IT'S A NEW YEAR

A month has already passed since we began 2016. Im still not used to the 2016 part, honestly I was just getting the hang of writing 2015. Where does the time go? I ask myself that question more and more lately. With time passing so quickly, I have been having an ache to really make the most of my time. I think a little bit of this comes with the new year, and making resolutions and such. I am always so excited to set new goals, but I'm not the best at following through with those goals.  I think one of my biggest problems is I set about 100 of them! I think to myself this is the year, I am going to become better at everything, in every aspect of my life! Im going to run a marathon(i hate running), become the next master chef, and learn to play the tuba. ha! Im exaggerating some, but sometimes my goals feel lofty. This year though I have made it a little simpler for myself:

1. Make a habit of reading my scriptures. ( I always make this a resolution, and I always seem to fail at it) But I feel proud to say that I have only missed one day since January 1st! I am still working on it ... but I have done thirty days of it in a row so I have developed a habit right?! I hear habits are sometimes hard to break. (crossing my fingers)  I do find that I get a little anxious if at the end of the day if I know I haven't read my scriptures. I want to feel like it is something I can not live without. I want to cultivate a true love for the word of the Lord.

2. Blog/journal. I am a nostalgic person. Reading, about or thinking back on things that have happened to me in the past, makes me feel grounded. I don't have that great of memory, therefore I tend to forget things, but I get super sad to think about forgetting all of the wonderful things that happen in my daily life. Especially now, as a mom, I want to remember every second of Nola's life. Seriously though, Nola has a bugger and I find myself thinking i need to write that down! So I want to be better at documenting our lives. Not just the exciting fun things we do, but our everyday adventures as well.

3. My third and final resolution, which I feel is the most important for me right now in my life, is to love myself. I don't have horrible self esteem, actually on most days I like who I am. I am a wife to a really really great man who loves me always, I am a mother to a sweet little girl who brings me so much happiness, I am a friend, a daughter, a sister, a wanna be cook, a picture taker, a dog lover, a dancer, an amateur rock climber, a great window shopper, and lots of other things. In todays world it is all too easy to compare ourselves to others, and at times I am definitely guilty of this. I feel the pressure, to wear super cute clothes, and own nice things, and to go on cool vacations with my family. I want to feel successful, and like I am contributing to our lives. Sometimes motherhood and staying home with Nola everyday doesn't make me feel that way. I miss dancing like you wouldn't believe, the performing, and the gratification of knowing you worked really hard for months on something. The rush of the curtain opening and its your time to shine to show everyone what you have worked for. I am so hard on myself, and I rarely pat myself on the back. I know I need to work on this I need to look at the big picture and realize that God has created me, and he loves me for who I am. As hard as it is for me to accept that, I am going to try my hardest to love the stage of life I'm in right now. This time as a young mother raising my child, and playing, and laughing and crying, is going to be something I cherish, and look back on feeling proud of myself, of the person that I am and the person I am trying to become.

Kinda long and cheesy, and I feel a bit vulnerable putting this all out there but I just want to be real about my goals this year. As cool as playing the Tuba would be, I just don't think its in the cards for me this year at least.... But I can be better at these few things. I want to truly love myself. I don't want Nola to hear me speak negatively about myself,  and I don't ever want her to speak or think poorly about herself. I just want to be happy and I am betting these things will help me become a happier person. So CHEERS to a new year, minus one month, cause its February?! Anyways, bring it on 2016 I'm ready for you!

AWAKEN BY BACON

So much determination.

Watching them interact was so much fun, because we dont 

I could stare at this Christmas village for hours.

The cutest little cousins

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are filled with family, good food, exchanging of gifts, music, laughs, and overall a good time. On Christmas Eve day we watched Elf as a family which caused us to quote "Bye Buddy, Hope you find your dad" the rest of the weekend. Around 5 we headed over to my grandparents house for pizza, and my favorite thing ever, Grandpa playing the accordion. Nola loved the music, she was dancing up a storm, and just running all over the place. Me and my sisters had a dance party to the accordion music, and Devan did the Leprechaun dance.  Nola wore the cute little moccs which were her uncle braydens all day and night. It was so cute when Bray found out they were his. He thought it was pretty neat. 

