Webb Family Fun

I have had a lot of family excitement lately. The last part of June Addie and I flew to NM to see my Mom and stepdad. The greatest part about this was that my brother Sean and his wife Ashley flew in also. We all came into El Paso and then drove up to camp in Cloudcroft NM for several days. It was wonderful! I haven't seen Sean and Ashley in 3 years and even then it was for 48 hours or less at my Mamma's funeral. The time before that was at their wedding when I met Ashley.

Sean is currently is Harding grad school getting a master's degree in church history. He is so smart and his dream is to teach at the college level. I have no doubts that he will achieve this. When he is finished with his thesis he is planning to pursue a doctoral degree as well. Ashley is a middle school art teacher from the St. Louis area. I love her art work - she is so talented!

This time together was very, very special for me. Sean and I were really close before I left for college and even while I was in college but we slowly lost touch. Part of that I think is due to some things that happened in our family and part of that is lack of communication - they don't have a phone other than for emergencies so we communicate by sporadic emails. I really hadn't even been able to get to know Ashley and I desperately wanted to. At first I was planning for Addison and I to fly to Memphis to see them so they could meet their niece. Instead we decided to all go meet at Mom's house.

Ashley LOVED Addison and Grammy and Grampy did a great job of sharing their baby time. I really enjoyed getting to know Ashley too - we have a lot more in common than I thought. She is so good for my brother and such a blessing to our family. One of the highlights of the trip was when Sean, Mom, Ashley and I played Pictionary. Sean and Mom have long had the reputation of being unbeatable. Ashley and I didn't win but we came really, really close. Then Sean and I teamed up and slaughtered Mom and Ashley - we laughed so hard my stomach hurt!

I hope that my children will grow up having a close relationship with their aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. I didn't always have that and I pray that my kids do. I want to always make an effort to make sure that our families stay connected and I am so thankful for the time we got to spend together!

A few weeks later Addie and I drove to Durango to see my sister Aletheia (Aunt Goober). She is in Albuquerque for the summer but she and her boyfriend Ryan were in Durango because Ryan was in a wedding. So Addison and I packed up and made the trek down to Durango. Addie actually did ok in the car. We had to stop to feed and her get her out of her car seat to play every few hours but overall it wasn't bad. We had a wonderful time with Goober and she was really surprised at how big Addie was and how much more stuff she could do now that she couldn't in February. I probably won't see Aletheia again until Christmas and by then Addie will be walking and maybe even talking! It was lots of fun to see her and Ryan. The girls went into town and got our pedicures one afternoon and just had a sissy/auntie afternoon. I definitely wish my family all lived closer but I love it when we do get to hang out.

More on our lives soon!

Favorite Things Update

I posted a few new baby things on the other blog

lhttp://shiloh-jones.blogspot.com/2010/07/baby-stuff.html

Just FYI

I totally plan on updating the blog with things that have been going lately but I have been swamped - not neccesarily with baby stuff but with work - work has been crazy. I actually have a lot to update you on - I have several trips to see family - one of those trips was the first time I had seen my brother Sean in 3 years!
Life has also been interesting with Josh being gone for awhile off and on with his youth group stuff. I'm glad that summer is almost over.

So, I will try really hard to get to that tomorrow!

New Adventure

If you know me well you know that I have a creative spirit. I love to make things. I am always looking for new ideas, inspiration etc. Another part of me is that I am always trying to save money, get deal, use a coupon, make money etc. So, after ignoring the impulse for far to long I have decided to try and merge these two instincts. The result is

A Few of My Favorite Things

My goal for this site is to showcase things I have made, prices, what is available and for people to be able to order things that they might like for themselves or for a gift. I am not expecting this to be a full blown income (although that would be great) but if I can generate a little extra money for my family that would be fabulous. So, take a look, please leave any feedback and consider placing an order. Anything that is put on there can be personalized in a variety of ways. 

This may be a huge flop but I guess we will see. I am praying that it works out. Thanks for the support!

~Shiloh

Father's Day - 2 weeks late

I apologize to my husband for this being so late. But, in all honesty, he has been out of town for two weeks so he probably didn't notice.

