Finally Caught Up

Whew! I've been trying for weeks to get all caught up in my journal. Taking such a long break from writing after having a baby was not the best of ideas. But what else could I do? It was pretty crazy around here for a while, as well you know.

And so, I feel much better, knowing that I at least have all the big, important stuff down, even if I did miss some of the fun, cute details. Details like: once when we were going to pick Daniel up from work, the girls are in their car seats in the back, Brooke starts naming off colors randomly. At first, I think she sees Christmas lights all around town, and she's just calling out the colors she sees. But that didn't completely make sense. Then I realized she was calling out the colors she was seeing on our car stereo! It changes colors constantly, and she was just naming the colors she saw as they were changing. It was so cute and funny when I finally realized what she was doing.

Anywho, I don't know what this year is going to bring. I really haven't thought too much about what I'd like to accomplish. Well ... I suppose that's not entirely true. Daniel and I have batted around the idea of running a half marathon together, in honor of Camille, by around her 1st birthday. That means that I have to start training, like, 2 months ago. I've started a walking program, just to build up my strength and fitness a little bit and to lose some weight.

That's another of my goals: get down to my goal weight. I was doing pretty well about the time we got pregnant with Camille. I was counting calories and really working out a lot, and I was down to what I was before Brooke was born. Now I'd like to get even past that, if I can, to be about what I was when we got married. I still have 25 pounds to go, though, if that's my goal. Ooo. That'll take me, like, 6 months!

It's hard to think of good things to work on because I have this new, demanding little creature to take care of. So, I can talk all I want about the improvements I'd like to make in the house, in my body, in my mind, etc., etc., etc. But it'll depend in a large part on how Camille is. We'll get her better sleep trained in the next few months, so I'll have more time at night. But taking care of 2 kids takes a lot of time.

Despite that, I would like to do what I did last year, and every month take a section of the house to work on. De-junk. Re-organize. Deep-clean. It worked well last year, and I've already started on my January list, which is the kitchen. I especially think it's important to de-junk and re-organize since there is a good chance we'll be moving into a smaller house sometime this year. Daniel is looking at getting a job in LA, which means we'll likely be moving somewhere closer to the city so he doesn't have such an awful commute. We've talked about moving back to Burbank. But it means we'll be paying a lot more for less space. A downsize. And we have a lot of stuff.

Another thing I'd like to do this year is read more. I kind of got out of the groove of reading when I went to school, and then read a bit more once I graduated, and then stopped reading so much when Brooke was born. Busy season is coming up very soon, within the next few weeks. And normally I'd have a list of projects to work on and fill my evening time, while Daniel is working so much. But, I don't have a list of projects right now, nothing big that I really even want to work on, and I do still have a small baby, who is probably going to need me to hold her a lot at nights. Books are a good remedy for this situation. I need to stimulate my mind more with books, and I could do less of the mind-numbing activity of getting into tv shows. Plus, my book list is ridiculously long. I'm never going to get through it unless I commit to dedicating more of my time to reading. So, this year will be a year of many books for me, ... hopefully.

I've already read several books in the last few months since Camille was born. With a new baby, I spend a lot of time sitting. I sit and nurse a baby. I sit and pump. I sit and hold a sleeping baby (which is what I'm doing right now, as I'm writing). All this sitting leaves me a little bored and restless ... unless I also have a book in my hands. I downloaded an app on my phone that connects to libraries. You can download audio books and digital books. I've read several books on my phone. And while I would rather have a read, tangible book in my hands, I always have my phone, and it's just ever so convenient to pull up a book on my phone and read.

We'll see what this year brings us. So far I see a lot of caring for my family and a lot of fun with 2 cute little girls. Possibly a job change for Daniel and a move closer into the city (which isn't the happiest of thoughts for me). I hope I can be a better, more loving and patient mommy, get myself better organized, and do more fun things for holidays and birthdays throughout the year. I hope to be a better wife and to plan fun dates for my handsome husband. And I hope that I can better myself and my relationship with my Savior. That is probably the most important goal of this year.