JH Foutz Family

making new friends and spending time with family

2011-07-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

A lot of fun has been had in just the last oh 7-10 days...here's a photo recap!

The beginning....

2011-06-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

It's the beginning of a new chapter for us....in Portland. Here are a few pictures from our most recent adventures at the zoo...got ourselves an annual pass...WELL worth it! Been twice already this week!

The beginning of a very fun summer!

2011-05-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

This is the summer prior to Jake starting dental school, so we are living it up! Here are a LOT of pictures of our adventures!

P Swinging...it's a theme this summer so far!

C is catching onto the fun of swinging too!

Claire giving kisses to Alise

Marsha and Alise, pretty ladies!

Claire giving Nova kisses!

Paisley at the "playplace"

Claire at the playplace

P's first time painting...she did it for like 2 minutes

At Grandpa Riggs house blowin bubbles

at YaYa's house with Cousin Josh!

more swinging

Daddy's new toy, Kinect/xbox 360

Our princess on her throne!

Mommy and baby C

sink baths get pretty crazy!

P has to participate!

havin fun with YaYa

splashy!

One of Jake's trips this summer (he's still on ManTrip)

Long time friend TZ and Jake pre riding Mt. Ashland

The whole gang

I thought this was the sweetest picture (at Lithia Park)

Lithia Park

More swinging

So far so good! We've got big plans this summer...more pictures to come!

Life as we know it....SWEET

2011-02-26T13:39:00.000-08:00

We are still waiting to hear back from dental schools, wish they'd hurry up and say what we know to be true..."Jake you are awesome, we'd be lucky to have you at our school!" Alas we must wait a bit more.

The girls are growing so fast and although we don't do much interesting these days due to the weather...we do have lots of fun!

Here are some more recent pictures:

Mmmm...Daddy's homemade salsa!

This girl is WELL aware of what the "mix-ah" is for!

Just chillin w/ her sucker in her recliner w/ her blanket

And the mixer again

Baby Claire!

Pizza!

Baby Claire loves her fingers!

What you see below is like a scene from ET:

There She is!

It's been a while :)

2011-02-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot of growing around this house lately!

Claire is probably 14lbs now at the rate she is growing, she has her 4 month check up tomorrow (4.5 mos old) so we'll see. She is laughing and smiling so much now and loves the jumperoo, just like her big sister did. She's grabbing things now and of course everything she can get her hands on goes in her mouth!

Paisley is doing all her ABC's and colors and she loves to name all of the things he knows, especially animals! She loves to jump and climb and she's really into coloring now!

Jake and I are anxiously awaiting word of acceptance to Dental School (feels like we've been here before...oh maybe because we have!). He's had 3 interviews already Loma Linda, USN/Roseman in UT and OHSU. So he has 3 schools he could possibly be accepted at so far! We are hopeful we'll have some good news this month! Pray for us.

Here are some pictures of our fun! Click on the picture to see it better...I didn't want to shrink it too small :)

January and Half of February 2011

Baby Claire Rose Foutz

2010-10-31T17:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late in posting this, but better late than never!!!

Claire Rose Foutz joined us on Oct. 7, 2010 at 9:03am weighing 7lbs 5oz and being 20.5 inches long.

She's a joy and Paisley is doing really well with her also!

Here are some pictures in no particular order!

Uncle Tyler & Claire

Paisley in the hospital room, she played in the privacy curtain

Brand new Claire

Our girls in their chairs

Daddy & the girls

Mommy & Claire at Lithia Park (2.5 weeks old)

Brand new Baby Claire

Bunk Beds!!!!

Super new Baby Claire

Just prior to our C-Section

We are all happy and healthy and so grateful to have our sweet little family of FOUR!

Play Dates and other social opportunities!

2010-09-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Aren't just for the kids. Wish I'd taken some pictures of P running around with Kyla. She's still learning to play WITH kids. She mostly plays BY them, but she will run around with them if they are running through the house or around a table! It was so fun to watch her grow!

But really this is about ME! It was SO nice to get out and talk with a girlfriend (a new one which makes it neat on another level too) and just visit! Sometimes we don't realize how much we need to just get out and be social. I have many a time realized I hadn't left the house in multiple days!

This last weekend I got a chance to go to the dinner preceding and the General RS broadcast. It was stake wide of course so I had the opportunity to see some old friends I hadn't seen in a while from previous wards! I could think of lots of excuses to not go, and I am SO glad I did! It was so fun to see those women who I just adore and enjoy being around! Not to mention the broadcast was great!

I hope when #2 comes (in less than 2 weeks!!!!!) I remember how important it is to take care of myself too! It's so easy to hole up and be hermit-like (especially for me). So friends (whoever might happen to read this) remind me. Help me to help myself and come visit me and give me opportunities to visit with you. I have a blast every time I do!

That's all I got for today. :)

Summer...summer...SUMMERTIME!

2010-07-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

We've been running around like crazy people this summer! We've gone camping (Paisley and I, with family) at Harris Beach, been to Lake Tahoe, then up to Portland and next week out to Utah! We just keep going and going and going! I haven't really taken the time to blog, but I want to so that I can have a little record of our sweet little family's life, so here are some pictures of our adventures!

Well all of them are of Paisley at Tahoe, but still cute!

naked bum!

This girl is not afraid of water!

tired baby

just sitting in the water...she'd do that all day if she could!

fun with the family on Mom's Day

2010-05-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun just hanging out with Bob, Reggie, Jed, Crystal, Natalie and Collin. Paisley LOVED being around her cousins and it's like she grows every time we are around them! Paisley had her first time in a hot tub and also her first time really sharing a trampoline with anyone, she did GREAT! Here are some pictures of our day!

These next two aren't from Mother's Day, but I couldn't resist! In the first one she's got her diaper cover on her head and doesn't even care and the 2nd one she's been lounging on her recliner and is having a great time! Love my family!

project storage bins!

2010-04-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

I found these "bulk bins" at pottery barn kids and LOVE them...but can't seem to justify it in my mind to spend $99 (not including shipping) to own them...yeah that's for just one row...and I think they look cute stacked....SO I asked my husband next time we move if he would make these for Paisley. We already have pale pink paint (color name is "daddy's little girl" so cute) so we'd just have to buy the wood...aren't they so neat?

