Jack 27 Months

I dare you to just try to not love this kid! It ain't possible, folks. His vocabulary and personality are growing like crazy and every day he does something new to make us laugh. He's mostly so agreeable and it's super fun being around a two year old human who gets excited about essentially everything.

Lately he's really into Thomas the Train. He finds books about him at the library, asks to go to Barnes and Noble to play with their Thomas train set, and was super pumped to get his haircut so he could sit in the Thomas seat. If you ask him whether he got a hair cut, his responses is "the Thomas one!!!!"

Of course he still loves his buses too. Lucky for us, we get to walk big sis to and from school every day and he is just as enamored as ever by the line of school buses he gets to see. We treated him and his siblings with a trip on the 255 ALL the way downtown Seattle (about an hour long bus ride). He was as pleased as punch, especially that we got to get off in the bus tunnel THAT ALSO HAS A TRAIN RUNNING THROUGH IT. Imagine that!

  In classic 3rd child fashion, I have absolutely no idea how many teeth the poor kids has. I did notice the other day that he cut 4 molars which might explain why his hands have been in his mouth so much.

Jack has some particular fashion preferences. He favorite is his Thomas t-shirt but he'll wear the Superman shirt if Thomas is dirty. And occasionally you can convince him to wear the shirt with the basketball on it if everything else is in the laundry. He likes wearing zip-ups but only if they are zipped ALL the way up to his neck and the striped PJs and the ones with the moose on them are his favorites. He takes his socks off every time he's in his crib and removes his shoes every time we are in the car. 

Jack LOVES ride things. The kids got a Plasma car for Christmas and Jack always asks to "drive it?" In the rare moments when he and Emma aren't fighting over it, he can maneuver the thing pretty well. I spend most of my afternoons breaking up fights and setting a timer to keep track of whose turn it is. When Jack does get to be behind the wheel, he welcomes pushes from Emma and the two of them whip around our circular floor plan at breakneck speed.

He also really loves tricycles. Though he has a balance bike, he much prefers the safety and comfort of the trike. He isn't quite tall enough to reach the pedals just yet but manages along just fine somehow.

Some days when it's rainy and we're feeling desperate, I'll back the cars out of the garage and set them free to burn off some steam. You should see the looks I get from the neighbors walking by as they hear the shrieks coming from within!

This next picture kills me! He really is my lil' chef and helps me more in the kitchen than his big sisters combined. I put this apron on him during one cooking adventure and he just BEAMED with pride. No matter the time of day or what meal we're prepping, he always asks if we can make pancakes.

You fellow parents will know that there are some specific moments in raising kids that are just the absolute best. We'll call them "parenting highs" for lack of a better term. You never quite know when they are going to happen and they can never, ever be forced. But suddenly you'll be in the middle of something with your kids and find yourself so totally filled with joy or gushing with pride or some other positive emotion of the like. This has been my experience when taking Jack to the Seattle Gymnastics Academy. He absolutely loves it. Loves. It. Suddenly my mellow kid starts running and jumping and climbing and laughing like crazy and it makes me feel about as giddy on the inside as he looks on the outside. I would put this experience up in my top 5 favorite parenting moments so far. Unexpected joys. They are everywhere when you are a parent.

Especially when you are a parent to Jack. You never know when he will randomly climb atop a park bench and strike a yoga pose. 

Don't be totally fooled by his cuteness though. He's definitely a 2 year old! He's learned to say a defiant "No!" and then laugh in our faces when we ask him to do something. 

Jack is pretty solid Seahawks fan nowadays (don't tell him they got knocked out). Anytime he sees a football game on, or a basketball game or a soccer game - any sport really - he yells "GO SEAHAWKS!!!" It's awesome. We were really sad when they lost a couple weeks ago but that didn't stop him for showing off his pride with his blue sucker during the game.

Oh man. And these 2 kids - their bond is amazing! My friend Jenny sent me this picture while she was watching my younger two in the nursery last week. She shared how comforting Emma was to Jack, even going as far as to "read" him a book. I get sad thinking of the shock Jack is in for next year when Emma starts Kindergarten. Boy will he ever miss her! Usually one of the first things he asks for in the morning when he wakes or after a nap is Emma. It's darling!

