Christmas FIRSTS!

There are several firsts for my family this year. This is the FIRST year we have hosted Christmas in our home. Tre's mom, dad, sisters, aunt, uncle, cousin, and granny all came to stay with us last night. They have some family traditions and staying in the same house for Christmas Eve is one of them. WE had a great time eating and celebrating with our white elephant gift exchange last night and more food and gifts this morning! We went to church together for the FIRST time at Clearwater First Church of the Nazarene where we had our FIRST outdoor Christmas Eve service. It was beautiful outside! There were stars in the sky and the praise band sang some beautiful carols. This is the first Christmas where my family is spread all over the world. Sarah, Casey, and Kieren are all in Africa and my parents spent the morning packing their suitcases to go and visit them. They left this afternoon and should arrive in Cape Town, SA tomorrow night. I'm so blessed to have a wonderful family. I miss them terribly, but enjoyed talking to them all on the phone. One of the more obvious FIRSTS was Kylie! The funny thing is that she missed half of it. While the rest of us opened our gifts this morning, she slept! We had to set all her gifts aside and we had a special Kylie Christmas after breakfast. She enjoyed ripping the paper and putting everything in her mouth. Santa brought her a ball that moves and sings, it was a HUGE hit!

As the "kids" of all ages are playing with their toys and the women are in the kitchen cooking, I cannot help but be thankful. It has been a year of ups and downs and crazy circles in between, but God has been in control the whole time. I am so thankful for His guidance and LOVE that have transformed my life.

To our friends and family. Merry Christmas!! May you enjoy the blessings God has given you too :)

4 Wonderful Years!

Today Tre and I celebrated our 4th Wedding Anniversary!! We were able to score some pretty sweet Disney tickets today! We sent Kylie off to her grandmothers to be with her grandma and Aunt Kate. Then Tre and I went to Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot. We rode the best rides and had fun taking in all the sites. I can't remember how many times we looked at each other and said "We're at Disney!" We were also wearing "Happy Anniversary" buttons so everyone in the park knew what we were celebrating. Kinda corny I know, but we still had fun. It's crazy to think that 4 years have already gone by. WE know that we would not be where we are without the Lord and we are so thankful for His hands in our life and marriage! Thanks to all of you who have led the way with your example of a Godly marriage and those of you who have stood by our sides. WE love you all!

Crazy Hair

We got Internet at our house today, yea!!! This is exciting for you too, because it means we should be better about updating the blog.

These past few weeks have been wonderfully crazy. We had my parents down here for Thanksgiving. It was so nice to spend time with them. Kylie was great with them, and she earned major brownie points. She loved to smile at them, and even took naps in my dad's arms. Then we left for a trip to Nashville/Memphis for Beca (college roommate) and Trevor's wedding. In spite of the frigid temperatures that we are no longer used to, it was beautiful!! It was great to be around our closest friends from college and just enjoy each other's company. Of course we had to all stay together in one house, thank you Leah and Josh for being gracious hosts. Kylie got to meet Cecilia Boice, who will hopefully be a pen pal in the future. We returned to FL and just kept running as our church was preparing for Drive Thru Nativity. We construct these huge scenes from Modern to Bethlehem as we take people back to the true meaning of Christmas. It was a lot of hard work, but absolutely breathtaking when it was all done. Saturday and Sunday nights we dressed in our costumes and acted out our parts - Kylie was baby Jesus and did a great job!

Speaking of Kylie, she is growing and changing daily. Recently she has discovered how to grunt, kinda reminds me of Satan, but I cannot help but laugh when she makes the sound. She also started playing in one of those toys where she is in a standing position, reaching for toys that spin and make sounds . . soo cute! The biggest event was Kylie's first haircut. Her hair was seriously out of control, growing longer on all sides! We cut a little off the sides before we went to Memphis for the wedding, then in a moment of impulse I attempted to cut her bangs a week later. Her hair is now under control, but Tre referred to her as one of the three stooges after I cut her bangs. Hopefully we'll survive without therapy.



All in all, our lives are crazy . . basically like Kylie's hair. But our God is so faithful, and He is in control. I may not always understand what He is doing, but I am so thankful for His power in my weakness.

