L - Little Things (Christmas Post Coming Soon)

I was trying to think of something for L so I asked Josh and he said it should be "Little Things". I liked that idea. I don't often stop to be thankful for all the small things each day. I decided to just make a list of some of my favorite "little things" that I am thankful for.

-a morning drink at Starbucks
-a good hair day
-Josh watching Addison so I can go to the gym
-a sweet text or email
-talking to Jackie Beth or my mom
-hearing songs I like on the radio
-clean laundry
-Addie's cute little noises
-being able to sit and relax all by myself
-hot tea with milk and sugar
-no traffic
-getting all my paperwork completed at work


There are lots of others but that's what I thought of first. Remember to be thankful for little things - especially when life is busy.

I promise I will post about Addie's first Christmas as soon as I upload pictures!

K- Kisses (and Photos)

This will be short and sweet but I am thankful for kisses. I am thankful for all of the sweet kisses I get to give my baby and the kisses she will eventually give me (slober and all). I am thankful for the kisses I exchange with Josh - sweet kisses, sexy kisses, playful kisses, etc. I am thankful for kisses.

The pictures were taken by Seasons of Change Photography. Paul Sudbury and Angela (Sudbury) Fleming started a photography business and asked to take our picture for their portfolio. Their prices are great and they do an AWESOME job. If you are in the metroplex area look them up. The email is seasonsofchangetx@gmail.com and they have a website on shutterfly.

The first pics go along with my kissing post...these next ones are just ones that I like! The rest are on facebook!

J-Josh (Anniversary)

6 years ago tonight I was at my rehearsal dinner getting ready to marry the man of my dreams.

Sometimes it seems funny to me that Josh and I have only been married 6 years and have been together for 8 years. When I think about all the things - good and bad that we have experienced together in that time - I am amazed at how much we have grown in that time. My love for this man has grown and changed so much already as we have walked together through some dark trials, I've seen him grow as a youth minister, I've watched him fall in love with our daughter, we've moved away from family and friends, and so many other things. I feel like we continually get to know new things about each other and I love that.

I started to write a list of random facts about Josh and things that I love about him, but we have to leave to drive to Texas tomorrow, I don't want to embarrass Josh and it would be hard to keep the list short. So, I will simply tell you that there are hundreds of things that I love about Josh and countless ways that I have been blessed by him. I am so thankful to have him in my life as my friend and partner.

Here is a quote from a letter he wrote me before we got engaged and that we used in our wedding - "I love you. I'm in love with you. It's like I always loved you, it just took me awhile to find you."

6 years down - A LOT more to go.

One of my favorite pictures...

I - Ice cream

As silly as it may be, I am thankful for Blue Bell ice cream. We don't have it in Colorado except from a Russell Stover candy store (super expensive) and I eat as much as I can every time we go home.

H - Helping People (Blind Side)

I had a hard time coming up with something for H. Then I watched The Blind Side this weekend. One of my first reactions to the movie was that it was hard for me to see. I hear stories like that (and a lot worse) at work every day but at work I try hard to not get emotionally attached. Watching the movie I was able to "feel" it and be emotional.

I want to be like Leigh Ann Tuohy. I want to be the kind of person that would take a stranger in and help them, not to get anything out of it, but because it's the right thing to do and it's what God asked us to do. I love the feeling I get when I am able to help a child in foster care succeed. I am passionate about the work that I do. It isn't just a pay check but it's something I love.

I strongly believe that God did not call us to be comfortable or safe. He called us to do His work and frequently His work is neither of those two things. I want to be a woman who will step out of her comfort zone and love on people that the world ignores.

I am thankful that God has given me the desire to help others. I pray that I am able to instill that in my children as well.

On a side note, my agency I work for has a chance to bring in Michaell Oher. I hope that we are able to - it would be amazing!

G - Grandparents

Addison is blessed to have three sets of wonderful grandparents and a Great-Grandmother who love her very much.

