Here it is...
2014 Goals
1. Do the Infuse daily devotional through The Heights app and learn the memory verses throughout the year.
2. Lose 20-40 lbs. I left this as a range because my plan was to lose the other half of the "baby" weight which would have been 30 lbs but since I fell short last year, I still have 40 to go. So, there you have it - realistic and dreamy.
3. Finish settling into the house - Get stuff hung on the walls, unpack all boxes, purge as necessary and ultimately get both cars parked in the garage by the end of the year.
4. Read a book this year. Apparently four was too lofty a goal, so I'll start small this time.
5. Nurture our girls - Continue to do crafts with the girls. Hopefully start teaching Naomi to write some letters. Potty train Olivia. Go over the memory verses with them as well. Continue praying with them and enriching their prayer life.
6. Be a better friend. I'm an introvert who has trouble making new friends (some of you are surprised which means that I clearly missed my calling to be an actress). I also don't have a lot of really close friendships (I really treasure the few I have). I haven't had a "BFF", other than Brian of course, in well over a decade. It's my own fault. I'm not really a great friend - I don't initiate plans often and I'm not really that thoughtful. (One of those silly little quizzes said my Big Bang Theory character is Sheldon which should give some of you a fair glimpse into my personality.) So I'm going to make an effort to initiate plans and try to really be there for my friends in deeds as well as words.
7. Say yes more. I know a lot of women who probably have saying no more as a goal. They over-book themselves and feel strained by it. I, however, need to say yes more.
8. Keep up with my blog which has turned into a family scrapbook for us.
9. and 10. Mmmm... to be determined. :) Gotta leave one or two slots open for whatever life throws my way this year.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Recap 2013 Goals
My Goals for 2013
1) Read my Jesus Calling Devotional daily - This started out well, but sorta fizzled out. I did read it a bunch when we took the girls to CA and it helped me keep sane. We also read it a bit during the home selling process.
2) Lose half of my baby weight gain (i.e. 30 pounds) - This started out strong. I lost 20 lbs in the first quarter. Even with slow down I was on track to complete this goal until we sold our house and moved. I stalled out at 25 lbs down and actually gained 5 back during the moving / settling in / Holiday process.
3) Organize my house - With selling the house this actually pretty much got accomplished. Unfortunately some of the quick fix organizing resulted in tossing things in a box to deal with later, so there is that...
4) Read at least 4 books this year - This definitely did not happen. I may have started 4 books (not even sure about that), but I didn't finish a single one.
5) Do more activities like crafts and stuff with my girls - Accomplished and still working on it...
Honestly, I'm really dissapointed that I didn't achieve #2 and I've spent a good bit of head-space beating myself up about it, but I'm done with that. Pointless and destructive.
#1 was at least somewhat fruitful. I definitely reach for the Word when stressed which is good. Now to just stay in it all the time...
#4 I just shrug my shoulders at and know that someday...
1) Read my Jesus Calling Devotional daily - This started out well, but sorta fizzled out. I did read it a bunch when we took the girls to CA and it helped me keep sane. We also read it a bit during the home selling process.
2) Lose half of my baby weight gain (i.e. 30 pounds) - This started out strong. I lost 20 lbs in the first quarter. Even with slow down I was on track to complete this goal until we sold our house and moved. I stalled out at 25 lbs down and actually gained 5 back during the moving / settling in / Holiday process.
3) Organize my house - With selling the house this actually pretty much got accomplished. Unfortunately some of the quick fix organizing resulted in tossing things in a box to deal with later, so there is that...
4) Read at least 4 books this year - This definitely did not happen. I may have started 4 books (not even sure about that), but I didn't finish a single one.
5) Do more activities like crafts and stuff with my girls - Accomplished and still working on it...
Honestly, I'm really dissapointed that I didn't achieve #2 and I've spent a good bit of head-space beating myself up about it, but I'm done with that. Pointless and destructive.
#1 was at least somewhat fruitful. I definitely reach for the Word when stressed which is good. Now to just stay in it all the time...
#4 I just shrug my shoulders at and know that someday...
Monday, December 30, 2013
Christmas 2013
So we are one of those families that has about four Christmases. So come along with us on our Christmas Spree!