Serving Him

I woke up this morning from a crazy dream and smiled at the appreciation for where I am. Life, in all it's circumstances, is never perfect. But I live my life knowing and trusting that God is in control and knows what I need. I may not have everything I have ever wanted (I don't think Target will fit in my backyard) but I have everything I need. My belly has never known true hunger, and my heart has never lacked love. I am so grateful to work at a church that supports my family lifestyle. As I write this morning, Kylie is playing with her toy next to me.

Being a youth pastor isn't quite what I imagined, but God is showing me more and more how he created me to be here for this moment. I may not know how to write a budget and get intimidated asking people for help. But I do know that I love working with teenagers! Yesterday, I got to take some of our teens (and a few parents) to a large tent in Pinellas County. It was a place for families to come and get Thanksgiving food baskets. However, this ministry did not just meet their need for food, but also their need for love from others and from God. The teens were immediately split up into different areas - registration, kid's play area, and helping families navigate throughout the tent. I was able to be a shopper and help them pick out their food of choice! It was such a wonderful experience to meet and talk with these families. I heard about their kids and their situations, and we were able to offer them hope though these hard times. Some of the teens were able to watch the families meet pastors and be prayed for. One of them was so excited to watch someone accept Christ for the first time!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us to give thanks in all circumstances. No matter how hard things seem to get, we give thanks for we know our God still reigns. He is bigger than hunger, disease, loneliness, and anything you might be facing.

I look forward to following up with the teens and talking about their experiences yesterday afternoon! Thank you God for knowing me better than I know myself and for calling me to something greater than myself!

Priceless!

Last night after a long day, we were all sitting at the dinner table talking. Tre was able to get Kylie to giggle so much we got it on camera! Sorry about the shaking, I was laughing myself.

Too good not to share

Last night Jennifer, Kylie, and I went to watch Clearwater High School Varsity girls play soccer. We took this picture and Kylie's eyes were too awesome not to share with the world! I hate blinking in pictures, so I tend to open my eyes really wide instead. I guess Ky takes after her mom. :)

Hope you are all doing well and seeing God working all around you! I have been blessed to see Him move in so many people this week!!

What a Trooper!

This past weekend, I took Kylie to TNT (Top Nazarene Talent) a competition for teenagers in the Nazarene church. It is something that I competed in as a teen and always loved it! We had a great time together, but Kylie sure made some memorable moments. During the opening ceremonies while Pastor Ronda was praying, Kylie decided to join in. While everyone else was quiet, she talked. One of the teen girls was holding her, so I tried to put my finger in her mouth to quiet her down. All that did was cause the two of us to laugh even harder. While we were eating lunch on Saturday, Kylie took it upon herself to spit up all over Tre. He cleaned up his lap, but to his surprise he had missed a huge spot on the side of his leg. When he stood up to pay, all the teens started laughing (which only drew more attention). Before I knew it, he was showing everyone in the restaurant the white residue that remained on his pants.

Kylie was such a trooper going from event to event. Even though she had a screaming fit in the van, she was great the rest of the trip. She slept well and enjoyed the love from all of the teens. They each take their turn and were always very helpful. I couldn't have done it without them!

Busy Busy

We survived the month of October with our many visitors and busy schedules. It was GREAT to have people we know and love come visit us and see our new lives in FL. Thank you to all of you who were able to come this month!



This past weekend, Tre went to AL with the men in his family to watch a NASCAR race. They had a great time relaxing and hanging out with each other as they watched cars turn left for three hours! Evidently, it was wonderful! Not wanting to spend four days alone, I invited the girls over for some quality time. It was a great weekend of games, eating, and good conversation. My house has never seen so much dessert and I am still looking for volunteers to finish eating it :)

Kylie is officially four months old and growing every day!! She is still small and petite for her age. She can still fit in several of her newborn onsies, but at least we are getting our moneys worth. She is sleeping through the night, which is a beautiful thing. Keeping her awake until bedtime can still be a challenge, but she is such a trooper. She has started "talking" more. She moves her mouth to make different sounds and it is absolutely precious. I love this little girl so much and am so thankful that she is a part of my life!

The Grandparents!!