Everyone was able to come see her after she was born and we constantly get requests for updates, pictures etc. Josh and I think it is so fun to see our parents go completely nuts over this little girl. I have no doubt that she will be spoiled so my job changes to keeping her from getting too spoiled or bratty.

I have great memories of my grandparents growing up, but my family wasn't particularly close to them. I am so thankful that Addie will have grandparents who want to be involved in her life, will support her, love her and be there for her.

Shoe Dazzle

Has anyone heard of this? A friend at work told me about it. Shoe Dazzle is a membership website that has you fill out a questionnaire about your fashion style. Each month they email you shoes that fit your preferences and for $39.95 you get to pick any pair of shoes each month. It's also free shipping. I have a few friends who have done this and love it. Not sure if I will or not right now, but wanted to share the info. I know that I love shoes and most girls do too!

Anyway, check it out www.shoedazzle.com

Thankful for friends - F

First, I really wanted to scan in some pictures to put on here but haven't had the time. Maybe I'll get it done soon...Otherwise, just imagine cool pictures of all of my friends.

I have the greatest friends ever! Other people think they have the best friends, but they are wrong.

When I think about my friends who have blessed me one of the things that I am most thankful for is that I have friends from various times in my life, places and with different things in common.

Kristen and Jeremy are two of my friend that I grew up with that I still am able to see. Kristen lives in Denver and I try to see her and her family whenever I can. We always make an effort to hang out when Jeremy comes in town. They share my love for Africa since they grew up living in Africa as a missionary family

David, Elliott, Danny, Jessica, Stacey, Ben, Eric, and Cal are some of the friends from Austin that I grew up with. I don't keep up with some of them as much as I would like to but I have wonderful memories of things we have done together.

Steve, Casey and Kasey were some of my very best friends at ACU. They played such an important part in my life.

Mel, Ashley, Jeff, Linds, Emily, Amy, Tucker, Kyle, Beth, Clint and Andy are a few of the people I was lucky enough to be friends with at ACU. One of the neat things about my friendship with Mel is that we are still a big part of each others lives since we live near each other and are kind of all alone up here. It has been a blessing to have a college friend so close.

Lacy, Andy, Mary, Jeff, Brad and Alli are friends that I have gotten to know through jobs. We definitely formed trauma bonds because of the work we do. Lacy has since moved back to Texas. I get together with Alli once a month and it is one of the highlights of my month. I try to get together for lunch with Brad, Jeff and Mary when we can find a time too.

Sheila, Lynn, Connie, Linda, and Joan are among some of the women I have gotten to know and love in Denver. They have laughed with me, prayed with me, brought us meals and so many other things. At times I think some of us are more family than friends.

And then there is Jackie Beth. I would easily call her my best friend. In some ways we are like the same person - we "get" each other in a way that has to be from God. In other ways we are pretty different. I love that we have been able to stay friends being far apart and not getting to hang out very often. She is the friend that I can say anything to, even if it is over voice mail. One of my other favorite things is that we are able to our dorky, goofy selves when we are together.

I am so thankful for all of my friends - ones that I don't keep up with, ones that I do and friends that I know God will put in my life in the future.

E- Employment

One of the things that I have been most thankful for over the last 4 months is my job. I work for a foster care/adoption agency in the foster care department. Our agency is small and my foster care has 4 of us and our supervisor. I love my team - we are able to support each other and we enjoy being together. We are able to laugh and vent about situations we see that really aren't funny but it's the only way to handle it.

When I was on bedrest my supervisor let me work from home so I could still get stuff done, be productive and get a pay check. They have also been totally flexible with me since I've been back at work and love it when Addie gets to come with me.

Jobs are scarce right now. I am lucky not only to have a job but to have a job that I love. People asked me if I was going back to work after Addison was born and why I was going back to work. Even if I didn't have to work financially I would want to at least part time. I worked hard in college for four years to learn to be a social worker. It's something I am good at and I am passionate about. I get to help families and children during tough times in their lives. I get to support foster parents who are also passionate about serving children. This isn't just a paycheck for me but it's something that I want to do. It's hard sometimes hearing and seeing the things that I deal with on a daily basis but it has also taught me a lot. It has taught me a great deal of patience and empathy. God reminds me regularly that my clients and their families, no matter how many mistakes they make, are created in His image and He loves them.

