I wanted to take some time to post a little family newsletter here online, for all of you who didn't receive a Christmas Card from us.
If you did receive a card from us, let me know immediately as there is someone out there posing as the Foutz family and mailing out Christmas Cards.
2010 has been a crazy year of change for the Foutz Family! We started the year with 4 members in our family, and ended the year with 4. At the begininning of the year Brett was laboring away as a student in the Architecture program at Texas Tech, and now as it comes to a close, Brett is a student in the Architecture program at Texas Tech. When 2010 started, Kristina was a stay at home mom, carefully caring for Bensen and Juliet as well as another little girl throughout the week, but now as it comes to a close Kristina is working hard as a stay at home mom, with three kids at home, Juliet, Bensen, and another little girl who comes during the week.
Okay, so maybe there haven't been too many changes. But there have been a few if you get into the nitty gritty of our lives!
Brett submitted
his portfolio to apply to the 2nd year of the Architecture program and was (of course!) accepted. He does incredible work and loves school. He is still working for American Eagle (airlines) and we all thoroughly enjoy our flying discounts. It has been a real blessing to be able to visit family during this time we are living so far away from everyone. Brett is currently locked in battle with two of his brothers (Ian and Craig) in a "Come See How Good I Look" Contest that ends on July 4th, 2011. I am biased but I think he looks dang good.
I am Kristina, and back in May I
picked up my camera again. Since then I have been using a lot of my free time to learn about portrait photography and post processing work in PS. I have come a long way, but still have a ways to go. I have really loved getting back into photography again, and only wish I had more willing subjects. Bensen and Juliet have long ago tired of the camera, and I have a lot of pictures of the backs of babies' heads. I love staying home with my babies, watch Madison most week days, and have the occasional photo shoot on the weekends. It is a wonderful, full life. The only thing I am missing is a car!
Juliet (3) is a chatterbox and a busy body, she never stops moving and she never stops chatting! We have found that no place is safe from her creative explorations, and have discovered her in the most exasperating places. On top of the fridge, inside a tall cabinet, hanging like a dress in her closet. No chocolate is safe from her, and no toothpaste or lotion bottle either. She is a good girl who listens most of the time, but just can't help herself the other times. We love her we love her we love her! We love the crazy things that she says.
Bensen (20 months) is perfect, and there is not much else you can say about that. He is adored by everyone in the family, including and especially his big sister. I just found him dipping his toothbrush in the toilet and can't even be mad because he looked up at me with his innocent doe eyes and said "teeth!" wich he then proceeded to scrub with his now disgusting toothbrush. His vocabulary has filled out considerably, and his most expressive sentence to date is, "Daddy, drink? water?" He gets as much water as he could possibly want-- how could we refuse such a perfect being? Help us all when he learns to say "Daddy, drive? car?"
We moved apartments (and wards!) way back in June, and are really loving our new place although some of its quirks seem insufferable at times (for example, no washer and dryer hookups. I have carted a lot of laundry a long way in the last 6 months!) but the extra space makes it all worth while. We are still only a one car family which is hard some days, but we make it work! We still have 4 years left in Lubbock but we are glad to be somewhere that we enjoy, where the people are so good and kind.
2010 has been good to us and we hope 2011 is much the same. Some day we will get a family picture taken.
We love you all, happy new year!
