Stouts R Us

Worship Wednesday - Your Name

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

Nothing has the power to save us from our sins but His name. I am so grateful to my father who pulled me out of the pit by dying on the cross. Can you believe he did that for you too? I hope you can believe it. If you do, we will be partying in heaven one day together....if you don't, talk to me and I'll let you know why I believe this so wholeheartedly!!

As morning dawns and evening fades
You in- spire songs of praise
That rise from earth to touch Your heart and glorify Your Name

CHORUS
Your Name is a strong and mighty tow- er
Your Name is a shelter like no oth- er
Your Name, let the nations sing it loud- er
'Cause nothing has the pow- er to save
But Your Name

Jesus, in Your Name we pray
Come and fill our hearts today
Lord, give us strength to live for You and glorify Your Name

CHORUS
Your Name is a strong and mighty tow- er
Your Name is a shelter like no oth- er
Your Name, let the nations sing it loud- er
'Cause nothing has the pow- er to save but Your Name

INSTRUMENTAL

CHORUS
Your Name is a strong and mighty tow- er
Your Name is a shelter like no oth- er
Your Name, let the nations sing it loud- er
(1st & 2nd endings)
'Cause nothing has the pow- er to save but

(Repeat Chorus)
(3rd ending)
'Cause nothing has the pow- er to save but Your Name
(Repeat)

Worship Wednesday - We Are

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am loving this song these days, we are the light of the world people...we gotta let the light shine!!! What are you listening to these days?

Every secret, every shame
Every fear, every pain
Live inside the dark
But that's not who we are
We are children of the day

So wake up sleeper, lift your head
We were meant for more than this
Fight the shadows conquer death
Make the most of the time we have left

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine
Let the light shine, let the light shine

We are called to the spread the news
Tell the world the simple truth
Jesus came to save, there's freedom in His Name
So let his love break through

We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine
We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine

Joey's Christmas Show!!!

2012-01-06T16:51:00.000-08:00

What's the holiday season without a preschool Christmas Show? Joey did great despite the fact she walked out in a different outfit then I sent her to school in :] Apparently she didn't pee in her pants, but her pee shot out while she was on the potty?!? Too much info? LOL, oh well :] anyway, here are some super cute videos of our little star singing about Jesus!! I love it :]

After Joey's show they had a Christmas party back in the room! I love that Joey goes to a Christian Mother's Day Out. They actually get to have a Christmas party...not a holiday party!

first we had some circle time!

Karin is our room mom and she did great! She read the kids some books, sang songs with them and even had a craft!

First up was the manger mix! We mixed oats, sugar and sprinkles for the reindeer...we sprinkle them on our lawn so that they can find our house for Christmas night!

Now it's time for "Wake Up sleeping shepherds!

Now it's time for some yummy grub!!

The kids each got goodie bags to take home!

These were the baskets we all chipped in for our teachers! I have a post coming up on all the handmade gifts I made this Christmas and the teacher gifts will be included, so stay tuned!

Joey with Miss Stephanie :]

Joey with Miss Melissa :]

We love our teachers and they love our Joey! Thanks for a great 1st half of the year! Merry Christmas!!!

Get Your Jewelry On!!!

2012-01-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

Christmas was coming and my bestie just started a new business where she sells great jewelry for $5...that's right folks, just $5!!!! Check out her blog here.....Fashion for 5. I of course want to support Liz and so I decided to host a party. We had some yummy drinks and a great time shopping! Check out all the pics and let me know if you are interested in hosting a party...I can get you in touch with Liz!

Since I didn't get any great pics of my Christmas decor, you can see a bit of it in these pics :]

No joke y'all, she just comes to your house, sets all this fun stuff up and you get FREE jewelry in the process! We had a great time and my friends got some great gifts for the family and friends! Thanks Liz for such a fun time! Love you and your $5 accessories!!!

Disney On Ice...

2012-01-05T12:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our wonderful family, we get to do some things that we normally wouldn't splurge on! This treat was on Jackie...she got us tickets to see Disney on Ice! It was so much fun and the entire family got a chance to go! We even met Becky and Cyndi there with their kiddos!

Our hosts for the evening were none other than Micky, Minnie, Donald Duck and Daffy Duck!

the girls were loving it! They were hooked from the beginning!

Sammy even did well for most of the show! She got a little antsy in the end, but all in all did a great job!

simba and nala :]

Loved these guys!!

One of the big numbers...under the sea, I think!

I was holding Sam for a while, but this was the last number with Peter Pan...that crocodile was legit!

We ended the day with a pizza picnic and Sammy decided to take a nap :] She must have had fun....fun enough to get worn out!

Thanks Aunt Jackie, we had a blast!!!!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!!!

2012-01-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving over, it's time to get ready for Christmas! Johnny and I usually do most of the work on our own, but the girls were both involved this year and it was so much fun! We slapped on some Christmas music and away we went! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves :] Merry Christmas everyone!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season this year!!! I know we sure did!

Thanksgiving 2011

2012-01-05T11:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone, but let's recap Thanksgiving :] I am so behind on posts, and don't want to forget a thing, so here goes!

We started this year with our 2nd annual Thanksgiving feast at the gym. It's so much fun decorating and this year was no different! Check out the table, hats and place mats :]

you better believe I made people wear their hats :]

we had crayons hidden in the leaves so people could color their place mats :]

You can't deny the fun going on at this party!! Pretty sure Hannah and Chase skipped school to hang out with us old folks!

Me and My new sis in law Rachel....BTW, she should be having a baby soon! Come on out little Brooklynn, it's ok!

Me and my bestie Akirb...we were pilgrims obviously...

Each year the directors bring yummy food, and this year it was no different! Check out all those fixins!

Ham and Turkey....we are spoiled!

In the end, Bob had the best place mat creation with is puppy page :]

A few days later, the real Thanksgiving came, and we headed to my parent's house for some yummy food and family fun!

Ricky carved the turkey...so glad I didn't have the job this year! I feel like I've carved many a turkey in my life already, and I'm only 30...but really it's kinda fun chopping up the thanksgiving dinner like that...I digress :] Ricky did a great job!

Look at all that yummy goodness!!!

gravy on the stove!!!

Our kids aren't big on holiday food yet, but Sammy gave it a go! They have no idea what they are missing out on, I mean turkey and stuffing and gravy?!? Yummmmmmm!!! I want some now actually! He mom and greatmother, could you please just whip that up? Thanks :]

Me and my sulsta! Wow, my hair is really long!!! I just love my sister! She's the best!

Sweet Sammy! I love that little smile and her sweet looks :] Don't let her deceive you, she's a toot when she wants to be and definetly our "challenging child" :] Doesn't mean we love her less, just means we have to be stern with this one!

And then there's this one....Joey's hair is so curly in this pic! She's growing up to be such a little lady. She's opinionated, talkative and amazing! We are so thankful for both our girls! Thank you Lord for our little Stout family!!!

Next it was off to Grandma's house for even more food! I can't believe I didn't get many pictures, but the food was great as usual, and our family is growing so much that there are hardly any leftovers anymore :[

I love Thanksgiving for so many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is the food! There are things that I prefer from my family's dinner and things that Johnny prefers at his family's dinner, but we both like things at both. We have never had to decide where to go because we live so close to both families which is great because we get the best of both worlds! At my mom's, I live for the stuffing, the stuffed celery and the rolls....the turkey is always good, and my grandmother makes real cranberry sauce! At my MILs, the turkey is always yummy and I love all the sides...broccoli cheese casserole, corn casserole, broken glass {awesome jello thing} and the colliflower. So really we just pig out all day and love it!!!

The pics I did get at my MILs house were of the girls painting grandma's nails! She's so sweet and let's them do this whenever they want! I am always worried about things getting on the carpet, setting up the paper towels and cautioning Joey not to get crazy with the nail polish. Sharon just sits down with the kids in the middle of the floor and lets them go to town! What a sweet grandma!

Don't forget the chapstick!!

All in all, we had a great Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for! God has provided in abundance and we are so grateful! Can't wait to see what's in store for this upcoming year!

How was your Thanksgiving?

5 year anny!!!!

2012-01-05T10:22:00.000-08:00

Our 5 year anny was a few weeks ago and Johnny really outdid himself! I'm so thankful that God gave this man to me till death do us part! I feel so blessed and I praise the lord for Johnny daily!

So back to our anny! I woke up on the Saturday of our anniversary and went potty as normal :). When I went to the bathroom I saw these:

Each heart had a verse that either had to do with love or marriage. The hearts were so sweet and the verses were so right on. He came up with this on his own people!!! Yikes!!!

I went back to bed and saw this note by my bedside (btw, Johnny was gone at a 5k during all this).

This sweet note told me that the entire day was planned, all I had to do was get the girls ready for gymnastics and that I had a massage scheduled later that morning! Are you kidding me??? I was so stoked!!!

Johnny got home and took the girls to the gym, and I went to Massage Envy!

Not sure what's up with this picture, but let me just say, the massage was awesome! My massage lady didn't talk and that's awesome!!!! I hate it when you get in there and they are trying to talk to you and you are trying to relax...it's such an annoying use of the hour! Anyway, she was awesome and I'm so glad I got to go!

When I got home, there was another cute little green envelope with some super sappy love note from Johnny...he said he loves that I can make him laugh and that he makes me laugh too....then he said we were going to see a movie!

The movie was cute, but you can see it at home people, you don't have to rush to the theaters to check out Jack and Jill :]

When we walked out of the movie theater, Johnny handed me another sweet note saying how he likes that I am willing to try new things....let's go get some food and play some Top Golf!! We love Top Golf! So away we went for some yummy food and some fun at TG!