Once we were home,  We gave Nola her Christmas eve present which was a picture book. By this time she was pretty sleepy and ready for bed. I was feeling the same! After sitting down and writing what we wanted to give to baby Jesus this year, singing a verse of Silent night, and setting out some milk and cookies, we were off to bed. I remember how hard it was to fall asleep as a kid on Christmas eve. As a parent, I was pretty dang excited, as I snuggled up to Zach and lay there thinking about our first Christmas as a family of three, I couldn't stop smiling, but the exhaustion took over. 

Christmas morning we woke up around 7 to the smell of bacon. We kept saying how nice it was to be  "awaken by bacon". After poking the two brothers and brynlies pleadings for them to hurry up and get up, we gathered around for the nativity story. I went in and woke Nolie, and brought her out to our little circle on the floor. I love the way she acts right after she wakes up and to have her looking sleepily and sweetly at everyone in a circle, was one of the highlights of my day. She wanted to go around and give everyone loves. After brynlie gave the recap of the birth of Jesus and we said a nice family prayer we headed down stairs to see what Santa had brought. Nola was in complete awe. We cramed in our tiny front room, which becomes substantially smaller on christmas due to the tree and presents, and watched each other open gifts. Nola was having a bit of trouble with her wedgie jammies, and face planted it right on the carpet. Then she couldn't get back up. It was super funny. She got pretty good at opening presents and helped everyone out by ripping off the paper and stealing all the bows. 

Santa brought some nerf guns and darts for the family. Zach being the tease he is, grabbed one and shot it right at my chest from about a foot away. He was thinking back to his childhood days of the weak, wimpy nerf guns.... well now a days they are much stronger. Believe me I know... I had a giant welt for the entire day. He felt horrible. haha I got lots of extra hugs and kisses and I think even a pity foot massage that day from him. BEST CHRISTMAS EVER. 

Nola crashed at about ten on christmas morning, sprawled across zach and my laps at my grandparents home. What an eventful couple days we had. We ended the day playing some games, and laughing our eyes out. That drawing game gets me everytime! What a wonderful time of year, spent with the ones we love, and remembering the birth of the Savior of the World. He is the greatest gift. 

BABY JESUS

 With Nola being so young this year I struggled with how to teach her about the true meaning of Christmas. Our savior Jesus Christ. Every day we would look at the few nativity sets I have and I would tell her about the different pieces. I made sure to highlight baby Jesus. Right around this time Nola was learning to give kisses, so I asked her if she wanted to give baby Jesus a kiss? This became a daily ritual. It melted my heart to see her give baby Jesus kisses. I hope I can teach her how much she is loved by her big brother Jesus Christ!

Everything is ten times more magical with a child! We had such a lovely time decorating our tree. After figuring out the whole light stringing business, we pulled out all our ornaments that Zach and I picked out together for our first christmas four years ago! I love pulling out something I haven't seen for an entire year! When I see these ornaments I'm immediately flooded with memories of past christmas's, of just Zach and I. Now we have a new member of the family to share it with, and it couldn't feel more special. It was also fun to add some new ornaments to our collection this year, including Nola's first christmas ornament. (a little lamb with wooden legs). She even picked it out!

Having a decorated tree was not as hard as I thought it would be with this little whirlwind zooming around the place.  She was pretty good to leave the tree alone, for the most part. Besides her favorite few ornaments, one of them being this little fox. No matter what she was doing she always managed to snag this fox right off the tree. I didn't mind though, I purposefully put the non breakable ornaments on the bottom, just for her. I'm sure the reunion between these two will be sweet, when that box of ornaments comes out again the first of December. 

Because we were going to spend Christmas in St George this year, we had a Christmas celebration with the lloyds a week or so before Christmas, and we also had our own little Christmas morning, a couple days before we went down south. Zach and I enjoy going to the store together, but then splitting up to find our stocking stuffers. It makes for an eventful evening, it was pretty hard sneaking out of target with that window scraper, without him noticing though. Nola's sock didn't contain very much but she did get some freeze dried pomegranate puffs, and some sippy cups. I loved this sweet deer doll I found at Anthropology! I wasn't sure if she would love it as much as I do, because its not soft and fluffy, but she gives her love and plenty of play time! Zach surprised me with climbing shoes, for me and himself, which I am super excited about.  And I got him a new camera strap. Of course Nola loved the bows, and paper the most! Not only were they entertaining but also a nice snack too. How cute are her Christmas jimmies, that belonged to me when I was a wee little one?! They were just a tad too small so they gave her wedgies sometimes, it was hilarious!   It sure was fun celebrating just the three of us.