I'm just glad my husband can do that!

Made me think of my brothers...they all could too...how cool is that!?

Pineapple, Unisom and B6....

2010-03-25T16:39:00.000-07:00

Gonna try them all to try and kick the boody of this nausea. My pregnancy with Paisley was way to easy and apparently it's time I was shown what some women go through! I've taken 2.5 hour naps yesterday and today and I'm not a napper. I have to fight myself to eat, I don't want to...even though I know not eating will make me more nauseaus (is that how you spell that?)

this post could be titled..."I'm a whiner and a lazy bum" OR "I'm Pregnant".

Either way...I'm sick!

I don't know what I'd do without the support Jake gives me. He has taken on full time care of Paisley when he's home. He doesn't hesitate to ask me if I need something...he rubs my feet and my back and neck and plays with my hair....and he doesn't complain about the tower of laundry he's been slowing knocking out. He's a saint! P and I are truly blessed to have him!

I did vacuum today...phew...think I'll lay down!

cousins

2010-02-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

Paisley is really blessed to have some really cute cousins who are all so nice to her! Here are a few of them we got to see within the last month!

This is Ciera, Cody and Paisley VERY interested in Ciera's game. I thought this was so cute. Very Girly!

Alise was so attentive at Grandpa Britt and Nana Chris' house, they played and played.

And even posed for a picture!

Paisley was never far from Alise, and Auntie Marsha was her friend too...she liked Uncle Sky from a distance!

On the way home we stopped at a rest area so P could get out and play and get out some of her wiggles...

She really liked the tree and was so proud of herself!

We forgot to have the camera out when Brody and Collin were around, they were so much fun to watch together. They played and had fun and made the most of their time!

just the two of us!

2010-02-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

Jake had his first dental school interview at UNLV last week. For the first time EVER we left our sweet little Paisley at home with Ya Ya and went just the two of us!

We wandered the strip and toured some hotel/casinos and went to the Bellagio Buffet while we were there too.

We were lucky enough to stay with Aunt Wendy and Phil and Isaiah and Makaiah (ooh I hope I spelled that right), and were so grateful for them carting us around and making it a fun trip.

Family Photos and Paisley turning 1

2010-01-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

Vote for Paisley

2010-01-02T16:02:00.000-08:00

Vote for me in this contest!

Contest details

Paisley, this is YOUR life....

2009-12-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

Paisley my dear, here is something to remember the year by...it's been wonderful...captions are under each picture :)

At the hospital right before we got to bring you home 12/20/2008

home and cozy 12/20/2008

1 month old little sweetheart

One month old

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

7 months old

8 months old

9 months old

10 months old

11 months old

and finally...the big ONE YEAR OLD

She touched her cake and wasn't interested so Daddy tried to give her some

She wasn't feelin it...

at all...

but she got over it...once we got her out of her chair...she was yelling at us while we cleaned her off though!

CHEEEEEESE...

She loves Ya Ya

This is Bob at her finest and most comfortable...with little ones...she's got Wyatt Shelman in her arms and she's showing Paisley the dragon and Kenzie is well...watching... (check out her finger...LOL).

We love you Paisley...you are such a sweetheart and this has been one terrific year with you!

toys r us and grocery shopping

2009-12-15T19:24:00.000-08:00

Okay so for some reason Blogger won't let me put the actual videos for these cute activities, but ...

Click HERE for Toys R Us

and

Click HERE for Grocery Shopping...

She's so cute!

The end of an era.....we have officially entered into Toddlerville!

2009-12-13T21:05:00.000-08:00

I have already bought Paisley's Christmas Present and then I found this and really want her to have it...so I may have to break down and get it...cuz she's such a cutie...

She's walking now...like a little pro...that's life changing! She's been sick the last 2 or 3 days which is always sad, so I spent some time reminiscing tonight about the sweetheart she is and how she's growing (cuz she turns 1 on Friday!)...so here's our little cute this last month!

She wanted the camera...she can be pretty convincing!

She got over it (isn't she sweet)

"CHEESE"

Look at me...I'm so cute

This is how we watch SuperWhy in the mornings...

If you were wondering where I got my blue eyes...wonder no more!

I've done this before...I was half my age last time though!

Walking walking walking!

Splish splash..now there are chairs guarding that!

Little Angel Baby

She's got saline drops and desitin...life savers! She's sick in this picture...it's from today, but still cute!

Time has sure flown by...she's almost a year old...but she's still my baby...I'm guessing she will always be!

Merry Christmas Friends!

Family Resemblance????

2009-12-01T19:32:00.000-08:00

So this one I noticed today.

They've got the same smile going on...

turn your back for one second....

2009-11-17T09:11:00.000-08:00

I was on the computer doing all sorts of important things like facebook...and turned around to see this....

Then I turned around to the grab the camera to take a picture for Jake and turned back and saw this....

Good parenting at it's best LOL...

R and R....Oregon Coast Style

2009-10-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Bobarah (Bobby and Sarah) and McKenzie joined us for our trip on Saturday and we went to Harris Beach and the Redwoods (Stout Grove) on Sunday after church.

Not sure what's up w/ Blogger, but I can't move pics or my cursor so here's the story...

We went for a walk Saturday morning as we waited for our friends and family to arrive and took pictures by the road sign with my name and

Paisley's middle name on it. You might be able to tell we just rolled out of bed and went :)

Then when everyone arrived we walked to Harris Beach (forgot our camera that time). Then we went back home and had a GREAT dinner and then did smores on the fire pit :)

Sunday we went to church then headed to Harris Beach again for lunch and then on to the redwoods...

Paisley got to try out Kenzie's backpack with Jake when we were there...she wasn't sure about it.

We had a wonderful and relaxing trip...a big thanks to Jonny and Heather for making it possible. Good times!

This is how I can work in the kitchen :)

2009-10-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

9 month old pics...well more like 9.5 months old

2009-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Dollar Store Fairy

2009-10-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

Wings bought at the dollar store (yup Suzy, just had to be around halloween to find them there in 5 different colors!)

