This is my first attempt at a Meme. What better occasion than to review 2006? Here goes....
1. What did you do in 2006 that you had never done before? I began my very own blog!
2.Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn't make any resolutions last year, so yes, I kept them all! I better keep my successes going and not make any resolutions for 2007!
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit? None this year. We hope to go back to Europe someday. (Yes, I know that's a continent and not a country.)
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? More peace in my heart and mind to know that God is in control.
7. What dates will remain etched in your memory and why? "Etched" in my memory...well, dates are not what stick in my brain anymore. Give me a phone number, however, and I'll remember it for years.
8. What's your biggest achievement of the year? I finished all Christmas shopping before December!!!
9. What was your biggest failure? Every time I yelled at my kids.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing more than the usual cold/allergies, thankfully.
11.What was the best thing you bought? My husband's guitar. He has spent countless hours playing it.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? When all three boys learned to climb into their car seats on their own. No more lifting for me!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted? My own...every time I lose my patience with my boys.
14. Where did most of your money go? Sadly, groceries.
15. What did you get really really excited about? Receiving the "Willow Tree" nativity scene from my mom. I've wanted it for years!
16. What song will always remind you of 2006? "Eight Days a Week" by The Beatles
17. Compared to this time last year are you? a)happier or sadder? Happier. b)fatter or thinner? Same. c) richer or poorer? Richer, in more ways than one.
18. What do you wish you had done more of? Relished every happy moment with my little boys. 19. What do you wish you had done less of? Lost my patience with my little boys.
20. How will you be spending New Year's Eve? We will probably eat a lot of junk food before healthy eating begins January 1. And then we'll fall asleep by 10 pm. I know it's not exciting! Would you rather I say that we're going to party all night, only to awaken in the new year with zero memory of our New Year's Eve?
21. Did you fall in love in 2006? Why, sure! I love 5 men more every day...my hubby, my 3 boys, and my dog.
22. What was your favorite TV program? LOST
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Gulp.
24. What was the best book you read? Oh boy, this is hard. I love to read fiction, but I don't keep a running list of what I've read. So, I can only remember authors that I enjoy. I've enjoyed Jodi Picoult and T. Davis Bunn this year.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I don't think I made any new discoveries in the music department this year.
26. What did you want and get? A CD player/radio to hang under my kitchen cabinets. I got it for Christmas from my mother-in-law.
27. What did you not want and not get? A toaster oven.
28. What was your favorite film this year? We don't see movies very often. You know, we have young kids. But we just saw Pursuit of Happyness with Will Smith this week, and it was very good.
29. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you? 31. Rick took me to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner!
30. What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying? Although I really have nothing to complain about in my life, I can think of a few things that could have made 2006 more satisfying...a swimming pool in my back yard, one more vacation, less family strife.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion in 2006? Long-sleeved T and jeans in the winter, tank top and shorts in the summer, capri pants and 3/4-length shirts in the in-between seasons.
32. What kept you sane? Email and blogs!
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I really don't waste my time on them.
34. What political issue stirred you the most? Saddam Hussein's trial and death. He was a very sick and evil man. I'm glad that he can't hurt anyone else; however, I do grieve for his lost soul.
35. Who did you miss? My Colorado friends, the Bergerons and the Hopkins.
36. Who was the best new person you met? The Martin family.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006. When life seems bleak, don't doubt that God can come through with miracles. During the summer, we were struggling so much financially that our groceries were going on the credit card. I became vey skeptical and depressed, but God opened a new opportunity for Rick's career. He loves his new job, and we are able to pay for groceries!
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "Don't worry. Be happy."
End of the Year Meme
All in A Day's Work
Who loves a day filled with accomplishment? I do, I do! Here is what I have done today:
- Exercised
- Bought groceries
- Taken down all Christmas decorations
- Rearranged both attic spaces
- Taken the boys on a walk
I wonder how many calories I burned with all of that activity? What we're having for dinner will probably counteract every bit of all that work...it's pizza night! I deserve it, right?! What did you do today?
