Valentine's Par...tay :]

With all the snow and ice here in Tejas, Joey's valentine's party got pushed back and so they celebrated a few days late :]  As the room mom, I get to help with parties, and I LOVE IT!!  It's fun to help set up, think of games, and stuff like that!  This party was a bit understated as requested by the school, and the kids had a great time anyway!  They don't care about games and all that jazz...they had their mind on one thing and one thing only, and that was a heart shaped cookie!!!

Before the cookies were handed out, we prayed....

Then the kids ate :]  The read head on the left is Cooper, he's one of Joey's favorites!!

Miss Meggan drew smily faces on all the cookies with icing....yummo!!

Joey loves cookies!!

All their valentines were handed out earler that day but the kids didn't get to see what they got until after the party....candy, pencils and toys, oh my!!

It was super fun, and Joey loved hanging with all her friends.  Here's a picture of the valentines I made for Joey's class.....

They are baby jars with painted lids...in the jar we put hot chocolate powder and marshmallows!!!  Yummy :]

Hope you had a good VD!!

Worship Wednesday - In Christ Alone

So you caught me, it's not Wednesday, but it's never too late to worship our Savior!  This song rocks my world, and I hope it does your's too.  The lyrics are amazing and so vivid...my favorite part is....wait, before I give it away, have a look and listen! {if you are on facebook, you have to click on the original post to view the video}

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

That's legit right??  I love so many things about this song, but I especially love part where it says "No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand. Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand."!! Gives me chills every time! I also love the imagery of the 3rd verse...."There in the ground His body lay, light of the world by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious day, Up from the grave he rose again!!!".  Can you imagine being there for that awesome event??  I can't wait to meet my maker, and sing praises to him all day long!!!  My heart soars with pride for our father when I think of all he did for us!!!

Mommy, I Want To.....

Mommy, I want to {insert whatever Sam is doing/playing with at the moment}.  We hear this line several times a day from our little miss Joey.  All the toys she's mastered and long forgotten are suddenly new and exciting again and she wants to play with them all over again.  We remind her that those toys are too young for her and that they are Sammy's toys.  We remind her that she has a ton of toys that Sammy can't play with yet and those are for Joey.  If you are unfamiliar with my site "Things Stout Kids Say", check it out ...there's a funny conversation that took place with me and Joey the other day over a toy of Sammy's :]

Joey's "I want too" comments are not only for toys though....The other day I was taking pictures of Sammy for her 8 month update and of course Joey wanted in on the action "Mommy I want you to take my pishure".  I'm glad I let her, she's a keeper!!

Worship Wednesday - Change in the Making

I love Addison Road!  They are great and this is one of my favorite songs of theirs!  It was the theme song for our Women's Retreat this past year and it's legit!  Here ya go {reading on facebook? click on the original post to see the video}...

and the words....

There’s a better version of me
That I can’t quite see
But things are gonna change
Right now I’m a total mess and
Right now I’m completely incomplete
But things are gonna change
Cause you’re not through with me yet

This is redemption’s story
With every step that I'm taking
Every day, you’re chipping away
What I don’t need
This is me under construction
This is my pride being broken
And every day I’m closer to who I’m meant to be
I'm a change in the making

Wish I could live more patiently
Wish I could give a little more of me
Without stopping to think twice
Wish I had faith like a little child
Wish I could walk a single mile
Without tripping on my own feet
But you’re not through with me yet

And this is redemption’s story
With every step that I'm taking
And every day, you’re chipping away
What I don’t need
This is me under construction
This is my pride being broken
Every day I’m closer to who I’m meant to be

From the dawn of history
You make new and you redeem
From a broken world to a broken heart
You finish what you start in everything
Like a river rolls into the sea
We’re not who we’re going to be
But things are going to change

I'm living redemption’s story
With every step that I'm taking
And every day, you’re chipping away
What I don’t need
And this is me under construction
This is my pride being broken
And every day I’m closer to who I’m meant to be
I'm a change in the making

I'm not who I'm gonna be
Moving closer to your glory

I love the thought of Jesus chipping away the things that I don't need, each day molding me to be more and more like himself!  He's breaking our pride and making us who we are meant to be....if we let him that is.  

What are you listening to these days??

Teaching Sister

So Joey is already taking the time to teach Sammy the finer things in life.....for example.....

"Sammy this is the iPad."

"This is the matching game...I'm awesome at it!"