So cute!

dancing

2009-10-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

This girl loves to dance...I love that her little knee bends...I hope she dances better than me!

Our little treasure

2009-08-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

So I had a nice long post almost done and then my IE dumped on me...ugh...but here are some really cute pics of our little Paisley in the treasure chest G. Grandma Norma made! Love this girl!

Summer Summer Summer time!

2009-08-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Lots of pictures of our trip to UT and TX

Kendall is a funny girl

2009-08-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Video's not great, but so cute!

Paisley's gone mobile!

2009-08-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of our little mover :

So neat to watch her grow!

Catch up!

2009-08-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a long while since I've blogged last and lots has happened...here are some pictures of our summer so far :)

This is P standing up .... against the couch, but still!

My new hair cut! 10 inches cut and donated to locks of love :)

Saltine crackers!

What...Corndog! yes only at Gma Bob's house!

I call this on "Mommas and Babies" (it's Mitzi, Cody, Paisley and Me) at Galesville Reservoir

This is lunch with family at La Contenta Golf Course (Clifford, Gpa Ray, Gma Carol, Lisa, Brandon, Jake, Me and Paisley), it was good fun.

This is Cody, Cheyenne and Paisley at Galesville

This is Gpa Britt helping make sure Paisley doesn't get sunburned at the lake

This is Paisley in one of her cutest shirts...Mitzi catches some good pics of her!

Summer wouldn't be complete without regular visits to see Gma at Baskin Robbins...Paisley particularly likes to climb on the counters...her foot was sort of stuck in the drain of the sink :)

This is Paisley after waiting for Daddy to be done riding mountain bikes, she slept in a laundry basket while they rode...she was such a sport being outside in 104 degrees!

These are the mountain bikers (L to R: Thomas, Todd, Dad, Steve, Jake and Paisley)

Paisley's first trip to Hogan Reservoir (where we went all the time growing up) Gpa Riggs first trip too, she loved the water!

We've still got another trip down to Dad's house, Texas to see Taryn get baptized and visit Warren and family, Tahoe to ride mountain bikes and kayak in the lake, Sonora to see Smokey Joe's Cafe with Dad and Chris, and Brookings to stay on the coast ....

Not to mention our days have been busy keeping up with the dental school supplemental applications and FEES...oh yes...lots of fees! But life is good. We are figuring some things out as we go and enjoying everything that comes our way... we love summer!

Our Baby Bear

2009-07-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

Or Sweet Pea or P as we call her. Here's just a few recent photos of her, I can't get enough of her!

Dental School...and so it begins

2009-07-13T22:13:00.001-07:00

Well we've officially submitted our AADSAS application!!!! Now we are working (we meaning ME) on the supplemental application fees and applications that are required right now! It's time consuming and expensive! AND worth it! We are so excited to be moving toward Jake's goal of being a dentist. Pray for us that we will do everything right the first time around and he will be accepted to at least one of the 9 dental schools we are applying too!

4th of July!

2009-07-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a lot of pictures of a great few days we spent out in O'Brien at Reggie's ranch for the fourth of July! Paisley had a lot of firsts, she tried pretzels (minus the salt), carrots, bananas, swimming pool, lake, and pet the dogs which she LOVED, she giggled a lot at them. And Jake got to go on an Ultralite ride! Here's the pics!

This is Natalie cheering on Paisley for getting into the water and Collin is looking on!

This is right after Paisley got knocked over by Collin who fell down himself, look at Collin's diaper, they both handled it like champs!

I love this one of Collin, he was such a ham!

See what a mean, the lake in the background is Reggie's lake "Costalot" it is a beautiful place!

Here is Collin again

Paisley was holding herself up like this against the pool, it was so cute!

This is when she finally took a nap, she was super tired!

Foutz Grandkids

2009-06-17T13:21:00.001-07:00

These guys are so cute! Here are some pictures from our "photo shoot" in the park :)

Kendall and Natalie (Paisley I'm sure will look something like these two), They are 2 months apart, just like Collin and Paisley!

Paisley and Collin

L to R: Natalie, Collin, Benjamin, Kendall and Paisley

Paisley and Kendall (Kendall was so nice to Paisley)

I'll have to post more pics later, I'm still getting myself and the house back together from our vacation week! It was a blast!

I admire

2009-05-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

Jake for being the wonderful, dedicated man that he is, he tirelessly works toward his education and our future with very little complaint and finds time to spend with P and I too. He is a wonderful father and P just adores him. I fall in love with him more each day.

Marsha for being a wonderful Mom, always being so positive about everything and being such a great example to me of compassion and kindness. She's fantastic about keeping in touch with everybody and everybody likes her, I envy that often. (in a good way. I want to be more like her). She figured out who she was early on in life and she's comfortable in her own skin, I love that!

Tyler for being a Dad, even when it's hard. For overcoming hurdles in his life and coming out on top.

Warren for being such a cool guy, he's a great father and I love just talking with him. He's knowledgeable in just about anything and he's self taught in many things, I'm so impressed by him.

Darrell for being so adventurous, it's obvious his kids love him and he's got such a free spirit, he'll try just about anything, I am envious of that too, I'm quite a scaredy cat. He works hard for his family and makes the most of his time with them and that's a big deal.

Katelyn for trying to be herself. She hasn't met Paisley, but I know she'll be a great Auntie. She has a true desire to make people happy and most often is very conscious of how other people feel which is a truly wonderful thing.

That's just my immediate family, I also admire in a nutshell, Suzy Grannis, for being a super mom! I can't believe the things she is able to do with her 2 boys even and I hope she knows she's so much like Barry in her kind spirit, I love her. Suzy Foutz, for being my friend, I know it's not that easy I'm kind of a pain sometimes :) and for being a super mom too, I love watching her play with her kids. Gel for being such an inspiration in so many truly important aspects of life, food storage and coupons are just her recent things, she's also very devoted to being the kind of parent she wants to be and she's good at it. Amber also just makes me laugh, I know that even though I hardly get to see her, she will always be up for a chat on the phone and we can talk about just anything. She's raising 3 beautiful daughters and she's dedicated to doing the best by them, I enjoy talking "kids" with her. Crystal Foutz has got to be one of the most patient mothers I've ever watched! Heather Cammisa is an amazing woman who has lived through everything that's been thrown at her and I am grateful she is my friend. Carol Nielson, my friend no matter how long it's been since we've talked. Sarah Shelman, she's such a cool woman and I always enjoy being around her and we can just talk and talk and she's a great Mom!