From Pure Delight to Utter Let-Down
I mentioned yesterday how tired I am of the Christmas decorataions. Did I do anything about it today? Heck, no! I decided that the cash my father and husband gave me for Christmas were calling my name to a much sweeter tune, so I went shopping! And boy did I have fun! I was able to buy two complete outfits, and by "complete", I mean shoes and jewelry to match the ever-so-cute outfits.
I came home pumped. Rick, the sweet man that he is, asked to see my outfits as soon as I walked in the door. I quickly pulled everything out of the bag and explained my delight with two complete outfits. He could hear the excitement in my voice. He complimented each article appropriately with phrases such as, "I like those shoes." (Did I mention how sweet he is?! If your husband would merely grunt a monotone greeting to you when you walked in the door with two complete outfits, raise your hand!)
Then, I walked in here to the computer room to check on the blogging world, and the Christmas let-down hit me again. Not only do I see my Christmas tree and decorations piling up in the corner of this room, but then I see that Shannon has already put her decorations away in an organized manner. So, I must promise myself (and you) that I will put away all Christmas decorations tomorrow. Yes, I must. And then, we can move on to other more fun posts.
If you have already put away your decorations, please post a comment of encouragement to me!
The Let-Down
Christmas was wonderful! It was a fun time watching the boys' faces when they saw their bicycles for the first time! Oh the joy! And they had to sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus not once, not twice, but three times with candles lit on top of their cupcakes.
And now, it's the 27th, and the let-down has begun for me. The let-down involves many frustrations. They are as follows:
- The Christmas tree and decorations that were so pretty four weeks ago are getting on my last nerve. They. Must. Come. Down.
- The three pounds that I have put on in the last four days must also come down. But not until January 2nd.
- The children are high strung, as if it's still Christmas day. They must also come down, but it probably won't happen until their daddy goes back to work on January 2nd.
- The children's new toys still haven't found their permanent homes, and they're just further clutter that add to the frustration of #1. But I need to hit WalMart to find more containers for said toys, so it won't happen until January 2nd.
- Which set of grandparents and aunts/uncles thought it a good idea to stuff the children's stockings with candy? Get. This. Candy. Away. From. Me. But not until January 2nd, when I'll be truly serious about healthy eating.
But really, we had a wonderful Christmas! I'd love to show you pictures, but I can't seem to find where my husband dumped the December file on this computer. Yet another frustration.
Merry Christmas!
From our family to yours...Merry Christmas! Friday's Funnies
I promised you in the "Coming Soon" section of my sidebar that there would be Kid Funnies, and I am a woman of my word! In fact, every Friday will be a "Kids' Funnies" day. I am pulling today's comic relief from my "Funny Things Kids Say" journal, which I told you about here.
This one comes from Liam on November 22, 2005 regarding Santa:
Liam (2 1/2 at the time): Where is it?
Mommy: He's at the North Pole getting ready for Christmas. If you're a good boy, he'll bring you gifts for Christmas.
Liam: [quietly pondered that thought for a few seconds and then replied with] No thanks.
Well, that makes Christmas budgeting and shopping much easier, doesn't it?!
He Said, "I Love You!"
What a Beauty!
I'm like a kid. I see a new gift under the tree, and I assume it's mine! And I pick it up to shake it. Hmm? What could it be? A necklace?!
What has suddenly appeared under your tree?
Works For Me Wednesday: Kid Funnies
If you're like me, you feel like your kids are sucking every memory cell out of your brain. Why can't I remember the simplest of things anymore?! It's those kids! They consume so much of my time and energy, as they should, that my brain can't keep up with nearly as much data anymore. Like me, you probably want to remember every cute and funny thing they say, so that when they're 16 and driving you to question why you ever became a mother, then you have record of their once being oh-so-cute! But if I can't remember what I fed them for lunch yesterday, then I sure won't remember their cute three-year-old jokes, when I'm screaming at them to finish their homework at 16 years of age. This is my solution:
I keep this small notebook in a kitchen drawer. When my boys say something that I really want to remember tomorrow or ten years from now, I stop and make a quick note. Each entry begins with the date and the child's name. Then, I give a brief synopsis of the oh-so-cute moment.I enjoy looking back at the funny things my boys have said. This handy journal has brought me to laugh on the hardest of days, all because I made a quick note of it on the day it occurred.