Seriously, if you've never played Top Golf, you need to go! It's so much fun and you don't have to be a golfer to have a great time!

Everything we have ever tried at Top Golf is amazing! I got the Philly Cheese Steak which was divine!!! They put queso on it people!!! Yummmmm!!!

While we were finishing up at Top Golf, I got another little envelope with a note in it....It talked about us needing a break and how we deserve a night...Johnny had booked us a room at a hotel near the shops at Legacy! {Thanks Amy and Stewart BTW!!!}

We went to get our stuff and Johnny had already arranged for the girls to spend the night at Grandma's house. We went and checked in at the hotel and took a nap...well, Johnny took a nap, I got too enthralled with Independance Day to actually sleep :] That's what happens when you don't have TV :]

After Johnny's nap we headed out to get some grub! The night was beautiful and the shops were so close, we just walked until we found a place that I remember people recommending so we stopped and ate :]

I had a Mambo Taxi here...some amazing drink I tell you! The food was good, but small portions...this is Texas people, isn't everything supposed to be bigger? We ended up having to get some more food later!

again, it was such a great night, we sat on the patio and enjoyed a few drinks with dinner...it's been a long time since Johnny and I had a few drinks...usually we are cutting up food, making sure things aren't being thrown on the floor, trying to find out what's on the kids menu before even looking at ours. What a fun change! {Don't get me wrong people, I love our kiddos, they are amazing, but it sure is fun to eat a meal with just me and the hubs every once and a while!!}

We went walking around the shops after dinner and settled down at the Ginger Man. There was live music and a fun older couple that we chatted with.

They took our picture for us :] There were no tables open so we just sat on this stoop thing! Kind of dangerous if you ask me....there was a huge drop behind us where that trunk is coming from! Oh well, nothing to worry about, we were under control!

That night we crashed at the hotel with no alarms set to wake up to, no kiddos to tend to the next morning. It was nice! We did wake up though and got ready to go to church. My favorite service of the year was here and we didn't want to miss it! On Thanksgiving weekend our church sets up microphones for people to come up to and give thanks to God for things that have happened in their lives that year. After you have given thanks, you can also request a song.....LOVE IT! I usually spend the entire service in tears because God is so amazing and so gracious!

I almost got up at church and told of the amazing anny my hubby planned, but the line was long and I figured I could brag on Johnny here :] He did assure me that this was not an every year occasion, but because we were celebrating a 5 year mark, we did it up right! Next year I'm in charge of planning our anniversary, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to top this one! Thanks babe, here's to many many more years!!! Love you!!

Worship Wednesday - You're Here

2011-12-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

I guess I've been a little MIA lately, so let's kick off this Holiday season right with this awesome song....A friend of mine sang this in a recital recently and I just love it! I could listen to it over and over....Jesus is here!!! Merry Christmas everyone...enjoy this Worship Wednesday!

Tiny Prints!!!!

2011-12-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

Hi there everyone! I have to tell you I am so excited about using Tiny Prints for Christmas cards this year! I have used them before for baby shower invites and thank you notes in the past, but this is the first time we will be using them for Christmas! Maybe you can help pick out our card...which do you like best?

{find this one here}

I love that this kind of looks like my handwriting! Maybe I'll go with it?!?

{find this one here}

This one is so cute....simple and fun! It would take just the right picture though...

{find this one here}

Are you kidding me?? This one is totally fun and colorful and totally makes me so happy! Maybe this is the winner?!?

{find this one here}

And last but not least, I am loving this color combo! I may just have to get this one!

So the problem is that there are too many cute ones to choose from! Which one would you choose?? Also, if you'd like a Christmas Card form us this year, leave me a comment or email me your address! stoutfamily@rocketmail.com

Thanks Tiny Prints for such cute choices!!! Get yours here....http://www.tinyprints.com/shop/picture-christmas-cards.htm

Cousin Time!

2011-12-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

I love that my sister and I live closer these days! She and her husband just moved to McKinney from Carrollton and we are getting to spend so much more time together than we used to which is even more fun because of our sweet nephew Ricky! We got to watch him recently and I got some cute pics of his royal cuteness...

Look at those eyes people...he's a heart breaker!!!

Joey had to get in on the action :]

What you talkin bout Joey?

Ricky can have the pink one!!

Strike a pose :]

OK mommy, enough pictures!!

Aunt Vicky :]

2011-12-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

A while back, Joey had a day off of school so we ran some errands, and visited Aunt Vicky at school!!! She basically stopped her entire class to hang with me and Joey, but don't tell her kid's parents that :]! It was so much fun to see Vicky in her element and fun to see her read to Joey :]

Joey loves to be read to and this was an amazing treat for her that day!!!

Playin in the Puddle

2011-11-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

If you've followed our blog here for any amount of time, you know we have a ginormous puddle in our ally way any time it rains! At times we let our kids go crazy in it....take a look! {for your facebookers, there's a video at the end...click on original post if you want to check it out}

Where Have We Been?

2011-11-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! If you've been wondering where we've been, here's the scoop! Hope you like it :]

www.facebook.com/showeredwlove

www.twitter.com/showeredwlove

www.showeredwlove.blogspot.com

We've Been Busy!

2011-10-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

So sorry that I haven't been keeping everyone up to speed on the Stout happenings...we have been super busy these days! I can't remember a weekend where we didn't have anything to do! We recently did have a free weekend, and we took advantage of the time and went to visit Aunt Amy and my cousins Paige and Buddy in Houston! It was a great time with family! We slept in, ate in and watched TV. Super lazy and relaxed! We got to see my 2nd cousin in her cheer show off, and play with all her American Girl dolls too! Here are some pics from our weekend :]

Pit Stop on the way to Aunt Amy's

There was a pumpkin setting outside the gas station...why not?

She loves her sister!!

Yay! Pizza picnic night in Houston!!

Savannah, our super sweet niece! She was so good all weekend :]

Sammy loved scooting on all the tile :]

Joey was up on this ladder all weekend helping Aunt Amy make us yummy food!

awake....

BOOM, too much fun....asleep

Amy brought out her bin of goodies including barbies, cabbage patch kids and more! This was in addition to the fun gifts she got the girls! Sammy got a new baby, and Joey got Barbie and Ken dolls!

Seriously this kid is so cute! She was such a great baby all weekend...she just plays and plays, and if she cries it cause she's hungry or tired, and that was it!! I sure loved getting my Savannah snuggles!

Bye Houston! We will come back again soon!

I didn't get any pics from visiting with my cousins, but it was a great time to get caught up and check in on everyone! We even got to see my cousin Mckenzie do her little cheer show off, so that was fun! It was great to see Paige and Buddy, and share in the victories over Buddy's health! And Nonny was there too!!! We love y'all and can't wait till we see each other again!

First trip to the Dentist

2011-10-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Since Joey is 3 now and has had all her teeth since forever, we finally buckled down, got some dental insurance this year and took her for her first visit! Since I dont' really know anyone who has taken their little kids to the dentist in McKinney yet, I called my friend Cari who I used to coach with since she works for a pediatric dentist here in McKinney. She said come on in, and we got Joey all set up and ready to go!

For those of you who don't know our daughter very well, she likes to be informed of things beforehand. She needs to know the plan, so I started telling her about the dentist and what they were going to do. We have a Dora book that talks about the dentist too, so we had been reading that a lot as well! It was all I could do to keep Johnny from scaring her...he hates the dentist!

The day of her appointment, I picked her up from school and away we went. Holli was sweet enough to keep Sammy longer so I could focus on just Joey! When I got to her school, she was so excited and told her teacher where we were going. We got in the car and I reminded her of all the cool things we were about to do at the dentist!

When we got there we were greeted by a board with her name on it welcoming all the new friends :]

We waited in the comfy lobby....it's so cute...set up like a living room! There was coffee for the parents and PS2s for the kids to check out! Joey was of course glued to the TV :]

We got called back super quick and Miss Erin talked to Joey about what was going to happen while she was getting her tools ready...

They even went over how to spell Erin's name because Joey needs to know these types of things :]

Joey was great during the entire cleaning! She let Erin scrape and clean and poke and prod. She even let Erin floss her teeth!

After the polish went on Joey's teeth, Erin put this sealant stuff on her teeth. She said that we couldn't brush her teeth for 12 hours and that this stuff would help keep the sugar bugs away :]

When the cleaning was said and done, Joey said "thank you" and Erin asked her if she wanted to get some pictures made of her teeth. Joey said sure and walked away with Erin hand in hand! I wasn't allowed to go to the x-ray room, but Joey went without me like the big girl she's becoming!

My friend Cari brought her back in and we waited on the dentist to stop in. He looked at her x-rays and checked in her mouth. She had NO CAVITIES!!!! They call them sugar bugs :] Anyway, I was stoked! We've been doing something right! He told me that her front teeth had very short roots and a good fall or kick to the mouth could knock those suckers right out. He said not to worry if this did happen, but he didn't want them to come out until she was 5 or so!

As I was taking care of the bill {$0....I love insurance}, Joey went with Cari to get a prize. She came back with 2 bouncy balls.....1 for her and 1 for Sammy. Once we were outside she reevaluated and decided that both balls were for her :]

We go back in 6 months, and here's praying we have another good visit!

Sammy's 15 Month Check Up

2011-09-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

So we had Sammy's 15 month check up and this was a picture of the calm before the storm! Sammy had to get her shots at this appointment and I guess I've never been there for them, but Johnny gave her a sucker before in anticipation of what was to come :[

Let's back up.....We came in and got her weighed and measured 1st.....The results are in, and here we go....