So, I am thankful to work at Adoption Alliance. I am thankful to work with people I consider friends. I am thankful that hopefully in some small way I get to make a difference in the lives of children in foster care. I am thankful that I have a job to help provide for my family.


www.adoptall.org

D- Denver

Josh and I moved to Denver for his job as the youth minister at University Church of Christ in May of 2004. We had been married for almost 6 months. This was the first time that Josh had lived outside of Texas - he lived in the metroplex growing up and went to Abilene for college. I had lived in multiple places and states but it had been awhile. It was weird, but at first I missed home and Texas more than Josh did. I missed bluebonnets, Blue Bell ice cream, hot weather, friends, family etc.

Now that we have been here 5 1/2 years we love it. There have been a few times that we considered moving because job situations were less than desirable. But each time we considered it, if the new job had worked out we would have been really sad to leave Colorado. I love the mountains and being so close to so many great places to go for a weekend or a longer vacation. I love the cool stuff that this city has. I am thankful for our friends here, some of which are more like family at this point. Our church has come a long way in their motivation and outreach and the people here have wonderful hearts. It was a culture shock at first being out of the "bible belt". The churches as well as just the city is very different.

I think living here, at least 8 hours from our closest family members, has been good for Josh and I. I think we have become more independent and rely on each other more. It has been a blessing that we had to "grow up" as a married couple quickly. I am also thankful for all the new experiences we have had living in Denver. Josh gets to go skiing more, we camp regularly (which I grew up loving to do. We have to deal with blizzards and snow. We have been able to spend time in some of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen by ourselves and with friends. The city itself is beautiful with tons of huge parks and miles of trails. The downtown is great and there are so many neat things to do.

Whether we stay here just a few more years or we retire here, I will always be thankful for Denver as our first real home together.

Our first home (a town home, really not this big)


Hiking in Evergreen


Estes Park


Rockies Game


Anniversary Date Downtown


First Snowman

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Whitewater Rafting with Youth Group


Bear Lake

Birthday, Thanksgiving, the start of Christmas decorations

My birthday 28th and Addie's 2 month birthday were on November 23. The night before my birthday Josh took me out to dinner. He asked a friend who is a restaurant reviewer to suggest some cool places to go for my birthday.We were planning to try a little hole in the wall authentic Italian restaurant but it turned out to be closed on Sundays. So, instead we went to Cheesecake Factory - one of my favorites and where we went the night we got engaged.

For my birthday present Josh (and I guess Addie) gave me a beautiful ring from James Avery. It is a heart that symbolizes a mother's love. It was a wonderful present.


On my actual birthday we went to breakfast (something I love to do) before going to the doctor for Addison's two month check up. She had to get some shots but she was a very brave girl and only cried for a few minutes. I think Josh hated it more than any of us. He hates needles so he hated it even more to see his little girl get them. He decided he was proud that he got through it without yelling at or punching any nurses.

Later that afternoon I got some flowers from my friend Melanie. It was a flower cupcake - very clever. Some other highlights were new running shoes from Josh's parents (more motivation to keep getting in shape), a perfume and necklace that says "Hope" (Addie's middle name) from my dad and step mom. I celebrated my birthday with my mom when I was in Oregon so that was a lot of fun to. She gave me a new yoga mat (more things to help get back in shape).



I went to work Tuesday and Wednesday. It was good to start back on a short week. Addie came with me Tuesday and stayed home with Josh on Wednesday. She will start going to Ms. Connie's house tomorrow.

My brother and sister-in-law were here for Thanksgiving. We had a great time - relaxed, played games (Banana Grams and Balderdash) and watched A Christmas Carole. Krista and I got up to go shopping on black Friday and got some amazing deals.





Today I began to decorate for Christmas - this is what I have so far.....


