Commitment

I have seen many around the blogosphere choose one word to represent this year. So I have chosen oNe word to represent MY year.......commitment. People tend to make New Years resolutions and drop them by the end of January. Why??? Because they don't make their goals attainable. They go from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds and get burned out before they are even 1/4 of the way there. I have believed that making goals doable instead of outrageous for.....um.....ever.....I mean I'm not gonna say I don't like to aim high....because I like to......but for me, I have to take things one step at a time. I was listening to Studio 5 in the background while puttering around the house one day and heard this segment. It basically talks about how you should make your improvements 5% at a time so you don't overwhelm yourself. So this year I am going to put 5% more effort into my commitments. I don't know EXACTLY how much 5% is in each area.....but basically.....I'm just going to try harder. I'm going to put more effort into my roles at home. I want to put effort into being a better wife and mother and homemaker. I want to put more effort in my relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior. I want to put more effort into my roles at work....be a better nurse. I want to put more effort into my schooling (cause I have been slacking in that department immensely!) So what things am I going to do to take these subtle steps???

RELIGION

I'm going to pray more. I know thats not some MIRACULOUS and LIFE ALTERING change but I feel that in time my relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior will grow.

WIFE

Show Colby that I love him more by doing the little things.....

actually putting makeup on.....hugs.....kisses.....ect.....

MOTHER

Be present with our time together....me just being in the room while she is playing isn't making the best effort. I need to be down on the floor playing with her. Coloring......putting puzzles together....reading....ect.....

NURSE

Be more patient oriented instead of task oriented....again... its not life altering- but hopefully its doable!

SCHOOL

I'm going to pay more attention to detail. I find that I loose points in my work for stupid little details. If I would take the TIME to pay attention to those details, maybe then I would improve my grades.

So there we have it.....new year....new goals....commitment....now on to a funner person!!!

First bubble bath.....she didn't know what to think at first!

Then she got the hang of things....

New favorite past-time (thanks to nursery) is COLORING!!! She had always wanted to eat the crayons before but she is learning what they are used for....every once in a while I catch her trying to gnaw on one!

Hayden got this cute horse beannie from grandma and grandpa Moody and she loves putting it on herself, us, and the dog.

The best seat in the house....sitting on her horse, watching the 'i-yon' or in other words The Lion King...

 

Christmas!!!!

The Holidays are always busy for us! We ping-pong back and forth between family activities cause- heaven forbid we miss anything!! We want to catch it all!! So Christmas Eve evening starts with a visit from Santa. He is always so nice to stop in the town of Hinckley amidst his travels that night....

Sister did not want a thing to do with him!!

We then venture into Grandma Joyce's for the annual Christmas Eve Moody get-together! Good food- good company.

(Shayda Mae and Dylan- loving siblings)

Dylan thinks Grandpa Rick is awesome- which he is! 

We then ventured back out to Hinckley to spend the night and wait for Santa to come....

Boxes are so much funner than the actual presents!

After a TON of good food and fun....we headed back to Cedar- Santa knew that the little Cobalt wouldn't be able to hold what Hayden wanted for Christmas; so he left it in Cedar at our house.

She loves her little kitchen.....she is quite the little homemaker!

We love Christmas and the traditions that it brings....we are so very grateful for our Savior and for the sacrifices he has made for us. We love the opportunity to celebrate his birth and cannot wait for the years to come!

Happy happy New Years everyone!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

I tried to do a cute little photo shoot with this little setup..........note to self: when you have a 20 month old......wait until you have help!

The little diva did not think it was as fun as mom thought it would be....

Boring.........

Finally a decent picture!!!

A week or so ago.... we went to get our Christmas Tree!! I took my camera and as I was snapping away I realized that I had left my SD card at home and my camera has no internal memory.....so I didn't get the cute pictures of Millie eating it in the snow and her face COVERED in the 'white stuff.' She did not think it was funny! So when we got back to the truck.... I busted out the phone to snap a few pics.

For FHE that next Monday we got to decorating!!!

And the stockings were hung by the 'plant shelf'' with care........because toddler hands would have had those pulled down in a heart beat had they actually been on our pretend mantle!

Someone was a menace during our decorating process so her dad put her in 'time-out'.......I bet ya can't guess how long that lasted!

And.....ta da.... our little tree! It turned out better than we thought it would because we had to hurry to get it cause I was working that night.

