three goals for a new year

Yesterday my adoptive-mommy-blogging-friend, Julie posted about her New Years resolutions. And I loved her J.O.Y. theme that they have set as a family for the year. Jesus, Others, Yourself...Isn't that so cool?! Well as I was going to make a post about my new year goals (I don't really like the word "resolutions") and was thinking about my specific goals that I have already set and have been working on, I realized it fit into Julie's J.O.Y. theme.

I love a new start, but I really dislike setting goals and failing. But there are a few areas in my life that I have been really wanting to work on already and I thought that the New Year would be a good place to start. I have kept them very simple and feel like if I improve in these areas that it will automatically improve other areas of  my life that I have not set goals for.

 I have also decided that I am not going to jump straight into doing everything perfect everyday, but that I would just do what I could everyday and what I remembered to do, and just do a little better everyday with out worrying about missing a day. I am much better at achieving goals when I work into them gradually.

The first goal I had set (which fits with the "J") was to gain more spiritual strength in my everyday life. I wanted it to be more than just reading my scriptures everyday. So I am also trying to be more consistent with my morning prayers and I also want to read a conference talk or an article in any of the church magazines everyday if possible, but will settle for a couple times a week.

My second goal (which goes with the "O") is to be better at consciously serving others. I feel like I give of myself when the opportunity rises but over this last year I have felt strongly that I need to be a better example to my kids when it comes to service. I have wanted to devote one day a week to doing service for others with the help of my kids and had tried to implement that last year, but  then I get caught up in my week and would forget. So I am thinking I need to keep putting some thought into how exactly to go about this so it won't be overwhelming. I have also decided that for my birthday this year that I will be spending the day doing random acts of kindness.  I am so excited to do that!!

My third and last goal (which goes with the "Y") is to be better about exercising. Age 33 was the "magic" year for my body to decide it wasn't going to stay the same as it always has anymore, without me doing something physical. So I have been doing an exercise video about every other day or so. I have been getting up at 6am to get my exercise in and then a shower, if I don't do that then I do it when the kids are down for nap/quiet time. My hope is that I can get myself into a bit of shape so that I can start running when it gets lighter out in the mornings. I have a desire to be a runner and maybe run a race, but I don't feel like I can adequately fit it into my life right now for a few different reasons. But I feel like it will be more feasible more towards the middle of the year. 

Nothing too jaw dropping, but I do feel that these are attainable goals and will help me the most to live a happy life this year. 

High Five!!!

Love this little boy and the peanut butter smudges on his cheek. 

I could eat him up!!

 This handsome little boy of mine has been quite difficult to parent the last two years. 

As trying and frustrating as the last two years have been, I would not trade it for anything! 

But I am SO HAPPY to say that since he has turned 5, he has grown up so much! 

It is like a switch went off in him and he is a completely different kid (in the behavior department, he is still his energetic, loud, funny self). 

He still has his moments, but mostly he is pretty easy going. 

He is understanding more about actions, responsibility, consequences, attitude, respect and obedience. 

He is also way more "go with the flow" then I have ever seen him. And his temper tantrums only really come when he is tired or doesn't want to clean his room (which is totally understandable :))

He is also playing better than ever with his sister, and having fun with her. And also playing by himself better. He has also made a change in the fact that he much rather be playing with his toys than watching a movie or  cartoons. The few times I actually turn on a cartoons, he ends up wandering to  his room and playing instead.  Love that!

Just TODAY he was having a difficult time staying in his room for quiet time. On his "third strike" I made him lay down and take a nap and he lost his privilege of playing on the iPad later. He took a nap and when he woke up he came to me and the first thing he said to me was, "Sorry Mom I wasn't good at staying in my room." Then after a few minutes of hugs and loves he asked me how he could earn back his privilege of playing on the iPad, instead of "can I play the iPad now". I was in utter shock!

And  the other day, Oak was screaming and yelling at him in her two year old girl fashion. And he calmly asked her to please stop yelling at him because he doesn't like it and it isn't nice. I about died when I over heard him say that to her. 

Difficult or not...

