Busy, Busy, Busy

I know, I know its been 9 months since I've posted anything!  Who knew that with 3 kids life would be so crazy?  It has been a wonderful 9 months, getting to know our newest family member, Kinley!  She is a joyful little girl, always happy, hardly cries and loves to dance!
 Since I last posted Jacob has turned 3 and Brenna has turned 5.  Brenna has graduated from preschool and will start kindergarten in the fall.  And the best news of all is that Brenna asked Jesus to "walk into her heart" on January 8, 2012, one of my greatest prayers for her has been answered. Brenna preformed in her second dance recital and did a wonderful job.
Jacob will be starting preschool in the fall, he is all boy.  He is silly, loud and such a sweet boy!  He loves to take boat rides and ride the 4-wheeler with his daddy.
Kinley is now 9 months old, she can stand with out help, she has 5 teeth, working on teeth 6, 7 and 8.  She is a speedy crawler and loves to get into her siblings things.  Her favorite thing is to take a bath, she crawls as fast as she can to the bathroom when she hears the bath water start running.  She is just a wonderful little girl. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

We have been busy, but we have had a fun time! 

Kinley Reed

On Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 12:46 pm we welcomed a 3rd blessing into our family. Kinley Reed Fouts arrived after nearly 24 hrs of labor at a healthy 9lbs 13 oz and 20 1/4 inch long. She is such a wonderful blessing and is loved by Brenna and Jacob more than she will ever know. Her mommy and daddy are pretty fond of her too!

Brenna is 4!!!

On March 19, my first born turned 4! I can hardly believe it. Miss Brenna wanted to go bowlin balling (aka bowling) for her birthday. So Grandma Becky, Mommy and Miss Brenna went bowlin balling on her birthday, we then had Chinese for lunch and went shopping. She had a great day. On Sunday after her birthday we had a party for her at the Kearney Area Children's Museum, with a Strawberry Shortcake theme, I however have no pictures of that day! Brenna had such a wonderful time on her 4th birthday, she is already planning her party for next year!

She is so grown up! She has learned so much in the past year, it is just amazing. She can now write her name with out help, she can recognize all of her letters and tell you what sound they make. She can count to 15 all by herself and recognize numbers. She can also tell you what colors to mix together to get green, orange and purple. I am so proud of this little girl, preschool has been such a great experience for her.

Other activities she started this year were ballet and tap. She loves to dance and is excited every Friday for class. She also started Cubbies this year, its the Awana program for preschoolers. Through this she has developed a love for Jesus and an understanding that He died for our sins. I am so amazed at my little girls faith already, I just pray that it continues to grow!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jacob!

Jacob today you are 2 years old, where has the time gone? You are a loving little boy and so full of joy!
Some new things you have learned this year:

• your vocabulary has expanded so much, you talk all the time, sometimes even more clearly than Brenna.
• you know how to get out of getting in trouble with you Mommy, you just give me a look and I can't help but laugh at your silliness.
• you love your sister and have even made up your own name for her "Chuna", we have no idea what it means, but you refuse to call her Brenna.
• you love to sing "Jesus Loves Me" with your Mommy.
• you love to "fly" with Grandpa.
• you wear size 5 diapers and 2t clothing some 3t.

You have brought so much joy to our lives in the past 2 years, we can't wait to see how you will grow and change in the years to come.

Jacob Sings!

Jacob singing Jesus Loves Me!

Please ignore the awful singing in the background!

Faith Story part 2

On Sunday December 12, I gave my faith story at church. So here it is for you all to read!



I was born Dec. 21, 1982 and was later dedicated to the Lord at Keene Evangelical Free Church. During my early childhood we attended church somewhat regularly, we split time between Keene and the Presbyterian Church in Axtell. I went to Bible school every summer, usually at both of these churches and also attended Awana after school. I grew up knowing God and accepting Christ early on, I can't remember the exact date, but I remember being that kid that every time someone asked if you had accepted Christ, I prayed again for Him to be my Savior just to make sure I had done it.

