Oh, 2012!

2011 was such a tough year for us.  It built us up and tore us down, brought us loss like we've never felt, tested our faith, pulled us closer together, and changed our perspective on so many things.  All things considered, I wasn't sad to see 2011 go.  And though I don't typically put much thought into the start of a new year... I feel like I'm ready to embrace a new beginning.  Losing Josh's mom is something that we will always carry with us, in more ways than we probably even know right now, but thinking of her also reminds me to embrace the good in our lives, too.  Life is so, so precious!

Resolutions for 2012:

Simplify.  If there is one thing I learned last year, it's that "stuff" just doesn't matter.  As I was packing up Christmas today, I didn't feel my usual sadness at how empty the house looked.  Instead, it felt crisp and clean.  Yesterday, I had the girls go through their toys and decide what they wanted to donate - I expected a fuss but was surprised when they happily filled up 3 boxes worth!  It reminded me of a quote by William Morris: "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."  I'm ready to shed the excess.  I have a tendency to hold onto things for no particular reason and it's time to let that go.  But simplifying is about more than downsizing, it's also about perspective - about the way we live.  My type A/slightly neurotic personality makes it difficult to relax.  I need to remind myself that sometimes I just need to let things go.  The world won't end if everything isn't perfect.  And I'll probably enjoy the process a whole lot more.

Enjoy the little moments.  When we were putting together Mitzi's life sketch last month and reading her journal entries, it reminded me of what an amazing mother she was.  She was so, so patient.  She knew how to laugh when most moms would get angry.  And she never took the time she had with her children for granted.  I found a Christmas card that she sent a couple years ago and at the end she underlined enjoy every minute.  I'll be the first to admit that by the end of the day, I'm spent.  With three little ones to look after, a house to run, and a little baby boy twisting around in my belly... it's easy to rush through bedtime and stories and lullabies.  But someday, my sweet babies will be too big to tuck into bed.  They won't beg me for one more story or snuggle into me as I sing.  They won't sneak out of their beds for one more hug goodnight.  And then... then I will want these days back.  I'll be thankful for the times that I laid with them just a little bit longer.
Get organized.  This is a constant battle for me.  The inner me wants everything to have its place, for paperwork to always be filed, for the closets to remain tidy, for the laundry to be washed and put away.  But then real life happens and things get messy.  I'm completely convinced that being surrounded by clutter makes you more stressed (and grumpy... or maybe that's just me?)  Most of my projects I have planned for the year center around finally getting things in order.  Simple things like having enough bins for storage and switching to paperless billing will make life a whole lot easier.   And save me time in the long run.

Be a better blogger.  I've always struggled with staying up to date on my posts, but I've been especially absent over the last few months.  We tried to keep things as normal as we could for the kids, but it was really hard to sit down and write about "real life" things.  Play dates and outings and even the holidays just seemed insignificant in comparison to what was going on.  But I look at my blog book from last year, and I cherish it so, so much.  It's time to go back, as hard as it is, and get my posts up.  And then keep posting, so I can remember as much as possible about these precious days with my sweet little family.  I also want to expand on what I write about - go back to posting on all our home projects and other random things.  So be prepared! :-)