I am so glad that this little boy is ours forever!

2012 in review

One of my favorite things about blogging is looking back at our memories. Some of these things I know I wouldn't remember ever again if it wasn't recorded. I also love being able to keep our kids' birth families up to date with what our little ones are up to.

January

.My mom turned 70!

.We had a rare snow day.

.We opened up the world of Legos to Mac.

.Hubs turned 33.

.Three random acts of kindness in 24 hours.

.My nephew Ricky left on his mission to Chile.

February

.Mac's first time going to barber shop for a haircut.

.Oak turned 18 months.

.Oak started nursery.

.Decided to start eating healthier with less processed foods.

.Joined a CSA (local, fresh food from a farm on a weekly basis).

March

.I turned 33.

.It snowed a crazy amount on the second day of Spring.

.I had jury duty.

.Oak went from two to one nap.

.Made bread from scratch for first time.

April

.We went to the beach for the first time of the year...and the only time.

.We had a super fun Easter here, here and here.

.Eleven year wedding anniversary.

May

.We had our home study done.

.We were approved to adopt.

.I reduced my migraines with my diet.

.My other nephew Mitchell got his mission call to Bolivia.

.My mom and I went and got pedicures for the first time for Mother's Day.

June

.Hubs and I went on a week long vacation without our kids.

.Oak went swimming for first time.

.My brother and his family came to visit.

.Mac and daddy went to the father and son camp out.

.Mac started Taekwondo.

July

.4th of July at the Lake House.

.My sister Candis and her cute kids came to visit.

.We took our kids camping for the first time.

.My beloved Chacos broke.

.Mac's birth mother graduated from BYU Idaho, so proud of her.

August

.Oak turned 2.

.My other sister and her family came to visit.

.We bought a minivan.

.We had our family pictures taken.

.Mac got his orange belt in Taekwondo.

September

.We went on an awesome road trip.

.Part of that road trip was visiting Mac's birth mother!

.Mac starts his last year of preschool.

.Oak started potty training.

.My nephew left on his mission to Bolivia.

October

.General Conference was pretty amazing.

.Kids were skeletons for Halloween.

.Mac went to his first OSU Beaver football game.

.We went to the pumpkin patch.

.Oak was successfully potty trained.

.Mac swallowed a rock and we had to take him in for x-rays.

.Bought chicken from Zaycon for the very first time.

.I was in charge of our Ward's Sacrament Meeting Primary Program, and it turned out great.

November

.Hubs sister came for Thanksgiving.

.We voted!

.Went to Time Out For Women with my mom and in-laws.

.My dad spent some time in the hospital. 

December

.Mac turns five and we have a fun day and a birthday party.

.Cut down our Christmas tree.

.Oak rides a pony for the first time.

.Oak did great at her first dentist appointment.

.We had a great Christmas with my parents, and Hub's family and our own little family.

.We did lots of fun activities this year.

.We had a snow day.

We had a great year! We are looking forward to what this next year will bring our family.

Christmas Eve...

Christmas Eve is always spent with Hubs's family. And I love it! We always act out the nativity (so glad that there are enough grandkids now to do it so the adults don't have to), then we eat, then Santa drops the gifts on the door step, then we all open presents. We usually do a sibling gift exchange and then this year we did a cousin gift exchange which was fun. We really missed having Jess and Laren. But it will be fun to have them next year with their baby boy.

Oak was so stinking cute as a shepard, that I couldn't stop taking pictures of her. 

Mac was a wiseman/Jedi. He was actually really excited to bring baby Jesus some gold. I love that he was cooperative this year and actually enjoyed participating.

Mary & Joseph

Little T was the Star of David. So cute! He took his part very seriously.

Could she be any cuter?!

We usually have many angels because all the girls want to do it. 

The cute wise men.

Seriously precious. 

And the traditional family shot. Love Jared in the background. Funny guy!

The loot.

Mac looking for Rudolph's red nose telling  him Santa was there.

The kids lining up to get their gifts from the porch.

Oak was excited about her little Vet kit. She played with it non stop for a couple of days.