This hasn't even touched on all the people who have impacted me and I haven't even delved into parents and grandparents or anything else.

I'm blessed and I just feel like appreciating that today.

My first coupon adventure!

2009-05-18T11:56:00.001-07:00

Okay Gel, I hope you are proud, I'm not as good as you are, but I think I did pretty good!

I had $1 off coupons for the huggies and johnsons bath products and wipes and desitin, 3 of those items were doubled by an albertsons coupon! The ground beef was on sale for $5 and the steaks were buy one get one free (there are 2 there, can't really see them in the picture). Bagelfuls (yes Gel you got me into these!) 2/$6 not a screamin deal, buta deal and then coupons to make the salad and cream cheese $.88 each. Not bad...all this for $36.97

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T15:34:00.000-07:00

My first Mother's Day! We drove out to Cave Junction to be with Jake's Mom Laurie at her boyfriends ranch. The first picture is of us in front of the house out there and the 2nd is of "Bob" Laurie with her Mother's necklace on.

Good times. I got a great gift from my husband, he got me the Samsung Instinct Cell Phone I wanted. Fun Fun...I felt very cool!

Diva!

2009-05-06T09:37:00.001-07:00

I love this kid! She's trying to be like her cousins :)

Jake and I love when she puts her feet up like this on her swing.

AND she slept so great last night, thank goodness, I thought she was never going to go back to sleeping all through the night!

Today was a great day 2 videos for proof

2009-05-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

Paisley has mastered spinning the blue gecko!

and she's enjoying making noises!

Our little lady bug :)

2009-05-01T19:08:00.001-07:00

Grandma Susan got her this outfit (it has a really cute bib too). Isn't she cute!?!

4.5 Mos old and super cute!

2009-04-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

She's enjoying her time on the floor!

She's starting trying out rice cereal occassionally

She's sitting up w/ a little propping...(her onesie says "snappy dresser" I love it!

All in all she's a doll, she's transitioning to about 2 naps a day, a short one in the morning and a long one in the afternoon which has been an experience as she works that out. She's sleeping through the night and will have her first night w/ a babysitter other than Grandma on Friday (they are a couple we go to church with and the will just be here after she goes to sleep) It's still a little nerve wracking though!

That's it for now!

I can't help myself!

2009-04-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Paisley is such a joy I can't help but take picture after picture of her, this morning she tried out her new jumperoo which is too big as you can see her feet don't touch, but look how cool she thinks the spinning lizard is:

and look how happy it makes her! (she's a little blurry cuz she's so excited):

Auntie Gel gave her this little turtle and she loves it:

a lot:

And this picture is of her on the big chair with her bib that says "thank heaven for little girls" and I couldn't agree more! She's a real blessing and I just love being able to stay home with her!

Our little Paisley just loves to talk talk talk talk talk. All day long from first thing in the morning to right before bed. It's still cute at the end of the day too! Sometimes I swear she's shouting at me though! Things like "Um hello Mom, hungry in here" when she's waking up from a nap and I've taken to long to go into her room or "hey, everybody come see how good I look" when she's just playing and bored or one of my favorites, "hi all my animal friends, let's bust outta this joint and have some real fun" when she's in her jungle gym which is what this video is!

Grandpa Britt and the Great Grandparents (who were there)

2009-04-12T20:40:00.001-07:00

This is my Dad with wiggly Paisley, she's a little blurry, but doesn't she look like him :)
(and me and all the Grannis kids really)

This is G. Grandma Norma and Paisley

This is G. Grandpa Ray and G. Grandma Carol and their first meeting with Paisley. What a nice treat it was for them to be able to make it even with very last minute notice! We had a blast visiting and Paisley was very content to sit in their laps!

Early Easter

2009-04-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from going down to Dad's house when a good group of us were there. We had a lot of fun even w/ just a half day or so visit!

This is the grandkids (who were able to make it, we really missed those that couldn't) hand/feet prints in Grandpa's new cement

These are Darrell and Gel's boys Brody on the left and Collin on the right, they are boy's boys...I love them!

This is my bro-in-law Sky, he's always fun!

Collin loved to hold Paisley, it was so cute. He said he'd like a baby sister at his house (Gel LOL)

This is Alise my niece (I'm a poet), Marsha and Sky's daughter, she is a chocolate faced girl (after my own heart).

Cousin Collin holding Paisley!

This is Alise and Paisley when Paisley was 2 weeks old, not at easter, but check out these guys 3.5 mos later in the next picture!

Alise and Paisley again, cute girls!

Uncle Warren with Paisley, she was very comfortable with him

3 month old pictures (even though she's closer to 4 mos now)

2009-04-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

So here are Paisley's pictures from her 3 month old days! I think she's a doll!

and she's got a real handsome Daddy (who by the way just got his first Dental Scholarship! We are so proud of you!)

She LOVES LOVES LOVES to stand up, she gets restless and wants to just stand up, it's fantastic. She's also starting to sit up when we are holding her as well, but just when she's already got a head start, like from nursing position :)

Sometimes it's all you can do to count your blessings

2009-04-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's hard to feel like you fit in even where you are "supposed" to. I am learning more and more that my happiness can only come from me and that I can't expect for others to "understand me" or "get where I'm coming from" or want to be around me or especially for them to agree with me! It's strange how so many lessons we get to learn over and over again still need to be learned over and over again.

So...instead of feeling like "nobody gets me" or even wants to....today I'm stepping outside of myself and counting my blessings, here are a few of the many:

My wonderful Husband:

Our beautiful daughter:

Our family's:

Last but certainly not least, the Gospel and our Savior Jesus Christ, I am so grateful for the blessings we receive for living as we are best able to. What a great gift it is to know that we are part of an eternal family and that we can be "whole" even in spite of ourselves.