Height: 28.5 inches {5th %ile}

Weight: 19lbs 2.5oz {4th %ile}

Head Circum: 18 inches {44th %ile}

After we got through the formalities, Dr Frank came in and did the exam. She said Sammy is right on track with everything, and she was really excited to hear that Sammy has more words than she did at her last check-up, and was surprised that she didn't have any stranger danger {not in a bad way, just surprised....at this age a lot of kids don't like anyone but their parents}.

After the exam she gave Joey a sucker and Sammy got one too. Johnny went ahead and opened them up for the girls. We both laughed because when Joey was Sam's age, we would not have given her a sucker :] Anyway, we were preparing for the shots. Rosa, our nurse, is super fast and great at shots...she came in and got ready and from start to finish it took about 30 seconds. Sammy proceeded to scream and cry from that time to the time we got home :[ So dramatic!!!

I love you Sammy, but your sister was a way better shot getter! She would cry for a second, you'd pick her up and it would be done! OK, comparison over..sorry Sammer :]

By the time we had left, Sammy got shots and a sucker...Joey, who wasn't even the center of attention, walked away with a sucker, 2 stickers, lip gloss, and a care bear :] All in all a fair trade...LOL

Sammy's next appointment is when she is 18 months...I think we get shots at that one too...please start praying now :]

Our little love bug

2011-09-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

So there's no doubt our little Sammy is a love bug. She hugs and kisses everything from her books to babies! She is particularly fond of babies though....here's some proof...

Poor Brewer didn't stand a chance once she pulled him in and stuck her tongue out at him :] We are gonna have to watch this one as she gets older!

{Sorry for lack of posts, I've been busy reading lots of books and I'll get caught up I promise :]}

Worship Wednesday - Who Am I?

2011-09-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

So Johnny and I are doing a study through the book of Exodus with our church and tonight we see Moses asking God "Who am I to lead your people out of Egypt". Moses feels inadequate to do God's work....you see, he's flawed like the rest of us, and feels like little old Moses can't possibly do something as big as God calls him to do. I feel that way too, even in the little things, and I find myself asking "Who am I that God would even think of using me, even think of speaking my name, even think of sending his son to die for my sins?" and the list goes on. This song is from a band called Watermark, and since the song is from 2000, there is not a great video to be found so I am putting this cover version on...facebookers click on the original post to view the video of this simple but amazing song!

These words don't follow her version exactly, but you get the point...I hope you enjoy and are blessed knowing the who you are is who God made you to be...now go and use that for His glory!

Over time you’ve healed so much in me
And I am living proof
That although my darkest hour had come
Your light could still shine through
And though at times it’s just enough to cast
A shadow on the wall
Well, I am grateful that you shine your light on me at all

Who am I that you would love me so gently?
Who am I that you would recognize my name?
Lord, who am I that you would speak to me so softly
Conversation with the love most high
Who am I?

Well, amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind, but now I see
And the more I sing that sweet old song the more I understand
That I do not comprehend this love that’s coming from your hand

Who am I that you would love me so gently?
Who am I that you would recognize my name?
Lord, who am I that you would speak to me so softly
Conversation with the love most high
Who am I?

Grace, grace, God’s grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace, grace, God’s grace
Grace that is greater than all our sin

Who am I that you would love me so gently?
Who am I that you would recognize my name?
Lord, who am I that you would speak to me so softly
Conversation with the love most high
Who am I?

Best Weekend Ever :]

2011-09-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

So this weekend was so fun and relaxed...we didn't have anywhere to be, and absolutely nothing on the agenda! It was glorious :] I thought we'd recap the weekend via Instagram :] If you follow me on facebook or twitter, you know that I'm an Instagram fanatic these days! It's a great free photography ap if you are wondering what it is! So here we go...

Friday night we had pizza picnic with the girls as usual :] We watched this movie and it was so cute :]

I signed up for the redbox texts and got this for free! They send a text on Thursdays for a free movie, and your rental is good until 9p the next day! I <3 free stuff!!

Saturday morning was laaaaaaaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzyyyyyyy! We normally don't put the girls in our bed, but when we all woke up around 9ish, Johnny and I were still tired, so we grabbed the girls and their blocks and turned on some cartoons...

Once we got out of bed, we ate some grub and packed up the bikes and headed to the park!

Sammy's walking all over the place, and the wood chips didn't phase her one bit!

We came home and quickly changed into our swim suits and headed to the pool! It's actually been refreshing these past few swims instead of the bath water feel from a month ago :]

Lunch was great, nap time was had by all, and then we headed to Richardson to get our new license plates and we ended up having dinner with Nonny at Fuzzy Taco...

It was yummy for sure! If you've never been there, it's pretty cheap and tasty!

We got home and put the girls to bed then Johnny and I played some yahtzee :]

I finally got a yahtzee and had to take a picture to capture the moment. Johnny ended up winning 2 games to my 1 :[ We will meet again Mr. Stout, and I will BEAT YOU!!!

The next morning I got to wake up before the rest of the crew and head to church where I got to sing with some awesome peeps!

What a fun way to spend Sunday morning, singing to the King at Christ Fellowship!! For family, here's a link to the sermon if you want to check out the tunes :] You have to click on "entire service" to get the music portion!

After church, an amazing lady suggested we have some dinner together since it had been toooooooo long! I just love an impromptu dinner date with great friends!! The kids played, we all ate some great food, and Sammy made out with all the baby boys :] Seriously, she kisses everyone! This girl's gotta learn some self control...

Here's Sammy pouncing on Brewer :]

Monday was another great day! We loaded the kids up and went to the park again on the bikes. The weather here has been beautiful all weekend and I'm hoping this weather stays around!!!

For lunch we went to my sister's and bro-in-law's new house! What a fun time with family :] Not gonna lie.....Sammy, Johnny and I all took a nap while we were there :] The food was yummy and the company was great! Sammy was pooped by the end and crawled into her cousin's bouncy seat....

LOL, she's just a little too big :]

We ended the weekend with a picnic on our front lawn, and it was great! The weather was so nice, we just had to soak it in as much as we could! Never mind the fact that none of us could breathe Tuesday Morning due to allergies :] It was all worth it! What a great weekend! Hope your's was awesome too :]

Peek a Boo

2011-08-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

So lately Sammy has been really into Peek a Boo...so much so that she plays it even if no one is playing with her :] I got Johnny to start filming this about 3 minutes into her playing with no one paying her any attention....never mind her big sister trying to get in on the action in the back ground :] facebookers click on the original post to see the video :]

I love her little laugh each time she uncovers her eyes! This child is pure entertainment :]

1st Day of School 2011-2012

2011-08-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

So today was Joey's first day of school for this year! She woke up ready to go, and even wanted to wear the outfit she'd picked out the night before {it was a long shot that she would actually be in this outfit come morning :]}. She let me put her hair in piggies, ate her breakfast and off we went!

At the moment she's throwing a fit because she's over tired and doesn't want to go to sleep, but that's neither here nor there :]

Let's look at some pictures and remember the happy times we had today!

For breakfast we had a banana split muffin :] Thanks Grandma

Getting out of the car like a big girl...she doesn't need help anymore!

"mom take a picture of the playground"

We were super early so mommy got a "coffee drink" at High Connections :] Yummy!!!! We sat in a booth and waited for school to start!

Here's Joey by her bin..

...and getting her name tag from Mrs. Stephanie!

before I left, she said "mommy, how do you do play doh?"....LOL, "like we do at home goof!"

I started this last year and loved the post school interview, so here we go with this years video {facebookers click on the original post to see the video}

I love her favorite thing about the 1st day of school :] LOL

Click here for last year's post...my has she grown!

Worship Wednesday - You'll Come

2011-08-28T18:24:00.000-07:00

So after the Wisconsin posts I had to give my fingers a break and stop the blog for a day or so :] I'm back with an early Worship Wednesday and I'm loving this song right now! If you don't know who Hillsong United is, get to know them! They have some great songs, and a lot are my "favorites". This is one of those.....If you are reading this on facebook, click on the original post to see the video :]

Verse 1
I have decided I have resolved
To wait upon you Lord
My rock and redeemer shall not be moved
I?ll wait upon you Lord

Pre Chorus
As surely as the sun will rise
You'll come to us
As certain as the dawn appears

Chorus
You'll come let your glory fall
As you respond to us
Spirit reign flood our hearts
With holy fire again

Verse 2
We are not shaken we are not moved
We wait upon you Lord
Our Mighty deliverer my triumph and truth
I'll wait upon you Lord

Bridge
Chains be broken
Lives be healed
Eyes be opened
Christ is revealed

Wisconsin...the Final Post :[

2011-08-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

So we've come to an end in our Wisconsin posts...and what's a trip to WI without the ski show??? So here we go.....

the girls were getting ready for the show...

the ski team is made up of people of all ages...the youngest was 21 months I think, and the oldest is....well they didn't get into that :] Just look at these little cuties though :]

The ski show was fun, but we did leave early since the little beauty above was getting out of hand, so we left and went for ice cream! We had ice cream about 3 or 4 times while we were in WI, but I somehow didn't get a picture of any time we went :[ Oh well!

So after the ski show, we were all inspired to do some tricks of our own, so the next day we rented a tube and took the kids :] Most everyone went horseback riding, so while they were gone, we took Joey and Mily out on the tube while they had the chance :]

Joey went first...Johnny rode with her!