For other helpful tips, hop on over to Shannon's place. Ya'll, she's the blogging queen, as far as I'm concerned!
Tell Me About Your Day
I recently read about a clever bedtime tradition here. In addition to bedtime prayers, Katherine asks each one of her kids to tell her about their day. Although I've never met Katherine, I keep up with her blog and thought that this was a great idea. I told my hubby about it, and he enthusiastically agreed. We began the "Tell Me About Your Day" tradition right away, and we've come to really enjoy it.
So here is a reenactment of last night. The boys have put away their toys, and each is clad in pajamas and freshly brushed teeth. Daddy and I call them to come sit with us. We sit in a circle with Garrett in my lap, Jack in Daddy's lap, and Liam between us.
Mommy: Liam, tell us about your day.
Liam (3 1/2 years): We went to the library and got some new books. And we ate chicken nuggets for lunch. And we played outside!
Daddy: Cool.
Mommy: Garrett, tell me about your day.
Garrett (22 mos.): Library. Play outside. Play Aggie bat.
Mommy: Yes, you did. Very good, Garrett. Jack, tell us about your day.
Jack (23 mos.): (inaudible, inaudible)...outside...(inaudible, inaudible)...baseball.
[Mommy & Daddy look at each other to see if the other parent understood any more than outside and baseball. No? No.]
D: Okay, good job boys.
Now, it's a basic conversation, given the ages of our kids. But I believe that this tradition will do the following for our family:
- Cause us to all slow down for a few mintues to reflect upon our day's activities.
- Give our boys the opportunity to show us what is most important in their lives.
- As the boys grow up, it will allow them to voice what might be troubling them at school, with friends, etc.
What is your family bedtime routine? Click on "Comments" below and tell me about it.
Inspiration
"Running over, running over/My cup is full and running over/Since the Lord saved me, I'm as happy as can be/My cup is full and running over."
That childhood song is my blog's inspiration. And it is very true to my life. I was blessed to be raised in a Christian home and to know Jesus as my Savior at an early age. I never really strayed from my faith, so I don't have some fantastic salvation story to share. But as a mother, I am realizing more and more how important my faith is to me, because I strongly desire for my children to follow their daddy and me into the faith. Because of my faith, I can stand firmly and shout to the mountain tops that the Lord has saved me, and I'm happy as can be!
And believe me, my faith has been shaken at times. When I faced infertility issues as a newlywed, I thought I might die of a broken heart and an empty home. When I finally decided that adoption was the way to create my family, I faced not one, not two, but eight, yes eight, failed adoptions! I was ready to throw in the towel. I wondered who in the world God was to allow me to hurt so badly.
But my God, my great and awesome God, had a great plan for me. He had the exact child chosen to be my first-born. He didn't want me to just have any baby, but he wanted me to have that one. And my faith was restored the day that I held Liam for the first time 3 1/2 years ago! The instant that I saw Liam, I knew that God had prepared him for me, and he was my baby. That's an awesome God's doing!
And since that day, my cup has been running over with joy, love, laughter, dreams, hopes...and two more boys. No, my life is not perfect, but it's beautiful.
This blog will serve as my writing outlet. I hope to write more of my life and my boys' adoption stories. I hope you'll stop by to laugh with me at the funny things my little guys say and do. And you can also laugh at my motherhood blunders. Enjoy!
*I could not find the writer/composer for the aforementioned song. Does anyone out there know anything about this particular song? If you do, please post a comment or email me!
