Hallelujah 2020 is over!! The year ended bright for us thankfully. I know how fortunate I am to be able to say that, I know many can't say the same. I'm praying that 2021 is a better year overall for... well, the world really. I know just turning over a number on the calendar won't magically make everything better. But I love that a new year feels like a chance for a fresh start! We need to do as much as we can to help 2021 be a better year. We really need to bring it back to loving others better in my opinion. I know it's hard when we have different opinions, but why can't we just listen for once instead of trying to make ourselves heard? What happened to Slow to speak but quick to listen? Slow to anger?? It's all gone out the window and for what? Just to hear someone say we are right? And even when we have listened and we still disagree can we not still be friends? We can be! Let's not let the current hot topic divide us!. Some have told me the way I react to things is "whatever" like I'm not passionate about anything. I guess it's true that on most hot button issues that come up I do end up in the middle most of the time. That's mostly because I can see that both sides have good points and bad points. I try not to put myself on a side that divides me from half of the country. Where is my witness then? Here's the thing, I am passionate about the things that matter the most. For example, treating people well, with kindness and respect no matter what political party they align themselves with or what background they come from. Sharing God's love and how much he has done for me is something I do whenever I have a chance. I'm not perfect though, I do get frustrated when someone can't see my point of view. I get it. It's not easy. The easy thing is to stop listening, to "hide" them, to surround yourself only with people who think just like you. But God doesn't call us to easy! He's calls us to the best! And I've found in my life that the best doesn't come easy. In fact it's down right hard. Let's not shy away from the hard things! I really believe that so many problems in the world could be solved with having the hard conversations and actually communicating and not just talking AT each other. Apparently I could write on this for a long time. But I'll stop here and move on with my New Year post. Please, if you are a Christian pursue the fruits of the spirit and examine your life to see if you are in line with them in this coming year.
 |
| Peace Y'all! |
Ok! Let me take a moment to do a quick update on what's been going on with us! Like my equivalent of a short Christmas card letter. We'll go oldest to youngest!
That means I'm first. ;) I'm very happy to be working for one of my favorite bosses again. I am handling banking and other various accounting tasks for an oil and gas company called Sequitur. I've been back to work for just about a month now. It feels good. I'm finding a better routine now that the holidays are over as well. I keep very busy keeping up with 4 kids 6 and under, homeschooling, staying involved with the Heart Homeschool group and leading park days. When I get time to myself I enjoy writing in my blog, taking and looking back at pictures of my family, watching movies and playing a few video games.
Sam stays very busy at work for Xerox. He is the Shop manager and he works over often and commutes an hour away. We are so proud of the hard work he does for us so I can stay home with the kids. When he has some rare free time he enjoys playing video games, listening to all kinds of music, old/new and from every genre, watching anime or movies and recently he is casually collecting football/baseball cards.
Jane is 6 1/2 and in 1st grade and she makes sure I know she does not enjoy school. Unless it's history or something to do with the human body. She asks to do those subjects in her free time. She does well in Math but complains about it. Her handwriting is improving but it's still a chore for her. Reading is the biggest struggle at this point. I'm starting to see the light blubs slowly coming on though! It's exciting. Her favorite thing to do is imagine and play games with her siblings and friends. Jane continues to love everything girly, pink, princesses, mermaids and fashion. She recently switched to a relaxed home school gymnastics class with her good friends and she's loving it. She goes twice a week for the same price. Jane's memory is very impressive. She can remember details back when she was 2 sometimes. It blows my mind. She very proud of losing 4 teeth so far.
Atlas is turning 5 next month and in preschool. He doesn't mind doing school. He seems sort of indifferent about it. He is catching on fast! We only do 15-30 minutes of school a day and very relaxed. He can already count to 100, knows all of the letter sounds and about 10 sight words and can read a couple of easy bob books. I haven't even started on handwriting yet. Recently he lost all his toddler look and is starting to looking like a big kid to me! He started gymnastics and enjoys it but doesn't show the passion for it that Jane did. He is very passionate about video games and seems gifted at it. He can complete Mario Odyssey on normal mode on his own. He does jumps in that game I can't do! (and Mario is my jam) I just have to make sure he balances video games with enjoying other things in life.
