2013 Goals

Those that know us well know that several years ago, Seth and I started setting New Years Goals. Said "goals" are NOT "resolutions." See this post for a more thorough explanation.

Here are some of our goals for 2013.

One Time Events
-have Graham dedicated at IBC (February?)
-have a 1st birthday party for Graham (October)
-enroll both boys in swim lessons (over the summer)
-go to the TX State Fair (October)
-deliver cookies for neighbors at Christmastime (December)
-attend Farmer's Branch 4th of July fireworks (July)
-host Easter/Mother's Day/Thanksgiving/Christmas Eve
-attend 4th of July in The Colony (Kim & David's)
-attend Park Forest Pool's Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day events.
-buy new couch/rearrange family room furniture set-up
-get curtains in front room
-create/set-up play room--combine both boys into one BEDroom (sleeping space)
-join The Y

Vacations
-Week-long Road Trip to WI (June)
-Long weekend Momma/Daddy vacation (late summer/early fall)

-Sena girls Getaway weekend (?)

OnGoing Things
-implement a weekly Planning Meeting (during Sunday afternoon naps?)

-serve monthly in Comfort Zone

-lead Small Group
-participate in the Kid-Swapping co-op with Small Group peeps

-Sena keep hosting book club

-Sena attend BSF

-Sena stay in supper club
-Sena keep maintaining the community website/email list
-Sena maintain the blog
-go on monthly Family Outings (the four of us)
-host non-holiday family-friendly events with friends (bimonthly)
-host adult-only dinner parties with friends (bimonthly)
-get together with David and Kim monthly (game night? movie night? dinner? their house?)

-Austin enroll in preschool (2x/week) and Graham in MDO (1x/week), fall '13

-help prepare Austin for school (colors, numbers, letters, etc activities)

-participate in Family Events at the Y

-go on a monthly date night, aside from the Co-op nights

Personal "Getter Better" Goals
-Seth get better organized
-Sena get healthier (avoid trucks in parking lots, lose weight, cook more/better dinners, create more family activity time)
-Seth perfect his go-to praline recipe
-Sena to finish reading through the Bible

I included a lot more in this year's post than last year's, but there are still goals I've left off. These are the ones we felt comfortable sharing and I think it gives an idea of how busy we keep ourselves/what our family rhythm is like around here.

Cute Pic Post -- December 2012

I'm not 100% sure how he does it, but he always has THE worst case of bed head!

I love that chubby chin and cheeks combo! (And Go Packers! Go Blugolds!)

My Two Littlest Mans in Packers gear! (Thanks, Heather, for the shirt!)

This is pretty much what it's like around here.. a little chaotic.

sweet, gummy smile

Austin loves to "read" to you. 

Hauling goods home from a shopping trip.

cutie! 

I love this picture of all three mans taking a break on our bed. I strongly dislike how poorly Austin's outfit is put together! Could it possibly be worse?

We had a very sick little boy on our hands. He was so sweet and so sick it just broke your heart!

Austin likes to copy what Graham is doing... doing a little Tummy Time here.

And propping himself up with the Boppy here. 

Have you ever seen a bigger, more adorable double chin!?!?

Such sweetness

He put that crayon there by himself. Where would he learn something like that!?

Love seeing my mans cuddle!

The striped pants together was too much to not take a photo!

I love that I finally got a picture of Austin being a sweet, helpful big brother! (He's putting the paci in his mouth.)

Going home from Kim and David's on Christmas, it was tightly packed! Georgia barely fit and it wasn't even everything!

He was being silly and messing around with Graham's bouncie.

It was a very full bed... All 5 of us!

He would have drank the entire thing if we'd let him!

Ever wonder what happens when you're sitting on your chair, hugging a huge monkey, goofing around?

You fall off!