Christmas Eve Eve - Extended Family
Unfortunately I have no pictures from this evening. I just didn't even think about it. It was a lot of fun. Olivia toddled about a bit, got held and fawned over by almost everyone, and enjoyed opening her gifts. Naomi had a blast running around with everyone, hanging out with her cousins, opening gifts and stealing a car. Okay, so it wasn't a real car. She hijacked an RC car that one of her cousins got. She loved it so much!
Christmas Eve - Dinner with Emily, Alex, Terah and Nick
We were privileged to get to host Christmas Eve dinner. We cooked up a beautiful tenderloin with a mushroom wine sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and spicy cheese bread. Olivia was feeling really clingy so we didn't manage to get it served at the time that we had planned on, but it was delicious nevertheless. I did think to take some pics this time.
Christmas Morning
We've begun the tradition of reserving Christmas morning for just the four of us. We stay in our PJs (except Olivia because her diaper leaked over her matching Christmas PJs) and we enjoyed a leisurely time opening and playing with gifts and eating breakfast. Comically, Naomi zipped right past her Santa gifts and went right over to a gift that she'd gotten the night before and apparently had been dreaming of all night.
Christmas Dinner
My mom and stepdad came over and we had a lovely dinner and opened gifts. They also helped assemble one of the gifts that Santa apparently had some difficulty delivering assembled (a Cozy Coupe). Good times and pics below...
Our last Christmas was delayed since my brother Derek was sick, but we had a great time a week later and it was kinda nice to get to hold on to Christmas a bit longer. Here are some pics...
Oh and we had one final little mini-Christmas opening the girls' gifts from their Grandpa Ken and Grandma Gloria (they live MI - UPers). (Please ignore the state of Naomi's hair - it was a very laid back kinda day).
It was a great Christmas!
Christmas Eve Eve - Extended Family
Unfortunately I have no pictures from this evening. I just didn't even think about it. It was a lot of fun. Olivia toddled about a bit, got held and fawned over by almost everyone, and enjoyed opening her gifts. Naomi had a blast running around with everyone, hanging out with her cousins, opening gifts and stealing a car. Okay, so it wasn't a real car. She hijacked an RC car that one of her cousins got. She loved it so much!
Christmas Eve - Dinner with Emily, Alex, Terah and Nick
We were privileged to get to host Christmas Eve dinner. We cooked up a beautiful tenderloin with a mushroom wine sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and spicy cheese bread. Olivia was feeling really clingy so we didn't manage to get it served at the time that we had planned on, but it was delicious nevertheless. I did think to take some pics this time.
Nick's AT-AT Imitation
He was so excited about his new toy!
The girls loved playing with their new stuff.
Christmas Morning
We've begun the tradition of reserving Christmas morning for just the four of us. We stay in our PJs (except Olivia because her diaper leaked over her matching Christmas PJs) and we enjoyed a leisurely time opening and playing with gifts and eating breakfast. Comically, Naomi zipped right past her Santa gifts and went right over to a gift that she'd gotten the night before and apparently had been dreaming of all night.
Christmas Dinner
My mom and stepdad came over and we had a lovely dinner and opened gifts. They also helped assemble one of the gifts that Santa apparently had some difficulty delivering assembled (a Cozy Coupe). Good times and pics below...
Our last Christmas was delayed since my brother Derek was sick, but we had a great time a week later and it was kinda nice to get to hold on to Christmas a bit longer. Here are some pics...
Oh and we had one final little mini-Christmas opening the girls' gifts from their Grandpa Ken and Grandma Gloria (they live MI - UPers). (Please ignore the state of Naomi's hair - it was a very laid back kinda day).
It was a great Christmas!
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Lots of Updates to the Blog
I've done a lot of blog catch-up.
So, in case you've missed it, here are links to all the retro posts, just click on the title of each post:
Olivia's Birthday Invitation
Naomi's First Haircut
Fall Festival 2013
College Football Season
Pumpkin Pickin' Playdate
Halloween 2013
Selling Our House
New House
Another Fun Day at the Zoo
Bye Bye Pacis
I'm hoping to get the rest of the way caught up soon. :) I love having this has our family's little digital scrapbook (and printing out a hard copy book each year), so I'm determined to get back on it.
