January 2012

It's been so long since I've written because life has been so busy! We've got some crazy stuff going on with Trav's job, I just got put into Young Womens, and the kids are all doing various extracurriculars. So, I have been writing this post for about 2 weeks because I never get more than 5 minutes to work on it. 

Anyway, this year for New Year's Eve we hosted a little party with some friends. Everyone brought their kids, so it ended at 9 pm when the kids got cranky, but we had a fun time. I had 14 children in my house that night. This photo is from the ice cream sundae break we took.

Eve is sure growing up! She turned three in December, so the first Sunday of the year she started Sunbeams. Here she is, ready for church. It turns out that Eve is quite shy, but only when her sisters are not around. She has had a hard time adjusting to Sunbeams, but luckily her teacher Sister Lyman is an Angel on Earth, and Eve is starting to come around. She loves to tell us what they do in Primary and her favorite song is "A Child's Prayer." I sat in with her for the first few minutes of her third week in Sharing Time, and when the kids all stood up to recite the Primary theme, Eve was able to do part of the theme. My heart was so touched when I heard her say that she is a child of God and she can pray to Him anytime, anywhere. I love this girl!

This has been a crazy winter without much snow. We have taken to hiking in the foothills near Spanish Fork. The kids and the dog get a kick out of it.

Even cute little Max snuggles up and hikes with us in the Snugli.. He is such a cute guy!

Finally the snow came! It was only a few inches, but these kids were thrilled to bundle up and get out there and play.

The girls made a snow-couple with our neighbor Callie.

Then inside for some hot cocoa. We love hot cocoa around here. I'm pretty sure it's a big part of the reason they like to play in the snow.

I saw this cute FHE lesson on Sugardoodle while I was preparing a YW lesson. It uses the movie Tangled and talks about how we are royal children separated from our Father, the King. The kids really got into it, and loved decorating their own crowns.

Evie started dance class this month. She has so much energy and we wanted to have something special that was just for her, so she is in a creative dance class. She loves it! She calls it her ballerina class, to which she wears a "leotar-a" and a "flu-flu". So funny.

Little Max is so stinkin' cute. He is a very happy baby and loves all the attention he gets from his big sisters. He just started rolling (Feb. 16) and has already rolled himself into trouble-- once into the bookshelf and once off my bed. Good thing he's a tough guy!

My parents took the kids to Build a Bear to celebrate Eve's bday a little late (because of my dad's accident). This is Eve watching her bear get stuffed.

And Anna giving hers a bath.

They had to give their bear's heart a little kiss before putting it inside.

I wish I had taken a photo of all three girls with their bears. Build a Bear was a lot of fun, even for me. They let the kids try on whatever bear outfits they wanted, and Kate worked on it for about 25 minutes before settling on one outfit. Cute girl!

Christmas

Christmas was wonderful this year. I loved having it on a Sunday. We attended sacrement meeting at Trav's parents' ward and the bishopric passed the sacrament as a special way for them to serve the Savior and that really made the ordinance more meaningful to me. Also, I think that this Christmas season was touching for me because I had my own baby boy to hold and love as I thought of Mary and her dear Son. A mother's love is powerful, but it is nothing compared to the love Christ has for us.

And, on to the more frivolous moments of Christmas.... Trav built a dollhouse for the girls! I've had my eye on this project for a couple years, and this year we finally managed to pull it together. Poor Travis, he says he has no hobbies, he just does whatever I tell him to. It's kind of true. :( Anyway, it turned out super cute and the girls love it.

All dressed up in their new Christmas dresses...

After church we all met at Trav's parents' house for food and presents. The grandkids put together their own nativity play using Grandma Nancy's dress-ups. They were adorable, even if it didn't exactly go with the setting of the story. Like how Anna is wearing a teddy bear nightgown and is playing the part of Mary.

Then we went to my parents' house for more food and presents. Here's my dad and baby Max. My poor dad. I can't wait till he gets feeling better.

My parents gave the girls Pillow Pets this year and they are a major hit! Even Travis and I want one because they are so snuggly!

December 2011

December was a fun and busy month for us.