On a school note...... Colby and I are both done with our classes for a couple weeks and we ended up doing better than we thought we would this semester! We are enjoying some time off watching movies at night when we put the little one to bed instead of doing homework!! 

November November- Where hast thou gone??

November has brought........ oh gosh........ I don't know because it went by so fast!! I'll think about this....

• The first snow storm
• Charlie turned 2!
• Maddy got baptized
• Thanksgiving was DE-LISH!!!
• Another molar is raring its ugly head causing a VERY temper-mental child
• The count down to a break from school is ON!!

Yes we hate molars.... we love Thanksgiving...... and are so excited for Christmas break!

(Braden and Crystal's family when Maddy got baptized)

By golly---- this kid can CLIMB! She is constantly reaching her little legs for the next highest thing. She thought it was AWESOME when I busted out the ladder today to put a chest back on my plant shelf (no worries- I only let her go up a couple rungs).

We tried to get a 'grandkid' picture for my mom's Christmas card but Hayden WAS NOT cooperating. These two were- of course- ready for the camera! So my mom might just have to be okay with three individual shots.  

Bring on Christmas!!!

Halloween

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,

And doesn't know where to find her;

Leave her alone, 

and she'll come home,

Wagging her tail behind her.

(Love being reunited...hugs all around!)

This Halloween hasn't consisted if ghouls and ghosts or zombies and skeletons. With little girls, it's all things FRILLY and PINK!!

(This costume is awful... This is what Charlie's face has written all over it!)

Nursery rhymes are timeless......

Happy Halloween!

nonsense

What if........ should've...... these are words that I TRY my hardest to avoid. These words have driven me to the insanity of grad school and the wonders of motherhood. No matter what I do....no matter what decisions I make- those dreadful words are inevitable. I am constantly asking myself questions like, "what if I don't get as sick with my next pregnancy..will I regret waiting to have another child until after school is done if I don't?" I make excuses for myself CONSTANTLY! For example, I really want to make family traditions like every October going to a pumpkin patch like Staheli Farms followed by a night at Thriller. I also want to host fun family Halloween parties. This year I was going to FOR SURE at least make it to a pumpkin patch--- did it happen? NO! What are my excuses? Homework, School, Work, Deer Hunt, Exhaustion, Being Sick, ect. Excuses- excuses!!! I really do want to be a good mom and do tons of fun family things- but my excuse- the obligations of life are getting in my way!!!! I keep telling myself that if we just sacrifice these few years, the next 30+ years will benefit because of the things we passed up on NOW!

Walmart pulled through for me this year.....pumpkin carving might have to wait a year or two and the AWESOME Halloween traditions might have to wait longer. But this cute little pumpkin from Walmart expresses the best of intentions of these exhausted parents. She loves this 'ball'- as she says it!  

(Her hilariously laughing faces) 

'wrangler butts drive me nuts'

Such a cute little toosh!

On to the 'hunt'.....

Colby didn't draw out- I'm the one with the tag. I really do love going camping and hiking in the mountains and looking for deer. But its hard......first off.... I am THE SLOWEST hiker (Colby gets frustrated with my huffing and puffing I'm sure)....and.... toting an 18 month old along isn't Colby's idea of hunting. So a couple of times we got a babysitter; but that can't be too often (lack of $$$$). Great friends have helped. But still the mom having the tag- isn't easy!! It was nice spending peaceful evenings enjoying the mountain air and getting some quality couple time.

But alas...... we've had no luck.

Luckily, we know that when we have to lean on others to help take care of our bug while we are away- she is in the best of care! The past few weeks I have realized the importance of great friendships and relationships. I have been so lucky to meet wonderful women through visiting teaching who have helped me in times of need. As well as awesome family willing to jump in whenever distance doesn't prohibit. Then there are those long-time friends that are always there when I need them. And of course....we are so grateful for a reliable babysitter whom we are going to be devastated to see leave at the end of this semester. 

This mom loves it when she gets called off of work and gets to spend more precious time with the ones she loves most- talking in 3rd person is so not cool- haha!

This kid opens doors......ugh....one of her favorites is the pantry. She spends time rearranging cans and boxes and brings me the bags of cereal to give her a snack. The cereal is going to have to find a new (higher) home. 

Now I really need to stop procrastinating and get this Healthcare Policy paper I have been putting off for way too long- started! Blogging is much funner......