A New Year

Every year I make new years resolutions.  Some years I'm successful at keeping them and some I'm not.  I decided to make them more specific this year and report how I am doing on my blog.  This blog is turning into more of a journal for me and I don't think many people read it anyway, but I think I am going to make it completely private. I want to write about things that are private and just for our family journal and family history.  If you still read this, please don't be offended when you can't read it anymore.  I try to keep up on my journal, but I just don't so I need to make this into more of a journal.

One of my goals this year is to spend more quality time with my kids.  It is so easy to let them watch too much TV while I take time for myself or get things done.  I am going to stay off my phone while they are up and look for ways to interact with them.  I am off to a pretty good start.  I have had fun having tea parties with Wyatt and Hallee.  They love the new food and dishes they got for Christmas.  Wyatt's favorite thing is when I let him fill up the little pitcher and he gets to pour water for all of us. 

Dress up is also a favorite.  Wyatt and Hallee love to make parties for me.  They decorate Hallee's room and they get in dress up and sing happy birthday to me.  It is really cute.

While Hallee was napping Wyatt and I had fun playing with his new tinker toys.  I think he was impressed with the car and bridge I made!  Another day I pulled out our foam stickers and Wyatt and Hallee had fun making a picture with all of the stickers.  Hallee was so proud.  She took her papers everywhere and told everyone that she did them by herself.

The kids love to help me bake.  We tired some healthy cookies one day.  No one really likes them except for me and Hallee, but I am thrilled I found something Hallee will eat and it is even good for her.  She is one picky eater!

Keith has set the same goal.  We are both putting our phones away more and focusing on the people in front of us.  The kids love to rough house with dad!

We had a fun family afternoon/evening on Friday.  We went to the gym to play racquetball.  We had a couple of courts so Keith and I would take turns playing one-on-one games with the kids, while the other one was playing with the rest of the kids.

The kids all loved it.  I realized how much I miss playing racquetball.  It is such a fun sport.

After that we went to Del Taco because we had a gift card.  We let all of the kids get a kids meal, which is a big thrill to them because they get a soda and a toy!  After that the kids had a blast playing in the play land.  Caitlyn and Hallee even made a "best sisters ever" handshake.  It was so cute.  It was a great night.  There were a few times during the night where I wondered why we were going to so much trouble when there was fighting, complaining and crying.  After a while I realized that I need to adjust the picture I have in my head.  Sometimes I think things aren't successful unless they are prefect.  I realized that there will always be bumps in everything we do as a family, but the good always outweighs the bad.  We all had fun together even though that fun was mixed in with crying and fighting.   I need to remember that with our family home evenings and scripture reading.  I'm pretty sure most of the time the kids aren't listening and most nights the kids either can't stop laughing or can't stop crying, but every once in a while I get a glimpse of something they have learned and I know it is all worth it.

Caitlyn is sure looking grown up these days.  On Saturday Caitlyn was at Katelyn's birthday party for most of the day.  After that she ended up going to a family party with them.  Katelyn has sure been a good friend for Caitlyn.  They had a rough patch last year, but it is great for Caitlyn to have such a good friend close by.  They have so much fun together and Jenna is so good to Caitlyn. 

Jonah also had a birthday party on Saturday.  When it was over we brought his friend, Gaven home with us.  They had a great time playing all afternoon.  I was so happy that they let Wyatt play.  Hallee was napping and Keith and I were able to get some projects done around the house.  That evening we took Jonah and Gaven to their basketball game.  It was another rough game, but Jonah did great.  He had a lot of steals, rebounds and quite a few baskets. 

When we got home from the game we put Wyatt to bed and Caitlyn was still gone.  Hallee was watching a show so Keith and I watched "Napoleon Dynamite" with Jonah.  He laughed so hard and loved it.  It was great to have that time with Jonah.  He really needed it.  He has been having a lot of nightmares that involve Keith and I getting hurt.  He also had a nightmare that Keith went to work and never came back.  He has been crying every night because he doesn't want Keith to go to work the next day.  He also wakes up when Keith leaves and cries.  Poor kid he is terrified at night.  I feel so bad for him, but I'm frustrated at the same time.  While we watched the movie he laid on Keith and held onto his arm.  I guess he just needs a little reassurance right now.  I never knew how much worry came along with being a mother.  I'm sure I still have no idea, but I sure worry about my kids a lot!