so that it would be easy to clean up and we could use the rest of the house for games etc. afterwards. What a brilliant idea! There were heaters out there to make it nice and comfortable, and then four tables set up in a square so that we could all see eachother and talk during dinner. It turned out to be really relaxing and not so chaotic as it always seems to be.

Dad made a really yummy turkey. Cat made some outrageous orange rolls, and John made his southern sweet potato pie. mmmm....and of course mom made a million things like her tasty pies(the pecan was my favorite) and fudge. We ate so much we all felt sick, so then most of us had naps afterward. I think we ate fudge for a week after and I probably gained five pounds. Isaac ate five or six orange rolls that Aunt Cat made. The twins ate down most of the meat on the drumsticks and Enoch just "loved it all!" Later on all the ladies played Phase 10 and Uno.

All in all it was a really fun day for all of us and something great to remember. Thanks Mom and Dad for being such great hosts! We'll have to do the whole garage thing every year! We are so happy to have spent Thanksgiving as a family and to reflect on our wonderful blessings. We are so BLESSED!