 We made these sugar cone Christmas trees that I saw on Pinterest for FHE one night. Okay, Kate actually saw them and wanted to do them. My girls love Pinterest almost as much as I do-- they love to scroll through the pictures and tell me what they like. So funny!

 My birthday started with this giant stuffed crocodile on our doorstep. It's being passed around the ward with a note that says "You're CROCtastic!" and you're supposed to pass it along to someone else who has been of service to you. It's a funny idea, and it was especially funny because Daisy was FREAKED OUT by it. So we had to take it upstairs.

 Which led to this. I was trying to take a nap and Eve was playing quietly in her room. Only later did I discover what she had been doing. It was all over the upstairs! Look at her poor sad face when I told her she needed to clean it up!

 So, if you've received the crocodile and noticed the duct tape on the tail, that's from us. Because Eve whacked it pretty hard one time, made tons of beans fall out, and decided to do it over and over again.

Here's me and my birthday cake. I made a GF Apple Cake which was yummy, and my super nice cake-decorator friend also brought over a GF chocolate cake as a surprise. Both were delicious, but especially Kari's. For the rest of the week I snuck a piece every time I walked through the kitchen. And so I hold Kari responsible for the 5 pounds I gained that week. :)
My birthday was lots of fun. I went to lunch with my two good friends from the ward, had a good dinner and FHE with my family, and Trav got me tickets to Wicked next August. Woot!

 Eve's birthday was the next week. We celebrated it during the summer, but had to do something special on her big day. In the morning she went to McDonald's with Trav for breakfast (a bday tradition in our family). We just kind of hung out and played all day, then made her favorite dinner and chocolate cake. And so, another week of eating cake every time I was in the kitchen. My, how I love buttercream frosting!

 Eve chose to go see the Festival of Lights for her birthday activity. It was so great! Each one of our kids was enchanted by the lights, especially the ones that moved. I was sitting in the back of the van with Anna, and she kept saying "Thank you so much for letting us do this." We had a great time. When we got home, some of our friends came caroling to our house (like as soon as we pulled up, so really they caroled to our van). It was sweet but it kind of freaked Eve out. Ever since she has talked about how on her birthday all the people came to see her, but no one sang Happy Birthday. Funny girl.

I did a little photo shoot with Eve on my bed on her birthday. She is so hilarious! She can't sit still to save her life and she makes the funniest faces. My little Eve is spunky, sweet, excited, and smart. I am so glad she is in our family!

I Love This Bar

Stay with me on this, okay?
You know that Toby Keith song "I Love This Bar?" I'm really not much of a Toby Keith fan, but this song really sums up something I've been thinking about lately. Here are some of the lyrics:


We got winners, we got losers
Chain smokers and boozers
And we got yuppies, we got bikers
We got thristy hitchhikers
And the girls next door dress up like movie stars

Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar

We got cowboys, we got truckers
Broken-hearted fools and suckers
And we got hustlers, we got fighters
Early birds and all-nighters
And the veterans talk about their battle scars


Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar

[Chorus:]
I love this bar
It's my kind of place
Just walkin' through the front door
Puts a big smile on my face
It ain't too far, come as you are
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar


My Webb family is kind of like Toby's bar. We've got all kinds of people: straight-laced Mormons, Harley riding bikers, druggies (most are recovered), football players, ballet dancers, etc. A couple different ethnicities and lifestyles. And yet, I love them, each and every one. 
Why? Because the thing that unites us is stronger than any differences we might have. We are FAMILY. We are tied together by blood, a shared heritage, and an unmistakable concern for one another. In the Webb family, everybody loves everybody. We watch out for each other. We take care of each other. We love each other.
I've always known this. It's like knowing that I have green eyes or ten toes on my feet. It's just part of who I am. But It's become more apparent to me in the last few weeks since my dad's accident. I have been so overwhelmed by the love and concern our family has shown for him. Every day that my mom has to work, someone has been there to hang out with my dad. They show up at 7 am and stay till dinner time. It's been about three weeks now, and my mom hasn't run out of people who are willing to help. My cousins have even called me, asking if I need them to watch my kids or do something to help out my dad. The most incredible thing, though, happened at the family Christmas party. Unknown to my parents or myself, someone passed around a Mason jar at the party. People put in as much money as they wanted/were able to, and the next day my mom's siblings brought it over to my parents. It contained $2000. While the Webbs are big on love, they are not big on money, and this represents a sacrifice for each person who contributed. It was so kind. My dad will be out of work for at least 3 months, and since he is self-employed, that means no income. This money is such a blessing to my family. 
I am grateful to be part of such a family. As Toby says, 


I love this bar
It's my kind of place
Just walkin' through the front door
Puts a big smile on my face
It ain't too far, come as you are
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar


Thank you to all of you! You know who you are!