Next up was Mily....she loved it and actually ended up riding by herself later in the day!

the girls were tired!!

the rest of the day we spent sitting on the dock and swimming :]

all in all we had the best time ever!!!! Thanks mom for such a great time! We had a blast, and it was so much fun to see our kids have so much fun! I enjoyed reading, relaxing and seeing our kids soak up all the fun!!! makes me really want to live on a lake one day!

I can't wait for our next family vacay :]

The Great Puzzle Caper.....

2011-08-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

So I left you the other day with this picture...

....see the girl on the left? that's rachel...she loves puzzles, in fact, she has a favorite puzzle. most people have favorite books, but rachel has a favorite puzzle..."verticalville" to be exact :]

So we had been working on the puzzle for a few days when we decided to get after it and get it done so we could have more game playing room on the table. Rachel was sleeping, and we were too close not to finish :]

Let me back up by saying that Johnny, Jackie, Claudia and MIL were working the puzzle...Becky and I had Brittany steal 3 pieces so we could be the last ones to place a piece in the puzzle, but we got too impatient and jumped in on the action...

....notice Johnny's technique...we like to call this extreme puzzling!

everyone was so intense...we must finish!!!!

Here we go with the extreme puzzling again! nothing is off limits when you are trying to get a puzzle done!

we kept shifting the puzzle around so we could get a new perspective on it....we must get this done before rachel wakes up in the morning, it will be so funny!!!

So we come to the end of the puzzle, no thanks to Jackie who was growing impatient and throwing popcorn at us the whole time, and we were missing pieces?!? There were more than 3 pieces missing, and Brittany, Becky and I didn't let on that we had any of them. Brittany blamed Rachel for the missing pieces {she admited doing this before in another puzzle so she could be the last one to put the piece in} but alas, about 10 pieces spilled out of none other than Jackie's bra!!! Once those Jackie's pieces were in place, the 3 of us put our final pieces in as well.....IT'S DONE!!! This was well past midnight by the way....we were exausted!

Now, what to do with the puzzle...do we leave it on the table for Rachel and Bret to find in the morning? Do we take all the middle pieces out and hide them in baggies around the house and leave clues for Rachel and Bret? Do we move it to the other house and put it in front of their door?? Do we take a picture of it done, take it apart, then send them a picture of the finished product while they were working on it? and then we settled on a plan......

we slid the puzzle onto the coffee table and began the transport to the other house...Stout and johnny were the muscle behind the operation...

I held the flashlight and Becky took the pictures....the rest of the folks were close behind :]

up onto the other patio.....keeping it level....nice job!

....we put the coffee table on top of the dining room table to be discovered in the morning :] This table was right outside our bedroom!!

not sure why this isn't turned by oh well....not to mention that dakotah and mac were asleep directly behind us! Now all we had to do was sleep and wait :]

Johnny and I woke up the next morning to clanging in the kitchen....bret and rachel were talking and johnny and i were just waiting for them to notice.

not sure who noticed first, but rachel started saying...."what???? I can't believe they did this! they knew we were working on this puzzle..." laughing the whole time! We came out of the room and cracked up :] We told her what went down, and come to find out, she was awake the whole time and could have been helping us with the puzzle....LOL! What a fun night :]

Wisconsin Take 7

2011-08-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

I think we might be nearing the end of the Wisconsin journey :[ It's been fun reliving it with all 2 of you reading :] Anywho, here's more shameless pics of my super fun family....this was family picture day, and out of all the ones we took as the Stout 4, this is the best shot :]

.....and most of our shots were candids.....

Here's Johnny coaching the Joey on how to not to squint into the bright sun :]

not sure what sam's doing, and me and Jo have some wierd head tilt :]

"I know the sun burns your eyes, but it's just for a minute....you can do it Joey!!"

"uh kinda" :]

Ok, sammy, you are getting out of control :]

Maybe if we try a different location?? Um, nope....

LOL, still no...

hahahaha....no

Mily came out ready for her turn and gave Joey some entertainment for a minute :]

Seriously, how big does our girl look???

There are more family pictures, and I'll post those another day when they are all edited and ready for public viewing....after the pics though, we piled in the car and headed back to crooked lake!

By crooked lake is this crazy giant rock that the siblings would climb when they came to visit their grandad....it's super steep, slippery, but you feel accomplished when you are done!

we made it to the top!!!

brittany decided this would be her workout of the day, so she went back down and climbed back up :]

we were all so stinkin' hot after that, we went to the lake and jumped right in!

we even took this tiny hiny in with us :]

Joey caught a fish...it really surprised me how she wasn't even scared of it! She tends to be a bit girly, but not with this little guy...she even held him in her hands!

just another awesome day in crivitz, wisconsin! I need pictures of "the puzzle story" from anyone who has them...also if you have pictures of Joey fishing, that would be great too! Back tomorrow for what may be the last WI post!

Wisconsin Take 6

2011-08-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

Since the beach at our houses were not very sandy, we trekked 30 minutes a couple of times during the week to go go Crooked Lake :] This is the lake that Johnny and his siblings grew up coming to. Their granddad had a cottage across the street from it and they would go visit him weeks at a time during the summer. Becky will tell you this is her favorite place on Earth, and it is so much fun, clear, and awesome! So, here we go.....

We lugged these beach toys each time, and the kids loved them!!

"Yay, we love crooked lake....why are you making us wave Zip??"

Grandma with the girls...

Savannah's first dip in the lake :] She's about the age Joey was when we went last time!

At the lake there is this little pavilion with picnic tables to eat on.....we packed our lunches and picnicked while we were there!

Sammy won't wear hats but for some reason she kept this hood on which is good because we didn't want her to get sun burned! On a side note, none of THIS Stout family got burned!

Grandma loves this lake too!

Our sweet child :]

Brittany conquered her fear of the sand :]

This was awesome....Carter said he had to pee and Johnny told him to go in the lake. He just went up to the edge, pulled down his shorts and went for it. It was the funniest thing! Luckily the family next to us thought it was funny too :] Johnny then told Carter to go in the water up to his waist next time :]

Joey usually won't wear hats either, but I convinced her to wear mine so her head wouldn't get burned. She looks so cute in hats...I wish she would wear them more often! She played in this sand for a good hour or so :]

Grandma took Sammy in and she loved it!

*splash splash splash*

We love crooked lake :]

these girls were so hungry from all the play time at the lake that they downed all these grapes :]

I'm pretty sure we stayed here for like 3 hours the first time we went, and the kids could have stayed longer if we'd let them! See you later for some more....I think I'm almost done :]

Wisconsin Take 5

2011-08-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Back with another segment of our Wisconsin trip!

This is the segment I like to call "Sammy's 1st Boat Ride"

Your first boat ride is never complete unless your cousin Brittany let's you "drive" the boat!

Safety 1st! This life jacket looks huge on her :] And for all my Texas friends, if you are wondering what I'm wearing, it's called a sweatshirt....anyone remember what those are?

couldn't get Sammy to look, but here's a pic of her and daddy :]

the boat wore her out....can you find Sammy??

I'll be back later today with Crooked Lake...I know you are all at the edge of your seat :]

Wisconsin Take 4

2011-08-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

A sweet note from my Mother in Law....

Congrats on the new car!!! Christy I am proud of the new car and all, but the people hear are waiting for another chapter of the vacation trip. Really I have 4 people who came to my office to see the latest blog. They are all happy about the car too, but really need the blog. Tell your boss you need some time to get this done ok?

Love ya Mom

LOL!!! So as per my Mother in Law's request, and the city of Plano's request....here is part four of this awesome trip :]

So we saw a few days ago what the dock looked like at night, and here's what it looked like by day :] Kids running and jumping in...dance parties on the boat...and the oldest cousin Brittany playing with the little ones ...

before Brittany would let the kids jump to her she would ask them who their favorite cousin was....if they answered *correctly* then she would catch them :] Here she is with Joey having that very discussion....

I love this picture :] Joey would only jump off to people....Mily and Peyton {next pic} would run and jump in full force....you can see Brittany guarding Joey from Mily...if you didnt know, joey moves at her own pace :]......that pace is rarely fast enough for anyone else :]

Go Peyton go!!!

Here's a view of the net getting some play time :] We just set it up and used it throughout the week as desired!

We had this monster of a boat for the day and it was as long as the dock!

Look how clear the lake was! It was up to my shin and you can still see my teenie toes :] They call the water "tea lakes" because it looks like yummy iced tea :]

The boat was the bridge to the dock

Brit and Me :]

We had to take the boat back and exchange it for a newer model so captain Johnny was on the job!

When we went to get the newer boat, Macer found a friend....side note....Here Macer is displaying the swords that kept the kids entertained and in trouble all week :]

Trying to get a sweet pic and Mac decides to cut his dad's head off :]

They were doing the "zipper" face :]

Brittany letting Mily drive :]

Peyton drove to but he was so serious about it...he would not even look at me for the picture...pretty sure we were going about 10 MPH :]

That night started the puzzle :] Love this story......

.....and we will continue that tomorrow :]

Wisconsin Take 3

2011-08-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Holy moly....I forgot to put our nightly festivities on yesterday's post....here goes :]

This was the night we had a fire :] Brittany, Claudia and I had prepared some Music and Johnny came at us with some awesome Bible teaching about fearing the Lord. Here's the prep.....

we had to get some night shots :] We had a volleyball net up all week by the lake! I think this is Macer and Carter :]

Brit was throwing some rocks off the dock....I will post all my pics in facebook later, and there are tons that she took trying to get the splash in the water from a rock...OY

While waiting on the smores, Brit took some pictures of me and my love :]

let the fire commence...both Johnny and Joey look mesmerized :]

Bret cracked us all up with these "spotlights" that were in fact crank powered! During choruses of the songs he would flash them around disco ball style...at one point during the song the stopped to crank the light saying he had to get them ready for the next chorus :] Love it!

