2012...

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.- ferris bueller

wow, i can't believe it's 2012 already. or that it's january 4th already (happy bday shoney, a few more hours for christopher to share your bday!!!)! and, as i look at my kids, that i have a 4 1/2 year old and a 2 1/2 year old. and that in hours/days/hopefully not weeks, i will be the mother of three kids. (you should see my slightly panicked face!!) (also, can't believe that wvu is winning 70-26... highest scoring bowl game in HISTORY!- guess who left the tv on when he went to put the kids in bed!!)

for some reason, i can't upload pics again (and this is NOT my laziness this time!!). sorry! so, you get to hear my thoughts. i told you a few weeks ago that i wanted to be intentional. (aaaand, i am 4 days late in "starting"!!)

intentional- done on purpose, deliberate.

i feel like that is the opposite of my life recently. (yes, i could argue that i am nine months pregnant... every move is deliberate! and i am tired. but that's just an excuse. there's always one!) i want to be deliberate. in raising my kids. in instilling Biblical values in them. in memorizing Bible verses with them. in loving my husband. in showing him that... cleaning the house, having dinner planned AND ready for him. laundry done and put away. things that show love to him! (it would be so much easier if he was a "gifts" guy!) (also having problems creating a link. is it me today? the link is www.5lovelanguages.com if you want more info!) i want to be intentional about WHAT we eat, how and when i work out, losing weight again after the baby, spending quiet, personal time with God. in my friendships. keeping in touch, writing letters, emails, phone calls. reaching out to those who need it and not getting lost in my bubble. doing the things i pin on my interest board.

that girl i am describing sounds pretty perfect! i am thankful that i live under grace! we aren't guaranteed tomorrow. i want today to be worth it!

so, i sit here, with yet ANOTHER calendar/day planner (because as cool as technology is, i NEED to be able to cross something off!!), to organize my life. to attempt to start the year off well. i was wonderfully reminded this morning at MOPS, how important self-control is. some of the things mentioned in the devotional were responses to kids (i had already apologized like 3 times on the way to MOPS for my bad attitude with my kids. it's not THEIR fault i stayed up until 12:30 sewing!!!), planning meals, etc. wonderful how God works like that. (and thankful that i had already apologized to my kids!!!)

on the plus side... i totally forgot what time mops started, so i showed up 30 minutes early!!! it was so nice! and then, we had lunch with daddy, hit up the groc (in the spirit of being intentional, since there was NO food left in our house...) and then napped! dinner was ready to go in the oven when daddy got home, and we got to play as a family outside. it was a good day. so was yesterday. both my kids are being super snuggly, always wanting to cuddle. maybe it's a sign that they get what's coming, and i am taking advantage of their extra love!

nora is SO GROWN UP! the other day at the beach, i asked her to stop growing. she told me, "i have to grow to be healthy. and want to have a baby, so i have to get married, and i have to grow up to do that!" good rationale. also, we were at hanauma bay, a nature preserve. you have to watch a video about how it's illegal to touch the sea turtles, and you shouldn't touch fish/coral, etc. you are also not allowed to take rocks, shells, etc. she loves bringing rocks home, and i told her we couldn't, cause we would get thrown in jail. didn't think much of it. she played with them there, and had no problem.

well, she went in the water on uncle andrew's back and got to see fish and coral. she kept telling me how she "smidge almost touched" the coral so she asked uncle andrew to move. it took several days to realize she had taken it all to heart and thought she would get thrown in jail just for touching!! oh, i felt so bad... and reassured her that it was just to not make them sick/hurt the reef. not jail! but she could quote the movie. it's AMAZING the things that kid picks up on!

james is talking all the time, and his little 2 1/2 year old voice is so sweet. he, too, is seeming so big to me! i can't believe my kids. he got a new bike helmet and tried riding his tricycle tonight for the first time. (again, aforementioned pics not uploading) so thankful for this time. so thankful for the 2 weeks of family, and the 2 weeks of david's leave. it was such a special time.


alright... that's all i got for tonight. hopefully pics (or a baby) tomorrow!!!