Oh, before I forget...

H A P P Y   E A S T E R ! ! ! ! !

Three Years... What??

So yesterday was Casen's THIRD birthday! I know... How, right? I have no idea how three years have sped by so quickly. We were originally planning on spending the day just relaxing outside and flying the new kite that he got for his birthday. When we saw that it was going to be a yucky, rainy day here in Huntsvegas, we decided to head up to Nashville for the day and spend the night. It was still pretty yucky in Nashville but we at least got to indulge in a ton of good food here and here and ice cream and cupcakes. So good. 

The only pictures we got on his actual birthday were these I took of the road. I know... Exciting right? It was just so dreary all day that we kept forgetting to take pictures of anything. Plus we had a minor fender bender, but that's another story for another day...

We stopped by the park Saturday morning on the way out of town, though. Everything was still wet, but at least it wasn't raining!

And then we had to stop by REI for Fico, of course. That is his playground. ;P

Happy birthday, baby boy. I love you so much.

//\\//mommy//\\//

This is what we do in the mornings when everyone else is asleep...

I mean what else is there to do?

Mommy Confessions: Here's to eating candy in the closet.

Because sometimes you just don't want to share...

Progress Report... So far in 2013

So as I posted back in January, I have a LONG list of goals for myself this year. I truly believe that this is a big year for me. 2012 was probably the year that saw me make more dramatic changes in myself and my life that any year previous or going forward. I truly became a new person. There are SO many things that I learned about myself and so many things that I am changing about myself, and 2013 is going to be the year that a lot of it starts. So yes my list is long, but it's because I have a lot of growing up and catching up to do.

Here is a little progress report of my goal list so far:

1. Journal daily. // Have done better than I have in the past, still not journaling daily, tho. It really stresses me out that I put it off like I do because I am so terrible at remembering all of the sweet little things that happen every day. Still striving to get better at this one.
2. Only use reusable shopping bags. // Haven't only used reusable bags, but I have about 90% of the time. I am content with that. :)
3. Only have one U-Haul and one truck load on moving day. // Haven't gotten there just yet, obviously, but it's looking like it may actually be likely.
4. Get Casen potty trained! // He isn't all the way there, but he is doing a great job. I really think it's more my fault than his that he isn't 100% yet.
5. Cook at least 3 nights a week. [And plan ahead for leftovers.] // Not doing a good job with this one, just being honest :/ Not even close...
6. Family breakfast every morning. // Most mornings we are good about this. I'll be good about it for a week or so and then I'll slack again, but I'm doing a lot better than in the past. I am not used to making breakfast for myself to be honest, so this is a really hard habit for me to develop for me, much less our whole family.
7. Develop and stick to a family rhythm. // This one somewhat corresponds to the answer above. I didn't really grow up with much of a rhythm or routine, so, unfortunately it is extremely difficult for me to get one going now. I am really really working on this one, tho.
8. Get outside for at least 30 minutes a day with the boys. // Some days are better than others. Hopefully once the weather gets pretty we will be out more than in! Can't wait!!
9. Blog at least twice a week. // That one I have obviously not done. Although, I am planning on keeping this blog up to date and not letting it fall to the wayside as it has before. This habit, like the journaling, is very important to me. I just really need to have more discipline! :)
10. Try to read something whenever time allows. // Thanks to my wonderful iPhone, I have been able to do this whenever time permits. I have never been a huge fan of reading anything but a hard copy book, but sometimes, when it makes more sense, you just gotta do what you gotta do.
11. Daily creative/activity time with Casen. // Not everyday, (see #7), but we have done a lot more hands on crafty things than we have in the past. It is very difficult with Anders being so needy tho.
12. Sew/create at least one project a month. // Not quite.
13. Just do it. Don’t put it off. It meaning anything... // I've been doing remarkably better lately than I have in the past.
14. Finish Nathan’s stocking. For reals. // Haven't touched it..... -___-
15. Get efficient! // I believe I am doing so more and more every day.
16. Get rid of all unwanted clutter and things we don't need or love. // So far so good. We have gotten rid of literally hundreds if not thousands of things. I constantly have a bag ready to take to the thrift store, or to consign. Last weekend we took SO MUCH CRAP to a local kids consignment sale. It was repulsive to see how much stuff we'd accumulated. Granted, 90% of it had been stored in boxes waiting to be moved on. (None of it having been purchased by us, just fyi.) I finally got a handle on the junk when we moved it out of here. It was literally like 10000 lbs had been lifted off of my shoulders. Now to just wait and see how much we make off of it all. That will be the fun part! Whatever doesn't sell goes straight to Goodwill!
17. Make quiet and/or personal time for myself daily. // For a while I was intentionally waking up around 6 a.m. to have a little bit of personal/ quiet time for myself. It was great for a few days until little man started waking up about the same time and demanding all of my attention, meaning, bye-bye early-morning-mommy-time. That's okay tho of course. Since then I have been trying to make the time elsewhere in my day and I haven't really been able to find the right time to just spend time with myself. I may just need to start waking up at 5!
18. Read with boys before bed every night. // Most nights we are good about this.
19. Write and give someone [anyone] at least one handwritten note a week. // I've done MAYBE one or two... I'm really bad about notes to people, be it a thank you note or a birthday card, much less a random one. Hence the reason it's on my Resolution list. Haha. I WILL get better at this one too! :)
20. Start learning to play the banjo. // Not yet.
21. Sew a quilt. // Not yet.
22. Create and stick to a budget. // We have dibble dabbled, but haven't set anything in stone yet.
23. Do not tolerate being treated poorly by anyone and do not do so to others. // Taking it one day at a time.
24. Be mindful and present for every moment. Stop trying to do everything at once. // Trying so hard. This is very very important to me.
25. Live intentionally. // It's a journey and we are taking it. I love it so far.