New Year, New Me?

So, this year, like all years, I want to try to lose those last few pounds of baby fat. Since the baby is 5 years old now, I think it's finally time. The problem is, I don't like to work out alone and it's been too darn cold to walk outside. So I rounded up a few thirty-somethings like myself and hit the gym. In three weeks, almost three hours on that stinkin' elliptical, I have still lost less than one pound (0.6 lbs to be exact). So tonight, I'm joining an ab class and a kick-boxing class. And I probably shouldn't have eaten that rice crispy treat for breakfast....or the bag of fruit snacks...or the breadsticks and cheese, but I forgot to eat breakfast and I was starving by the time I got to work and the snack cart in the high school office looked so tempting!!

Speaking of temptation...I need coffee! There's this amazing coffee place "The Mill" about ten miles from my house...it's indescribably good. I'm totally addicted! Hmm....that could be part of my weight loss problem...maybe I should switch to skim milk instead of half&half...

I can't believe the year's almost over. I get so excited at the beginning of each new year. It's like a brand-new, baby-fresh start! This new year is particularly exciting for me since this is the year that I am finally going to graduate and (hopefully) get a real job. I start my student teaching in February!! But, of course, before I can move on into the new year, I must reflect upon the old....

I made absolutely no resolutions for 2006. I didn't want to begin the year being disappionted because I let the laundry get out of control or I cheated on a diet in January. Eww...then I'd have to live with that all year. So, with no firm goals set let's see what I've accomplished. Well, not really a whole lot. I can now jog almost 1/4 mile without dying. I can briskly walk four miles in less than an hour. I became friends with someone I never thought I could ever be friends with. I learned a lot about forgiveness. I let go of a few unhealthy relationships. I turned 29 for the first time. I lost almost 20 pounds. I walked with both of my daughters to the alter when they accepted Christ and I didn't cry (much). I learned how to make brownies (without a mix). I failed and faltered all year and I still get to end it thinking "wow, this was a really great year!"

So I didn't blaze new trails or change the world, but my world feels semi-settled and less chaotic. Faced with a new year just waiting to be filled with my successes and failures and everyday life I will stick to my game plan. I don't need resolutions to guide me. I don't want to place expectations on the unknown. I just want to freefall into it and savor each day. I want to wake up with the feeling of newness and possibility that I have on January 1 each and every day of 2007. So, here's a song to end my year. Happy 2007!!

Jasmine & Aunt Brina

My niece Jasmine!! I can't believe she's already 8 months old!! Scott took this pic with his cell phone so it's not too clear, but she's still adorable!! 

It's Been Awhile!!

Shane: "Mom, come here. I have a surprise for you."
Me: "What is it?"
Shane: "It's a surprise."
Me: "Do you need help? Remember to wash your hands". (hey, when Shane has a surprise, it usually gets flushed... I know...eww gross)
Shane: "No, Mom. Here. I got you the little one, like me." And with a flourish he pulls out a little dandelion with almost no stem from behind his back. Wow. I am so loved!! All I could think was that one day I hope he treats his girlfriends and [much, much} later, his wife, with the same love and respect that he shows me. And then, of course, I hugged him tight, sent him back out to play, and cried for a good 10 minutes.

I read a quote on BabyCenter and I just had to post it. It was on a list of "30 Things That Change When You Have a Baby"......."You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late." Every day that I work ( I know, that's only about 5 or so days a month) and every day that I go to school (now only 2 days a week) I drop my boys off at Grandma's and shrug as they run for the livingroom to change the television to Nickelodeon or Disney. But always before I walk out the door (the storefront door has a chime that rings in the back so they know when I open it) they come running up to the front of my Grandma's store yelling for "please just one more hug." No job is worth missing out on those few extra kisses...I'm late every day because that one more kiss and hug turned into 5 or 10 kisses and hugs!!

Those kisses and hugs are one of the things I have been so thankful for as I've reflected on all the blessings in my life during this past week. A few other things I am thankful for include:

I'm thankful that, although Schylar just turned a very mature eight and is halfway to boys and bad taste in clothes, she still occasionally, albeit rarely, wants to snuggle up and fall asleep rubbing my ears. After months of encouraging her to break that nighttime habit that had begun when she was only a few months old, now I wish I had never once removed her sweet chubby little 3-year-old hands!!

