So sweet

Last night I was putting Addison to bed and started sing "Jesus Loves Me" to her as I was putting her pjs on. And...she started doing the hand motions! At first it was just like hand flapping but then I could tell what it was and she was doing the sign for Jesus.

It was so sweet and really just beautiful. She is not only learning so fast but she is learning about God. She may not totally know what the song means yet but I love that she is hearing it and learning it. I told Connie today that she was doing the motions and Connie was so excited too! She had been singing it to Addie last week.

This is just a short little post but I wanted to share this precious moment!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Today the HIGH in Denver is -1. Right now it is -10 and feels like -24. That's not cold, it's frigid.

To make things worse, my entire family is sick. I have had a sore throat for weeks and Addie has had a runny nose for several days. Now, since about Sunday, all three of us are stuffy, coughing and just generally miserable. I guess this is the beginning of years of passing around any kind of bug no matter how much I clean.

So, I was thinking about some things that make me feel better on days like today and thought I would share them.

Josh got some Puffs Kleenex with Vicks and they are awesome! I also got some things called Boogie Wipes for poor Addison's nose - it was just raw. I never thought I would buy extra stuff like that buy in this case it was needed and has helped.

 For a few years Josh has had some great sheepskin slippers from Old Friend. This year for Christmas he got me some. They are wonderfully warm and soft and one of the best things is that the sole is removable so it can be washed, fluffed and then put back in. I love these!

Then there is beverages. The old stand by is OJ - we all drank an entire carton in 24 hours. Addie's was diluted with water, Josh and I just drank it by the large cup full. We had a nice dinner together on Friday so I had some champagne in the house so I even made mimosas at one point.
The other favorite drink when I don't feel good is hot tea - more specifically is Joy tea from Tazo and Starbucks that you can only get at the holidays so I stock up. It just seems to make me feel better.

I am hoping we will start feeling better soon. As icky as I feel, as I know Addie and Josh feel, this weather makes me extremely thankful to have a house that I can heat, a coat, etc. There are so many people in Denver who don't have those things and these temperatures are so dangerous for them. I am so blessed and I want to do what I can to help others. One of things I have tried to do for several years is to always keep gloves, granola bars and water in my car. My mom started knitting scarves for me out of extra yarn to add to those things. I will give them to people when I see them on corners. Even those things seem so inadequate at times.

That's about it for now. Since today is technically a work at home day I probably need to get some work done

Marriage Milestone

Josh and I have reached a new milestone in our relationship. It's not about having a 15 month old little girl or having just celebrated our 7th anniversary. No, this milestone has to do with food. We have finally, after almost 10 years together, found a sandwich place that we both like.

I love sandwiches. Josh does not - well he does sometimes. He does not like Subway or "girly" sandwiches. last week I convinced him to go to Which Wich and HE LIKED IT! This is awesome and I am so excited.

We did also just celebrate our 7th anniversary. It seems like its been a little bit of an "off" few months and we were glad to have the time to just hang out together and talk. 7 years seems like a long time but also not long at all. If it took us that long to find a sandwich place we both like I'm interested to see what happens in the next 7 years...

Thankful Story/Christmas (this may get long)

I realized its been almost a month since I posted. Yikes! Honestly, I am totally overwhelmed with this new, busy job, spending as much time as I can with Addie and Josh, doing all of the stuff that needs to be done at home and sleeping occasionally.

The last day or two I have even been frustrated because I felt like I wasn't enjoying Christmas as much this year because I was too busy. I hate that. I LOVE this time of year so much! I love shopping for presents, wrapping presents, baking holiday treats, decorating and all the other things. Except this year I really haven't but that is just dumb. It's dumb for several reasons. 1. Christmas shouldn't be about presents. I like presents - giving and getting. But, it shouldn't be about one up-ing people with the best gift or buying the newest and best of everything. I don't really need anything this year. Any gifts I get are extras, luxury things that I am sure I will love but definitely don't want people to stress about. I have tried to make an effort this year to focus on what Christmas should reallly be about - God, Jesus, family, love, forgiveness and all those other things. But, admittedly it hasn't worked as much as I would like since I was still so stressed out.

Today I learned several things. First, on Good Morning America this morning there was a story about a man who wrote a thank you note every day for a year and has now written a book about it that comes out next week. I really like this guy's general idea but I am not sure how I feel about the reason behind it. At one point in his interview he said that he has now written 6oo and something thank you notes and good things keep happening to him so he will keep doing it. I love the project of expressing thankfulness for the big things and even the little things like thanking the guy who makes your coffee at Starbucks. But, do it to give joy, not because good things are happening to you. Now, this may not be the guy's real motive, all I heard was a 2 minutes interview but it made me start thinking.