More to come tomorrow! Thanks for those hanging in there...it was a full week of greatness, so there is more :]

Wisconsin Take 2

2011-08-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

so the fun continued all week....here we go...

I meant to put this pic with the last post...I just love sammy up on her little toe trying to see what in the world daddy is doing :]

After waking up, the kids went fishing with their guide Mac off the deck :] No hooks were involved at this point, but lots of tangling of fishing wire was involved...Guide Mac to the rescue :]

Sammy was entertained by these blocks for a good portion of the week. the goal was to have her walking by the trip, but she just wasn't {isn't} quite there yet, so she spent a lot of time indoors :]

The weather was so nice....notice Mac in a *gasp* LONG SLEEVED shirt! We played games on the patio.....Scrabble Slam anyone??

The girls played Dora matching game....a lot....all week

Sammy was entertained not only by the blocks but by her new cousin Savannah who did exactly what she's doing in this picture most of the week :]

our house was the movie house....i guarantee that Hercules was played about 12 times this week....I'm so over that movie :]

we got a pontoon boat for the week...it had a stereo...dancing commenced!!!

not sure if you knew...but Mily's the queen of the world :] she will tell you so :]

Brittany was our fearless captain the entire week :]

Boy conversations rock :]

I love the boat :]

family photo...Joey looks scared or something here, but she was having a blast!!!

I had to get in on the dance party :]

the kids touched worms :] ewwwwwww

Britt let Jo take the wheel.......

.....Joey was in hog heaven :]

Mily and Dakotah bonding on the boat :]

once the boat fun was over for the day, we took the beach toys and headed back to the lake :] This lake was seriously a stones throw from our house! LOVE!!!

Brittany went fishing for the volleyball :]

Sammy filled her bucket...

....and the adults sat on the bank :]

That's our house in the background....we were so close to the lake, it was awesome...until one of the kids would get brave and we would find them on the boat or in the lake without a parent or adult with them...OY :] We can laugh now since we are all home safe and sound.

Not sure that I mentioned this, but all in all there were 21 people on this trip :] 10 adults and 11 kiddos. Craziness and lots of love all in one place! More to come tomorrow......it get's better :]

Wisconsin Take 1

2011-08-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

So I've been putting off this post because it's gonna be a big one!!! 2 weeks ago we spent 7 glorious days in Crivitz, Wisconsin where time was slower {in a great way}, the sun wasn't nearly as hot as it is in Texas, the lake was inviting, and the sounds of kids laughing was an all day occurrence!!

For those of you who don't know, Johnny and his family grew up visiting grandparents in Wisconsin. The entire family would pile into 1 car {6 people mind you} and drive all the way up there to stay for weeks at a time! We took our first trip there 3 years ago when Joey was 3 months old, and we couldn't wait to take her back when she could actually do stuff :] So here goes, my attempt to show you how much fun we had while we were there.....

Our flight was super early, and our good friend Brandon woke up with us and drove us to the airport. Johnny refuses to check anything since you have to pay for it, so we sent the big stuff with family who were driving while Johnny, Joey and I each had a rolling carry on suitcase, and a back pack. We also gate checked both of the girls car seats and sammy's stroller...OY! Joey was such a trooper and wheeled her suitcase and wore her backpack the entire time!!! I'd say we were quite the spectacle....what do you think???

Johnny had this genius idea to strap the car seats to our suitcases! He's so smart :]

All our ducks in a row! Sammy was a "lap child"but her tiny hiny fit right by her sister's :] They did great on the flight :] Anyone every heard of Zoobles?? These things were golden on the trip...thanks Grandma!!!

After a 2.5 hour flight and a 4.5 hour drive, we finally made it to the house :] Here's our room...we had the pack n play for Sammer, and the blow up twin bed for Jo....Still room to move around :]

Our awesome bathroom with the jet tub :]

Stand up shower too :]

The living room {this was the cleanest it was all week since Mac and Dakotah took over and this ended up being their bedroom :]}

Our kitchen...

I'm so excited to be in Wisconsin! Can't you tell?!?

Well, that ends day 1....I'll have to get back to you for the rest of the vacation! It get's better :]

Sleepovers Rule!!!

2011-08-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

So we just got back from an awesome vacation in Wisconsin, and those many posts will follow, but before that Joey had her friend Madison spend the night :] It was a fun filled evening complete with......

.....swim lessons in the morning

....play time all afternoon

...a visit to the library {this is a field across the parking lot from the library, and every time I take these girls they want to run in the field!!!}

.....manacures {pink and purple of course}

....and a movie to top it all off

These girls were wiped out by the end of the night if you can't tell by the look on their faces :] The next morning the girls woke up and we had some waffles then headed off to their show off day at swim lessons with Aunt Lisa...

{before lessons}

Madison really got her arms moving!!!

let's try getting the rings at the bottom of the pool Madison....

Joey got one too!!!

Lisa tried to get Hannah in on the action, but she wasn't having it :]

Swim Joey Swim!!!

and here's the "jump" sequence...

...and Madison just goes for it!!!

Hannah did want to get in on the jumping action...

Crazy Aunt Lisa is the best swim teacher ever!!! Joey is swimming about 15 feet at a time, and can now pull herself out of the pool on the side with no step! She can also monkey crawl the entire edge of the pool....

Cheese :]

And to end the awesome sleepover festivities, Aunt Lisa had to jump in with the girls!!! I think she was dragging Joey :]

It was a great day time with Madison, and we had a blast at swim lessons all week!!! Here's to many sleepovers {fair warning that all sleepovers may or may not include swim lessons with the awesome Aunt Lisa :]}

Roderick Bland Williams III

2011-07-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to celebrate with my sister and her husband this past weekend to see our nephew get baptized! We had a BBQ on Saturday at Vicky and Ricky's house then the actual baptism was on Sunday at their Church! Here's some pics of all the festivities :]

{sweet boy :]}

Joey is finally warming up to Dedecek :]

Yummy food!!

Lots of fun peeps hanging out in the heat :]

Sweet Olivia and Evelyn :]

The Williams side :] Betty Jo, Ricky and Nancy

Kathryn and Vicky....BTW, K is half way done with her pregnancy, and she just looks like she ate a few tacos :]

Vicky and Dad...not sure why he's waving :]

"Cheese"

Onto the show :] Ricky III isn't so sure about this :]

I'm never in pictures, so here you go :]

Keeping Joey entertained on the kneelers :]

Ricky getting anointed with oil

Joey going back and forth from me to the back of the church to me again :] She was very quiet and did not disturb anyone!

Getting sprinkled :] He didn't even cry....I don't think?!?

Sammy was obviously having fun in her own way :]

The God Parent's lighting the candle :]

Everyone with the Deacon who did the baptism, and the 11 others :]

Thanks for letting us share in your weekend Williams family! We love sweet Ricky and pray his life be blessed in abundance! That's our prayer for the entire family! Love y'all!!!

Step by Step...

2011-07-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

Step by step and day by day we are getting better at walking...our goal was to have Sammy walking by the time we went to Wisconsin {this Saturday} and it's sort of a reality...check it out...

Of course she is rockin' the Adidas since she's home with daddy all summer :]

Happy Bday Hannah and Jacob!

2011-07-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

Friday we got to celebrate 2 of our favorite kiddos bdays on Johnny's bday! We swam, ate some yummy food, opened some awesome presents and sweated it out in the Texas heat :] The kids had fun, and so did we...

Kelli swam and lifeguarded the multiple children :]

Jackie and Amanda made some great food!!

I got to be in the pictures for once...that's me with my back turned to the camera :]

Kelli smiling so big after popping one of Brewer's baby zits...

Despite Isaiah's squinched up face, he had a great time with his mama Carolynn :]

Jacob turned 3 july 14th...

Johnny turned 35 July 15th....

Jonathan was tired from all the festivities...

....and Hannah turned 2 July 13th! Whew, that's a lot of bdays..no wonder Jonathan's tuckerd out!!!

Sammy was standing by Hannah like a dog waiting for crumbs to drop :]

presents were opened :]

....and everyone had fun! Thanks for having us and helping us celebrate Johnny's bday too!!! Can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays to come with these families and all these wonderful children!!!

Savannah Lynne Luedke

2011-07-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we got to partake in our sweet new niece's baptism! It was such a special day for the family, and we were proud to visit Johnny's church that he had grown up in to see Savannah Lynne get sprinkled!! Here are some pics of the little darling on her big day....

I love the inside of this church! I tried taking a picture of the stained glass on the sides of the sanctuary, but I just couldn't get the lighting right to show you how beautiful it really is, so this view will do :]

Pastor Pete giving Savannah a pep talk :]

Johnny and I sat on the back row and there were placed to plug in your headphones just in case you couldn't hear :]

We were all praying blessings on Savannah while Becky was praying that her sweet kids would be quiet :] LOL

The proud parents!!!

And of course the proud Grandma and Savannah {#9}

After the service, we had a BBQ at Amy and Stewart's house. Joey is all about presents so she set them all on the floor and asked Aunt Amy if we could open them :]

Hi Sammer, you sure look cute today!!!

Sweet hugs :]

What a fun day to see Savannah get baptized and also to get some Rudy's BBQ in my belly! Congrats to Amy and Stewart...may God rain down blessings on Miss Savannah Lynne and the entire Luedke family!!! Love y'all!!!