I could easily write a long mushy blog about this being Josh's first Father's Day and how special that is to us for a lot of reasons. In the interest of time (I'm at work) and for those of you who really don't want to read the long mushy blog, I will do a top ten list of reasons why Josh is a great dad.

#10. He knows how to do girl's hair already.

#9 He changes diapers, gives baths, feeds her dinner and gets her dressed. 

#8 He is already protective of her. This picture is silly (the shirt says Dads Against Daughters Dating), but I know that he will continue to protect her as much as he can - from physical harm as well as emotional and spiritual harm. 

 
#7 Josh is so good at taking pictures of her! If it was up to me there wouldn't be facebook pictures of updates to family. Josh is great at capturing the precious expressions, moments and memories with Addie.

#6 He is a youth minister. This has pros and cons - the major con being the Josh disappears frequently. But, I am excited about Addie growing up in a family involved in ministry. I want to teach her to serve others and be proud of what her Daddy does and the sacrifices he makes to help teens know and love Jesus.

#5 He loves to play with her and make her laugh! I think it is so fun to sit and watch Josh play with Addie and tickle her, fly her around the room and make her laugh. I know that he will continue to play all kinds of games with her as she grows.

#4 Family is important to him. Even when things get crazy (like right now) it's important to Josh that he stay connected to his family. I know that will be an even bigger blessing to Addie and any future kids that their Dad makes them a priority. 

#3 Josh loves Addison! He has loved her from the first time he saw her and even before that. He loves to sit and hold his daughter. Sometimes I have to tell him to put her in her bed so she doesn't get used to being held while she sleeps. He loves to snuggle her in the mornings after she wakes up. He acts all goofy around her and it is so obvious that he loves her. She will always know her Daddy loves her!

#2 Josh loves me. This is important because I think children need to know that their parents are in love and that their marriage is important. I have no problem if it embarrasses Addison as she gets bigger when we kiss or hug in public or around her. 

#1 He loves God. He will pray for Addison and pray with her. He read her bible stories and teach her to have her own faith. I can't think of a better legacy or example to leave to your children as a father. Loving God and following him has and will continue to enable Josh to be a great father! 

Happy Belated Father's Day Joshua! I love you!

Pictures can say 1000 words - Summer so far!

So far summer with Addison has been awesome! She loves the water which is perfect since Josh and I do too. The only problem is finding the time to actually go to the park and the pool....

On Saturday Addie and I will go to the Highlands Street Fair - on of my favorite Denver things - a huge street/arts and crafts fair in a really eclectic part of town. There is yummy food and concerts all day. Sunday we may get to go swimming again too. The sad part of all this is that on Saturday morning Josh leaves for two weeks of camp. We will miss him a lot! I'm slightly nervous about two weeks of single parenting but I know there are people I can call if I need anything and I will be going to see my mom and my brother Sean in the middle of that time for the weekend. Plus, Addie and I have our routine down and are used to hanging out by ourselves. Still, it's not the same without Daddy here.

Overall things are going well. I love summer and am really enjoying this time with my sweet baby!

mEye Walk 2010/Dry Bones

A few weeks ago Josh and the youth group did a service project based like the mission trip last summer where they drove around and just looked for opportunities to serve. They heard about this man who was walking 1000 miles in 1000 hours - a mile at the top of every hour- to raise awareness for blindness. Lee Shayler began going blind when he was 22. He had heard a story on BBC about a man in England (where he is from) who enjoyed walking and when he went blind he decided it wouldn't keep him from walking. After being inspire by several other stories, Lee came up with a plan for this journey he recently finished. He and his wife lived in their camper in the parking lots of several parks in Highlands Ranch for the 42 days that it took to complete the 1000 miles.

Anyway, Josh and the group found out about this and decided to walk a mile with Lee. While they were walking they were able to hear a little about his story. On the second day of walking Lee injured his achilles tendon pretty badly. His wife went to Sketchers and asked what type of shoes to buy so that Lee could continue. Sketchers donated I think around 50 pairs of the shoes with the rounded soles so that Lee could keep his foot in a position to not hurt his achilles further.