So, in case you've missed it, here are links to all the retro posts, just click on the title of each post:
Olivia's Birthday Invitation
Naomi's First Haircut
Fall Festival 2013
College Football Season
Pumpkin Pickin' Playdate
Halloween 2013
Selling Our House
New House
Another Fun Day at the Zoo
Bye Bye Pacis
I'm hoping to get the rest of the way caught up soon. :) I love having this has our family's little digital scrapbook (and printing out a hard copy book each year), so I'm determined to get back on it.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Bye Bye Pacis!
We are now a pacifier free house! Yippee!
Let me start with an ode to Paci:
Paci, oh how I've loved you. You were so very useful for calming my sweet little ones (at least as long as you weren't missing). You saved my sanity on multiple occassions. I'm so glad you were invented and I don't care who wants to judge me for using you. You were a godsend. But those days are over and so we must bid you a fond farewell.
Yes, I'm silly.
We had long ago restricted Naomi's paci usage to just the crib and had recently done the same for Olivia. Naomi had been quite attached to hers though I new she no longer "needed" it and I could tell that Olivia was beginning to develop an attachment as well. It was time to get rid of it all around. I just wanted to rip off the band aid with both kids at once and be done with it once and for all. Plus, I suspected that if I just took Naomi's away, she would just go retrieve Olivia's and it would just cause drama.
So here is a breakdown of how it went for each kid:
Naomi
Age - about 2.75 years old
Temperament - A little on the spirited side
Method - The Paci Fairy - We decorated up a box to put the pacis in and place outside her room at night. We had talked about the Paci fairy coming to take her pacis to babies in need and leaving her a treat in return. Once she could explain it back to us, we figured it was a go.
Results - Night one, no issues. Morning one, yay for her Paci Fairy loot! Night two, she asked for her pacis, we reminded her where they went, she went to check Olivia's bed to snag one of hers (proving to me that I know my girl pretty well, she's resourceful), and she had some slight bedtime issues. Night three, she asked and we reminded her but really went pretty well. At this point, it's all good.
Olivia
Age - about 15 months
Temperament - Tends to be more laid back
Method - Mostly just cold turkey - We did the paci fairy with her as well just to be consistent and so Naomi could see that Olivia was giving hers up too. Olivia was too young to really get it though so really it was just a cold turkey and deal with it kind of thing.
Results - Several nights and naps of crying for several minutes before giving up and going to sleep. Basically, it just plain sucked for several days, but she was over it by the end of the week.
So, there you have it. All in all, it wasn't too bad and I'm glad to have it done.
If you're planning to get rid of Paci's soon too, then good luck to you!
Oh, and PS, another idea for older toddlers (like Naomi's age) that I really liked involves taking the pacis to the store and using them to "buy" a cool toy or big kid item like a tricycle, bicycle or scooter type of thing. They pick out their thing and give the box of pacis to the sales associate. I heard of this idea after we'd already gone down the paci fairy road, but I think I like it slightly better and is especially good for those parents who steer clear of all things "not real" like Santa, tooth fairy, etc (clearly, I'm not one of those parents, but I have several friends who prefer that and I get it and respect it).
Let me start with an ode to Paci:
Paci, oh how I've loved you. You were so very useful for calming my sweet little ones (at least as long as you weren't missing). You saved my sanity on multiple occassions. I'm so glad you were invented and I don't care who wants to judge me for using you. You were a godsend. But those days are over and so we must bid you a fond farewell.
Yes, I'm silly.
We had long ago restricted Naomi's paci usage to just the crib and had recently done the same for Olivia. Naomi had been quite attached to hers though I new she no longer "needed" it and I could tell that Olivia was beginning to develop an attachment as well. It was time to get rid of it all around. I just wanted to rip off the band aid with both kids at once and be done with it once and for all. Plus, I suspected that if I just took Naomi's away, she would just go retrieve Olivia's and it would just cause drama.
