Goals - January Update & February To-Do's

Can you believe January is already over? Me neither. I've had a great and productive month here. I've tackled almost everything on my To Do list that I posted here with the exception of a few things out of my control ( i.e. haven't done my taxes because we annoyingly don't have all of our paperwork yet; spring sports sign up isn't available yet; don't know if the kids' school is even doing Valentine parties, etc.) I have a project that I'm in the middle of for Carter's baptism but I'm planning on wrapping it up this week. Everything else is DONE! Additionally, I've done a bunch of crafting, dejunking/deep cleaning, read 5 books and stayed busy with a million other little things.

I'm calling January, my month of PREPARE, a success!

On to February. I've chosen the word NURTURE as my word of the month. So appropriate as it is the month of having a new baby AND Valentines day. I'm not making any huge promises about what I'm going to accomplish this month though. We will have out-of-town guests for much of the month which I am so happy about.

To Do in February:

• Read parenting book "Why Gender Matters"
• Read parenting book "The Heart of Parenting: Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child"
• Spend 15 minutes of QUALITY alone time with each of my kids every day
• Do something special for Allen
• Research the topics of Love, Nurturing and Parenting in the Ensign (I already have found a few great articles that I will post links to at the end of the month)

I am being induced one week from today and CANNOT wait to have this little girl here!

8 is GREAT

Seriously, where does time go? Carter turned 8 this past Saturday and I can hardly believe we have a child who is on the cusp of being baptized. The night before his birthday, we could not get him to go to sleep. I checked on him at about 11 p.m. and he said, "mom, I'm just so excited I don't think I can fall asleep." It was adorable. He did finally go to sleep but was up and ready to open presents at 5 a.m. We made him go back to bed until 7!

Before opening presents:

With his gifts:He got: Scout shirt/neckerchief/book from Allen's mom, new scriptures from G&G Baldwin, Scripture case/markers, hymn book, book about the Holy Ghost, new suit, HP Lego Burrow and HP Lego Wii game from mom and dad. He was absolutely thrilled about his scriptures and scouting stuff. We find him reading his Wolf book almost every night before bed.

After opening presents, we headed off to breakfast at IHOP. Carter LOVES breakfast so his one wish was to go somewhere for breakfast on his birthday.

He ate: 3 pancakes, 3 pieces of sausage, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, hot chocolate and an ice cream sundae. He was thrilled to pieces when they brought out his icecream - nothing like dessert at 9 a.m!

Carter requested to go to Hoots (kind of like pump it up) for his birthday activity but they were booked for private parties for the day. I promised to take them on their next Friday off since we couldn't go that day. Carter decided to go ice skating for his activity that day. Makenna forgot her coat so we had to play musical coats that day but the kids had a great time. Allen was a total trooper and handled all the kiddos since I wasn't about to get on a pair of skates! The girls did great on their own too.

For dinner Carter requested broccoli chicken casserole, fruit salad and chocolate eclair cake

There are so many things to say about Carter and his personality. He is turning out to be such an interesting little person. A few things about Carter at 8

• Insatiable curiosity about just about everything. His interests are wide and varied


• Very competitive - he likes to win at everything and struggles when things don't go his way


• Driven/ambitious - Carter is unafraid to try new things. He believes he can do anything and I think this will take him a long way in life


• Lego obsessed - still his main love and where he spends much of his free time


• Great big brother - he sure likes to tease his sisters but he is the first to defend them when the need arises or be concerned about them if something is wrong


• Teases just like his dad


• Loves his nightly wrestling time with Allen and his nightly reading time


• Rule follower - Carter likes to make sure he is doing things right and is quick to put others in line when they aren't following the rules precisely


• Spiritual - Carter is quick to remove himself from a situation and go into his room to pray. He is quick to show concern for other people and offer up prayers for them too


• Athletic - one of his favorite things is playing football with Allen. They work on passing and plays for a couple hours every weekend. He is dad's buddy when it comes to watching sports too
• Sensitive Soul - Carter is very sensitive to the spirit and to the needs of those around him. Just this week he tried to give his lunch to a homeless man on the side of the street on his way to school.

What he is into right now: Harry Potter (!!!), Legos, playing Wii, playing football, coin collecting - especially foreign money and state quarters, trying to rope us into taking him on exotic vacations, the human body/functionality - makes for some interesting discussions, listening to his iPod (especially Micheal Jackson), making flip books, complaining about homework and piano practicing, playing with friends, reading his new scriptures, obsessing about how soon he can become an Eagle scout, riding bikes and needing very little sleep.