He finally reached the age where he tells me "Love you!" when I say it to him first. And he says "I did it Mom!" when he does something he's proud of. Other common phrases include:

"I want ALL of it"

"Yes I do" or "Yes I did"

Oh! and he calls frozen yogurt "frozen mofurt" 

(It took us forever to figure that one out!)

He's gotten really creative with the ways he announces to us that he is no longer sleeping (or that it's time we give up on the idea of him napping altogether). Some of his most common things he yells from bed include: 

"Mommy where ARE you?"

"I'm upstairs!"

"Open the door!"

"Come downstairs!"

It cracks me up.

He really hasn't napped much this past week which is a huge bummer. On the days that he does fall asleep, he has to sing to himself or yell things for a good hour before he'll finally give up and lay down. The singing is pretty adorable. He carries a tune amazingly well but usually requests WE sing to him when we tuck him in. His favorites include: The Wheels on the Bus, the "Inside Out Song" (which is basically us or Emma chanting repeatedly "Who's your friend that likes to play? Bing Bong! Bing Bong!"), Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, Happy Birthday, and the ABCs (but sung to the tune they use in the show Superwhy). He's also been asking for "The Seahawks Song" which usually results in mommy doing a sing-song crazy dance/cheer around his room and yelling "Go Seahawks!" It's super calming. But the best is when we just catch him singing all by himself. My absolute favorite is how he does "swish swish swish" in this video:

Remember how I said he loves trains? Please don't ever let me forget how this kid waves. I love his robotic jerky-handed vertical wave to pieces!

And last but certainly not least...if you're still with me here, this one is a MUST watch! We've been doing some scripture memorization/recitation at mealtimes with the girls and it never occurred to me just how much happens through osmosis. One day just for kicks, I decided to say the verses to Jack and drop out an occasional word here and there. To my surprise, he was able to recite most all the verses to me with minimal prompting! I knew kids were like sponges but wow! 

Isla 76 and 77 Months

(photo credit to the amazing John Crozier at Crozier Photography)

Ok, now it's Isla's turn! This girl. She is something else! I love the above photo taken just before Christmastime by my brother-in-law. I feel like it captures her personality to a tee: strong, confident, really cute, a commanding presence and sure to leave an impact. 

I would say that about 85% of the time, I have no idea how to handle this little spitfire. But then in those moments when I do parent her well, the way she beams at me makes me (almost) forget the meltdowns that have dominated her first grade year. It's been a pretty rough season but I love this girl to pieces and am determined to help her thrive! 

She is an exceptional big sister. She's constantly coming up with new games or orchestrating creative play amongst her siblings. 99% of the time they involve her as the teacher and the sibs as her (currently) willing pupils. Time will tell when they grow more adept at exerting their own leadership potentials.

If ever there was an award for most generous gift giver, Isla would certain win first prize. She blew us and many of our family members out of the water with her copious number of thoughtful, homemade and hand-wrapped gifts at Christmas. I honestly had no idea she'd made half of them. I think we each received an envelope of coins from her piggy bank as well as personalized drawings and letters. Unbeknownst to either of us, she made Graham a gift certificate good for one morning of sleeping in - a gift she knew he would most certainly appreciate. Her cousin Lilly was the main recipient of her generosity though. She was gifted no less than five presents from Isla which included art, a homemade activity book and a bird cage constructed out of a cardboard box and plastic wrap, complete with cardboard bird, food and water dish and swing.   

Knowing one of Isla's love languages seems to be gift giving (and shopping!), I did allot her a small budget for purchasing gifts for a select number of family members. She did a fabulous job picking out each item and was very thoughtful in her approach. Emma had been asking for a "journal" to write in so Isla picked out the little sticky note pad Emma is holding in the picture above. Emma was elated and I got a real kick out of the fact that the design on each piece of paper reads "Don't panic! It's organic." 

