2012: What A Year

What a year it has been.  I was sitting feeding Jack a few days ago and started thinking about this year and all of the blessings it has brought.  Obviously, the big event this year was adding Jack to the family.  What a sweet, happy, snuggly baby he is!  We are so lucky and he is a blessing indeed.  We have enjoyed having Brad off work a lot - between paternity leave and his normal time off, he's had over 2 months off this year!  And we've had the chance to do some traveling too - we went to the beach in April, and then we went to the beach again (and to visit friends) in late September/early October.  Not too shabby considering there was a new addition in June!  And while I was lucky enough to work from home and do exactly what I wanted, I made the decision to stay at home with the kids.  While it has been a little bit of a transition, I know I am so lucky to be here with the kiddos every day.  Katie goes to school 3 days a week, so it does give me time with just Jack and to get things done or run errands.  It is perfect!  We have spent a lot of time with family and friends this year - that never gets old!  And we have a nice home, food on the table, clothes to keep us warm...life is good.  And we are blessed.  When I sit and reflect on our year, it is overwhelming.

And in a year's time, it is amazing to see how kiddos change.  Wow.  I put these little collages together to compare how much the kids have changed this year!  

This is Katie right after midnight last New Years (and no, we will not be keeping her up til midnight tonight! haha)...and then a picture of her yesterday.  I cannot get over how much more grown up she looks!  She still had a "toddler look" at the beginning of the year.  And now?  Well, she is a little girl.  And I use the word "little" loosely...she wears a size 5T clothes and size 11 shoes!!!  Potty training was perfect earlier in the year...and she learned how to swim (and jump off the diving board)!

And Jack - needless to say, he has grown a lot this year too! :)  This first picture was from the big 20 week ultrasound in February.  And then his birth day in June...and on Christmas!  What a cutie pie!  My wish is that he is always such a happy, smiley little guy.

And I was looking back at the goals that I had set for this year.  You can find those {here}.  I thought I'd do a little recap of those goals to wind down 2012, so here we go!

1) Blog every day.

I did a good job with this up until September.  And then I slipped some.  I'd say 317 blog posts in a year isn't too shabby though!  Blogging every day does make it easier to keep up with things though - when I wasn't blogging every day, I found that I got behind quickly!

2) Read more.

Yes!  I read 14 books this year.  And 6 of those books were from two different trilogies - the Hunger Games series and the 50 Shades of Grey series.  Right now I am reading Gone Girl.  

3) Read the Bible every day.

I didn't do so well with this.  This is definitely one that will carry on to 2013!

4) Find a Sunday school class.

This didn't happen either.  I was so uncomfortable towards the end of pregnancy - I think I went to church once between Easter and when Jack was born.  And then we have gone as a family of 4 one time since he was born.  This is definitely still something I want to do (and have talked a lot about lately)!

5) Stay in shape (or get back into shape).

I can say that this has gone well!  It hasn't been easy - that's for sure.  But I have lost 25 pounds since the end of August.  I use the MyFitnessPal app on my phone to track calories - and it really works for me!  I was back to pre-pregnancy weight when Jack was 4 months old.  I would like to lose about 15-20 more pounds and tone up in the new year.

6) Be crafty.

I have done fairly well with this.  It helps that I did some projects for Jack's nursery.  And of course around the holidays I am always inspired to do fun projects!
7) Save money at the grocery store.

I've got to do better...even it is just using coupons for the items I need (as opposed to couponing based on sales and such). 

8) Simplify and organize.

It seems that the minute I get organized, more stuff comes in the house.  I just did a big dropoff at Goodwill.  And I am more than ready to undecorate from Christmas.  I think once that happens, I will be able to tackle some areas of the house that most definitely need attention!

9) Send family and close friends a birthday card in the mail.

I did well at the beginning of the year and then started slacking.  I still hope to do better with this!

10) Be a better wife and momma.

There is always room for improvement in this category.  I want to make sure they know how much I love them - and I need to do a better job of saying that, showing that, etc.  And I need to make sure I don't take Brad for granted..he is such a great daddy and husband and provider for us!  And these kids...there are no words.  I love them to pieces (even if Jack wakes up 4 times in a night or Katie is sassy and not listening)!

Well, I think that is about it for 2012.  I cannot wait to see what 2013 has in store for us!  Happy New Year's Eve!  Cheers!