That's what's been on my mind lately, so here I am blogging about it (Even if nobody is really reading) :)

Little Sister

2009-04-01T09:16:00.001-07:00

I bet Marsha remembers this picture as well as I do, we were playing photographers with Kate, I think she was 2 or so. She was such a bright little girl and really quite a bit of fun even at that age, she indulged us and let us play with her.

Sometimes it's hard not to see her as this little girl all the time, but I'm working on it. She's all grown up now, 19 years old! I don't get to talk to her much and I think of her often. I remember what it was like to be 19, in fact my life was pretty darn similar to hers when I was 19 which scares me in a lot of ways!

The great thing about Kate is that she is my sister (not just mine, but ya know). Hopefully I'll get to see her this summer and we'll get to spend some sister time together and of course she can meet Paisley for the first time too!

I hope a lot of things for both of my sisters, some have already come to fruition for Marsha, like finding a wonderful man to be her husband and having a beautiful child ( I wish those for Kate too, of course in that order too! ). I also wish for both of them to always be happy and to always have people around them who love and appreciate them for who they are. I can honestly say that who each of my sisters are is a wonderful person and someday Kate, when you are a wife and mother to the right man (whoever that may be) you will be 100% comfortable in your life and with yourself.

I love you Kate, formerly known as "Munch" but now way to old for that nickname.....I am glad you are my sister...........really glad!

Another first!

2009-03-18T11:04:00.001-07:00

PAISLEY IS 3 MONTHS OLD TODAY! Time sure flies!

Last night was Paisley's first night in her crib in her own room for night time sleeping! She took a bath at 7:15pm (Mommy did it all by herself!) and ate at 7:55pm, was asleep by 8pm, woke up at 9pm got her diaper changed and went back to sleep at 9:15pm and slept til 6:15am with only one mini interuption at 3:15am for a binky to be put back in her mouth! She then ate at 6:15am and went back to sleep at 7am to wake at 10:15am!!!! We've got a sleeper! I did cheat and put her in her bassinet at 6:15 when I fed her, just out of laziness though!

I'm so proud of her, here's some pics! She's growing so fast!

Life is Good

2009-03-16T10:56:00.000-07:00

I figured it was about time I posted again with some updated pictures of our almost 3 month old (she turns 3 mos old on Weds!). So here's what's new with us:

Jake sold his motorcycle and is now on the hunt for another great deal he can sell again and make a little profit when he's ready.

He's also in finals week of this term and has passed his judo class and is now a green belt in judo!

Over spring break he will be studying for the DAT so on June 1, we can start applying to dental schools! He's really been working hard at school and he's doing great in spite of having to take Organic Chemistry!

He's also a great Dad and Paisley just adores him, she will just sit with him for hours!

and she loves her Daddy!

Because she's turning 3 mos old soon, I had to get her nursery put together, here's a picture of the bed with it's new duvet cover and her crib (a steal on craigslist!)

She is doing great with her crib already, she's only played in there and had 1 nap in it, she slept her normal nap, no problems, we are really lucky!

She's really growing and has been holding up her head really well and is doing little baby push ups and of course rolling over.

We've even experienced some real laughs, she's only laughed during her bath, she loves when the water runs over her, it tickles!

She's also our cute little supporter of her Auntie Marsha, here she is in her divensurf wear!

And that's our story lately! We are going to be taking her 3 month old photos soon, so I'll be posting those after they are done!

Sleep Tracking...neat find

2009-03-10T12:32:00.001-07:00

So I know a lot of you aren't tracking your children's sleep because they are all old enough to have regular schedules, but some of you might be having more babies...and I think this is super cool and free so far!

Check out Paisley's site, it's pretty neat to help me prepare for her going into her own crib and room in two weeks. We decided to make that transition over Jake's spring break so it can be more of a joint effort :)

Okay here's the site : http://go.trixietracker.com/site/paisley

Sleep Training...????

2009-03-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

So today is the first day I've really tried to make sure Paisley's naps are taken in her bassinet and only for the last few days have I been making sure she sleeps at night in the bassinet too...it's rough, I love cuddling with her, but everything I've read tells me I've got to get her used to sleeping on her own.

I feel blessed because she doesn't have trouble putting herself to sleep if she's tired I can set her in her bassinet and w/in 5 minutes most often she's asleep. We also ended up with a video baby monitor which is probably the only way I feel like I can be apart from her. It's fantastic I would recommend it to anyone!

So anybody have any suggestions on getting over the anxiety of putting your baby from their bassinet to a crib in another room?

Rolling Over!!!

2009-03-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

Today is a landmark day, Paisley rolled over for the first time and I caught the second and third times on video....check it out!

Growing

2009-02-27T18:56:00.001-08:00

Paisley is growing so quickly it's hard to believe. I have all of these things that go through my mind as I think about the life I want for her. Will she recognize early on her divine worth? Will she fall in love with a man who recognizes it too? Will she repeat my mistakes?
This week has really been interesting and without going into detail I can say that I am constantly reminded that our Heavenly Father loves us, knows us each individually and wants us to be happy. Each time I put my trust in him things just work out :D

This last week I was able to talk to both Amber and Angelica "Gel" and it was really nice although my conversation with Gel was first interrupted by Paisley and then when it was continued it was interrupted a bit later by a call I had to take, so we'll have to try again Gel. I am learning how important it is to keep in touch, we all have so much to learn from each other and I really do enjoy my sister in laws, I still haven't called Mitzi, but I will at some point, I think it's because we live within a few miles (50) and I do get to see her fairly often when we go to Grants Pass.

I also want to get better at calling my Foutz SIL's it's on my "list". I am just learning how to manage my time with Paisley and take advantage of those moments I do have to connect with people that I love.

I am blessed because all in all our little Paisley is a joy and usually pretty happy! I've got some happy pictures of her today...she sure makes me want to be my best self. She's discovered her hands and loves to suck on them!