On one of our shopping trips, Isla spotted a frilly white, heart-shaped frame that she KNEW was just right for Daddy's desk at work. She came up with a whole plan to trick Daddy into posing for a picture - just the two of them - so we could send it off for printing (above). It was ALL her idea and it was pretty much the sweetest thing ever and I'm pretty sure Graham would now say all he ever wanted in life was a frilly white heart framing a picture of the two of them.

You guys, I gotta stop right here and celebrate - isn't this kid just fantastic? So often I lose sight of this in the blur of emotions and sensitivity. But this girl is talented, creative and so very very thoughtful. May these traits continues to flourish!

Isla is my funny little eater. She likes things for a little while and then decides she "doesn't care for them anymore." Things that have come and gone: yogurt, string cheese, cheddar cheese, nuts, sandwiches, bean burritos, fruit leather, peanut butter, smoothies. Packing lunches for school has been quite the experience. In her opinion, it seems perfectly reasonable to give her a sandwich "without the peanut butter and jelly" or the crackers without the cheese or the burrito without the beans. So essentially a piece of bread, a handful of crackers and a tortilla would be a perfect lunch in her world. Getting her to eat protein has always been my challenge but I'm celebrating the fact that she at least eats salami and deli meat! At least today she does. Tomorrow could be a totally different story.

She is also remains super particular about her clothing. Despite receiving at least 5 pairs of stretch pants for Christmas, she only has "2 pairs of pants that are comfortable." One of them is stained permanently and has a giant hole in the knee. So, she tries to wear the other one each and every single day. Essentially what I'm saying is that this girl survives in about 5 articles of clothing which her mother washes every couple days. Her signature style also includes intentionally mismatched socks of varying colors.

In Isla's world, there is never enough time for play. School, though she loves it, really cramps her style and cuts into the time she has to get things done. The other day she requested a personal nanny so that she could "do all the projects" she's been wanting to do. I was driving at the time and nearly ran the car off the road. I tried not to take it personally (I didn't do so hot - I mean, I think I of anyone here could use the nanny for projects!!) but I realize the point she is getting at is that she loves doing, creating and making. She's currently in the middle of sewing her own doll (and doing a great job of it!), writing at least 25 books, running her own homemade jewelry business, reading at least 3 chapter books, collecting rocks for a heart-shaped rock Valentine craft, making jump robes for her and her siblings, and acting as a pen pal to a handful of friends and family. And she is always looking for more things she could sell curbside. She never, ever stops. 

One of the best ways to get her to slow down is through the use of books on CD. These have been a LIFE SAVER. She will disappear into her room and get lost in stories of the crazy Mrs. Piggle Wiggle or Ivy and Bean or Clementine. She likes to crank up the volume REAL LOUD and sometimes doesn't come out again for an hour or more. The only trouble is that it can be hard to pull her back into reality after spending the afternoon in storyland. All in all, it's totally worth it though.

We've also discovered reading chapter books right after school to be the SECOND BEST THING EVER. I make a snack for all the kids and we sit together at the kitchen table and they eat while I read. Getting food into the kids immediately (and having them sit still long enough to actually eat enough) while doing a wind down activity (reading) has significantly reduced our post-school meltdowns. And we are getting are 20 minutes of reading done first thing when Isla gets home. #winning

Isla's self-made good-attitude-after-school sticker chart has also been pretty helpful. She was promised a frozen yogurt outing once she had 4 stickers in a row and a trip to the ice skating rink once she had 15 stickers anywhere on the chart. She quickly figured out that she could get 4 days in a row much faster if she included the weekend days when she doesn't have school and doesn't struggle with the post-school-exhaustion meltdowns. It also helped that we had a 3 day long weekend. Tally on 1 school day after the long weekend and voila! She had 4 stickers in a row. ;) Trust me folks, I just went with it. This girl needs to know she's making progress (and she is). 

In other news, Isla got a hair cut! She's loving the eased length for styling and her momma is still working hard to figure out how to manage her curlier curls.