Can you tell he was excited about his pirate ship?!?! Santa scored this for $19 on black Friday at Kohl's, seriously awesome deal.

Neither of them really cared about any other gifts because they loved their Santa gifts so much.

The night was great until I got a really bad stomach ache, which led to me feeling nauseous and then passing out in the bathroom. After passing out in the bathroom, I sat on the floor for about ten minutes praying someone would have to go to the bathroom so that I could have them go and get Hubs, because every time I tried to get up I thought I was going to throw up or pass out again. Soon enough, Mac came and he ran and got daddy. He scooped me up and took me home. I must of just ate something that didn't settle well, because I was fine the next day and no one else got sick. And thankfully that all happened after all the festivities.

Since my parents were in Utah this year. We didn't do anything on Christmas day. In fact it just felt like any other day. The kids played and I just rested feeling ick still from being sick the night before. And then later we went back to my in-laws house for left overs and a turkey dinner.

All our Christmas stuff is down, back in boxes and stacked in the garage. Until next year.

A bowling tradition...

I love the Christmas traditions in my husbands family. First up, bowling! And we always get a picture of the kids when we are done. Mac had a way better time this year, and he loved every second. You can see his cute little attitude last year here.  Oak was a bit grumpy because she was hungry and tired. Sad part of this year was Jessica not spending Christmas with us. We missed her!

Mac really LOVED bowling this year.

We got Oak some french fries and her cute girl cousins took turns sitting with her. 

Oak tried her hand at bowling once.

Hubs

Uncle Z got some mustaches from the little quarter machine.

These girls are so dang beautiful!!

Mac did pretty good. I actually got the best score (121) with the all the girls the first game and actually got a better score than most of the guys the first game too. The second game my arm got tired and I didn't do so great. 

Our own little Christmas

We decided to have our own little Christmas Eve on Christmas Eve Eve and do our Christmas morning on Christmas Eve. We live close to both of our families, and with trying to enjoy the holiday with everyone we have tried to incorporate our own little Christmas so we can still do all the fun stuff that we have always dreamed of doing with our kids. 

Our kids know that we have sent a letter to Santa telling him that we are at Grandma Cammy's house Christmas Eve and to leave the kids' gifts there. And that Mommy and Daddy will just fill their stockings so that he doesn't have to worry about it.

Christmas Eve Eve before church. They are seriously the cutest. And I just love that when I have them take picture together now, they put their arms around each other. 

The kids usually get so many gifts between two sets of grandparents and both of their birth parents that we keep our gift giving minimal for them. We buy them one present each from us and then one present for the both of them from us and then they buy one for each other. And we fill their stockings. And can I just say that I am in love with Amazon for buying Christmas gifts. It was such a life saver in reducing my stress about gift giving. 

Hubs and I woke up at 7am and neither of our kids were awake yet. We wanted them to come out and see the gifts under the lit tree while it was still dark, so hubs went and woke them up. 

Love seeing them get excited about it!

Oak's favorite thing in her stocking were the tinkerbell bandaids. 

You can't have too many action figures. This boy can't get enough of them. And he loved his star wars ones from Oak.

This girl loves baby dolls! She has quite the motherly instinct.

Our little cuties!

I almost forgot that Bryce rocked the gift giving this year. He made my dream come true with a brand new camera!!!! It is a Nikon D3200, and I LOVE IT!!  I have been asking for one since before Oak was born. I have needed one for awhile, because my other DSLR has just not been working very good. Probably because it is about eight years old. I am still trying to figure out my new camera, and I will have to buy at least one new lense since my old lenses won't work with my new camera unless I want to manual focus. Which I don't, too hard with trying to capture little ones. I was completely shocked that Hubs would buy me a new camera. He has been telling me it isn't a good idea and it is not priority when I already have a working camera (point and shoot).

I gave Hubs a guided fishing trip on the Umpqua. I think he is excited about it. I also gave him the gift of planned dates for the year. I have worked out with my neighbor to do a babysitting/date night exchange. So we will get at least one date night every month. I am so excited about this!