We feel very blessed to be Carter's parents. He was the easiest, most mellow baby and has turned into a very non-mellow child. We are grateful for his boundless energy, inquisitive mind and kind heart. Being parents of older children is sometimes a struggle as we learn and grow with them but we are so grateful for this boy in our lives and that we have been given the sacred responsibility to be his parents!

2010 in Review

Yep, I'm still catching up on last year. I'm hoping to be done with the blog updates this week. I've been doing this same blog review for the past 4 years. It's fun to go back and reread the recaps of previous years! I think I'm a bit redundant with some of my answers but that's just how it goes in years like this one!

What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before? Went on a cruise with Allen!

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I made A LOT of resolutions and only kept one – to complete project 365 for the year. My blog is up to date and I have finished and ordered my book! YIPPEEE. It’s another resolution for this year and something I think I’ll do every year for the foreseeable future. --------> check it out over there

Did anyone close to you give birth? A few friends, one SIL

Did anyone close to you die? No

What countries did you visit? Haiti

What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? It’s an obvious answer – prebaby body. Owning my own home again.

What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? All things baby related. Deciding to go for #4, getting that big fat positive (BFP) test, finding out she is a she, breaking poor Carter’s heart, being content that this is our forever family.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Coming to terms with having a 4th baby

What was your biggest failure? I’ve been working hard on developing more patience with my kids. It’s an ebb and flow thing for me – sometimes I’m really good and sometimes I struggle. I am improving though so I guess I wouldn’t call it a failure – maybe more of a work in progress!

Did you suffer illness or injury?! Nope –knock on wood!

What was the best thing you bought? Vacations, of course!

Where did most of your money go? Travel

What did you get really, really, really excited about? 10 year anniversary cruise

What song will always remind you of 2010? Taio Cruz – Dynamite (only because my kids listen to it non stop if I let them)

What do you wish you'd done more of? It’s hard to say – I spent a lot of 2010 in survival mode due to a difficult pregnancy. I feel like I’ve done pretty good about staying on top of the things most important to me – family and home. I do wish I had studied the scriptures more seriously though.

What do you wish you'd done less of? Whine about being pregnant

How did you spend Christmas? In Arizona with Allen’s family.

Did you fall in love in 2010? Of course, every day!

What was your favorite TV program? LOST, Modern Family


What was the best book you read this year? Molokai, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Book Thief, Sarah’s Key

What did you want and get? A healthy baby, new dining room set

What were your favorite films of this year? Harry Potter 7, Tangled, Inception

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Unpacked from Thanksgiving, got spoiled by my family and went to dinner. I am 35.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Spending more time with my extended family

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? Am I REALLY wearing maternity clothes again?!?

What kept you sane? Naptime, my nightly dose of Benadryl to help me sleep (see a pattern here?), the hubs, a couple close friends

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? The Chilean Miners, Elizabeth Smart

What political issue stirred you the most? Uhhh… I’m getting increasingly apathetic to politics. I guess I’d say energy policy reform.

Who did you miss? My sisters, mom, Mindy

Who was the best new person (people) you met? Some new, fun friends in my ward!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. Don’t ever give a two year old free reign with the glitter.

What are you most excited for in 2011? BABY! Vacationing (of course), the possibility of a more permanent situation for us

What are you least excited for in 2011? Childbirth/recovery/weight loss – UGH.

Welcome 2011!

Whew! It feels like forever since I posted on this blog. The week after Christmas we were busy playing, playing, playing and ended up having Allen home quite a bit during the week (hooray!). We also spent time getting Christmas down and the house deep cleaned (yay!). This week I've been knocking things off my LONG and much neglected TO DO list. It's going to be a busy few weeks as we get ready to have this baby!!

I have been thinking a lot about what kind of year I'd like 2011 to be. I am trying to be realistic about my expectations for what I can accomplish this year. I will be returning to the newborn/baby stage and adjusting to having FOUR children. Add to that the fact that we are approaching the 2 year mark here in ABQ, which seems to be the magic formula for a career/location change in our lives (no, nothing in the works at this point, I promise). As I reviewed my 2010 goals last week, I realized that I had accomplished almost nothing on my list. It was a bit (ok, a lot) disheartening but then I remembered that I wasn't planning on moving or getting pregnant in 2010 when I set those goals. I'm trying to cut myself some slack.

