Sweetness

There are days when you are really on top of your game - you say all the right things, you get all the right people to agree, and you're pinging on all 8. Yesterday was NOT one of those days. And the wallowing began. It was short lived though, especially after a better night's sleep than the night before. And some good news from my first home (M - so glad your doc appt turned out well) and from my second home (Amy & Curt - we're praying for CJ's recovery). Tonight sealed the deal. I witnessed one of those moments that warms my heart. Ryan went to Alex's room and had Alex on his lap, while Alex read to him. It was the sweetest thing ever. It cracks me up, one minute they're at each other's throats, and then something like this. Just throws me for a loop. But I love it.

Visit to Utah

Well, it took the better part of all weekend but all the Christmas is down, the china cabinet CLEANED, old toys purged (kids don't know this yet; I figured if they didn't notice it was the right call...heaven help me if I was wrong about something...), and 3 weeks worth of laundry done (well that's what it felt like, anyway. The toy purging was much more than I had originally planned, I ended up cleaning out 3 closets, the entire toy storage unit (a pottery barn modular thing we just love), and anything else where a toy might live. This then turned into several kitchen cupboards and what not. I never went through that "nesting" thing where you have this urge to clean everything when you're pregnant (though I did alphabetize my spice racks and CD collections, by genre of course), so maybe it's catching up with me.

My four days off were less than relaxing, I worked most of the time! But I feel good because I got a lot done and started the year off right. Oh, and as promised, here are some shots from our Christmas in Utah! I picked out just a few - the ones that caught my eye in 3 minutes or less. More to come, I think I will smilebox them. So these will have to do for now.

My niece Amanda and me

My brother Mike and Ryan

Ryan, my sister Christy (isn't she GORGEOUS?!!), and my niece Emily

Ryan & Emily having some fun in the snow--we got quite the blizzard while we were there. It was wonderful!!!

Amanda and Alex

I Resolve...

Wow, it's 2009. I can hardly believe how fast the year went by. Of course, I say that every year. Don't be fooled by the title...I don't do resolutions. What I do like about the new year is reflection. I have reflected upon the last year and its ups and downs. I've watched families lose loved ones. I've watched friends go through some difficult times. I watched how hard it was for us...and surprisingly for our friends...when we uprooted and moved out west. I watched my little boy lose his first tooth. And my big boy struggle with change. I celebrated 40 trips around the sun. I toasted to good friends, old and new. I hugged my mom. I kissed my husband. I cuddled with my kids. I have food on my table, a roof over my head, and clothes on my back. We are healthy and well. I am blessed in so many ways.

And during this reflection, sitting quietly in my living room before the rest of the family rises to greet the new day and the new year, I look forward to what the year will bring. And as is my custom, I create the mother of all to-do lists. All those things I want to get done in the next few days (I have four days off!!), and maybe even the next few weeks. After all, goals are an important motivator in my life. I need them to keep me focused and moving. Sitting still and just "being" isn't something I've ever been good at doing. As I contemplate my forever to-do list in the coming year, I decided to add some more esoteric things:

Don't be so hard on myself.
Think before speaking.
Breathe.
Discipline in a soft voice.
Play with my kids.
Love my husband.
Put God first.

Ok, I will do ONE resolution. Before the weekend is over, I will post some stuff from Christmas!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook