this is our happily ever after

2014 Word of the Year---FOCUS

I sit here in my pjs...Karsten in bed...Brian, Mom, and Dad watching the Aggies attempt to play football, not looking good, way to pull out a win Ags!  This is how I like to spend New Years Eve...at home, with my loved ones, time spent reflecting on the year coming to a close.  

In one word, 2013 seems like a blur to me....it was a great year, I seriously have no complaints, but I don't feel that I lived my days with enough intention.  I think a part of this probably has to do with being a Mom of a toddler, returning to working full time, trying to find balance between work life and home life, and not setting off my year with enough focus for the personal growth I desired.  

2014 will be different.

I spent several hours this past weekend (mostly while riding in the car to San Antonio) with my journal, pen, and hopes for the new year.  I had my word FOCUS chosen around Thanksgiving, but I wanted to figure out exactly what I was needing to focus on....otherwise just choosing a word doesn't have the power to change my life like it has in the past.  

Here are my Four Focuses for 2014.  At the beginning of each day as I sip my coffee and read my Bible I hope to allow God to focus me on each area that He wants to work on for that day.  I could look at these somewhat lofty goals and panic that it's too much to do, too much work, too many goals, but if I take it a day at a time, with His leading I hope to look back on 2014 with a feeling of satisfaction of a year well lived.  

 

Faith

• memorize a new Scripture twice a month (and share it here on the blog)
• always make sure I'm working through an in depth Bible Study (oh, how I've missed this in my life)
• set aside time once a month to meet with my accountablility partner
• spend time serving in my church
• focus on praying over the big and little things in my life and the lives of my loved ones

Family and Friends

• focus on spending intentional time with Karsten and Brian each day
• make time to send birthday cards and thinking of you cards to friends and family
• take a mini vacation with Brian to celebrate our 12th anniversary in March
  
• take a family vacation in the summer
• set aside time to call and catch up with friends every few weeks
• celebrate with two of my favorite girls who are getting married to their loves in 2014!!!  

Fitness and Food

• begin walking a minimum of 20-30 minutes 4 times a week
• find and implement a quick stretching routine every morning
• drink more water
• take my vitamins every day
• reduce refined sugar and flour in my diet
• vegetarian dinners twice a week
• making a weekly meal plan (and sharing it here on my blog)

Filling My Tank

• capture more everyday moments
• keep my closet organized
• keep my office and planner organized
• make a to do list every evening for the next day and then ask God each morning to help me accomplish what He has for me that day
• continue documenting our lives through Project Life
• scheduling time to be creative whether by myself or with friends
• being more consistent with blogging (I've actually set up a schedule for blog posts that I can hopefully stick to)

This is the 7th year I've chosen a word of the year and it is truly one of my favorite things I do each year.  I encourage you to do the same and then share with me.  Click each year to see my previous words...and to look at how much my blog style and photograhphy have changed!  I'll have a Scripture printable up and ready tomorrow.  

Happy New Year!!!!

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Glimpses of Christmas 2013

We've just returned from a long weekend away in the Hill Country of Texas where we went to Sea World, shopped in Gruene, saw the foundation for my parent's new home, had brunch with Kelly, and spent some family time relaxing.  

It was wonderful.

Before I jump into the excitement that a new year always holds for me I wanted to take a blog post and dedicate it to all things Christmas in our home this year.  The decorating and celebrating.  This is basically a whole month's worth of life in one post....there may be a few dozen photos...you've been warned!

We decorated for Christmas as soon as Thanksgiving was over.  

Karsten was fascinated by the nativity.  This particular nativity was purchased by my Mom in Bethlehem...it's pretty special!  Several times during this past month the animals or the baby Jesus would be found among Karsten's train tracks!  Toddlers are so fun...and mischievious!

 

My Mom made this Beary Merry Christmas for my brother and I when we were little.  There's a little stuffed bear that  you move each day of December.  Karsten loved this new tradition and I'm so glad my Mom saved it for him!  It hung in his room and each night he would move the bear before bed.

 

He was also a big fan of moving ornaments around on the tree.  He has his own tree in his playroom, but as soon as "mommy's tree" (as he referred to it) went up then he wanted to move all of his ornaments to my tree and then he would move them around each day.

 

I love capturing shots of his hands at work...one of my favorite things to photograph!

 

I

 

I was big into burlap this Christmas...I found new stockings for Brian and I at Target (on sale) and made a quick banner out of burlap flags I found at Hobby Lobby.  One of my Christmas presents from my Mom was this beautiful angel made out of wood, burlap, and metal!  I love her!

I adhered the JOY onto our wall using command strips....it may or may not come down after Christmas!  

Christmas cookies

 

Christmas cactus and bokeh...always a favorite

 

Karsten's first experience with Christmas ads!

 

 

Looking at Christmas lights

addressing over 100 Christmas cards

Zoe and string...I used alot of this string in gift wrapping this year.  It looked cute with kraft paper.  I got the whole spool at Hobby Lobby for less than $3!

 

one big hot Christmas wrapping paper/present mess!

 

Christmas Eve at my aunt and uncle's...Karsten was excited to open presents!

Michael and Emily (parents to be!)

 

Karsten received some of those capsules that you dissolve to reveal different shaped sponges.  Much of Christmas Eve was doing this!

 

Christmas Morning--I like the idea of something being unwrapped under the tree, but Brian wanted K's two big gifts to be wrapped, so I chose to just take this little Ikea toy out of it's package and set it under the tree.  Karsten spent 10 minutes pulling it around...he was clueless about what was in store for him within the gift wrap!

 

a new soccer ball

which of course was put to use immediately

 

One of his big gifts

 

who's more excited???  

 

a firetruck!!!

 

 

the extended ladder is taller than he is!

 

hey look....I was there too!

 

dinos

 

His last big gift....Tidmouth Sheds (a part of the Thomas the Train collection)  He was so excited about this and has played with it every day for at least an hour!

The next day we played with this fishing game which I might say is quite tricky!

He also took his firetruck outside the next day and Brian put water in the reservoir and then they pumped the water out.  If you look closely you can see the stream of water....it goes really far!

it's also a good water fountain for the t-rex

So that pretty much sums up the Christmas Season in our home!  I'm always excited as Christmas approaches, but I'm equally excited about the beginning of a new year.  That's what tomorrow's blog post will be about!  Check back!

Christmas Eve Tradition

From the time I was a wee little girl until I was married I remember my Mom giving me new pajamas every Christmas Eve....and they were always in the same box.  Which is kinda brilliant, because it made it easy to set it apart.  

This year I've decided to start a new tradition with Karsten: The Christmas Eve Box.  I found this cute, heavy duty box at Home Goods (favorite place ever!) for a few bucks and I hope it will last for many Christmas Eve's to come!  

Note--I have always loved the kraft paper look and have used it for years....it's just the trendy thing now, which I love!  

Inside the box are new jammies, 2 books (one is a Thomas book and underneath is a Christmas Story book told from the perspective of the animals in the stable), and a dino stuffed animal that I picked up at the Natural History Museum yesterday!   

As the years go by the footie pajamas will be replaced with big boy pjs and stuffed animals  will disappear, but I hope to always used this box for the boy who I will always call my baby!

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Tonight we're headed to my Aunt and Uncle's for our annual Christmas Eve dinner of lasagna and tamales. This box will go with us and K can open it there when it's time to get his jammies on.  

the many faces of K

If you're around Karsten for very long you realize his expressions are priceless.  I had my camera out one evening while he was helping me cook and caught just a few of his funny faces.  

 

family photos

I've been wanting to have a professional photographer take photos of our family since adopting Karsten, but it never made it to the top of the priority list until this year.  As someone who admires great photography I knew I needed to find just the right photographer for our family.  Two friends of mine have used Jen at Photojenic and I've always loved the pictures they took away from their sessions.  

So, a few weeks ago B and I took the day off work and had photos taken with Karsten.  We had a mini session, so she only photographed us for 30 minutes, but she caught some great shots.  She shot outside of her adorable studio where she had an old teal truck and lots of other great backgrounds.  I was in photography heaven!  

I'll let the photos speak for themselves...they capture us perfectly....a whole lot of sweetness and silliness!

Every year I hope to capture a photo of us reading a book to him.  Reading is a big part of our home!   He is so into trains right now that I wanted a book to capture that!  

 

can't you just see how much they adore each other!!!

heart....in....a....puddle  (probably my favorite shot from the entire photo shoot!)

 

Loved this vintage yellow scooter...and the metal building behind her studio!

 

 

 

 

I love how she captured our family.  The reason for all the tickling was that Karsten kept wanting to put on his serious face because he wasn't quite sure what was going on...we had to keep him smiling!

He was NOT thrilled with having his shirt, shoes, and socks taken off for this shot, but man it turned out cute!  She captured his pouty face perfectly!