Then, later today I spent several hours organizing and distributing gifts for the kids in foster care that I work with. That is always one of my favorite parts of the year. People are so generous and these kids truly love it.

So, I am going to work harder to be less stressed and more thankful. I want to enjoy this holiday that I get to spend with my family.

New Job

I really wanted to start blogging regularly again, but then I got this new job and life has been crazy!

Basically the job is exactly the same job that I was doing, just at a different agency. I am about to start my third week and am beginning to feel more comfortable. The first week was pretty rough because the schedule seemed to be a lot more demanding in the evenings than I was prepared for. Then, the second week kind of stunk because I started it out by having Strep and an Ear Infection and ended in with several families having minor and not so minor crisis. I am only working two days this week before taking off Wednesday to go to Texas for Thanksgiving so hopefully it will get better, not worse.

I have missed seeing Addie during the days but it is fun that she gets so excited to see me when I finally get home each night. I am definitely ready to get to know the families that I am working with and have the schedule settle down some so I can have a more normal routine at home too.

In other news: Addison is now saying "bye bye" and "night night". She can moo like a cow and says "ahh ahh" when you ask her what her monkey says. She points to eyes, and noses and mouths and if you ask where her tongue is she sticks it in and out like a lizard! Her hair is long enough for a little pony tail so we bought the little tiny clear rubber bands yesterday and I am excited to use them. She also likes to brush her hair. One of my favorite things that she is doing now is that she will come up and give me hugs, pats or "kisses". She also loves to say hi to everyone! She is just such a sweet little girl.

Enough of my gushing for now...I need to get some sleep so I can get up with her in the morning. My mom just mailed me to cds with like 1500 pictures so the next post will have pictures - I promise.

Is anyone even still reading this????

Lists

This post has a few purposes. 1) I have been thinking of random things like this lately. 2) I need to get back in the habit of posting things regularly. 3) I am trying to stay awake until Josh gets home.

5 Things I Love About November:
1. It's the month my birthday is in!
2. Pumpkin bread, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and other yummy foods.
3. The Thanksgiving Day Parade
4. College football, except that this year my Longhorns stink.
5. It's almost Christmas!

5 Projects On My To-do List:
1. Family Christmas stockings - Josh and I have ones I made when we got married but it's time for ones that we will have from now on with kids. I'm excited about them.
2. A tree skirt.
3. A fun easy little dress for Addie.
4. A few Christmas presents that I haven't finished yet.
5. Finishing a cool wooden star I found in a trash can broken in half- all I need to do is nail it back together.

5 People I Have Been Missing Lately:
1. Jackie Beth - She's in Brazil so we can't really actually talk as much. Bummer.
2. Kasey. I love that she "gets me" in a lot of ways and I wish we lived closer.
3. My siblings
4. Friends from my huddle in high school at Westover - lots of things have been bringing them to mind lately.
5. Some of the youth group kids who are now freshman in college. They are a special group and we are about to go on the first retreat (big activity) since they have left.

5 Things I Have Been Praying For:
1. A job that is a good fit for me, my skills and will allow me to still be available for Addie.
2. Healing and patience with headaches
3. Josh
4. Thankfulness for Addison as she is growing so fast.
5. Discerment and for God to guide Josh and I as we try to see what's next.

5 Things I Am Loving About Addison Right Now:
1. Her sense of humor - she teases us, tickles Josh, etc.
2. She loves to sit and read her books.
3. Her beautiful long hair that continues to curl at the bottoms.
4. She is so adventerous (I think she gets that from me!)
5. She reaches out to hug us and will give kisses when we ask (even if her mouth is open). Makes my heart melt!

and finally:
5 Totally Random Thoughts Before Bed:
1. Last week I went 5 days without washing my hair.
2. I am so glad elections are over so my mail box and voicemail are not clogged with political stuff.
3. I love to bake but do the majority of it in the fall.
4. My hair is longer than it has been since I was in high school, maybe college.
5. I think my fingers are shrinking because lately my rings are slidding all over the place.

