Bye-Bye 2012.

Now that it's mid-January, I guess it's time for me to assess how 2012 went and set some new GOALS (not resolutions) for 2013.

Last year my goals were as follows.  And, just for those keeping score, a little assessment on how we did!

1. Transition as smoothly as possible from a family of three to a family of four.  One thing I've learned this year about growing a family and "transitioning" is that it doesn't happen over night.  It's a gradual process.  Yes, we've transitioned in terms of Fawn adjusting to not being the center of the universe and having to share attention.  Yes, we've transitioned in terms of meeting the needs of two babies instead of one.  And, yes (oh yes!) our hearts have transitioned and grown to love and cherish two sweet souls.  But, each time either child hits a new milestone there's another time of transition.  It was a transition when Fawn went back to preschool and we were without him three mornings a week.  Small Fry and I had to learn to operate as a two-some.  And now that Fawn's not napping and Small Fry is taking two good naps, we are learning how to keep Fawn entertained and occupied while home bound and awake -- without turning to the television as our source of entertainment.  Small Fry's new found mobility is just another time of transition.  And so it will continue...at least things don't get boring!
2. Learn how to use my new camera and make it a priority to continue to take lots of pictures and capture my children's childhoods.  I still have a lot to learn, but I am absolutely loving my camera and taking pictures of my boys.  It brings me so much joy to capture an expression, a moment.  I'm even thinking of asking for a new, fancy lens with a better zoom for my birthday so I can branch out more and better capture sports and activities.
3. To that end, use my video camera more.  Fail.  I have gotten quite handy at the iPhone video feature.  But, I rarely use my actual, handy-dandy video camera.  I really love it -- and it's super-easy to use.  So, here's to using it more in 2013.  I think I'm going to store it in my camera bag so it travels with me.
4. Get back in good shape post-baby -- and carve some mommy time to devote to exercise.  Check -- ran a 5K in December and loving my three-time a week jogs.  There's always room for improvement, but I feel good and healthy -- and that's what matters.
5. Do a better job of stocking my freezer with ready made dinners to make dinner time less stressful.  We've done really well this year in the dinner department.  I stock up on disposable aluminum baking pans at the Dollar Store -- especially the small size that is perfect for a family of four.  If I'm making dinner to take to a friend I try to double the recipe and freeze ours in two small pans.  That way when we heat it up it's just perfect for one dinner.  I buy the containers with lids and mark the lids with the date and baking instructions so I have no excuses when it comes to getting dinner ready.  Don't get me wrong, we have pizza night or feed the boys and then go pick up grown-up take out too.  But, we've always got an option here if we need it.
6. Continue working to be a better wife and mom each day.  The true judges on this one would be the three boys who occupy my heart.  But, I've been working -- on patience, on sacrifice, on having a servant heart.  I still have miles and miles to go but my sweet boys with their precious smiles, hugs, and kisses give me every motivation to do better for them every single day.  
7. Soak up every moment with our newborn since now I know how quick the time goes.  I remind myself of this constantly -- soak it up, remember this moment.  And, I truly desire to do so.  But, then I try to think back to Small Fry at one month, or two months, or three months and I can only picture in my head the visual images that I actually captured on film and have looked at over and over again.  When I nurse Small Fry and look down at him I try to conjure up what he looked like as a nursing newborn and I simply can't do it.  I can only picture him -- his smile, his laugh, his babbles, as he is right now.  I think and hope this is normal, but perhaps I just have a terrible memory!  What I do know is this -- I love Small Fry right now, at this moment more than I have loved him ever before.  So that's got to be good enough.  I've got to quit putting so much pressure on myself to soak it up and remember; instead, I just need to live and to enjoy. 

We have lived and enjoyed this year!  It's been a special year.  We've been more tired and more stretched emotionally than we've ever been in our lives, but we've also been more rewarded.