I've decided that for 2011 I'd like to focus on ONE word/goal per month. I think this is a more realistic approach for me this year. So for January, my word/goal is PREPARE. I have plenty of preparation to do to be ready for baby girl arriving the first week of February.

Included on my To Do list this month:

• Go to Optometrist/Get new contacts - DONE
• Go to Dermatologist
• Take Carter to Orthodontist consultation - DONE
• Finish preparing for all the kids' birthdays - DONE
• Prepare 2010 Taxes
• Finish Project 365 book/blog updates - DONE!!!!!!!
• Wash all newborn clothes - DONE
• Paint baby's dresser - DONE
• Check 3T bins to see what needs to be purchased for summer for Addie - DONE
• Make at least 10 more freezer meals - DONE
• Organize/File all 2010 paperwork - DONE
• Get kids signed up for spring sports
• Make big kids Valentines
• Get this blog updated
• Finish preparing for Carter's baptism - DONE

I'm basically trying to do anything that will simplify my life for the next couple months while I nurse round-the-clock and adjust to our new reality.

I've already chosen NURTURE as my word/goal for February. I have a couple of parenting books that I'm planning to read (lots of time to read while I nurse!) and I will make a few more goals as we get closer.

As crazy as I'm expecting 2011 to be, I'm really excited for the possibilities that are ahead for us this year!

What I read in 2010

I really like keeping track of what I read during the year. I can't manage to keep up on Goodreads, which all my reader friends give me flack about. Sorry, it's just not a priority for me. Anyway, this is what I've read this year but I think I might be missing a couple of books from my list. I would consider this a light reading year for me. I typically average a book a week but this pregnancy has kicked my rear and I've been way more tired than ever before. I often only get a few pages read at night before I fall asleep. The bolded books are my ward's bookclub selections. My favorite books this year have * by them.

Firefly Lane*
Catching Fire
Bitter is the New Black
Molokai*
White Queen
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Cane River (again)
Rhett Butler's People
Same Kind of Different as Me
My Life in France (Julia Child Autobiography)
Ender's Game
True Colors
Sarah's Key*
Sarah
Rebekah
The Diary of Mattie Spenser*
The Scarlett Pimpernel
Fablehaven
Fablehaven book 2 - Rise of the evening star
Fablehaven book 3 - Grip of the Shadow Plague
Fablehaven book 4 - Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary
Fablehaven book 5 - Keys to the Demon Prison
Olive Kitteridge
Tallgrass
North and South
The Count of Monte Cristo*
The Prize winner of Defiance, Ohio
The Happiness Project
Mockingjay
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
A Reliable Wife
A Woman of Independent Means
The Historian
Charlotte Gray
The Cellist of Sarajevo
Into the Wild
The Shipping News
The Life of Our Lord
The Book Thief*
The Road
Gringo Nightmare

Christmas in Arizona

We were able to spend a few days in Arizona at the ranch over Christmas this year. It was a quick trip because this is Allen's busiest time of year at work as he closes the fiscal year. We left Thursday after work and he had to be back yesterday. After traveling for the past two years at both Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have sworn off traveling for the holidays for awhile.

Christmas Eve

We chopped down our own tree on the ranch and then decorated it. It was a cute, scraggly little thing but it smelled delicious!

Studly:

The kids also went 4 wheeling, we had a YUMMY Asian dinner and then acted out the Nativity and had dessert.

The holy family:

Shepherds, wisemen, angel & holy family:

Addie lying in the manger:

Christmas Morning

Carter was up by 7:30 and we waited until almost 8 and then woke the girls up. They were SO excited for Christmas but we convinced them to pose for a couple of pictures before the excitement began!

Carter - favorite gift was Hogwarts Castle but he was thrilled with his iPod as well!Makenna - over the moon with her new camera and had it in every one's face for the rest of the weekend. She also loved her AG stuff and has spent a surprising amount of time playing with her Tag reader.Addie - would have been happy with just her Disney princess Barbies. She is hugging Cinderella and Jasmine in this picture. She is in loooooove. She has also had a lot of fun with her new stroller.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, playing, talking with extended family, eating yummy food, visiting Allen's dad's grave, 4 wheeler riding, more eating, etc.

We were able to go to church on Sunday and then Allen's mom hosted an open house for Jake and Erica (the newlyweds) that we were able to stay for most of. We headed home in the late afternoon and were home by bedtime. We were so happy to spend Christmas with some extended family and missed those we weren't able to be with. We had a truly joyous Christmas season this year and are ever grateful for the Savior's birth and mission on earth.