I'm thankful that Sydney is just like me. I never liked much about myself until I saw me reflected in her. Not just the outer package, her personality is exactly like mine and I've discovered that the spirit and laughter and determination (my mil calls it stubborness) we share are gifts! She is amazing, beautiful, and quite unique!!

I'm thankful that I had the boys. If I had stopped with just two children I would never have been able to see the world through the amazing minds of Seth and Shane. I would have missed so much! Sometimes fun really can be measured by the amount of dirt in the bathwater!!

I'm thankful that my children have such a wonderful father. My husband is the best dad I've ever seen. I see my kids growing up secure and confident and I know that it's because Scott and I make sure they know they are the priorities in our lives.

I'm thankful that somehow I have been blessed with thoughtful children. Maybe it's how they've been raised but I don't feel like I should get the credit.

I'm thankful that my kids think I'm cool. I know it won't last, but for now there's nobody cooler than me. I'm even a favorite partner on the trampoline and they all want to fall asleep on or near me!

And finally, I'm thankful for the insistent toes that wiggle beneath the waistband of my pjs and dig into my stomach and the restless fingers that hold tight to my tank top making sure that I don't sleep too far away because one day far too soon he won't want to snuggle Mom all night and I'll miss it.

This isn't an exhaustive list, just the ones I've pondered this week. I have so much more to be thankful for!!

Weekend Update

Well, so far my weekend has been just peachy. Friday night, instead of watching football, I spent a couple of hours at the ER with Schylar. Diagnosis: broken right wrist. I have been suffering major guilt because I thought she was just whining (she never cried) and didn't take her to the dr. until 3 or 4 hours after she fell. It took a few hours before the swelling started. She was such a trooper. I know the x-rays were hurting her but she never cried or complained. Anyways, now we have a temporary splint and she'll get a cast later in the week. Today I have just felt icky all day. Maybe it's because I slept on the couch to be closer to Schy (she is camped out in Daddy's chair because she can't climb one-handed onto her top bunk). I think all of us are just worn out. Everybody's cranky at my house!!

Football update: MG is one game away from Sectionals!!

Haunted

Hey, I don't have time to post much about it, but I went to my very first Haunted House (amusement-type) Friday night with a couple of friends. I had so much fun!! Okay, I didn't actually open my eyes until I had pushed Kristin through all of the really scary parts. And I used my cell as a flashlight in the completely dark maze. And I screamed more than the kids in front of us. And I had to run through part of it with my shoe untied because I was afraid if I stopped to tie it the actors would separate me from my group. I am such a chicken!!

I Quit!!

I'm a quitter. I already knew that, but you might not have. I dropped one of my classes today. I haven't learned anything in it, and the instructor is so hateful. I'll deal with her next semester when I'm not quite so overwhelmed. To make my life even easier....My weekend classes are finally over!!! So now my life will be a little more normal. I get to go to football games and spend Saturdays playing with my kiddos and I won't be spending all day Sunday skipping church to do homework!!

Jenn: I'm leaving for Springfield sometime tomorrow afternoon, do you need anything dropped off or picked up?

Jessica: I miss your posts!!! I hope this is just a temporary lapse caused by the extreme fatigue of early pregnancy...You're almost halfway, it's time to wake up!! Also, thank Dan for stopping by tonight!

Me & Syd 

Dad took the munchkins to the Pumpkin Patch! 

Shane & Zoe!! 

Starbucks, i need you now!!

I can't believe it's almost 3 am and I'm taking a break. I have been working for hours on homework that I should have done weeks ago. This is what I get for putting it off until the last minute. I usually spend Sunday doing homework, but I went shopping in West Plains instead. Currently, I'm trying to put together a creative leaf journal. I stopped worrying about cutting my lines straight a couple of hours ago and I have rubber cement all over my hands, my pjs, and my floor. I'm hoping that I have the right leaves with the right descriptions. I just want to pass this class!