He had a tread mill inside the camper that he would walk on during the night and several miles during the day. By the end of the 1000 miles (Lee finished on June 5th) he had muscle tears and spasms in his calves, tendon problems,  back problems etc. He was going straight into the hospital the next day.

It was really neat for the kids because as they left the church buiding that morning they prayed for God to open their eyes to see people who needed Him and who they could serve. They irony of that prayer was not lost on them during their day. The rest of their day was spent in downtown Denver walking around looking at the areas where the homeless population lives. Dry Bones is a ministry here that our youth group gives their own money to support each month. Most of them had never actually gone downtown to see what they were supporting though. As they walked around they saw places where bars and jagged rocks were put up for apparently no other reason than to keep homeless from sleeping there, they saw places that were considered safe for these kids to go and get help.

All in all it was a pretty powerful day. Below are some links to Dry Bones and to stories about Lee's
mEye Walk. Check them out!


http://www.meyewalk.com
http://www.coloradocommunitynewspapers.com/articles/2010/05/01/lone_tree_voice/news/22_cm_blind_ltv.txt
www.drybonesdenver.org

"I'm Concussed"

I should probably fill everyone in on our weekend. I debate if I would post this or not. I know that it's good to keep friends and family informed in your life so they can pray with and for you, support, help etc. But at the same time, it's also a little embarrassing or makes me self conscious so I hesitate to tell people when challenges are going on. Well, anyway....Friday night while Josh was at the grocery store I was home with Addie after day of running errands, playing in fountains etc. I was getting her ready for bed and was carrying her down the stairs to answer Josh's phone call when I tripped and fell. I don't really remember much of what happened other than feeling like I was about to fall backwards and then like I couldn't breath ( I hit my back). I knocked myself out and either slid or rolled down the stairs. I woke up at the bottom after what I guess was a few minutes and saw that Addison was ok - she was laying on my arm and then I guess I was out again.

Josh came home a few minutes later and we were lying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. He later told me that I was lying on my back with my legs still partly up on the stairs. Addie was apparently lying on my arm asleep. I'm sure she probably cried when we were falling or when I was out but afterward she just snuggled up to me and went to sleep. At first Josh thought she was hurt too but when he picked her up she started laughing and playing. He put her in her high chair after checking to make sure she wasn't hurt and then  woke me up. I was pretty freaked out when he woke me up and Addie was gone but he assured me she was fine. My back hurt really badly so I didn't want to move but after a few minutes I was able to sit up. Josh called Connie (the friend that watches Addison during the day) and she came over to put her to bed while Josh took me to the ER.

They did a CT scan and X-rays. Everything looked fine and they sent me home. I go to my regular doctor for a follow up this afternoon. So, I just have a concussion with loss of consciousness and a pretty sore and bruised body.

God was so in control because however I held Addison, my instincts kicked in and she is 100% ok. She was snuggled up to me asleep and then didn't cry at all and was watching Josh like a hawk to make sure that he was taking care of me.I could have been hurt a lot worse and this could have ended very differently. I'm not even sure what made me fall. I wasn't rushing and there wasn't anything on the stairs. Saturday and Sunday were pretty rough and I felt really bad. Yesterday I pushed myself to do more stuff knowing I had to go back to work and my normal routine today. I'm sore and still have a bad headache today but so far so good. I have been thanking God over and over again for watching out for us, for letting Josh come home quickly to find us, and for helping me to protect Addison. I have only walked on the stairs a few times with her since then and Josh has been behind us. I'm pretty nervous now but I know that we will be ok.

So, that's really about it. There are so fun pictures of things that have been going on but as usual, those will come later. Please pray that my body continues to heal with no complications and that my nerves calm down as well. Most of all, praise the Lord for his protection and mercy.

R- Rest

I am thankful for rest! I have posted before about the exhaustion I've been dealing with lately. (I'm still working with my doctor to come up with something). This ordeal, along with the lack of sleep a baby brings and normal wear and tear from work/life has made me even more mindful of how vital rest is.

I am thankful for the renewal of actual sleep, I frequently long for an entire day of sleep! But, I am also thankful for the rest that things like my yoga class, a massage, going on a walk, reading and just watching tv can bring. I know that I am guilty of taking these times for granted and not utilizing them the best I can. I hope that I can learn to use the times of sleep and rest that I do have better.

