goals

So this is what I wrote one year ago:

in honor of new years and the traditional resolution making...

I am resolving to try a new recipe once a week, pay off some debt and read three great American classics (as much as I love to read, most classics don't count as the uplifting pleasure reading I'm looking for).

I hereby decided that Butterfly resolves to learn to share better, sleep in her own bed every night and eat vegetables without complaining. (i can dream can't i?)

Ladybug resolves to learn to speak in full sentences, use a big girl cup and stop growing up so fast.

I'll let daddy make his own. But I hope it includes finishing school. And a getaway with his wife.

:-) happy new years!

of course, I slowly lost my momentum and fell into just trying to keep up, especially as life exploded with pregnancy complications, remodeling the house, having a new baby, etc. So I hadn't thought about this in a very long time and in fact, had to actually look it up to remember what I wrote.

So how'd we do?

I spent a lot of time gathering and trying new recipes last year and now that I'm back on my feet (literally), I have been enjoying it again. In fact, I've been working on putting together my own personal "tried and true" cookbook. Just a simple 3 ring binder with my favorite recipes that I have personally made and enjoyed. As I find new recipes, I try them out, tinker with them and finally type them into the computer and add them to my book. I'm always looking for new favorites (or even better, old family favorites just in case anyone is willing to share).
We did pay off a chunk of debt and by taking the Dave Ramsey class, feel like we've become much more informed and educated and able to make the best financial decisions for ourselves. This goal is to be continued.
As for reading, it didn't really happen. Sad, I know. I managed to squeeze in some fiction every once in a while, books that are easy, fast reading. And I love that as a way to relax. But I recently realized I have read ONE nonfiction book since I quit teaching. I want to read, to learn, to further educate myself and to maintain all that I've already learned. So the goal this year is one nonfiction book a month. It sounds like it should be easy. But when juggling three kids, it's hard to find a block of time long enough to delve into something and read even just a chapter. (I can breeze through 200 pages of non fiction in an evening, but reading nonfiction takes me so much longer.) I want to read about self improvement, mainly character and finances, about parenting, biographies and about history. This month's book is the Seven Habits of High Effective People.

I completely forgot that I semi-facetiously wrote goals for the rest of my family. But as it turns out, they did pretty well.

Butterfly becomes more wonderful and beautiful every day, both inside and out. She's generous and eager to play and share with friends (but admittedly, a tad bossy sometimes too).
She sleeps in her own room every night and goes to be easily, without fighting or arguing about it. She still comes to our room once every week or two because of leg cramps or nightmares but we're okay with that. In fact, I want her to know she can always come to us for comfort and I kind of like the excuse to cuddle her anyway. On the other hand, it's now Ladybug who has the terrible habit of arguing bedtime and sneaking into our bed in the middle of the night. We're working on the bedtime routine and hope she grows out of the other (it seems Butterfly did so maybe this is a natural phase). Ironically, she used to be the perfect bedtime baby, practically putting herself to bed and sleeping 12 hours solid. And now we have our AngelBaby, who was moved into the nursery less than one week ago and is doing great. She seems to have an easy bedtime routine (most nights) and is sleeping well. Fingers crossed for continued peace. (I have to admit that packing up the cradle for storage and moving her out of our room was harder than I thought. It's a good thing but comes with a sad little twinge as I acknowledge my baby is growing so fast.)
Oh, and as for vegetables, surprisingly that is rarely a battle at our house. I'm very grateful for my girls' willingness to try new foods and eat pretty much everything we give them, including vegetables. :)

Ladybug chatters and rambles all day. Usually I can understand her perfectly, even with the hint of toddler mispronunciations that I find so endearing. I reluctantly correct her at times to help her learn but she's growing and learning so fast already. She's a big girl in so many ways already. Perhaps that's why we humor her blanket habit so much, it's one of the few "baby" things she still does.

I joked about Daddy's goals. But truthfully, he continually amazes me with his brilliance and success and dedication. He's working hard to finish his dissertation this semester, while accomplishing so much in his professional career at the same time, as well as serving as the ward's Young Mens President and raising a family. He's so good to us, I love watching him with his girls and he's so wonderful to me. We had some rough moments this year and he did so much, doing the things I couldn't do, taking care of me and the girls, emotionally supporting me through my frustrations and fears, being our rock and support. There were so many fun and wonderful moments this year too. I love the time he spends with us, whether it's fantastic family trips, taking me (or the girls) on dates, or having casual evenings at home with movies or games or reading books. Without a doubt, he's my best friend and favorite person to spend time with. I love his sense of humor, I love his spiritual strength, his humility, his thirst for knowledge, his desire for excellence, his patience and tenderness. I love the way we can make goals together, laugh together, work hard to parent our children the best we can and so much more. When he eventually reads this, he'll probably want to chide me for bragging about him again but I'm so proud of him. I love him so much and appreciate all that he is and all that he does for us.