I've only been a mother for four months now, so I can only imagine the excitement of becoming a grandparent. Hopefully, for me, that won't happen for quite some time. Anyway, you don't have to do all the dirty work, you just get to love and spoil the child. (Not that I mind doing all the other stuff, actually I still really like it). The point is that my parents came to visit us last weekend. I am sure they were looking forward to seeing Tre and I, but I knew that they were really looking forward to playing with Kylie. I had been telling them all the wonderful things about her. How she is so sweet, she is happy in the morning, she is a great baby, she rarely cries, and so on. The first day they were here, she lived up to the high standards that I had bragged about. We had a great day together! Then came the second day. She was a whole new baby! She cried, well actually screamed is more like it, until her daddy would hold her. Sometimes I couldn't even calm her down. All of a sudden, she has become a complete daddy's girl, who loves to sit in his lap while he sits on the recliner and watches TV. She'll scream and not stop until she gets her way. Seriously, how do kids learn this stuff?? We spent two days passing her back and forth. My parents would hold and play with her, until she would scream (not just cry) and then we would take her back. Ahh, they are so smart! All in all, we enjoyed each other. I feel so blessed to have parents who love, support, and encourage me. It was great to show them our new lives in Clearwater, FL and we are already looking forward to their return at Thanksgiving. Hopefully, Kylie will be smart enough to smile and giggle at her grandparents. I mean they are the ones who are going to spoil her anyways.

A Great Weekend!!

So I am definitely in need of some rest from my crazy weekend, but wanted to take a moment to Praise God for all the good that happened!

Tre and I received some visitors from Nashville this weekend. It was so great to spend time with people we love and who love us for who we are. We went to the beach, ate great food by Chef Tre, and sat around the table and laughed. I feel so fortunate to have sisters in Christ who really understand what it means to live a life for Him. Thank you girls for coming!!





We also had a church wide service project, called iserve. We had over 120 people from our congregation come on Saturday morning at 8:30. The teens went to a local elementary and worked outside weeding plants and cleaning up the facilities. Our families with small children went to a local park to clean up and plant shrubs. We had several people working on our daycare - painting, cleaning, and creating a garden for the children. We set up and organized a food pantry for those who are hungry. We also had people working on our Drive Thru Nativity set that we do every Christmas season. It was a great day of community building, even if it was over 90s outside. :)

Praying for the Princes!

I am honored to be related to Sarah, Casey, and Kieren Prince. They are an amazing family with an enormous heart for the Lord. Yesterday morning they got on an airplane (well actually a few airplanes) to Cape Town, South Africa. They plan to live there for a few years and serve the Lord as full time missionaries. Sarah, my sister, will be working as a pastor of a church as well as working with support groups for people who are HIV+. Casey will be starting a ministry called Ubuntu Sports, look it up at www.ubuntusports.org. Kieren, the smallest, yet large for her size, will be growing up in a community that will love her with God's love.

My sister has been my strength and support for several years. I value her opinion and respect her wisdom. She lights up the room whenever she walks in the door. Most of you reading this, would agree that she is truly amazing! I will miss our phone calls and texts throughout the week. I will miss hearing her voice and knowing that she understands what I am going through. However, I know that the Lord will keep us close and our relationship strong. Thank you Internet!!

Please join me in prayer as we send an amazing family to support and win others for Christ!

Almost Done!

Thanks to my mother in law, we found some more motivation and continued to work on the back part of our house!! Yeah!

Our house from the front!



The Youth Area



Our Office


The pool

Has it been a month?

Can you believe that a month ago we were finally given the keys to our house in Clearwater? It's crazy to look back and think of all that God has already done and blessed us with. However, new things present new challenges, and we have certainly had our share. Praise the Lord that God is bigger than all our circumstances and His peace has kept us sane and pushing forward.

Kylie turned three months old this week!! She is getting bigger and is 11 pounds and 22 and a half inches long. She is reaching for her toys, sitting up on a pillow, and can hold her head for a longer amount of time. The ladies in the nursery spoil her rotten and never want to let her go. I do feel comfortable knowing that she is loved.

I have survived four different Wednesday nights as a youth pastor! I am humbled by the Grace that God has given me to do this job. I have been overwhelmed by the job and all the things I DON'T know. I have even wondered what on Earth Pat was thinking for hiring me, but then the Lord whispers words of strength and encouragement. It is then that I know this has NOTHING to do with me, and EVERYTHING to do with the God I serve.

Tre has found a passion for coaching. He is the assistant Girls Varsity Soccer coach at the local high school. He has been praying about pursuing his coaching licence and is looking forward to the season starting. He spends most of his days with our little girl, Lucky! He is a great father, and Kylie is lucky to have so much one on one attention.