So here is a breakdown of how it went for each kid:
Naomi
Age - about 2.75 years old
Temperament - A little on the spirited side
Method - The Paci Fairy - We decorated up a box to put the pacis in and place outside her room at night. We had talked about the Paci fairy coming to take her pacis to babies in need and leaving her a treat in return. Once she could explain it back to us, we figured it was a go.
Results - Night one, no issues. Morning one, yay for her Paci Fairy loot! Night two, she asked for her pacis, we reminded her where they went, she went to check Olivia's bed to snag one of hers (proving to me that I know my girl pretty well, she's resourceful), and she had some slight bedtime issues. Night three, she asked and we reminded her but really went pretty well. At this point, it's all good.
Olivia
Age - about 15 months
Temperament - Tends to be more laid back
Method - Mostly just cold turkey - We did the paci fairy with her as well just to be consistent and so Naomi could see that Olivia was giving hers up too. Olivia was too young to really get it though so really it was just a cold turkey and deal with it kind of thing.
Results - Several nights and naps of crying for several minutes before giving up and going to sleep. Basically, it just plain sucked for several days, but she was over it by the end of the week.
So, there you have it. All in all, it wasn't too bad and I'm glad to have it done.
If you're planning to get rid of Paci's soon too, then good luck to you!
Oh, and PS, another idea for older toddlers (like Naomi's age) that I really liked involves taking the pacis to the store and using them to "buy" a cool toy or big kid item like a tricycle, bicycle or scooter type of thing. They pick out their thing and give the box of pacis to the sales associate. I heard of this idea after we'd already gone down the paci fairy road, but I think I like it slightly better and is especially good for those parents who steer clear of all things "not real" like Santa, tooth fairy, etc (clearly, I'm not one of those parents, but I have several friends who prefer that and I get it and respect it).
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Another Fun Day at the Zoo
This last year, we got a family zoo membership. So we took another fun trip to the zoo. We happened to bump into some friends of ours from church as soon as we got there. They have a little girl Naomi's age, so it was fun to pal around the zoo with them for the morning.
This trip we went back to the Africa side specifically so we could feed the giraffes (who weren't hungry the last time we visited) and then went to check out the Children's zoo area. The girls had so much fun that they passed out in the car on the way home despite all our best efforts to keep them awake.
This trip we went back to the Africa side specifically so we could feed the giraffes (who weren't hungry the last time we visited) and then went to check out the Children's zoo area. The girls had so much fun that they passed out in the car on the way home despite all our best efforts to keep them awake.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
New House
This post will be a lot shorter than the one about selling our old house.
About a month before we were really ready to sell our house, we saw a house on Zillow that we thought would be perfect for us. (We had been stalking Zillow for over 6 months at this point.) It was on the upper end of our range, but it had what we wanted and was in one of our preferred neighborhoods. When we called our agent to ask about a showing, we found out that it was already under contract. Bummer! Every house that we looked at after that was compared to the elusive "Honeysuckle" house (that was the name of the street it was on).
Our agent set us up to get notified of listings matching our criteria as soon as they hit MLS and we got a log-in to Ebby's house search feature. We checked and waited. One day a house popped up that seemed to be a good fit and was in one of our preferred areas, so we asked for a showing. The morning of the showing another house also popped up that seemed really nice. It's in a really nice neighborhood near us that we had kind of ruled out for a few reasons, but we were interested enough that we called our agent and asked if we could also pop over and see that one as well. He got it all arranged - yay! And, one Saturday morning we set out for our first day of "real" house shopping.
We met our agent at the first house and he explained that the house was listed at an artificially low price to generate a bunch of offers which would be selected from at the end of their offer period. Weird, but okay. We walked around the house and there were just a lot of things that weren't quite right and some things that needed to be fixed. The dialogue went something like this, "Well, mmm... maybe we could move this door, close off this wall. The washer and dryer are in the garage, huh, okay. Why are there shoes in the pantry? Wow, that's a lot of concrete out back and we don't have a boat like they do. Oh, yeah, with that giant black stain, this carpet will have to be replaced. Oh, and the banister is loose." As we left that house we thought, yeah, I guess we could make it work. We could fit ourselves in there.
