Happy New Year! I know I accomplished at least one of last year's goals...to sing in church. Yay! I'm still figuring out what to make for goals this year (adding pictures to this post should be one of them). Goals require a delicate balance of motivation and reality. Too vague and I never feel accomplished; too long and I give up if I miss a day; too hard and I won't get past the first week. And you can't make goals for other people because that just doesn't work. So, I started writing down ideas on a blank recipe card (the only scratch paper in the kitchen) and Joe said, Oh, is this your recipe for success? What a great way to see it! He's brilliant. Tomorrow I will finish writing up this year's recipe for success. Our family goal might be to say morning prayers together or to read the whole Book of Mormon together. We're not sure yet. I'd love to hear what friends and family are choosing for their goals this year...
Life is so busy that I'm thankful I have two little journals that I write in to the kids or I would never have a record of anything they do! During the last couple of weeks, our baby girl got her first molar and started saying a bunch of words (which most people probably wouldn't really understand, but I do!) like baby, hop, mine, bye, da-da, ma-ma, bubble, and soap. She is really trying to say whatever we say. She is also a whiz kid at baby sign language, signing things like "cracker", "wash hands", "blanket", "frog", "grass", and "cloud". Not all of them are helpful but I do love seeing her try to communicate. Tonight she stayed up until 11pm (yes, she had a very late nap thanks to a new, later, church schedule...grrrr....grrrateful, yep, I'm going to learn be grateful this year even though church once again messes up her naptime which means I spend all week getting her back on schedule only to get messed up each Sunday)...anyway, she stayed up late repeatedly bouncing (and falling off of ) an exercise ball. I got one for Christmas and there is a small one where we live, so we just bounced around together all night. So funny! She is definitely a daredevil. Earlier, we heard, Mom!, Mom! and ran out to see our baby girl standing on top of the play kitchen just holding on (it's always easier to go up). Maybe we should take bets on when she gets her first trip to the ER for an injury...
X is loving all of his toys and is so thankful for Santa sending him a letter (it told him he was on the good list) and giving him presents that he includes Santa in his prayers. I'd better include all of my extended family and relatives in my prayers more because we certainly were blessed with plenty (and to spare) this Christmas. Thank you Santa and all the other elves in the world! X is becoming so much more independent and channels all of his energy into play. He informed me that he wants to change classes at school because his friend's teacher lets her class play all the time. Hmmmm. Not sure what to say except, sounds like you need some more playdates! I hope that his goals for this year include (see note on making goals for others above)...1) sitting reverently in church, and 2) keeping his thousands of Lego pieces off the floor. His goal is to play guitar. That's a good goal, too.. :) X got to stay up until midnight last night and he was just thrilled! We ate lasagna (family tradition), watched Cars 2, did haircuts, and played Battleship to stay awake. It was no problem since our sleep schedule is pretty off right now anyway from all of our traveling. He had no idea about New Year's Eve traditions and was so excited about every new thing we told him about. We clinked glasses at the end of the countdown, watched fireworks go off all over the city, banged pots and pans, and yelled "Happy New Year!" outside as loud as we could. He loved it all and I loved watching how amazed he was. Plus, he loved being able to do something that his little sister wasn't allowed to...yet. :)
One thing I've learned this holiday season is that the closer you get to retirement, the busier you are, at least, that's what I've been seeing in my parents and in-laws. They have so many work responsibilities at this point in their careers, plus retirement, insurance, and homeowner issues to worry about (not to mention kids and grandkids to think about and make time for), that I'm amazed so many adults actually make it to sixty. It's great to have a heads-up on these kinds of things. I'm not very good with change (although I always want things to change), so having insight from others on upcoming periods of life and major life changes or challenges is very helpful to me. I'm taking mental notes from people in my ward and neighborhood as well. While I'm at the beginning of raising a family, my neighbors are mostly nearing the end, and there IS a difference. I'm baby hungry; they are grand-kid hungry. I'm eating on paper plates and decorating with non-breakables; they eat on...actually, I don't know...but they definitely decorate with non-kid-friendly decor (I am a nervous wreck every time we have to visit anyone because kids touch things! and break them or spill them or pull them apart...). They miss their kids being little and are amazed how fast they grew up; I'm amazed how fast kids grow up and sometimes give an extra cuddle or story just because I know it won't last. Basically, I've learned a little more about different stages in life, some better than others and I hope I can plan for them now and live through them well when I get there.
Best wishes for the New Year!
