HAPPY 2014!

I was planning on doing a "Year in Review" post, but it seems a little redundant when I'm having a hard enough time as is to get around to blogging. 2013 was an awesome, busy year for us. The year started with focusing on getting pregnant and doing a frozen IVF cycle in February, and ended in a crazy recovery of the birth of our beautiful Gwena. We very unexpectedly found ourselves moving to Utah and changing our whole lives around in August. New state, new job, new house, new baby. Rosie and Evie have grown up so much and are so much more talkative, imaginative, and independent. These two long legged beauties blow me away. I feel so very blessed and this family is my greatest treasure.

Oh I sure do love a new year. It comes at the perfect time after the excitement of Christmas is over. I always look forward to it because there is nothing I enjoy more than checking off a big to-do list and resolutions are just that on a grander scale. Weeks of stress, sluggishness, overindulgence, and focusing outward always put me in the mood for a little self reflection and grand list making.

Here are the resolutions we made last year.

1. Get my dumplings completely potty trained but in a non stressed, positive manner.  DONE. Our attempt in January was awful but we kept casually practicing and in May we pulled the plug and did it for real and they girls did awesome.
2.  Attempt IVF again and either become pregnant OR run another half marathon. Both good things. DONE. February cycle was a success and now we have our beautiful Gwena.
3.  BE HAPPY and take life as it comes and know there is a time and a season for all things. Don't worry about what you can't control. Get through the winter without turning into a zombie and getting depressed. DONE.
4. Finish Rosemary and Evelyn's book and get the photos organized on the computer. Eek...nope. Been working on pictures and videos TODAY.
5. Continue good habits of scripture study, family prayer, personal prayer, and family home evening. DONE.
6. Attend more full sessions at the Temple whether as a couple or individually. DONE.
7. Continue to go to the gym at least 3 times a week, work out, and be healthy. We did awesome until we moved and I was super pregnant and having contractions like crazy and we no longer had a gym membership. Back on the wagon.
8. Eat more fruits and veggies. DONE.
9. Again, try new recipes to add to the dinner rotation. DONE.
10. Magnify my calling and be happy doing it.  DONE.
11.  Attempt to decrease the time spent on my phone in the presence of my children and husband. It's obnoxious. IMPROVED.
12. Get comfortable and try new things with the awesome new camera Ben got me for Christmas. DONE.
13. Continue reading other good literature. Before I joined my bookclub it was taking me forever to get through a book because it was always the last thing on my list to do. I have loved making it a higher priority and always having a story to come back to everyday. DONE. But now that we moved I need a new bookclub. :(
14. STOP complaining. Replace with gratitude. There is certainly a time and  a place and "VENTING" is perfectly ok. But I do a lot of random complaining as a source of humor or to be conversational.  People may be under the impression that I'm not crazy about my husband or my perfect little girls or my life when just the opposite is true. I wish I had reread these more often and reminded myself of this...I'm a complainer at heart but I do think I've made a little bit of an improvement. I had a lot to complain about in the last several months with everything that has been going on and I feel like I haven't let it get too out of control.
15. Spend more time on the floor engaging in focused play with my Eve and Rose. They are at such a fun age and love to pretend. I want to be a part of their imaginary world as much as I can.  DONE.

RESOLUTIONS & GOALS FOR 2014

PHYSICAL
1. Complete the 30 Day Shred in January
2. Run another race.
3. Log food on mfp.
4. Nurse at least through March (sick season).
5. Lose 10 lbs.

SPIRITUAL
1. Read the Book of Mormon as a family.
2. Attend the Temple regularly as a couple or individually.
3. Continued personal prayer scripture study.
4. Continue having Family Home Evening.

SOCIAL
1. Make more friends in my area! Rosie and Evie miss their Colorado friends desperately. Luckily they would be thrilled to play with their cousins every day of the week but I need to make an effort and reach out to my ward and neighborhood.
2. Find and join a book club.

PERSONAL
1. Slowly work on updating and improving the house to make it ours-- starting with Rosie and Evie's room.
2. Continue taking lots of pictures and video of my girls. Blog at least once a month. Why is this so much harder now??
3. Spend more focused, quality time with each individual in my family instead of always moving as a chaotic, crazy mass. Enjoy and treasure Gwena's glorious babyhood, Rosie and Evie's crazy toddlerhood, and my relationship with my Benny.
4. Make a conscious effort to not raise my voice at my cute girls. WALK AWAY.
5. Relax and accept the realities of having 3 little kids without feeling guilty or losing my mind. (It's ok to spend quiet days at home and not always be on the go-- sometimes all the effort isn't worth it. It's ok if the house isn't always clean because it certainly won't last more than an hour anyways. It's ok if it takes us an hour and a half to get out the door...start early and be patient).
This crazy season of our lives won't last forever.

Here's to a joyful 2014 as a family of 5!