Not sleeping properly for over a year now feels like it is taking its toll on me and I have not been able to think clearly enough to do anything above and beyond surviving the day-to-day. Blog posts go way beyond surviving the day-to-day. Nevertheless, I didn't want to let January slip away without at least mentioning what we have been up to.
January has been about recovering from December. The advent season was beautiful and joyous as it always is. This December was also full of unexpected things like celebrating the life of a family member gone too soon (Chris' aunt), 13 stitches in this mama's hand, foot, and face (no skin cancer for me!), and our share of sickness.
December kind of wiped me out. We've needed some quiet time to adjust back to real life, and we've been adjusting ever so slowly. Kind of like I am still adjusting ever SO SLOWLY to 3 kids.
Anywaaaaaay, here is a little summary of the month so far...
We started 2013 sick...well, Abby was sick...and later Sam...and later Chris. New Years Day was spent in PJs, tending to Abby, and pulling Hannah around in a box. Good times.
During the first week of January Sam got it in her head that she wanted to sell some toys to raise money "for Africa." We helped her with this goal one day and much to our surprise the girl brought in $25 through sales and donations. We browsed the World Vision Gift Catalog and Samantha chose to send her $25 to care for orphans. As I read to her about the different places $25 could help she stopped me quickly when she heard she could help kids that didn't have parents. A 5 year old may not be able to relate to famine, or drought, or war, or AIDS, but she could certainly understand how terrible it would be not to have a mom and dad. We are incredibly proud of her.
The highlight of the month for me was a quick sister-trip to Nashville. I spontaneously decided to book a ticket and hop on a plane with Hannah for a long weekend with Jenny (who lives there) and Katie (who flew in from Chicago without kids or husband). Katie and I helped Jenny and John with their boys during a busy work weekend for the two of them...and we still got to hang out plenty.
It wasn't a weekend at a spa, but considering the number of children between the three of us we decided we'd take what we could get. We squeezed in pedicures, sushi, our own little Golden Globes party, and even caught a show at the music school where Jenny and John work. A highlight of the weekend for me was seeing the house my sister and her hubby just bought and are fixing up. We had such a good time together that I forgot to pick up the camera expect for a couple shots of the kids and the curtains Katie sewed for the new house.
Our main conclusion after four days together was that we need to make a sister-trip an annual thing! Thank you to the husbands who made this trip possible and the grandparents who supported the husbands with the kids left behind.
Back in San Diego...it was really too bad that the big girls had no fun at all with Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa while Hannah and I were gone.
HEALTH...get back in shape and lose baby-weight FOREVER
SIMPLIFY...life, the house, the calendar
DATE...2 dates a month
HELP...with the house and with the kids...I can't do this on my own anymore...I need to find help
My other main resolution for 2013 is, ironically, to live more by the theme of this little old blog of mine. I want Jim Elliot's quote to be my mantra this year...
"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."
BE ALL THERE.
I want to stop waiting for more sleep, less LBS, potty-training success, sleeping through the night, a clean house, and a clear mind. I want to live each day, embrace each day, enjoy each day...be fully present in each day...despite the blurry eyes, extra weight, kid in size 5 diapers, mess, stress, and exhaustion.
That's all. Happy 2013.