Marley, don't forget about our first baby, also loves our new house. It's nice and open with lots of room to run around. When we let her, she loves to be outside and swimming in the pool. However, due to a few ear infections, she has to stay in her kennel when we leave the house.

Well, that about sums up the Jones family. Thanks for reading. We love you all!!

Kylie Grace

I thought I would post some recent photos of Ky that demonstrate how much she is changing and growing!!

A newborn outfit that no longer fits . . these were once pants!


She is wearing wrist rattles and sitting by herself in her chair!


She has started reaching and grabbing for her toys!!

Being Stretched

We've all been there. Those times when you are sitting there and thinking what on earth am I doing? I was sitting there last night. I was with 5 of our teens during worship practice, and I was helping them. I wasn't helping them with their instruments, but with the singing and finding the harmony. I have always had a passion for music, especially praise songs. I find myself closing my eyes and picturing the One who really matters. However, I have never been confident enough or even trained to put my voice near a microphone or even sing by myself. I get all nervous inside, knowing my face is turning a shade of red, and feel the sweat glands getting in gear. It doesn't matter how comfortable I am with the people, I just don't like to sing in front of them. So there I was singing with my eyes closed so they could figure out how to play along. I have to say, fears behind me, it's pretty cool. I may have sang the same two songs over and over again, but my God heard them every time. He was there with us in that room, and He'll be there tonight at youth group! It's something I didn't plan on, but God did. He knew it would stretch me, force me to rely on Him, show my insecurities, and worship. I look forward to next week; planning the songs we will sing and watching the teens gain confidence as well.

I am not the only one in my family who is being stretched. Kylie Grace is being stretched in a physical sense. Her newborn clothes are slowly getting packed away. Her pajamas no longer fit over her shoulders, and some of her other outfits cannot snap at the bottom. I cannot believe how much she is changing and growing. It's sad to put those clothes away, but then I look up and see all the new outfits that she will fit into!!

Just because something is ending, doesn't mean we can be sad and wish for the past. We have to lift our heads and look at what God has prepared for our future!

Our HOME!!

Okay, so I know I have not updated in a long time. Sorry about that. Things have been incredibly busy starting my new job and setting up our house (which is still not finished). However, I just wanted to take a moment and give God praise for our house. So many people in our church have been praying for us and have already showed us grace and love by refinishing our house. I can sit in my house and just feel encouraged by the people that God is placing in my life. Last night, Tre and I shared our testimony and heart for ministry at the Sunday night service. They even prayed over us. I know that Satan will be working hard to discourage and frustrate me as I begin this new chapter, but I feel blessed to be supported by a church who loves and serves the Lord!

There will be more pictures of our house to come, some of the rooms are not finished yet. Can you believe there are more rooms?

It never slows down

Things have been non-stop in the Jones' household. We finally have a place to call home, as we moved into our new home in Clearwater last Wednesday!! Tre did a wonderful job unpacking everything and setting up our house. All the furniture is in place, and we have just a few more things to organize and set up.

While Tre was hard at work, I was busy playing in Tennessee! I was able to spend a few days in Nashville and Memphis visiting the people I love. I went to my old school and let everyone meet Kylie! My girls from last year were surprised by our visit, but thought the world of Kylie (I mean, who doesn't?) I saw the teens at church and had dinner with some friends as well . . did I mention I didn't sleep much? In Memphis, we had a baby shower for Leah and CeCe. She looks great and is due in October. Then we went wedding dress shopping for Beca! So many wonderful things to celebrate . . but no sleep there either. :)



Now, I sit exhausted, but happy to report two good days of work. Yes, I actually have a job and have started working again. So far, so good. I have been getting adjusted and started planning for the month of September. My first Wednesday night is tomorrow. I have most of the evening planned, but still need to go over some details and study some scripture. Well, that's it for now . . thanks for keeping up with the Jones'.

Our Crazy Life

It's been 2 months since Kylie surprised us 3 weeks before her due date, and the world hasn't stopped spinning since then. We sold our house, packed up our belongings, said our good-byes, moved in with the in-laws, and the last step is finally approaching - starting our new jobs. Yesterday we went to Clearwater First Church of the Nazarene and were officially introduced to the congregation. Even though I was nervous, it was felt good to be a part of a church family again. We met several members after service, and hopefully we'll remember there names next Sunday. It's crazy to think that we start next Monday with staff meeting and have a full week of ministry. I would lie if I said I wasn't nervous about starting. I've been thinking about this since January and all the build-up is about to drive me crazy. I just remind myself that God is in control and He will help me every step of the way. All I have to do is love and serve Him, and He will take care of the rest. The carpet is coming either today or tomorrow. Hopefully, we can move in no later than Wednesday!