Oh and as a side note, I've been seriously thinking about writing a book. I know RANDOM, but really it's crossed my mind for many years now so sometime in the next few months I am hoping to figure out what topic I'd like to write on and put a few things down on the computer and start that project :) So far I am thinking something along the lines of being comfortable in your own skin....I know as if that hasn't been covered and anyone reading this might also think I'm a terrible person to write on that topic, but what can I say...no really what can I say ? :)

Those are my thoughts for today...

Carseat battle appears to be over!

2009-02-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

We've done it...Paisley and I took our first semi long car ride together to go from Ashland to Grants Pass (1 hour each way) to get our taxes done. I know why drive an hour??? I love the CPA we use there...she's fantastic, she finds us tax benefits that are really there...no cheating!

I was so nervous about this car ride because it could really go terribly wrong, but Jake had an exam and we had to get our taxes done to file his FAFSA so I had to be brave!

It went wonderfully, my little Paisley did so well, hardly any tears!!!!

She's now gotten to the point where she can be put in her car seat awake and she doesn't scream at you and she does pretty good in the car unless she's in need of food or a diaper change!

I know it's probably not that big of a deal to those who might read this (if any), but it was a big deal to me and I wanted to document it :) So here it is....

On Friday the 13th of February, Paisley did her first decent car trip alone w/ Mommy and she was a star! Go figure Friday the 13th, my lucky day :)

And for fun, here is another picture of my Pretty Paisley for ya :) She loves her little "jungle gym" (that's what I call it) Thanks to Dave, Cory and Noah for passing it on to us when Noah outgrew it! See how big she is...that little sleeper says 0-9 mos and she's pushing the limit length wise!

Paisley's a talker!

2009-02-07T22:39:00.001-08:00

I know it's not entirely true, but she is already talking to me :) Check out my video :)

Okay I know I sound like a nerd....but isn't she a doll?

Paisley's blessing 2/1/2009

2009-02-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

Paisley Heather Foutz was blessed by her father last Sunday. It was a wonderful moment and I am so grateful to my husband for being worthy to do that. Paisley is truly our shining star.

We had some of her cousins come into town and visit, here is Bob (Laurie my MIL) with Kendall, Benjamin and Natalie Foutz making donuts...yes she's amazing, she knows how to make donuts that taste fantastic from scratch!

This is a picture of the guys at the luncheon afterwards, from left to right: Heath Riley, Steven Foutz, Tyler Foutz, Jacob Foutz, Stu Grannis, Tyler Grannis, Britt Grannis and Adam Ivey.

This is another picture of our little angel in her blessing dress that Auntie Marsha and Alise loaned to her, it was perfect!

This is my SIL Susan Foutz (married to Tyler Foutz, Jake's oldest brother), they came all the way out from SLC area to be with us on our special day. She's the photographer who caught everything on film for me too! I'm grateful because I didn't take one picture on my own. :)

This is Grandpa Steve or Riggs whichever you choose holding the two newest Foutz Grandbabies, Collin Riggs Foutz and Paisley Heather Foutz.

And these are all the Foutz Grandbabies so far....Angie and Mario Apreotesi are working on a Summer baby to add to the group :)

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. We thank all those who came to support us and Paisley. You know who you are!

Family Portrait

2009-01-28T14:37:00.001-08:00

We had our picture taken the day before Paisley turned 1 month old (1/17/09). So we have a family picture and a few adorable ones of Paisley. The dress she is wearing was made by Grandma Norma. We hope to do more photos maybe at 3 mos next time :)

Time flies

2009-01-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

It's only been 5 weeks (yesterday) since we were blessed with our little Paisley who's just growing right before my eyes. I had no idea how fast it would go by. I mean I've watched in amazement as my sister and SIL's raised my nephews and neices and still had NO IDEA. Here is a picture of Paisley at the Hospital when she was born:

and here is a picture of Paisley (closest pic to the original pose I could find) at 1 month old.

HOLY MAN! I can't believe how big she is already. Right now she is swinging in her swing sleeping so peacefully and I can't help but feel completely overwhelmed with how blessed I am to be her mother. It's true that you just have no way of comprehending what it's like to be a parent until you are one.

Paisley has also graciously agreed to allow us to bottle feed her (breastmilk of course) which has been a blessing, we don't "need" to do it yet, but it's been nice for Jake, look at his face, he's just so proud to be her Daddy and feeding her.

Jake is working hard in school, he rarely gets a moment to do something fun, so we try to make the most of our weekends. This last weekend w/ MLK day we were hoping on Monday to go to Crater Lake (yeah way to grand of a trip, 2 hours each way, to try to take w/ a 1 month old, but I figured we could always try). As you can imagine it didn't work out, but we were still able to go to a local park with our friends the Shelman's and watch their daughter Mackenzie play and enjoy some sandwiches, soda and brownies while Paisley slept in her frontpack. I wish we'd taken some pics.

Oh yes and here's a pic of her 3rd bath....um yeah we forgot to take the first bath picture :)

Baby Paisley (what else would I write about?)

2009-01-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

It's hard to be unbiased when you are a mom, so I'll just say I think Paisley is the cutest little baby! She turned 1 month old today! Time sure flies when you are learning to be a parent! What a journey, it's certainly a different world when the only means of communication you have during the day is crying! I hear that w/in the next month I'll get some real good smiling and even some cooing which will be very welcome!!!

I must say though, Paisley is a darling. She doesn't really cry just to cry, there is always a reason...sadly the crying continues until I figure out what the problem is, which sometimes takes me longer than I would like. (who knew how fast a baby could wet a diaper after you changed it!)

Here are some updated pictures of Paisley!

I love this picture of her and Jake taken this evening after her bath, she loves being held in the "football hold", not incredibly flattering, but works! Look how curly and long her hair is when it's wet!

Paisley gets to sleep in our bed, this is her resting while we brush our teeth for bed, we are pretty lucky that we get at least 3 hour stretches with her at night, most often we get at least one 4 hour stretch!

I call this one my "lil angel", I just think she's darling!