Tonight we will be going to the Pottberg/Thompson house to see friends of mine (a lot like a second family sometimes).

So - things are good.

C- Christmas

Since it is the day after Thanksgiving I thought it was neat that today's letter is C and today is the day I get to officially start the Christmas season.

I LOVE Christmas. I love the lights, music, decorations, the smell of Christmas trees, candles, angels, presents, egg nog, snacks etc. One of my favorite things is buying presents for people. I like getting them, but buying them is way better. I love to pick out things that I think are perfect for the people I love. I love to wrap beautiful packages and watch as they are opened on Christmas morning.

I am thankful for the wonderful memories of Christmas I have growing up. We had advent boxes that we opened every day of December. They usually had a piece of candy or something small. My parents also gave us Twelve Day gifts. On the twelve days of Christmas we got a small present in our stocking every morning. I got things like a book, cool socks, earrings etc. It wasn't so much that my siblings and I liked the gifts, it was the excitement and anticipation each morning. Each year my mom either bought or made us all pajamas and we got to open them on Christmas Eve. Sometimes they all matched, sometimes the girls matched and the boys matched, sometimes they were all unique. Each year we would take pictures in our new pajamas in front of the tree.

I love the times during the holiday when we get to relax and celebrate with friends and family. I love the messages of peace, giving, love and forgiveness that are heard around Christmas. I love that people who may typically be grouchy or keep to themselves are likely to be more open and joyful during this time of year. It really does seem that there is magic in the air. I do wish that celebrating Christ was more a part of our secular Christmas celebration and I try to focus on that personally.

I am thankful for almost everything about this time of year and I can't wait to start making new Christmas memories and traditions with my daughter.

B - Brothers

I have two brothers, Jae and Sean and Josh has one brother, Jared. Today I am thankful for our brothers.

My brothers are both super tall (one is 6'5" and one is 6'6") and blond. We look nothing alike which makes sense because I'm adopted. They are both unique in their own weird and wacky ways but I love them. Sean and I were close growing up but don't get to talk much now. He and his wife Ashley live in Tennessee where Sean is in grad school at Harding. He is very smart and into philosophy, religious studies and history. Sean was always his own person and we had a special bond. Jae and I didn't really like each other growing up but are close now. He works for ACU and will be here for Thanksgiving with his wife Krista. He has been blessed with an ability to make friends easily and help people feel included. He loves working with college students and international students. I could write for a long time about both of these guys and what makes them special but I am trying to keep it short. I have great memories with them as kids and adults and I'm excited to see how our relationships change as we get older.

Josh's brother Jared is the same age as me. After Josh and I got engaged (Josh was no longer at ACU) Jared came up to me in the campus center and said something like "Hey, you're gonna be my sister. Cool". Jared and his wife Lauren live in San Antonio and I cannot wait to see them for Christmas. I always laugh so much whenever Jared and Josh get together.


Jared and Lauren


Sean and Ashley


Jae and Krista

Thankfulnes Project - A

I love the holidays, including Thanksgiving. But, I want it to be more than just turkey, football and pie so I am writing about things I am thankful for. I was originally just going to write about one thing each week. Instead I decided to write about one thing for each letter of the alphabet and try to finish by the end of the year. I am sure there will be intermittent posts about things going on with us etc.

Since A is the first letter in the alphabet and is also conveniently the first letter of my daughter's name I think that is a great place to start.

Addison Hope Jones - I am so incredibly thankful for her. I am thankful for her sweet smile, her beautiful eyes, silky hair, and sweet hands. I am even thankful for her crying and poopy diapers. Josh and I have wanted a baby for so long and she was worth the wait. I look at her and sometimes get so overwhelmed with love it makes me want to cry. I am thankful that I will get to be her mom, help her learn and grow, watch her become her own person and a person who loves God, pray with and for her, laugh together and so many other things.
Yes, I am definitely thankful for Addison.

Oregon

Last Thursday Addie and I boarded an airplane headed to Portland, Oregon. My mom and step dad live full time in their RV and they were in Oregon. They flew Addie and I out there to spend about 5 days with them.