Worship Wednesday - We Delight

2011-07-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

This song is an oldie but a goodie! I was reminded of it's greatness when a facebook friend posted it this past week :] It's funny how songs can take you back to a time and place, and this one takes me back to Richardson High School riding on the bus to Disney World with my fellow cheerleaders and band friends :] What a fun care free time! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the song and Delight in Him today!

CHORUS

We delight in the law of your Word

We delight in the Son who was perfect from birth

We delight in the day He's returning to earth

Hallelujah

We will bow our hearts because we are free

As we lift our hands to give you glory

Father of life and love and infinite worth

We're delivered by blood that flows from the tree

Draws near to You vessels of Your mercy

Before the invention of man, the glorious Trinity

REPEAT CHORUS

We will lift our eyes to the cloud and the flame

Lord, You guide our steps and restore us again

The nations of man will rejoice in the God of the wilderness

REPEAT CHORUS

INSTRUMENTAL BREAK

CHORUS 2X

Hallelujah, Oh Hallelujah

Photo Shoot With Daddy? Why Not??

2011-07-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Johnny got ahold of the camera the other day....the girls were in a good mood....here's what went down...

.....and that's that :]

Camping With Mommy

2011-07-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing, and if you read my last post, you know we have had our ups and downs with Joey and her 3 year old self....more ups than downs :] Anywho, as a fun way to reward her good behavior, she has been coming to Eagle's Wings with me for some Summer Camp sessions! She has a shirt and everything....she always asks "Mommy, is my camping shirt clean??". At camp the kids get to do gymnastics rotations, play games, rock climb, do crafts, eat lunch and more! Here's a few pics of Joey from this past week when she got to come "camping" at the gym.

It was fun to see Joey in action at camp. She goes to school, but I don't get to see her interact with the other kids and instructors.....I snuck in a few times and checked her out. The result??? She's very respectful of her teachers, and they love her as a result. In this picture above, they are playing duck duck goose. Every time I looked out on the game, Joey was being picked :] I love that people love her...a bit of momma's pride :]

Who couldn't love that crazy haired girl??

Joey, and all the kids for that matter, love to run on the rod floor....

her running is getting faster...look at those little legs go :]

it was water Wednesday and this is the pool where they put the sponges in for sponge wars and such....Joey jumped right in and made herself at home....

Logan was like "we can get in this thing??"

on water Wednesday's we have a giant inflatable water slide for the kids to play on....Joey wouldn't go by herself, so Amanda went with her :]

"Joey, was that fun???"..."Yes Mommy!!!!"..."Do you want to go again??"..."No Thanks!"

The Hardest Part...

2011-07-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

I've decided that the hardest part about disciplining your child is having to miss out on things yourself :[ Let me explain...

There was one time at my In-Law's house where I looked at Joey and said "if you drop that one more time, we are going home." She dropped whatever it was, and we packed up and left that instant.....it was a crazy night, and after I said what I had said, we had to leave once Joey dropped whatever it was....it was a little harsh, and I was a bit embarrassed for what had so easily rolled off my tongue, but follow through is really important to us, so we left.

The other night our sweet 3 year old that you all know as an angel was giving us a run for our money. She wanted to go swimming so badly {and we did too, it's hot here :]}, but when asked to get her swimsuit on, she was stalling and wasting time. She kept putting it off and eventually said "I just don't want to go swimming". I knew after she said this that she would immediately change her mind and say she wanted to go swimming, which she did say.

{Joey is in the great habit of saying she doesn't want to do something, then immediately changing her mind....Johnny and I are done with this!!! }

So back to the story....so she said she didn't want to go swimming....I immediately put her swimsuit away, and the trip to the pool was off. The crying commenced and it was a fight to brush teeth, go potty, and get jammies on. Because of the fit and it's severity, Joey lost both of her stories that night....we read from her Bible, prayed and went to sleep. She eventually calmed down and apologized for what she had done. She went to sleep and woke up refreshed and polite the next morning.

The sad part of this story is not that we taught Joey a lesson in speaking what you mean, but the fact that we didn't get to go to the pool :[ It was really annoying, but we had to stick to our guns. My BIGGEST pet peeve is when parents threaten something and don't follow through. Like I said, Johnny and I are sick of this "I want to do this, no I don't, yes I do" game, so this is how we are putting a stop to it. State the consequence then follow through every time!!

So a day passed and we had time before bed. We asked Joey if she wanted to go swimming. Since we didn't get to go the day before, she jumped at the chance to go! We got upstairs to change and she decided that she didn't want to get her swimsuit on. Grrrrrr, not again!!! Johnny had a great plan....he told her that she needed to get her swimsuit on, and we were going to the pool, the catch was that she had to sit out while the rest of the family got to swim. She got her suit on and no fits were had....we got to the pool and Johnny, Sammy and I got in while Joey sat on the sidelines and watched us have fun without her. She never asked how much longer to I have to sit here or anything like that. After 5 very long minutes Joey was allowed to swim. The rest of the evening went great.

So we may have found a way around the family punishment for Joey's actions....we still get to do whatever it was, she has to sit out and watch?!? I'm not sure, we are still learning as we go here, but one thing is for sure, we will be consistent, we will follow through, and we will discipline or child for bad behavior. Even though tough at times, and even though we may get "punished" in the process, it will be worth it in the long run! Here goes.....

4th of July 2011

2011-07-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July has come and gone, and each year just keeps getting better with our kiddos! Last year Sammy was so only a month old and Joey had just turned 2. Time sure does fly folks!

We went to our friend's Scott and Shawnda's house for some food, friends and fireworks :]

{Chad, Callie, Courtney and Matt}

{Louis}

{the girls are always playing something....ring around the rosie was the game of choice this night :]}

{kelli has deep conversations with the kids}

{Jestine loves to hold the babies!!!}

{all the kids and the craziness}

{sammy wanting to do what the big kids are doing}

{this was our best "group shot"}

{the girls loved to just run in the yard....look at those smiles :]}

{Carolynn, John and Isaiah}

{sidewalk chalk is a must}

{Hannah and Amanda...love this picture :]}

{Brewer, Brian and Kelli}

{Madison, Brandon, Ben, Amanda, and Hannah}

{Joey, me, Johnny and Sammy}

{this little video of the sparklers makes me nervous as you will hear, but it's cute none the less :]}

I hope you had a fabulous 4th, I know we did!

Worship Wednesday - Waiting Here For You

2011-07-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

I came across this song the other day while listening to Pandora....I had to stop working {sorry akirb and bret} and praise the Lord...we are waiting here for him!

If faith can move the mountains
Let the mountains move
We come with expectation
Waiting here for you, I’m waiting here for you

You’re the Lord of all creation
And still you know my heart
The Author of Salvation
You’ve loved us from the start

CHORUS
Waiting here for You
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia

You are everything You’ve promised
Your faithfulness is true
And we're desperate for Your presence
All we need is You

CHORUS

Singing Alleluia
Alleluia, singing alleluia, alleluia

CHORUS

Waiting here for you
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
We're singing Alleluia

I'm singing Alleluia
Waiting here for you
With our hands lifted high in praise
And it's You we adore
Singing Alleluia
Singing Alleluia

I love the part where it says "you are everything you've promised, your faithfulness is true...and we are desperate for your presence...all we need is you!!!"

What are you singing today??

Swimming Lessons

2011-07-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

So this is the year Joey is going to learn how to swim! She's fearless when it comes to water and will announce "underwater" before slamming her face into the pool :] Aunt Lisa gave Mily and Joey swimming lessons and the girls both did great! Here's some pics and videos of their show off day today...

look at her go :]

Joey was telling us all week that her favorite thing to do was get the rings from the bottom of the pool. I didn't realize she was being serious! The water was deep for Joey and she went for it!!

"I got three"

get it fishy :]

go Mily go!!!

waiting to jump off the side.....

apparently we need to work on Joey getting out of the pool on her own....it was hard for her little muscles :]

she loves to jump in though :]

jump in!!!

kick board time...she's balancing so much better now!

let's give our back a try!

Dakotah {the splash on the left}, Brandon and Claudia came to swim while the girls did their show off!

Roll the video.....

Thanks for a great week of swimming lessons Aunt Lisa! The girls had a blast and it was great to see how much they had learned!!

Worship Wednesday - You Move Me

2011-06-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

What a sweet love song to our savior of a life changed! I've felt a lot of these feelings in this song, and Jesus moved me to action...away from fears, into love, into a family, into His family and so much more! Anywho, hope this speaks to you today!

This how it seems to me
Life is only therapy
Real expensive and
No guarantees
So I lie here on the couch
With my heart hanging out
Frozen solid with fear
Like a rock in the ground

But You move me
You give me courage I didn't know I had,
You move me
I can't go with You and stay where I am so,
You move me

Here is how love was to me
I could look and not see
Going through the emotions
Not knowing what they mean
And it scared me so much
That I just wouldn't budge
I might have stayed there forever
If not for Your touch

Oh, but You move me
Out of myself and into the fire
You move me
Burning with love and with hope and desire,
How You move me

You go whistling in the dark
Making light of it, making light of it
And I follow with my heart
Laughing all the way
Oh, 'cause You move me
You get me dancing and You make me sing,
You move me
Now I'm taking delight in every little thing
How You move me
Oh, You move me

20 Days

2011-06-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

Yowsa....I can't believe it's been 20 whole days since my last post, but the Stout house has been busy this Summer! Johnny has been home with the girls and they have done some fun things like splash pads, pool time, swimming lessons and more, but he's not one for taking the giant camera to all the events, so I just get to hear about the fun :] Anywho, I was finally present for some summer fun this weekend, and have pictures to back up the festivities!