"Hey, don't drool on it....Mommy and Daddy will be mad!"

"You need to concentrate."

"Good job Sammy!"

"Now just sit there and watch me have fun on the iPad....you have fun drooling!"

Baby Besties :]

So my friend Liz has the cutest little girl named Willa...she's 2 months already, and I just can't believe it!  I forgot to post these pictures when they were taked a while back, so here goes....Joey holding Willa :]

The hand off...

Ahhhh, Willa's so happy, and Joey looks so proud :]

I swear that Willa was not being choked by her jacket :]

Sammy had to get in on the action....look at them holding hands :]

Notice Willa looking at me like "this is the coolest lady I know, no wonder she and my mommy are besties!!"

Notice Sammy looking at me like "Mom, can we keep her?"

Well, we can't keep her, but I'm so glad that the Rock kids and Stout kids are gonna get to grow up together!  Can't wait to see them form everlasting friendships :]

My Heart's All Better!

I took Sammy in for her heart check-up on Thursday and it went great!  First she got weighed {15lbs} and measured {25 inches}, then we went in for the sonogram.  She did great while the sono tech was fiddling around with her!  She only got antsy toward the end and was trying to grab the sonogram wand out of the tech's hand :]  I apologized to the lady and she said "oh my goodness, she's doing great, don't worry about it!".  After 30 minutes in the dark warm room {the sono room has to be dark to see the screen as clear as possible, and it has to be warm because the babies are only in diapers while getting checked out} we were shipped to a room to wait on the doctor.  I have been in this room before, so there will be no picture tour :]  I was thinking ahead this time and brought a blanket for the floor and some toys to keep our little lady entertained...

Sorry for the poor quality of the pic, but all I had was the old iPhone, and she's too quick for the shutter speed :] Anywho, we waited about 30 minutes in this room then the doc came in.  

Can I just say for a minute that we really love this doctor....Penn Laird....he rocks!  We drive all the way to Medical City for him, sit through random small talk, and even tolerate his drawings of the heart that resemble a man's hanging parts if you know what I mean.....so to say the least, he's kinda awkward with adults but totally breaks out the Donald Duck voice for the kids, and they do great for him!  He tells us like it is, and encourages us when things look iffy....he's also a Christian! 

OK, enough, back to Sammy....So Dr. Laird said Sammy is doing great!  The hole in her heart has completely closed up and he said it doesn't even have a name anymore because it's not there anymore!  He said her Pulmonary Valve Stenosis is improving which is rare, so that great too!  He said she was doing so well that he doesn't need to see her again till she's 2 years old and that will more than likely be her last appointment!  

So praise be to God for a great appointment and a healthy daughter :]  Now if we could only get the other one all fixed up, that would be great!  Joey's heart appointment is in October, we'll let you know how it goes!!

They're In!!

Finally Sammy's teeth have popped through :]  She's been cutting these bottom 2 teeth for about 4 months now, and they have made their official appearance!  I even got some shots of these beauties...

They are just so cute and sharp :]  This means we are one step closer to cheerios for this little lady!!  And yes, she really thinks her dad rocks!!

Worship Wednesday - Lead Me to The Cross

This song rocks!!  I love everything about, and I guess I'm on a Hillsong kick.  I love the chorus when it says "rid me of myself, I belong to you...lead me, lead me to the cross".  To rid one of oneself is a tough thing to do, and I pray that I would be able and willing to do that each day. Here's the lyrics and the video is below {facebook users have to click on the original post to see the video}.  Enjoy!!

Savior I come

Quiet my soul remember

Redemption's hill

Where Your blood was spilled

For my ransom

Everything I once held dear

I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross

Where Your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord I lay me down

Rid me of myself

I belong to You

Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I

Tempted and trialed

Human

The word became flesh

Bore my sin and death

Now you're risen

To your heart

To your heart

Lead me to your heart

Lead me to your heart

What are you listening to today??  What makes your heart sing??

My Besties :]

I have a lot of friends...I have a lot of those friends that I would call best friends, but these are my ladies!!

  Tonya {left} and I went to Heights Elementary, West Jr. High and ended up at Richardson High School together....we picked up Karissa {center} in Ms. Barnett's classroom sophomore year and have never looked back!  We are all in different stages of life now, and we don't get to hang out as often as we would like, but when we do, we pick up where we left off.  We talk about our families, our good times, our bad times....we console each other, laugh with each other, compliment each other, and cherish the time we have together!  Saturday night was one of those nights...this is how we do...