When I'm Healthy I'm Happy

The past few months have given me some new perspective on life. I have been so sick that now that I feel good again, I am amazed at what a blessing good health is. You don't appreciate your health until it's gone.
So, here's the story: after Max was born lots of nice people brought us lots of dinners, plus we ate a lot of easy, processed foods like Mac N Cheese. I just kept feeling sicker and sicker. I lost all of my baby weight in about 3 weeks because I couldn't keep anything down, and I was SO tired and cranky because I had no energy at all. Finally I went to the doctor who did a few tests and determined that I have Celiac Disease (or at least a high level of gluten intolerance). What this means is that my body sees gluten as the enemy and attacks it, making a mess of my intestines. The bummer is that gluten is found in wheat products, almost all processed foods, and hides in random places like oatmeal. So all the well meaning lasagnas that neighbors brought were killing me! (I am grateful for them all the same. Thank you, thank you, thank you.)
When I first found out about my gluten issues, I cried. For 2 days. I mourned every doughnut I will never eat.
Every easy meal of spaghetti and Ragu that my kids love. And my newfound love of saltine crackers. Gone.Also in my mourning was saying goodbye to the convenience of Chicken Voila from Costco, as well as being able to stop at Wendy's for chicken nuggets if we're out at lunchtime and I'm hungry. Life without gluten sounded unappetizing and hard.
Luckily it's been about a month and I have come a long way. I went to a gluten free fair at the health store that changed my life. Literally. I tried so many samples of GF (gluten free) foods that actually tasted good. I got a recipe book that tells me how to make my own GF version of things like cream of chicken soup, rolls, cookies, etc.
I've been gluten free for about 6 weeks now and I have honestly never felt better. It turns out that other problems I have had for a while like anemia, eczema, and fatigue were caused by my gluten allergy. So cutting gluten from my diet has helped with those things as well. What a blessing! It turns out that what I thought was lactose intolerance was actually from the gluten so I can eat ice cream again. Yay!
Also of note: last week Kate gave us a scare and we spent the day at the hospital with her. At first we thought she had appendicitis, then someone mentioned an infection in her lymph nodes..... turned out to be a stomach bug and she's fine now. I am so grateful for her good health! I love her so much and it was agony for me to see her hurting.
Then, earlier this week my dad fell off a roof while he was working (he does home inspections). He had to be life flighted to the hospital. He broke his back, neck, ribs, arm, and wrist. Those are major injuries, but the good news is that he will heal from all of them! What could have been a deadly accident, or at least something that left him paralyzed, is only a bunch of broken bones! He's had back surgery and will need wrist surgery next week, but at least the doctors will be able to fix it! Again, I am so grateful for his health.
Our Father in Heaven gave us these amazing bodies. I am so impressed with their design and ability to heal. And I am grateful to feel good again!

Baby Face

 Babies make the funniest faces.

 First smiles. At 8 weeks old. It seemed to take forever for him to learn to do it, but now he smiles all the time. I just love how happy he seems.

 What could he possibly be thinking here? "Mom, you're crazy. Put that camera down already."

Max's Blessing

We blessed Max on November 6. It was a great day for our family. We all love baby Max so much and are grateful to have him here with us. What I remember most was that he was blessed to be kind and compassionate and to remember the promises he made to Heavenly Father before coming to earth. I hope that I can help him live up to the many good things the Lord has in store for our sweet boy.

Family photos are kind of a joke. We have 80% of us looking at the camera here, which is pretty impressive.

Trav and I looked at this picture and both said, "Wow, we look so old." It's the first time we've actually looked like we were old enough to have kids at one of our kids' blessings. :)