I have some pictures of the week my family was here too. It was a great time for the EIGHT of us to be together. It was a different pace that we were used to with two babies keeping us on our toes, but we loved the time anyway. I feel so blessed to be so close to my family. Parents who have sacrificed and loved us no matter what, a sister I can relate to and always rely on, a brother in law who accepts our crazy family and adds his own level of weirdness, and a niece who lights up the room with her laugh and smile!! We won't be together again until next summer when Sarah and Casey come back from South Africa. I will miss them more than they will know, but couldn't be prouder of the mission they will accomplish overseas. Check out their web page www.ubuntusports.org.

Marley and Me

So most of you know that Tre and I have a crazy dog named Marley. She is a yellow lab, and a spitting image of the famous dog Marley by Jon Grogan. To give you a taste of our life, let me tell you a story about the other night.

I was washing a few dishes before we left the house to go visit Granny, and Karen (my mother in-law) had some steaks thawing in the kitchen sink. She told me to move them while I washed dishes, but to put them back when I was done, so the dogs wouldn't eat them. I followed her instructions, like a good daughter in-law, and went about my chores. We went to Granny's house to play a game of cards and were only gone for a few house. When we came home, we were greeted by the three dogs and a pile of shredded black Styrofoam. The dogs had obviously torn a plate, so we cleaned it up and went about our business. I took Kylie to the back room to change a diaper and Tre and Kaitlyn were playing video games. Karen turned on the stove and was getting the things she needed to cook dinner. When she was ready for the steaks, she turned to the kitchen sink to find it empty! She asked me if I had left the steaks in the sink like she'd asked, to which I replied "of course!" Then we realized that the dogs didn't eat a black plate, it was the plate that the steaks were packaged in!!! The dogs had eaten our dinner. Tre was a clever one and checked the dogs to see which one could reach the sink. Our wonderful dog Marley was the only one who could get her head in the sink. However, we figured that the others shared in her bad behavior once she pulled them to the ground. Have you ever heard the saying, "The truth always comes out?" Well five minutes later, the truth came out. Marley threw up all of the steaks to prove that she had eaten them all on her own. Needless to say, she spend the rest of the night in pain on the back porch.

Life as an Aunt

Hello Aunt Kate here.I'm Kylie Grace's new auntie. She is so beautiful and strong. She is already holding up her head. She's AWESOME! Being an auntie is so cool. You get to hold the baby,watch the baby,and love the baby. Sometimes she even smiles at me. That makes me fell like an.... Aunt! The day before Kylie was born I was at my dads apartment writing a biography about Kylie then the next day someone special joined this world. Kylie is such a special and beautiful little girl and has awesome parents. I'm so happy to be an aunt of miss Kylie Grace Jones.

Family Family Family

In the Collins household hanging out with family consisted of my sister, my parents, and myself. Occasionally my grandparents would be apart of the event as well. For Tre, family always had a different meaning. His family gatherings include his Granny, his Uncle Kris (and family), his Aunt Kelly (and family), his own family, and some of Granny's neighbors. It is at least 20 people, Karen is currently laughing at me as I try to count them all. When we were first married, I was very overwhelmed by it all. Now it would be weird if I didn't see everyone when we came to town.

Yesterday we were able to have one of these family gatherings. We had plenty of food for all the mouths, played lots of cards, and enjoyed some great conversation. The joy of course is watching all the little ones. Kyle, who used to be the youngest, is now four and a stud muffin full of energy. Him and Kaitlyn are best buds and love to dance and wrestle! Riley just turned one, and with blonde pigtails, is a cutie! Her laugh is contagious and she steals the show when she runs around the room. Kylie was overwhelmed by all the people and was occasionally fussy, but everyone loved her anyway. Being new parents in a new city, Tre and I feel blessed to have family close by.

The new pictures of Kylie were taken by Courtney Helton a photographer in Nashville, TN. We played soccer together at TNU and I would recommend her to anyone in the area!