My Dad's parents were also a big influence on my walk early on, they were what I call "quiet Christians", they brought no attention to themselves, but in everything they did you could see Christ's light shining through. Before breakfast everyday, my Grandpa would read from the "Daily Bread" and then read the scripture that was for that day. Then we would kneel down at our chairs and pray quietly. For a long time I didn't know what my grandparents were doing, I thought they were just mumbling something to God, so I would copy them and whisper quietly to myself. At the age of 9 my Mom and Dad divorced, this was a hard time for me but I realized after years of listening to my parents fight, it was a lot quieter and calmer at our home. Over the next 3 years my Mom worked two jobs and my sister and I spent quite a bit of time on our own. We were still able to go to Sunday school, Bible school and Awana, these things helped to build up my faith. When I was 12 my Mom remarried and we moved 40 miles to Overton. At this same time I would not attend church again until the age of 20.
At the age of 17 I had a full time job and took care of myself and pretty much did what I wanted, but always praying that God would keep me safe, even when I knew what I was doing was not the right thing. And even though I walked out on God, He didn't walk out on me. He knew that someday I would come back and recommit my life to Him. And He was right, at the age of 20 He brought Morgan into my life and soon after we started dating and began attending Westmark Church together. One day sitting there listening to Pastor Dave Carlson, I felt like his sermon was just for me and right then and there I decided that my life had to change and I was going to let God be an active part in it.
I am still learning and growing in Christ, but everyday He is holding my hand as I am learning to trust Him even more. And now after almost 6 years of marriage and two beautiful children, I can say that God has a far greater plan for my life than I ever knew. And I know that God will never leave me, no matter how far I wander from Him, He is waiting for me, for all of us to come back to Him because truly He is all we need!

Faith Story

Last night as I was getting ready to leave Awana with Brenna and her friend Issie, one of the elders of our church approached me about sharing my faith story during Sunday morning worship sometime in December. My first reaction was NO, NO and NO, I however didn't' say this, but was totally thinking it. I was also think who really wants to hear MY faith story??? Although I have lived a life full bumps in the road, had a pretty rough childhood etc, I don't think there is anything special about my story, many others have gone through the same things or even more and through God have turned their lives around. I still feel like a work in progress, which I guess we all kind of are until we are reunited in Heaven with Jesus, but I am just not sure about sharing MY story. So in the hope that maybe my story will touch someone's life I agreed to do it. I also had to let this elder know that their would probably be a lot of tears. I am emotional when I speak about my faith, as well as when I get nervous and anxious (which I will totally be, I may have to take one of my anti anxiety pills before I get up there). But sharing MY story is what I will do, now to find the right words and a way to summarize all that I have gone through and all that God has done for me in this life. Please pray for me!

You're Invited to a Tea Party!

Last night as I was getting ready to go to bed I noticed that some lights were left on in the basement. When I went down to shut them off, this is what I found.

Brenna had decided to "make her table pretty" (set the table) for her tea party with her dolls and othe stuffed animals. Too cute!

Knock Knock Jokes

My wonderful little boy Jacob (20 months old) has begun telling knock knock jokes, it is hilarious. He just comes up and says "Knock, Knock", I say "who's there", he says "jabber, jabber, jabber" then he says "knock, knock" again. We do this for a few minutes at a time, it just cracks me up. I am hoping to get a video of him doing this soon.

New Blog

I started a new blog to journal my journey to a healthier me. You check it out at www.tjfouts.blogspot.com .

First Day of Preschool

Yesterday was Brenna's first day of preschool, she was so excited she woke up at 6 am and preschool didn't start til 10:30. So for 4hours she was asking when she would be able to go to school. It was an emotional day for Mommy, but for some reason the tears didn't come until about 9 last night when I was making dinner for Morgan all of a sudden the water works started. I finally realized what a milestone this was for my little girl or should I say my big girl. 3 1/2 years have flown by so fast, it seems like we were bringing this beautiful girl home from the hospital yesterday and now she is big enough to go to school for 2 hours without her Mommy. I love Miss Brenna sooooo much!

Jesus Loves Me!

All I Wanna Do is Dance, Dance, Dance!

Brenna had her very first dance class today. It is a combination class of tap and ballet. She Loves It!!!! Here are a few pictures from today.