Christmas Advent: Days 11-22

December 11 - Decorate Gingerbread house

We always use a premade kit but we added a ton of our leftover Halloween candy for more embellishment. We think this is our best house yet!

December 12 - Watch The Nativty Story movie

December 13 - Make cards for your school teachers

December 14 - Go out to dinner and shopping for gifts for your siblings

We didn't take a picture on this day but the kids opened their gifts from each other on Christmas Eve this year. Carter got a Harry Potter Lego set, Makenna got a lip gloss set and Addie got a Rapunzel doll.

December 15 - Write a letter Santa Claus

Carter asked for Super Mario Bros Wii game, Hogwarts Castle and an iPod. Makenna asked for a real puppy, spy goggles and American Girl baking center. Unfortunately for Kenna, there was no puppy this year but she did get everything else she asked for. Addie just wanted Princess Barbies, which she also got!

December 16 - Wrap teacher gifts

December 17 - Watch Santa Paws with your friends (default since we hosted a couples only Christmas party this night and the kids were babysat at a friends house!)

December 18 - Make a homemade ornament

I let the kids pick out their ribbons, I did most of the sewing, they stuffed their trees themselves and I helped the older kids embroider their names and year on the back. We also made a 2nd ornament of their handprints on large balls that we turned into snowmen. Adorable!

December 19 - Make cookies for neighbors

December 20 - Deliver Neighbor Gifts

December 21 - Have Snowman Day - make snowman pancakes and cookies

December 22 - Go see a movie with mom - we saw Despicable Me AGAIN at the dollar theater. The kids LOVE that movie (good thing we purchased it for Christmas)

Family Pictures 2010

I was thrilled to see our family pictures this year. Since I have yet to allow myself to be photographed while seriously pregnant, I decided to keep the tradition alive this pregnancy too. We decided to just have the kids' pictures taken. The gal who did them did a great job and I love that she captured the kids personalities so well. Here's a sampling (seriously) of what we ended up with. I'm already formulating my plan for next year for family pictures of the SIX of us!!


{Singing the Star Spangled Banner - which they do LOUDLY every night too!}

I've said it before but I truly believe that professional family photos is one of the best investments you can make! Digital photography has made professional photos SO affordable to almost anyone! Make sure you get your family pics done on a regular basis. I don't think anyone ever regrets having great pics of their loved ones!

Christmas Advent: Days 1-10

My kids are crazy about our Christmas Advent tradition. We do a holiday themed activity every night from December 1-24. I have simplified things quite a bit as the kids have gotten older and are more busy with school and extra curricular activities (I don't do nearly as many crafts as I used to) but they look forward to opening the day's event all month long.

December 1 - Open new Christmas Jammies

The tradition in my family is to open new PJs on Christmas eve but I changed this a couple years ago so my kids can wear their new jammies all month long. This was Addie's first nightgown ever and she is in absolute heaven. In fact, she didn't take it off for about the first three days she had it.

December 2 - Trim the Tree

We decorated our small tree that includes all the ornaments that we buy each year for each of the kids, an ornament representing our family/couple trips, etc. It's a total mishmash and I LOVE it - so nostalgic for us to pull them out every year and remember what the ornaments represent for our family and each person.

December 3 - Attend the Ward Christmas Party

Apparently Carter was too busy hanging with his friends to visit Santa this year. (Sigh. Why do they have to grow up so darn fast?!)

December 4- Make Peppermint Candy Cane Cookies

Recipe straight from Family Fun Magazine

December 5 - Watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional

December 6 - Drive around and look at Christmas lights/Make Peppermint Chocolate-Chip MilkshakesDecember 7 - Watch a Christmas special and have popcorn (aka Dad is at YMs and mom has had a busy day)

December 8 - Make Grandma B's eggnog and talk about family traditions

December 9- Watch a Christmas movie with just the tree lights on (aka mom has been up all night with the stomach flu and still feels sick)

December 10- Visit Santa and have your picture taken

We have a few other traditions we do during the month of December that the kids love. I always buy each of them an inexpensive chocolate advent calendar that they are able to eat each day during the month. They also love our tradition of opening up a Christmas book (or 2) each night and reading them together. I keep our Christmas books separated out and only pull them out for the month of December. Last year I started the tradition of wrapping them up for the kids to open each night.

(Our pile of Christmas books)

We have also really enjoyed this Scripture Ornaments activity in the Friend this year:

http://lds.org/friend/2010/12/scripture-ornaments?lang=eng