I am thankful for spiritual rest. There are many verses in scripture that mention the rest we can have in God. But, I'm not sure that this means I won't be tired, I think it means more along the lines of the rest and peace that he can bring to our souls. I think it means that we don't have to worry when we go to sleep at night or constantly try to figure out the best solution, second guess things and stress about every decision. I long to fully experience God's spiritual rest. It's hard to be able to let go and release things to claim this rest. But what a powerful thing to be able to take hold of God's rest that He promises. One of my favorite prayers that I actually first heard from a dear friend, Mark Lewis, is "give us more rest than sleep".  I need to pray more for God to give me rest.

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken” (Psalm 62

I am thankful for rest. I would be thankful for more sleep or more massage appointments, but I am even more thankful for the rest that can only come from Christ.

Mother's Day and a Special Prayer

My sweet baby and I in our rocking chair on my first Mother's Day!
We went to Cheesecake Factory after church and it was worth the wait. I love that place and we had a great lunch and a delicious dessert to take home for later. The  weekend was pretty relaxed overall - Josh's mom (Gigi) was here so that was an extra treat as well. It was cool to be able to spend my first Mother's Day with my husband's mom. They are really close and she (I think) is a big part of the reason he is the wonderful man that he is.

So, I have you the basics about what we did on Sunday here's what was actually going through my head over the weekend....

I was feeling incredibly blessed to be a mom and to have Addison. Josh and I have gone through a lot to get to this place and it was really special. I know that Mother's Day is about thanking and honoring moms but I'm not sure I deserved much honoring this year. In some respects I feel like I've done a lot, but I know that in the grand scheme of motherhood I've done almost nothing. I was also feeling a little overwhelmed because this new mommy stuff is hard and generally pretty thankless. But really, it's not about thanks - it's about how much I love her and how I want the best for her, a commitment to raising my child to know Christ, and the reward of seeing her grow and learn. I am still learning what it means to be a mother and a mommy. I love that I have a precious brown haired, hazel eyed, sweet and playful baby that I get to learn with.

The other interesting thing about the day happened later. I was going on a walk and was praying on my walk. I was praying and thanking God for my mom and the tremendous ways our relationship has grown, my sister and some of the things that I want for her - including a better relationship with mom, Addie and all the excitement I have for our future etc. Then, I started to pray for my birth-mom. I stopped because I was kind of shocked that I even started going there - it wasn't bad, I just honestly don't remember ever praying for her before.
I kept walking and ever so carefully began to pray again. I felt like I was stepping out onto a surface that I wasn't sure would hold me. But, once I started talking I couldn't stop. I prayed for her to know God  in an intimate, loving and powerful way. I prayed for her health.  I prayed for her family - I don't know anything about her now :where she is, if she's married, has kids etc but I prayed for her family. I prayed that she would have peace with the decision she made 28 1/2 years ago and know that I have a family that loves me. I am not sure if God lead me there because I'm a mom now and I can have a small inkling of what it must have been like to make the decision to give up my baby or if it was just time but I am glad that He did. I don't think I have ever really been resentful or mad at my birth-mom. I have just been complacent. I was a lot more curious when I was younger but  we asked for more medical history when I was in high school and were turned down I lost interest. I have thought off and on about trying to find her in the past several years but never had enough desire to follow through. I'm not sure if this is leading anywhere but it definitely softened my heart in ways I didn't know it needed to be. I'm cautiously excited to see where God is taking me now.

All in all in was an interesting, fun and memorable first Mother's Day!

Pictures

I would like to write a long, witty, informative update but the bottom line is that my body is so exhausted that I think I'm close to hallucinating or uncontrollable shaking so for now pictures will have to do. Of course, all of the pictures are of Addison since that's all that you all really read this to see or hear about anyway. Really, Josh and I have at least sort of interesting lives but nothing that can't wait. One interesting fact: it snowed yesterday. Yes, yesterday on May 12th. Today it was melted but it still snowed yesterday. Colorado occasionally drives me crazy.