Life As We Know It

Ok, here goes nothing....
My headaches have been getting worse. I don't remember them being this bad, this consistently in years. So that's been hard. My neurologist can't see me until the end of November - we have been emailing and she has increased my medication but it doesn't seem to be helping much so far. It's been 13 years that I've had these stupid headaches and emotionally I'm doing ok with that right now, I am just frustrated with the limitations that they are placing on me.

I am still looking for a job. There aren't a ton of options right now and the things that are out there are either a really long commute or the job isn't a good fit. I just got a call for an interview on Thursday that I'm excited about though. I have enjoyed being home with Addie more and I think it will be hard to go back to work but I don't have much of a choice. I also miss work, I miss the challenge and using my skills. I am proud of myself for not stressing out about the lack of income more than I have. That's big for me.

Along with all my job search stuff,  Josh and I have been hearing voices - not in a schizophrenic kind of way, but in a "God what are you saying" kind of way. We've thought that God was distinctly calling us in one direction and then we've had those doors slammed closed. We had a hard time adjusting to that and are trying so hard to discern what God is teaching us and guiding us to now. Since hearing a "no" or "not now" we have seen other doors open. I don't know if Josh and I have experienced trying to desperately hear God's voice and find the path He is leading us towards in quite this way before. It has brought us closer, taught us things and helped us re-evaluate our goals etc.

I believe that no matter what happens God is in control. I am excited to see what will happen from here and what doors will open. I am trying to spend more time in prayer lately to listen as well as talk. It's amazing how refreshing that is!

Now for the obligatory updates on my sweet daughter - she is talking more and more and I love it! She still seems so tiny and petite to me compared to other kids and is just now at 20 lbs. Yesterday she actually got her first black eye and fat lip from two separate falls within about an hour of each other. Thankfully, she's a tough girl! I am in awe daily of how much I love her and how much she is growing. Her personality is coming out more and more - she loves to joke around and tickle us, she loves to snuggle, she is so easy going most of the time.

So that's our life lately. Lots of uncertainty, lots of ups and downs but Josh frequently reminds me that we are on the same team and sticking together. I really do have the greatest husband ever, by the way.

Enjoy the pictures!

New

New stuff on the Craft blog...


Check if out if you get a chance. I would appreciate it. http://shiloh-jones.blogspot.com/

I know, I know I haven't posted in forever. There has been a lot going on that I have not really been able to talk about. So, now I can and will post at least a little. Sorry for the tease.....

Addie's Birthday Party

I can't believe I am actually writing about my baby's first birthday party. Wow - where has the year gone. The night before her actually birthday I was laying in bed think " a year ago I was in labor and trying to wait just a little longer before heading to the hospital". Not only has Addison grown so much in this past year, I have too. She went from being not quite 7 lbs to being not quite 20 lbs. She went from just laying in our arms, crying and eating to trying so hard to walk, moving all over the place and making the sweetest noises and words. I went from feeling as huge as a house to feeling in shape and strong again. I went from being unsure of myself and having no idea what to do with a baby to feelings at least a little confident that I am a good mom and can care for her. I went from expecting to love her to loving her more than I thought I would. Wow - what a year.

She is doing great - standing along for a minute or two and trying to walk but not quite balanced enough yet. She did awesome at her party - she was in a great mood the whole time and loved all the attention. Enjoy the pictures!

Garden of the Gods Climbing Day

"It's not about the money we make; 

it's about the passions that we ache for."

On Thursday I got to go spend 4 hours technical rock climbing at Garden of the Gods. Josh had given me a gift certificate as a present for completing my 7th summer as a "youth ministry widow".  I love that I have a husband who knows things I love and encourages me to pursue them. 

I got up early on Thursday and drove to Colorado Springs to start the day. I ended up getting to do 4 climbs and repels with just myself and the guide (Buster) who was probably in his mid twenties and has been climbing since he was about 10. My mom and stepdad were going to be in the Springs Thursday anyway so they got to come and watch my middle two climbs. I was thankful they were there to video and take pictures for me!

I won't give you all the details of each one but the levels/grades of the climbs ranged from a 5.6 to a 5.8. Climbing on the sandstone was different for me and I had a hard time with the slab climbing but I really enjoyed it. 

I also think it was a great therapeutic day for me too. I remember thinking as I drove home that I felt like I had more control on top of a 70 foot rock face than I did over what is going on in life right now. Several times as I was climbing I would simply pray "God keep me safe." or "God give me strength". I loved sitting at the top of the third climb, looking around and spending a few minutes in prayer before repelling down again. 

I love doing this and would do it all the time if I could! Enjoy the pictures!