2012's books

In looking back at 2012, I feel like I didn't get to read as much as I would have liked. And in compiling this year's book list (26), I found it shorter than last years' list (29), so that confirms that feeling. (And I had really hoped to read at least 30 books this year; I wanted to do more, not less.) Nonetheless, since I always get asked about book recommendations, here's the list of books I read in 2012:

How to be a Best Friend Forever: Making and Keeping Lifetime Relationships  John Townsend
*Heaven is For Real  Todd Burpo

*The Front Porch Prophet  Raymond Atkins

*The Hunger Games (#1)  Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire (#2)  Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay (#3)  Suzanne Collins

*The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  Rebecca Skloot

*7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess  Jen Hatmaker

*A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion Series, #1)  Francine Rivers
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stay-at-Home Moms  Jack Canfield
Interrupted: An Adventure in Relearning the Essentials of Faith  Jen Hatmaker

*An Echo in the Darkness (#2)  Francine Rivers
On Becoming Toddlerwise: From First Steps to Potty Training  Gary Ezzo

*As Sure As the Dawn (#3)  Francine Rivers
Bossypants  Tina Fey
Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus  Elyse M. Fitzpatrick
Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to say No, to Take Control of Your life  Henry Cloud

*Uncle Tom’s Cabin  Harriet Beecher Stowe

*Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother  Amy Chua

*Bringing Up Bebe  Pamela Druckerman

*The Light Between Oceans  M. L. Stedman

Her Ladyship's Guide to Modern Manners  Lucy Gray
*From Ruby Ridge to Freedom  Sara Weaver
Bah, Humbug!  Heather Horrocks  
The Last Noel  Michael Malone
From Notting Hill with Love... Actually  Ali McNamara

My favorites from 2012 are: How to be a Best Friend, 7, Bossypants, Boundaries, Battle Hymn, Bringing up Bebe, and From Notting Hill.

The best thing I learned about this year is that Barnes and Noble offers a free book every Friday for the Nook. I have the Nook app on my phone and our new iPad mini, so I got the last two books that way. I signed up to the follow the blog so I get notification each week (you could also just set a reminder to look for it each Friday). I then did a search on Amazon for free books for the Kindle app (which I also have on my phone and the iPad) and came across the Bah, Humbug! novella. I very much enjoyed those last three books and given that they were free makes them even better!

What's your favorite book you read in 2012? Any other neat tips to share (free books and the like)?

*books: Books I read with Chapters, my book club of the last 3.5 years.

Homeless Helpfulness

For the past three years or so, our Bible Community (aka Sunday School class) at church (Irving Bible Church) has gone downtown on Christmas Eve morning to help/minister to the homeless population. Since we have such young children, we've never joined them though we hope to someday. And because we're not able to attend, we send stuff with those who do go. Last year, we went through our coats, jackets, and other warm things and donated everything we didn't use anymore. This year we bought toiletries and made hygiene kits. Austin had a good time "helping" me put them together.

I blame myself for this. Austin has been with me while shopping for Seth's deodorant. (I sniff them all before deciding.)

We put the soaps in snack sized bags so they can keep their soaps separate from their other things.

Everything went into a quart sized bag.

Very helpful!

Delivering Christmas Cookies

Every December since moving into this house, we've been doing a new Christmas tradition: we bake cookies and deliver them to the neighbors on our street. This year was the first year that Austin was aware enough and able enough to really help and it made the experience much more meaningful and enjoyable for all of us.

Our own miniature Santa. (The hat didn't last long.)

I love this picture! (I'm finally in front of the camera!)

We told him "Knock and say 'Merry Christmas' and hand them the cookies." He was great at knocking, but we can't get him to say "Merry Christmas." Maybe next year.

If they didn't answer the door, we just left them on the doorstep.

He was great about pulling a bag out of the basket and then taking it up to the door and knocking.

We had an extra bag, so we gave him a cookie after the last house/on the way home.

LOVE these pictures!

We love being generous and neighborly to our neighbors. We always get such wonderful comments and feedback from them. I love our street!