Xan is 2 1/2 years old and enjoys school! I wasn't even planning to do anything with her this year but she asks for her turn. So we are practicing letter sounds and reviewing colors. Animals are her favorite, especially alligators, frogs, turtles, dinosaurs and dragons. She is happiest as long as she's involved with whatever everyone else is doing. She loves that she is old enough to run around with the big kids most of the time now. She does open gym and adores it!! She may end up having more of passion for it than Jane did. She's sooo flexible and chooses to sit in a split position often. Her favorite thing is to jump up and down. She's such a bouncy kid! She makes immediate friends everywhere she goes. She says "I want to hold you" all day long. Cuddles never stop with her. I love it.
Flynn just turned 1 last month! Obviously he isn't doing any school yet but he tries to get in the middle of it whenever possible. He is a busy boy. Potentially my busiest baby yet. He is a super climber! Always climbing things I don't expect him to. He was a fussy newborn but once he started crawling he became such a happy boy! I'm excited for him as he's beginning to walk. I think he'll be even happier once he has that skill down all the way! He spends the day happily exploring the house finding things to climb or chew on. He loves to throw and chase balls as well.
It's finally time for my 4 New Years questions! I love going through these each year and looking back at them at the end of the year. Click here for last year's post! Wow, reading through those were interesting, I had no idea what 2020 was going to bring. Something I said I was looking forward to in 2020 was being done with January 2020 Haha! (it was a busy month for accounting and Flynn was a fussy newborn) Little did I know the rest of 2020 was going to be a doozy. Lastly, my goals for 2020. I did indeed teach Jane to read. I made some progress with less time on my phone but still could have done better. I did get back to doing Bible study a few times a week. The most interesting thing to me is that I said I wanted to decrease the amount of work I had. I thought that meant dropping a client and inching closer to me not working at all. God had something totally different. I lost my job and realized that I do better overall with having work outside of the home to do. When I got my new job in December I was so much more grateful to have a job again and I no longer blame work for not getting things done. God gave me the gift of perspective in 2020, how ironic is that! Hindsight truly is 20/20.
1. What are you most grateful for in 2020?
My new job!! It was a stressful, weird time when I lost my job. God was faithful and took good care of us. I was soooo grateful when one of my favorite previous bosses contacted me about an opportunity. I was hired that same day! So amazing! I'm still overwhelmed with gratefulness.
Honorable mentions: That Sam was able to stay working the entire year. A generous Christmas bonus for Sam. ALL of the love and support from our wonderful friends and family.
2. What was your favorite moment of 2020?
For some reason there isn't just one moment this year that jumps out at me. Usually I have one. I mean I guess every year lately I've either had a baby or I've had a new niece or nephew born. Also I'm not shying away from the fact that it was a hard year...
Ok so first the first one that came to mind was a moment a few weeks after my grandfather had passed away. Jane came up to me right before bed time and gave me a huge tight hug like she never had before. I commented on what a great hug it was and she said, "It's a Papa hug!!" It made my heart swell that my grandfather's love will be remembered in her life. <3 He was known for giving great hugs and loving people so well.
Honorable mentions: (Hey I actually came up with a couple more!!) adding Milo to the family, making our own backyard waterslide, having a day trip to the beach with our friends after part of our family beach trip was cut short by a tropical storm.
3. What are you looking forward to in 2021?
Not being pregnant or nursing for the first time in 7+ years. I am so excited to enjoy the fun 1 year old months without feeling sick and so tired from being pregnant. I'm definitely looking forward to moving on from the little baby stage of life.
Honorable mention: Hopefully things getting back to normal! (no masks and social distancing and such.) I know a virus never completely goes away, but please, can we say goodbye to COVID halting life??
4. What goals do you hope to accomplish in 2021?
I've got a few! I'm trying to keep them realistic and know it's ok if I don't accomplish it all in one year.
1. Having more 1 on 1 time with the kids. Specifically, I would like to spend 30 minutes each day reading with my kids individually on a rotating basis, not including bedtime books. My hope is to instill a love for reading in them.
2. Losing the last 8 lbs of baby weight from Flynn.
3. Prioritizing my time better with less time spent on my phone.
4. Being on time to things on a more consistent basis again.
Goodbye 2020!!!!! (Thank the Lord!) Hello 2021! Happy New Year Everybody!
James 1:19-20
You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness of God.
1 Corinthians 13
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