Love you girls!!!  Let's hang out again sooooooooner than later!!!

{and don't hate me for posting these pictures :]}

Singing on a Snow Day!

Just a little singing going on for Snow Day :]

8 Months Old :]

can you believe that Sammy is already 8 months old??  She's so fun and I can't imagine life without this little lady!!

She loves to sit up and she chews up on everything!  She's a little snotty at this time hence the drippy eye and the under nose snot :]  She's till cute though right??

Like I sad, she loves to sit up and she is chewing on everything!  We are hoping and praying that her teeth will start popping through at any moment, but we've been waiting on that since she was 4 months, so we aren't holding our breath or anything :]

Her main mode of transportation is rolling, and man is she on the move!  She rolls all over and finds lots of stuff to get into!  Her favorite thing to get into is anything that is Joey's....and her favorite finds are the crayons.  When sitting up she usually lunges forward to her tummy to roll.

She loves her Jenny Jump Up, and is finally getting the hang of how to bounce it up and down!

Look at that sweet face :]  This picture reminds her of me...not really sure why, but it does!

Other things that Sammy is doing these days.... She's eating 3 meals a day with 2 snacks in between, she's rolling all over, she's sitting and doesn't fall anymore, she's working on standing and can do it when she holds onto something, she can pull up when holding onto hands but hasn't really gotten the hang of it on regular things yet!  Sam talks all the time and can now say dada, and lala and AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!  She loves being loud and likes to out talk the entire room with her loud volume :]  Let's just say she's not allowed in Big Church :]  Hmmmm, what else is she doing??  Oh yeah, she's holding her own bottle so that's good!!  She laughs all the time, and chews on her hands a lot.  I'm sure there's more, but those are the good for now!

We love her :]

Tunnel Vision

We we have this awesome tunnel that was given to Joey from Kelli and Brian.  She loves it and it has been living at Holli's for a while.  The other day it came home and we popped it open to play in.  Joey was having a ball and Sammy was watching her.  I went to use the restroom and heard Sam start crying. I thought Joey had knocked her down or something like that, but turns out she was deathly afraid of the tunnel....so rather than console her I grabbed the camera :]

All the crying thrilled Joey to death, she thought it was the funniest thing :]

Of course I picked her up after the camera went down and she calmed down.  I had her touch the tunnel and she didn't really want anything to do with it....we will see how she reacts the next time!

Worship Wednesday - Hosanna

I am a lover of song.  I can think of 50 bajillion songs I want to post on a Worship Wednesday, but I'm gonna stick to 1 per week :] {On a sidenote, if you are reading this on facebook, you will have to go to my actual blog to hear the song...youtube won't embed to facebook through my blog for some reason?}

The song I'm singing this week is Hosanna by Hillsong United...it's Amazing, and I know you will love it...here's the video...

and the lyrics...

I see the king of glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes
The whole earth shakes

Yeeeah

I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing
The people sing

[Chorus]
Hosanna
Hosanna
Hosanna in the highest [x2]

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
With selfless faith

I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees
We're on our knees

[Chorus]

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause
As I go from nothing to
Eternity

[Chorus x2]

Hosanna in the highest

My favorite lyrics that always get me out of my seat with my hand held high are "Break my heart for what breaks yours. Everything I am for your kingdom's cause...as I walk from earth into eternity".  I often pray these lyrics to God...I want to be broken by what hurts him.  I don't want to be numb to what's going on around me.  I want to be more and more like Jesus!

What songs are you singing this week??  Why does it tug at your heart strings today??

Baby it's cold outside!!

So all the cities surrounding the Super Bowl have basically shut down due to crazy cold and icey weather, and today McKinney was included!!  Our day started with us watching the news in bed...once we found out Allen and McKinney were closed, my EWA duties began.  I had to update our website, facebook, mass email, and change our phone message all to reflect the closure.  Once all that was done, we bundled up and got ready to stay home :]  I started a Harry Potter marathon this weekend and was able to finish it today!!   That's kind of it :]  Burrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!  Here's the weather from my phone right now...

The funny thing about this is that on Sunday I was in shorts....today I look like this.....

I've had this hat on most of the day :]  I think the only thing that will warm me up is some Shawn T and this.....Dig Deeper!!!

random post..bye now :]