She's already holding her head up really good (ignore the spit up :) )

My Sister and her Family :)

2009-01-11T14:26:00.001-08:00

It's only been a few days since Marsha and Sky and Alise left and I find myself thinking all the time how wonderful my sister is. She is truly a kind and loving person. She's taken those wonderful traits from our parents and really brought them into full bloom!

She came when Paisley was only 2 weeks old. She stayed a few nights at our house even w/ her severe allergy to cats and we stayed a few nights at my MIL's. What's so amazing is that she didn't "need" anything from me as the "host", she took care of us and her husband is also really fantastic! He never once complained about how boring we are or anything like that. He would just take Alise outside to play when she was bored.

I feel truly blessed to have her in my life and only wish I could see her more. Here are a few pics they took while they were here.

This is my way of saying THANK YOU...to Sky and Marsha for being the amazing people they are and for spending their vacation with my new little family!

Christmas time

2008-12-30T17:04:00.001-08:00

Being a Mom is amazing...it's so challenging and so rewarding all at the same time! I have to admit there are times when Paisley is crying and it's all I can do not to cry myself, it breaks my heart when I can't figure out how to meet her needs. I'm blessed (we're blessed) that she is such a good baby. She rarely fusses, and she always has a reason if she does. We are learning at such a rapid rate how to "read" our little girl. She's full of expressions and smiles all the time (I don't care what anybody says, she smiles!), especially in her sleep! She loves her Daddy and he does just as good of a job of soothing her as I do unless it's food and that doesn't count. We are learning and growing and so is Paisley, it's been quite the ride so far. We've been out and about much more than I'd ever imagined, we had Christmas eve at Jake's Dad's house and 1/2 of Christmas Day and then we went out to Jake's Mom's Boyfriends Ranch the latter part of the day and then back to her house after that all the way through 1/2 of Monday! We've just gotten settled in and now tomorrow evening Marsha and Fam will be arriving and we'll be headed back to Grants Pass (Marsha is allergic to cats so we don't want her to have to stay here to many nights in a row).

Here is a picture of Paisley taken when she was 4 days old....she's in the Christmas dress Uncle Tyler Grannis bought her. She is smiling, I swear, see for yourself!

Happy Merry Christmas and New Year from the 3 of us!

Pictures of Baby Paisley

2008-12-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

Finished with so many things!

2008-12-14T20:10:00.000-08:00

So Jake had to help me finish this dresser, but it turned out pretty darn cute I think. It's loaded full of baby girl clothes (thanks to my sister Marsha mostly) and in the baby's room which is almost done...just a few more little things. Thanks Jake, you are the best husband ever! Since he finished his 2nd to last final he's been knocking out things on my "list" left and right, I'm lucky and blessed to have him!

We've officially started our food storage thanks to some prodding from my SIL Gel! Nice work. It is surprisingly easy just like she says, you just get a little extra of something you are already getting! Sorry no picture, but maybe later!

Then we have me pregnant...SUPER pregnant. Here is a picture of me at 37.5 weeks and measuring like I'm 39.5 weeks! I'm actually starting my 39th week tomorrow (Monday) and if she doesn't come into this world on her own then she will be induced on Dec. 17th Wednesday on her Aunt Marsha's birthday (the day after Jake's). We're actually hoping she comes on her own prior to being induced, but we're glad to know when she will be here for sure! We can't wait to meet her! Plus I'd be lying if I said I was completely comfy all the time! Truly though for the most part I have had a pretty easy pregnancy.

As a side note I have the funniest dog, check him out riding in style in the back of the tahoe on an antique love seat we were moving to Jake's mom's house...he's pretty funny!

Also I've set up the bassinet, Jake hung Christmas lights outside and picked up this beautiful tree which he helped me decorate!

We've also got both the baby's bag and our hospital bag packed and the carseat bases in both cars w/ the carseat in the tahoe (I told Jake that is what I want to ride in to the hospital, stepping up into a car is much better than falling into the other car!). So we are pretty much ready to go for when our daughter comes! Just a few more touches in the room and then of course once we get back home I get to wrap the few Christmas presents we'll have which of course will totally be outshone (is that a word?) by our baby's arrival!

I'm super excited for my sister Marsha and Sky and Alise to come visit 12/31-1/6, we will get to spend some time w/ them and also hang out w/ Tyler and Mitzi and fam as well while they are in town. I'm excited to have my sister around while we have a fairly new baby, she's a great mom!

I think that's it for now, I'm guessing my next post will be of our baby girl! Keep us in your prayers!

Project Dresser and Baby Update

2008-12-01T16:44:00.000-08:00

So here we are the first day of December and I am sooo excited for Christmas! I've got a start on the baby's dresser, a small one because I get tired super easy (it's almost pathetic!). This is the dresser BEFORE. I've got my sanding mask (safety first) and my sandpaper. It's definitely a project, but pretty neat seeing how it was my dresser growing up as a kid. I sanded the "body" of the dresser almost all the way today and I have the drawers and bottom piece for tomorrow hopefully. I'm also hoping to be able to paint tomorrow as well! I'll keep you updated!

This is me on Thanksgiving. Do I look like I rode uncomfortably in a car for 12 hours to get there? Did you notice that I'm wearing the same shirt? Yeah, limited clothing options really, be impressed I'm not in sweats! Belly bands are awesome! Of course these days I have my "home sweats" and my "fancy sweats" LOL!

This next picture is from Thanksgiving day as well. This is how tired we were. My SIL Suzy has a great picture of us both sleeping on the couch, but here is Jake with a bunny and my uggs on him, that is the work of my SIL Crystal, she's funny!

And last but not least, our baby is GROWING! Today I started our 37th week and when our Dr. measured my belly this morning I measured at 39!!! She literally looked at me and said "What have you been doing?"

So tomorrow we go in for a "baby growth" ultrasound, since she jumped up their in size. The Dr. also confirmed again that we are indeed having a little girl.

I am officially normal ... aside from the ginormous belly, I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced...that's for all you who actually know what that means :)

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little girl. I still have so much to do, here's my priority list (in no particular order because it all has to be done before she comes)

-car seat in car

-hospital bag packed (it's at 25% done now)

-bed in baby's room rotated (that's Jake)

-bassinet set up

-dresser completed

-Christmas Tree (doing that this weekend w/ MIL)

-Christmas lights up (that's Jake too)

-Mitten Stockings finished up (all 3 are sewn and almost complete except for names)

Well that's my story for now. Talk to you soon!