End Of Summer

Well summer is coming to an end and I realized I have only posted twice in recent months, so I thought I would catch you all up on what did all summer and all of our upcoming events. Most of our summer has been spent at the pool, hanging out at home and attending a few weddings.

Brenna and Jake are growing up so fast. Jake is now 18 1/2 months old, he is 33 1/2 inches tall and weighs 26 lbs (the exact same measurments of Brenna at 2 years old). He is active, onery and filled with joy. Jake is usually happy and always has a hug and a kiss for his Mama! I hope and pray that he continues to be so filled with love throughout his life.

Brenna is almost 3 1/2 years old, she is smart and sassy with a complete mind of her own. She loves all things princess and also describes herself as a princess (hmmm I wonder wear she gets these wonderful traits from?). Brenna will be starting a dance class (tap/ballet combo) on August 27, preschool starts on September 7, and Awana starts September 8. She is going to be one busy little girl. She makes my heart melt constantly when she tells me "you're the best Mama" and "I love you so much". She is a wonderful little girl (even though we butt heads quite often, it must be that our personalities are too similar). I cannot wait to see what the future holds for my wonderful children!

Summer Day

Brenna has once again begun swimming lessons this summer, her first lesson was on Tuesday and she had a blast. We go again tonight, I hope it goes just a smoothly. Jake and Mommy have been playing at the park while Brenna is swimming, even though he would LOVE to get in the water.

We have also been taking Daddy many meals out to the field while he has been planting and now he is doing some male row delay (a seed corn thing) and the rain has set everything back. So now he is trying to make up for lost time.

Brenna and Jake have enjoyed going to play with our friend Issie about once a week and we have made a couple trips to the children's muesuem, such a wonderful place. I think we will start trying to go to the pool a few times a week to break up the days.

Today we decided to the get the sprinkler out for some relief from the heat. Hope you enjoy the pictures. I will try to take more pictures of the kids and post more often, it just seems like time gets away from me.

Lately

It has been awhile since I last posted, so what have we been up to lately?

Playing with kitties,

Helping Daddy water trees,

Planting flowers and watching them grow (if you look closely you can see the green coming out of the soil).

Dressing up beautifully for church.



Coloring together.

Brenna has also been working on potty training, but I didn't think sharing pictures was probably appropriate. That's what we have been up to. What's been going on at your house lately?

Easter 2010

I know this post is a little late, but I wanted to share pictures of Brenna and Jake in their adorable Easter ensembles!

30 Day Shred, Again!

I started the 30 Day Shred once again on Monday. So far its kicking my hiney pretty good. After finishing it the first time around, my hubby and I went on vacation and I gained back all that I had lost plus a few extra pounds. Now I am trying it again and hopefully will have better results. I will try to update my progress again on day 10. I have also added walking daily to my routine, hopefully this will help lose some extra pounds!

3 years old

newborn

1 year


2 years

3 years

Three years ago today I went to the hospital to do my pre-admission paper work, had my car serviced and went to work on a normal Monday, and had a doctors appointment around 11 am for my 37 week check up. To my surprise my doctor sent me to the hospital to have an ultrasound, or that's what she told me, so that they could check my amniotic fluid level. Well low and behold I was in labor. My sweet, beautiful first born, Brenna Morgan, entered the world at 9:57 pm on March 19, 2007 weighing 7lbs 8oz and 20 1/4 inches long. Our lives have been changed forever by knowing this sweet little girl. I pray that she lives her life for God and that she becomes an incredible person as she grows. WE LOVE YOU A WHOLE LOT LITTLE PRINCESS!

Thankful

This year I began reading my One Year Bible again, and I am so glad that I have. As I read through the Old Testament I am reminded of how thankful I am that God sent his son, Jesus, as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. All of the many rituals, sacrifices and laws that were to be followed during Old Testament times makes my head spin, there were so many that I have no idea how any of the Israelites kept a single one. I know that many of the laws we still follow today such as the Ten Commandments, but I am so thankful that I don't have to go out to my flocks and find a male ram without defect to sacrifice, or make a grain offering or that I don't have to go through a priest to talk to God and ask for forgiveness. I am just so thankful that Jesus covers all of my sins and He can cover yours too if you accept him as your Savior.