Our friends Brandon and Amanda invited our Life Group to Galveston to stay in a free house super close to the beach. The only takers were them, our family and the Davis family! Between the 3 couples there are 6 adults and 6 kids under the age of 5, so craziness was bound to happen :] Last minute I enlisted these two lovely ladies to watch the kids at night while we adults went and got some dinner without the little ones....

{Jessica and Lexie ready to go to the beach}

Let me back up......In order to get 8 adults, and 6 kids down to the Galveston it took a suburban, a borrowed sequoia, a trailer hitch basket thingy, a borrowed car topper and lots of man power :] We piled all 5 girls and 3 babies in the sequoia along with luggage and a car topper...

{this picture doesn't even do the car situation justice, but that's Kelli in the middle row with Ben and Brewer in carriers, and Lexie and Jessica sat in the back with Sammy in her carrier. Amanda and I held down the front seats!}

The daddies were in the suburban with the 3 older girls and were armed with plenty of disney movies for the trip to and from Galveston!! At one of our many stops, they were on their 3rd movie, and Johnny said the girls weren't making a peep!

After the car ride, we finally pulled up to our destination which was an amazing house built over 100 years ago and has been fully renovated. The rooms were gorgeous and the beds were super comfy!!!

{all these were taken after we got there or on the way out, so please excuse the unmade beds and stuff on the floor}

{our room}

{the flooring detail}

{our room looked into Brandon and Amanda's room...the doors closed but we would open them in the morning so the girls could play}

{Brandon and Amanda's room}

{Kelli and Brian's room}

{the awesome bathroom}

I forgot to get a pictures of the rest of the house, but each room was truly beautiful!

Each morning Kelli made yummy breakfast....

{french toast the first day and pancakes the next!!}

the breakfast festivities.....

Jessica played babies with our girls for countless hours :]

After breakfast, we got ready to go to the beach for the day...

We all had a blast this weekend and it was so much fun to travel with friends! Here's looking forward to many more family trips together in the future!!!

1 Year Doc Appt

2011-06-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Johnny is off for the Summer, so he had to go to Sammy's doc appointment my himself. She had to get 4 shots :[ Dr Frank said Sammy looks great...she's growing on her own little curve, and she's no longer worried about her thyroid and development! She did tell Johnny that Sammy should have 1 more "big" word at her age {no worries till her 15 month visit}. Her 2 big words right now are mama and dada....the rest is just AHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKK....which roughly translated means "give me food NOW!!!!!".

So here's the stats....

Weight: 16.9lbs {1st %ile}

Height: 27 inches {3rd %ile}

Head Circumference: 17.5 inches {30th %ile}

Johnny did ask the doc if it was ok that our 1 year old eats way more than our 3 year old, and she said that was typical of 2nd kiddos, and said Sammy looked a little skinny, so just keep feeding her :]

What?? Did you say something about food?? I'm the hungry Sammy Monster!!!

We feel so blessed to have a happy healthy little girl!

We Made it a Year!!!

2011-06-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, Sammy is a year old and we celebrated our little hearts out! It's hard to believe that just a year ago, our sweet girl was in the NICU and I was checking to see how long our insurance would let me stay in the hospital because Sammy wasn't able to come home with us :[ It was a weird thing to have a baby and not get to take her home when we left the hospital! For Sammy's birth story, click here......for Sammy's NICU posts, click here! She's been such a blessing to our family this year, and I just love the dynamic she adds to the Stout family.

Since our family and friends are so many, we decided to split up Sammy's party into 2 parties...family dinner and friend party! It was a great time, and we had a blast! Here's some pics from our family party on Sammy's actual bday...

Aunt Vicky and Ricky came by to say happy bday to Sammy :] Isn't my nephew so cute???

Yummy cake!! Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting!

Here's Sammy's little smash cake :]

All the cousins brought their bikes and scooters, and went to town :] Our back ally is great to riding!

{aunt lisa would be proud of the helmet :]}

Then it was cake time!!

hmmmmm, what's this???

Daddy had to help get her going :]

Then she got the hang of it :]

When the cake was gone, she started in on the plate :]

It was fun to be with the family! Our friend party was today, and it was a great time too!

Yay!!! my friends are over :]

Kiddie Korner

Little banner on the cupcake stand :]

So we live in a town home as most of you know, but that didn't stop us from having an awesome outside party! We just filled up the kiddie pools in the side yard, put up the volleyball net, turned on the sprinkler and had a great time!

Brewer brought the "boy" pool :]

Sammy just loves her Holli, and so do we!!!

It's my bday and I love it out here :]

I get more cake?? Sweet!!!

Joey Barr was chasing the kids with the sprinkler :]

Well, we had a great time celebrating Sammy's bday! We are loving the girl she's turning out to be! She's so crazy and not scared of anything! She's really on the move these days, and I'm going to close this post with a video of her movin' right along :] No walking yet, but check it out anyway!! Thanks for all the awesome gifts and calls and cards from everyone, we love y'all and Sammy does too!!!

Happy Birthday sweet girl...love you!!!

1st Summer Swim

2011-06-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

So with it being the last week of school and all, Johnny and I are in Summer mode already! It started the other day with our pink pool.....

.....and was going to continue on Memorial Day until Joey got carsick :[ Well, we thought she got carsick! What started as a little carsick at 8am lasted until about 8pm when Joey sat up and declared "I sure am thirsty!!!". Then a few short minutes later she declared "I'm so hungry!!!". We gave her some sprite and cheerios and she kept it down :] I went ahead and kept her home the next day and she got to watch Dora to her hearts content while I worked from home!

Well, that night, she had been feeling well, and she took a great nap, so we decided to take the girls for our first Summer swim in the big pool at our town homes. Here we go....

I love how Sammy is trying to get a peek of her sister whom she adores!!!

No one was at the pool....I wonder why??

Johnny takes the first dive :]

It's a bit chilly :] Maybe that's why no one is here???

Joey loves the pool!! Hoping she will swim this year!!

Sammy was indifferent....didn't love it, didn't hate it :]

There are no pics of me, but I did get in! It wasn't super cold, but it was a little breath taking at first plunge. Here's to a Summer filled with chlorine, sun screen, girly giggles, bubble blowing and popsicles!

What are your plans for the Summer??

Worship Wednesday - Made To Worship

2011-05-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

This song is amazing! The opening is such a wonder to think about....Before the day, before the light, before the world revolved around the sun, God on high stepped down into time, and wrote the story of His love fore everyone!!! Holler!! Anyway, just listen and read the lyrics, you'll love it!

Before the day
Before the light
Before the world revolved around the sun
God on high
Stepped down into time
And wrote the story of His love for everyone

He has filled our hearts with wonder
So that we always remember

You and I were made to worship
You and I are called to love
You and I are forgiven and free
You and I embrace surrender
You and I choose to believe
You and I will see who we were meant to be

All we are
And all we have
Is all a gift from God that we receive
Brought to life
We open up our eyes
To see the majesty and glory of the King

He has filled our hearts with wonder
So that we always remember

You and I were made to worship
You and I are called to love
You and I are forgiven and free
You and I embrace surrender
You and I choose to believe
You and I will see who we were meant to be

And even the rocks cry out
And even the Heavens shout
At the sound of His holy name
So let every voice sing out
And let every knee bow down
He is worthy of all our praise

You and I were made to worship
You and I are called to love
You and I are forgiven and free, yeah
You and I embrace surrender
You and I choose to believe
You and I will see, you and I will see

You and I were made to worship
You and I are called to love
You and I are forgiven and free, yeah
You and I embrace surrender
You and I choose to believe
You and I will see who we were meant to be

It's How We Do!

2011-05-28T17:35:00.000-07:00

So Saturday is here and we spent our afternoon enjoying the sunny weather! We got the kids a pink pool the other day and decided to fill it up, stick some toys in it, and let the kids go to town! Johnny and I enjoyed an afternoon beer with our feet in the pool :]

Sammy got in and just started splashing! She was completely soaked in seconds :]

Daddy sprayed the girls :] {joey is laughing hysterically here, not crying :]}

The set-up :] We just put this out in our "front yard" and enjoyed the day!

Time to get out and get dry!!

Wrinkled feet = fun was had!!

Joey declared "It's Summer!!!!" and we couldn't be more excited! Johnny has 1 week of school left then it's park time, bike time, pool time and more for him and the girls while I work my booty off at Eagle's Wings all Summer :]

Worship Wednesday - Ready Yourselves

2011-05-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

Love this song, and was just reminded of it looking at a friend's mission trip announcement! I just love it and it will be my theme song here in a few weeks...stay tuned, and enjoy!!

Lord I want to feel with Your heart
And see the world through Your eyes
I want to be Your hands and feet
I want to live a life that leads

chorus
Ready yourselves
Ready yourselves
Let us shine the light of Jesus
In the darkest night
Oh, ready yourselves
Oh, ready yourselves
May the powers of darkness tremble as our praises rise
Until the whole world hears
Lord we are calling out
Lifting up Your name for all to hear the sound
Like voices in the wilderness we're crying out
As the day draws near
We'll sing until the whole world hears

Lord let Your sleeping giant arise
Catch the demons by surprise
Holy nation sanctified
Let this be our battle cry

chorus

Whoa oh oh! Whoa oh oh! We'll sing until
The whole world hears
Whoa oh oh! Whoa oh oh! We'll sing until
The whole world hears

Want to be Your hands and feet
Want to be a life that leads
To see You set the captive free
Until the whole world hears
and I pray that they will see more of You and less of me
Lord I want my life to be the song You sing

Until the whole world hears Lord we are calling out
Lifting Your name up for all to hear the sound
Like voices in the wilderness we're crying out
As the day draws near
We'll sing until the whole world hears
Whoa oh oh! Whoa oh oh! We'll sing until
The whole world hears!
Whoa oh oh! Whoa oh oh! We'll sing until
The whole world hears!
Whoa oh oh! Whoa oh oh! We'll sing until
The whole world hears!
Whoa oh oh! Whoa oh oh! We'll sing until
The whole world hears!
Whoa oh oh! Whoa oh oh! We'll sing until
The whole world hears!