We went on to the second house. The curb appeal was better. We walked in and instantly felt like it was a vast improvement over the first house. We walked around and checked things off of our list. Office space, check. Formal dining room, nice to have. Gas range and fireplace, yippee! Good closet and storage space, check. Extra room for play space, check. Guest bedroom, check. Cute rooms for the girls, check. The sellers actually had two girls, so it was so easy to picture our girls there. Neighborhood pools, parks, and a jogging/walking trail, check, check, check. Nice backyard with a covered patio, mostly check (patio is a bit small and could go for a build out). There's neutral paint colors throughout the house (other than the girls rooms whose cutesy paint jobs actually really work for us). This house is really move in ready for us and we love it. We sit in the living room of the house and tell our agent that we want it.
In an effort to get our offer in as soon as possible, we get our pre-approval for our loan. We put a non-contingent contract on the house. For those that may not know, this means that our purchase of the home is not contingent on our house selling. After a little back and forth on some price and terms, we have a contract. Very exciting and very nerve racking - the race is on to sell our house.
Fortunately, everything worked out. Inspections, appraisals, requested maintenance, closing on the other house, loan stuff... it all works out. Praise the Lord!
We are in our new house and love it. It has been such a blessing to us. The girls love their rooms. I am so excited for our little family to grow up here. It's been a lot of answered prayers.
Home Sweet Home!
About a month before we were really ready to sell our house, we saw a house on Zillow that we thought would be perfect for us. (We had been stalking Zillow for over 6 months at this point.) It was on the upper end of our range, but it had what we wanted and was in one of our preferred neighborhoods. When we called our agent to ask about a showing, we found out that it was already under contract. Bummer! Every house that we looked at after that was compared to the elusive "Honeysuckle" house (that was the name of the street it was on).
Our agent set us up to get notified of listings matching our criteria as soon as they hit MLS and we got a log-in to Ebby's house search feature. We checked and waited. One day a house popped up that seemed to be a good fit and was in one of our preferred areas, so we asked for a showing. The morning of the showing another house also popped up that seemed really nice. It's in a really nice neighborhood near us that we had kind of ruled out for a few reasons, but we were interested enough that we called our agent and asked if we could also pop over and see that one as well. He got it all arranged - yay! And, one Saturday morning we set out for our first day of "real" house shopping.
We met our agent at the first house and he explained that the house was listed at an artificially low price to generate a bunch of offers which would be selected from at the end of their offer period. Weird, but okay. We walked around the house and there were just a lot of things that weren't quite right and some things that needed to be fixed. The dialogue went something like this, "Well, mmm... maybe we could move this door, close off this wall. The washer and dryer are in the garage, huh, okay. Why are there shoes in the pantry? Wow, that's a lot of concrete out back and we don't have a boat like they do. Oh, yeah, with that giant black stain, this carpet will have to be replaced. Oh, and the banister is loose." As we left that house we thought, yeah, I guess we could make it work. We could fit ourselves in there.
We went on to the second house. The curb appeal was better. We walked in and instantly felt like it was a vast improvement over the first house. We walked around and checked things off of our list. Office space, check. Formal dining room, nice to have. Gas range and fireplace, yippee! Good closet and storage space, check. Extra room for play space, check. Guest bedroom, check. Cute rooms for the girls, check. The sellers actually had two girls, so it was so easy to picture our girls there. Neighborhood pools, parks, and a jogging/walking trail, check, check, check. Nice backyard with a covered patio, mostly check (patio is a bit small and could go for a build out). There's neutral paint colors throughout the house (other than the girls rooms whose cutesy paint jobs actually really work for us). This house is really move in ready for us and we love it. We sit in the living room of the house and tell our agent that we want it.
In an effort to get our offer in as soon as possible, we get our pre-approval for our loan. We put a non-contingent contract on the house. For those that may not know, this means that our purchase of the home is not contingent on our house selling. After a little back and forth on some price and terms, we have a contract. Very exciting and very nerve racking - the race is on to sell our house.
Fortunately, everything worked out. Inspections, appraisals, requested maintenance, closing on the other house, loan stuff... it all works out. Praise the Lord!
We are in our new house and love it. It has been such a blessing to us. The girls love their rooms. I am so excited for our little family to grow up here. It's been a lot of answered prayers.
Home Sweet Home!
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