I was nervous about the plane rides since Addison had been really fussy the week before but she did great! Almost no crying either time. I nursed her or gave her the pacifier on take off and landing and she slept most of the flight. Even though we flew into Portland we were actually staying about 3 hours away on the coast near a town called Newport. I had never been to the west coast other than San Diego. It was amazing - an ocean with huge rock cliffs right next to a dense rain forest. It was pretty cold so we didn't spend a lot of time on the beach but we did take several walks. The last few days we were there the winds were really strong and the ocean was had giant waves and was almost totally white.

We were able to visit several small towns along the Oregon coast. In one of the places we spent some time on the bay front that had lots of great shops. We ate clam chowder at a little whole in the wall restaurant that was amazing. We saw sea lions lounging on the docks and watched fishing boats bring in baskets of freshly caught crab. We toured a winery and I bought two bottles of local wine that are amazing!

Addie was a trooper and was carried in her sling most of the places we went. She loved all the cuddles and attention from Mom, Larry and even their dog Sandy. I loved time with my mom - she made me some of my favorite meals, we played cards and she helped me sew a skirt.

We also celebrated our Christmas while there. One of the things we gave Mom and Larry a web cam so they can get on Skype and see Addie. Grammy made Addie a beautiful warm sweater and she is working on a red knitted jumpsuit that wasn't quite done yet. I got some beautiful jade jewelry that Mom bought in Canada this summer at Jade City - 80% of the world's jade comes from here. I didn't get to open Josh's presents so we brought them home to him.

It was a great trip but it makes me sad that Addison won't remember any of it. It is neat that my parents are so flexible and live in so many cool places that I can go visit to see them. One another side note, my brother has an interview at a school near Portland after Thanksgiving. If he gets the job it would definitely be a place I would love to keep visiting.

Enjoy the pictures.


The airport before we left - Josh was able to walk us to the gate and hang out for a few minutes.


Ships in the bay in Newport


Devil's Punch Bowl - the water was swirling so fast!




This is drift wood in a creek at the camp ground. It used to be on the beach and the week before we were there a storm moved it all the way up to this bridge.


sea lion in Newport


Mom, Addie and I in front of crab pots that fisherman use


We made a sign for Addie to hold and texted Josh a picture. He reallllly missed Addie (he missed me too). It was hard for us to talk to Josh regularly because of bad cell coverage.


Sandy, mom's dog, loved Addie. She would bark at us if we didn't get up right away when she was crying.


saying goodbye at the airport in Portland

Addie's first retreat, fussiness, books and other news

Addie went on her first youth group retreat this past weekend. She did pretty well - I was surprised. Everyone loved her (duh) and she was never lacking in attention. It was kinda funny that when I asked some of the kids if they wanted to hold her they were reluctant and really nervous.

The theme was Glory and we talked about living in God's glory, living for God's glory and reflecting God's glory. It was a little different that the retreats Josh usually plans. God worked powerfully during the weekend. Going on retreats with Josh also always make me think about my own youth group retreats growing up. I love those memories and pray that these kids will be blessed through retreat times like I was.

Once we got home however, Addie has turned into a little bit of a devil child. She started the few days before we left being very fussy. It pretty much stopped over the weekend and now it's worse than ever. I took her to the doctor because I honestly didn't know what else to do. Her cry sounded like a hurt cry, she was not sleeping longer than an hour at time and she wasn't eating as well. The doctor (not our regular one) made Josh and I feel pretty dumb and just said it is normal fussiness. I know all babies get fussy but these seemed different for Addie. Anyway, I guess it is the regular stuff that can set in about 6-8 weeks. Ironically I got a book that I ordered in the mail yesterday - Your Fussy Baby and Healthy Sleep Habits;Happy Child both by Dr. Marc Weissbluth. I started reading the Fussy Baby book today and the first page says this "If you have already delivered your baby and are exhausted, worried or both turn immediately to chapter 7 for a quick background summary and plan of action". I love that. How realistic of Dr. Weissbluth. I don't have time to sit and read two whole books - I don't even have time to take a shower some days. Anyway, I read chapter 7 and while I have realized I am not a fan of parenting books (they stress me out), I love this book already. It is concise, gives options and is not a "my way or the highway" book. It also is encouraging to us as parents, advocates for fathers being involved etc. I'll let you know more as I try to go back and read the rest of the book at some point. I haven't started on the Healthy Sleep Habits yet but it to has a Crash Course chapter.