She's Here!

2011-05-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Savannah Lynne Luedke was born yesterday and we couldn't be more happy for Amy and Stewart! We missed all the waiting and showed up just in time to see the new family! Our new niece is gorgeous!! Check her out for yourself...

the stats....

Savannah is so tiny and super cute!!!!

Proud mama!!

all Dakotah wanted to do was hold this baby! He loves the little ones!!

Luedke 3!!

Cousin Claudia...she looks so big...Claudia that is!!

The cousins love #9

Me and my sweet new niece!!

Joey wanted to hold her too!

Mily got to hold her all by herself!

Grandma with her 9th grandchild!

Look at that sweet face :]

We are so blessed to have this new addition to our family! I know Amy and Stewart are going to be great parents, and I can't wait to see what fun things Savanna's cousins teach her :] Welcome to the family #9!!!

Turbo Fire

2011-05-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

We got a new workout DVD set called Turbo Fire! Its so much fun, and Joey decided to jump in on the action...

I'm a Big Kid Now...

2011-05-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Sammy is so awesome these days, and she's eating like a champ! As a matter of fact, the kid really loves to eat and will cry if there is food and you don't give it to her! Some of here favorites are cheerios, beans, pasta, waffles and more :] Here's some cute pics of our cutie....

He's Here!!!

2011-05-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

So my sulsta Vicky just had her first baby yesterday!!! I'm so stoked to have a new nephew, and am so excited for Vicky and Ricky! Their world is forever changed by Ricky III :]

Before the c section...all hooked up and ready to go!

One last look at the belly :]

He's here!!!! I'm pretty sure he has more hair than Joey!!!

A very proud cousin!!!

This was so sweet....Vicky was talking to Ricky and he would open his eyes and just look at her and listen so intently!

Aunt Patti got to hold him....this is her 12th great nephew/niece!!!

The Williams 3

Sammy having fun with her great Aunt Patti!!!

The new daddy admiring his new son!

Uncle Johnny gets in on the action!

Vicky and Ricky, I know y'all will be great parents to this sweet boy! I'm so glad I got to be part of your day. I can't wait for our kids to grow up together!!! Love y'all!

The End of an Era

2011-05-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I suppose you can say that :] I have {in partnership with several great folks} hosted 4 baby showers in the past 6 months! It's been so much fun to create fun parties for all of my friends and families, but I'm glad it's over :] Most recently my sister's shower went down. It was a blast and I'm pretty sure I never blogged about it. All these showers have made me super crafty too! Here's some of the things I made for Vicky's shower....

{diaper cake}

{diaper wreath}

{diaper motorcycle}

{the baby's name on some onesies}

I loved helping throw this shower with my mom, kathryn, and susan! Vicky is so deserving, and I can't wait to meet our new nephew in a week or so!

This past weekend I helped throw a shower for my SIL Amy, and it was super fun too! Tons of family and friends were there, and I got to make some stuff for this one too :]

{tissue paper pom poms...thanks for hanging the tall ones brit!!}

{diaper tricycle}

{baby luedke banner}

Amy gets so excited, and that's what made this shower so much fun! It was great to host with Jackie and Becky!! The food was great, and the company was awesome! We get to meet our niece in about 3 weeks, and we can't wait!

These two showers were so special since they were thrown for my sistas! It was an honor to spoil them, and Johnny and I are so excited to welcome our new family members!!!

Love you sisters!!!

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was awesome! I got to sing at church in the morning with my buddy David. Johnny brought the girls to the 10 o'clock service and I got to pick them up from their classes! Joey walked right out of her class, handed me a flower and exclaimed "happy Mother's Day!!!" It was so sweet :]

After church I came home to find Joey sitting in the living room. She wished me a happy mother's day again and had a gift for me! The girls' got me a cute sun dress from Target...it's coral and one of my favorite styles! I don't know if you know, but this is the summer of the dresses! Johnny said Joey picked it out and everything! So fun!

Next we headed off to my mom's house to celebrate with her and my grandmother! Vicky and Ricky came too!

The spread :]

Joey and Nonny

Joey playing with Dedecek

Dora haunts our lives everywhere we go!

I love this picture!!!

Mom was telling Joey to open her eyes, and I guess Joey didn't quite get it :]

I love Sam's expression in this one!!

4 generations :]

Greatmother, Ames and Vicky lounging!!

It was great hanging out with family, and Joey was entertainment for us all :]

We headed north to hang out with Johnny's family and mom! We all met at Amy's house and ate some yummy pizza and italian beef sandwiches! I'm so annoyed because I left my camera in the car :[ You just have to imagine us all having fun and relaxing!

Thanks Mom for birthing me all those years ago! I wouldn't be where I am without you. You are a great mom and I've really enjoyed seeing you with my children. They love their nonny so much and it's evident when they light up each time they see you!

Sharon, thanks so much for welcoming me into this Stout family! I love how caring you are and how you really make me feel like one of the Stouts :] It's so fun to see how excited Joey and Sammy get when they see you each week, we love that we live so close and get to see you often!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there :]

11 Months...Ahhhhhh!!!

2011-05-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

So Sammy is officially almost a 1 year old! I just can't believe that I was huge preggo last year, hips hurting, peeing all the time, and uncomfortable as I'll get out! Our little lady has made great strides in these past eleven months, and we are still madly in love with our little girl!!!

This sweet smile is on her face most of the time, and tells a lot of who Sam's become! She really only fusses if she's sick or hungry!

Sam is a crazed lady in the tub and it is getting harder and harder to bath this slippery little sucker! She's fearless in the water and will plop down on her belly to crawl for toys across the tub...sometimes over sister to do so :] Water gets in her face...so what, she keeps moving! She slips and goes under the water for a moment...so what, she pops up ready to move some more! You cannot turn your eye for a second when Sammy is in the tub!! Johnny has started calling her "splashy McGee" because if she's not crawling, she's like shamu at sea world...if you are with in a foot of the tub, wear your rain slicker, you are in the splash zone! Joey can't quite get splashy mcgee out, so she often says things like "splashy degee, stop splasing!!!".

Sammy is pulling up on everything now and when interested in getting something, can even cruise the furniture! We have a walking toy that she can now work, but I'm not confident enough to let her go while I get the camera :] Soon I'll get some video and put it on here :]

Sammy is soothed by song, which Joey was not. When we sing to her she lights up and grins from ear to ear! This probably means she's going to be an awful singer, know the words to every song, and want to sing at the top of her lungs in the car all the time....I'm preparing myself people!!

Sammy loves "people" food and has tried graham crackers recently....they are messy but she squeels when I get the box in front of her! Too Cute :]

While we were gone in Alabama, my mom let us know that Sammy can now climb the stairs :] She's not solid at it, but that doesn't mean she won't try when you aren't looking, so we have to keep a close watch on our little mover!

Sammy now has 3 teeth :]

We love our sweet girl, and can't wait to celebrate her first year next month! Here's some pics to wet your whistle :]

Our Poor Girls :]

2011-05-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

So our sweet girls get some weird genetic make up from Johnny and I. They both have heart conditions, and have been tested for several genetic disorders {all coming back negative so far}. They have been poked and prodded since the day they were born it seems, and we are sorry for that little ladies!!

At Sammy's 9 month check-up, they ordered some routine blood work and also added a thyroid test since she's on the lower end of the curve. Like the awesome parents we are, we kept putting off the blood work, not because of laziness, but because of forgetfulness! We finally got her tests done after getting a "reminder" from our doc, and some disturbing results came back. Sammy had a high thyroid, and she also had high hemoglobin. Our doc was concerned and had us make an appointment to an endocrinologist to see what we needed to do about Sammy's thyroid. She also had us make an appointment at Children's to get more blood work done just to double check things. In that blood work we were testing for a laundry list of things....it was literally a quarter sheet of testing. Among the things being tested were thyroid, and a genetic disorder called DiGeorge Syndrome. The Doc wanted to test for DiGeorge Syndrome because of the combo of high thyroid and Sammy's heart condition.

We got to Children's and the nurses were great. For Sammy's weight, they can take 30 mL of blood in a 24 hour period. For all the tests they had to run, they took 27 mL and divided it up among 9 viles :[ Sammy did great and fussed what I believe to be a reasonable amount for a 10 month old :] The nurses warned me that her vein may collapse and we may have to stick her other arm to get all the blood necessary for testing. I just prayed that that wouldn't be the case, and the Lord blessed us! They were able to get all they needed in a short amount of time from the initial stick. Sammy slept really well that entire day :]

We got the thyroid test back and her thyroid is completely normal! Her kidney counts or something like that all came back fine too. Our sweet doc apologized for having us go through the testing and said she felt bad we had to spend the money. I let her know that in the case of our children, I'd rather be over pre cautious, and not to worry about it. Since her thyroid is normal, we were able to cancel our endocrinologist appointment, and though the DiGeorge Syndrome test will take a few more weeks to come in, it is probably safe to say we are in the clear since Sam doesn't really show any signs past her heart that there might be something wrong.

So that was a lot just to say that our girl is doing fine! Johnny said "our girls have heart conditions, and so what, we are not letting them be stuck anymore!!!" I guess that's all :]