Christmas Mittens 1 down 2 to go!

2008-11-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

Okay so I will admit it....when I start a little craft project I get a bit obsessive! I've got all the mittens cut out and I've got Jakes 99% done.

So here is a little mini trip down "Mitten Making Way"

This is the template, yeah baby, 3 sheets of computer paper taped together!!!!

These are the 3 mitten cutouts with the template. Jake wanted a patchwork one w/ the two materials I got for him to choose from; mine is the one on the top right, it's paisley (old sheets that I loved that got ruined, Jake's idea and I really loved those sheets) and Baby Girl Foutz is getting the pink, tan, black and brown plaid mitten :)

This is Jake's stocking w/ the batting sewn in between the lining and the front and back.

This is Jake helping me briefly (but wonderfully) cut out the circles for his snowman :)

This is the finished product, not the perfection I had imagined in my mind, but certainly a good first run :) I won't be remaking it or anything. I have a little hand sewing to do at the top and I am going to cheat a little and buy the felt letters to put his name on it :) Oh and of course add the little loop to hang it up :)

That's my day today, oh and I watched my friend's 1 year old for 2 hours, went to a baptism, had a mini date w/ my husband (we went to senor sam's and shared a super nachos) and went "saturday preparing for sunday" grocery shopping. All in all a good day!

Challenging Myself

2008-11-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

So I've got some projects going right now since I'm not working anymore. When our little baby girl isn't kicking my insides out I am enjoying "creating" things.

So here's my project list for the next couple of days:

1-sand and paint the dresser for the baby. It's my dresser from growing up, my Mom painted it blue at one point and that won't work. Initially I wanted to strip and stain it, but we are to close to the baby arriving so I'm on to Plan B. Which is sanding it down and painting it "ballet slipper" pink! Then after life settles down a bit I will go back to Plan A and strip and stain it.

2-make our new Christmas Stockings. They won't be "stockings" in the sense that they are not going to be shaped like socks. They will be shaped like mittens! It was something Jake and I saw at Joann's (love that store), but figured "I could make that" so I'm going to give it a shot! One for Jake (Frosty the Snowman), one for me (Frosty's lady) and one for the baby (a little snowbaby)...then in the future I can make more little snow people as we have more children :)

I am excited to complete these projects hopefully within the next week before we leave for Utah for Thanksgiving. When I get there I have a scrapbooking project with my SIL Susan. I'm SO excited!

Reminiscing

2008-11-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

I have a great family. I learn from them all the time and I have such wonderful memories. I know I said my next blog post would be about something moving forward, so to keep my word before I go backward.

I made my 2nd pumpkin pie and it's even better!!!

Okay so that being said, here's some pictures of me growing up and my family!

Okay so Jake's family has a picture just like this, w/ all of them in one seat in the back of a van. Oh yeah this is how we traveled :)

This is us at a family wedding...can you say 90's?

This was our found family dog Butch...SHE (oh yeah we named her before we looked) was the best dog. Like my bumble bee sweater? Part of a halloween costume I couldn't let go of.

Sisters have a strong bond, the first picture is of me and Jennifer

Me and Marsha at our joint bday party in our matching dresses!

Me, Marsha and Kate at Marsha's baby shower.

I'm so grateful for my sisters. I have some great SIL's too, but that's another post. Happy Wednesday!

Our very first blog attempt

2008-11-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

It's about time I jumped on this bandwagon :) We are coming up on some very exciting times in our life. In about a month we should be meeting our very first child! Very exciting!!! Which actually gave me something to blog about instead of "I go to work and Jake goes to school".

So this post is a catch up post. I'll post a few pics and a few blurbs about them and call it good :)

Here goes!

The Foutz Family is serious about their baked goods. Everything is supposed to be made from scratch and Jake LOVES his pies.

This is my first attempt at a pie and I decided to do this at 8 mos prego! Not completely from scratch since I used pumpkin pie filling from a can along w/ other ingredients, but I even made the crust myself! It was even edible!!!! I've talked w/ Bob (Laurie Foutz my MIL) and she's given me some pointers and my SIL Crystal makes an awesome crust, I'm hoping she'll share her recipe w/ me!

This is Baby Girl Foutz at 23 weeks. We think she's going to be quite a bit like her Dad, she's got Jake's eyes, nose and mouth we think....I don't know what she will have of mine :)

3D ultrasounds are amazing!

This is at my baby shower on Nov. 8, 2008 I have a bow on my belly. All my Sisters and SIL's will recognize that pregnant girl sit LOL!

It was a good time for sure. I did feel pretty silly getting tired opening presents! Who would have thought that would be strenuous!

This is our 2nd Anniversary trip, we went to Turtle Bay (http://www.turtlebay.org/) and this is us in the Shasta Caverns and we also stopped and saw a local waterfall (that pic didn't turn out, we forgot our digital camera so this is from a disposable)

Jake planned the whole thing, I'd been wanting to go to both places for a long while, especially turtle bay! Isn't Jake cute! I was about 6.5 mos prego here.

This is Jake and his Dad (Steve) when they went for a motorcycle ride together.

One of the few breaks Jake got from school on a weekend.

He works really hard all day and most of every Saturday too on his schooling. I'm pretty proud of him!

This is our visit to SLC Temple so that Darrell and Gel and Collin and Brody could be sealed as a family for time and all eternity!

What a great trip. We were very happy to be able to be a part of their family's special day!

And this is what started it all. We were sealed for time and all eternity on Sept. 8, 2006 in the Sacramento, CA temple.

This is at our reception in Merlin, OR on Sept. 9, 2008.

In the background is Jake's truck, his very first car which he and his Dad with some help from me and my Dad rebuilt in about 32 days after it was run into a tree, just so it could be our "getaway truck".

So much has happened this year, but for now this is where I will leave it. Our next blog will be about something new that has happened from today forward. I can tell this is going to be fun!