Addie and I leave Thursday morning to fly to Portland, Oregon for a few days to see her Grammy and Grampy. They are actually staying near Newport Oregon on the coast so once we get to Portland we have about a two hour drive. I'm nervous about how Addie will do but I'm also excited for the trip. I get to go shopping for my upcoming birthday, see the coast (never been to the Northwestern coast), maybe see whales, eat yummy food and spend time with family. So, as long as we don't get kicked off the plane for a crying baby things will be fine. Josh is sad that we are leaving (I'm sad to be leaving him). But, I am a little jealous that he will get 5 nights of uninterrupted sleep.

I am sure I will have lots of pictures and stories when we get back. Pray for patience for me, calmness and peace for Addison and a safe trip.

If I had time to blog...

*I would write about how even a rash on my little girl and a small fever make me so sad that I can't make her feel better.

*I would write about how now that Halloween is over I am ready for Christmas! I love Christmas time. I love buying present for people, wrapping presents, ornaments etc.

*I would write about how I still struggle to take a shower regularly since Addie has been born. I will have to change that when I start working again.

*I would write about being excited for the youth group retreat this weekend but also a little worried about how Addie will do.

*I would write about how frustrating it is that my maternity clothes are to big but most of my regular pants are still to small.

*I would write about my mixed feelings about going back to work in a few weeks.

*I would write about going to visit my friend Melanie in Wyoming a few weeks ago.

*I would write about how I will never again take sleep for granted.

If only I had time....

(Hopefully some of these may actually get written over the next few weeks. We'll see)

Snow Storm and IHOP Adventure

Tuesday night it started snowing and didn't stop for about 48 hours. We ended up with almost 2 feet of snow! This is apparently the biggest October snow storm in about ten years. Josh had to go to work just for an hour or so on Wednesday. We were supposed to have the fall festival that night at church but he decided to reschedule for Saturday. Once he got home we were in the house, ready to bundle up and wait out the storm. Addie and I made peanut butter cookies for her dad and I made muffins. I love baking, especially when it's cold out. We had homemade french dip sandwiches for dinner and enjoyed the time hanging out together.

Yesterday we decided to venture out to run a few short errands. Addie was bundled up warm so we decided to take a picture of her in the snow - she slept through the whole thing.

Now on to todays adventure. I have written before about how Josh and I have weekly breakfast dates. We are trying to keep this tradition up even with the new addition to the family. So, this morning after we were up and Addie ate breakfast we got ready to go. I figured that we had about 2 hours to eat and get home before she would need to eat again. I was wrong. This happened to be a morning when she decided she was going to be hungry every 2 hours instead of the usual three. And, since I am such a prepared mother, I forgot the extra bottle at home. So, we are at IHOP and I have just ordered pumpkin pancakes that I am super excited about eating and Ms. Addison wakes us and decides to cry. After about 15 minutes of off and on crying I decided I have to try to nurse her. This is really the first time that I have had to do this in a public place other than in my car on the way home from Wyoming.

Luckily I have a blanket and we are sitting in a corner booth. The hardest part of this for me is not being able to see her. That can lead to problems that frustrate us both including making a huge mess. It was relatively successful but I stressed out more than I would like to admit. I guess this is good practice since in two weeks I will be traveling with her by mself to fly to Oregon to see my mom. I'm not super modest and don't have a problem nursing in public as long as I am somewhat covered but I still don't have the coordination down.

Ok, well, Addie is awake and hungry again so I will just leave you with a few pictures.