Isla is really excelling in school. She LOVES Writer's Workshop and is very creative with her stories. She just completed a unit on writing "how-to" stories and here is an excerpt: 

The last part had me laughing out loud: "Ask the adult to talk to you for a few minutes. But they might say no." Ha! It's true. Nothing like a little honesty to slap you in the face. Sometimes we do say no. But let me assure you, we say yes too. Maybe we should make time for yeses a little more often...

So yeah. I just love that my little girl is a budding writer! She gets upset every time she hears I'm going to a coffee shop to write and begs to come with. So the other day I invited her to. We took turns working on each of our projects - her project being writing a book about emotions and my project being transferring some favorite quotes over to my notebook. It was pretty much the best thing ever and I hope to do this more often and instill in her the belief that SHE CAN WRITE from a very young age.

Oh. And as if I wasn't proud of her writing enough already...apparently she's a food writer too! Here is part of her "How to Make Veggie Soup" book. I nearly burst when I saw this.

She is also quickly developing her reading skills and has advanced to a "G" reading level at school. I'm told she is excelling at math too and her teacher sent an email of praise last week saying she was so proud her Isla - she applied some of the math concepts she'd already learned to a new type of problem her teacher was introducing.

This Isla girl. She challenges and grows me every single day. And I just love her! 

Emma 50 and 51 Months

Well folks. I'm pulling a first here and combining the months of December and January together into one for my supposedly-monthly posts on my girls. Let's just blame Christmas craziness! These posts can at times feel cumbersome but, as the saying goes, the days are long and the years are short and it's so easy to get caught up in all that is hard. But then I take a browse through my pictures and think over all the silliness that happened in each passing month and I can't help but just burst with love and gratitude.  

She's certainly my tender little sweetie pie! I love these shots of her painting that I captured just this morning. She asked me to paint the outline of a tree house and then said she'd fill it in with color. I made a valiant (read: terrible) effort as she kindly told tell me that my "tree" looked more like a bush and that my structure didn't even look like a house. When Daddy arrived home, she immediately made the same request of him, adding that "Mommy tried but she was really bad at it." I love her sweet honesty. Next she went straight to work painting striped snakes (pictured here). I think she could do art all day if I let her!

When she isn't doing art, she is most certainly dressed to the nines in her blue sparkle dress that leaves evidence of it's presence EVERYWHERE. In the form of glitter. Just ask Grandpa and Grandma Crozier! She wore it to their house on Christmas and you could easily trace every last one of her steps, just like Hansel and Gretel and their trail of breadcrumbs. I'm guessing Grandma and Grandpa are still vacuuming glitter off of their furniture. Thankfully, we've discovered the hoop skirt sewn into the dress prevents her from being able to buckle into her car seat. Which means she can't wear it on any errands...darn it! It is one of her very favorite Christmas presents though so all the sparkle is worth it.

One of her other favorite gifts is orange kitty (pictured below) from Great Grandma Juna. She named it "Skye" after the former Crozier family dog who she never did meet. 

When she isn't wearing her blue dress, she's most likely in a leotard and ballet shoes begging for me to put on "Nutcracker music." She's definitely got some moves and asks for more ballet classes regularly. We missed sign ups for this session so I keep telling her maybe next time. 

Emma LOVES tights (or long socks as Grandpa Crozier calls them). She got about 12 pairs for Christmas and she somehow manages to wear them ALL within a matter of days. Unfortunately, she doesn't have enough long-sleeved dresses to pair with them so she almost daily tries to convince me tights can double as pants. She has daddy to thank for that one I think. He used to let her wear them as such on the days mommy was at work...

Emma still is almost always game to "help" me in the kitchen. She loved getting her hands dirty with all the Christmas baking. Her other specialty is helping mix up pancakes.

Emma has QUITE the imagination. *Cough* Yes. I think we will call it that. I picked her up from Sunday School a while back and her teacher exclaimed "I didn't know it was her birthday!" 

"It's not," I replied. 

Looking confused, she proceeded to tell me how Emma had said that it was and that we were going to be heading home after church to make a rainbow cake for her party. Right...

Then on her last day of school before Christmas break, one of her teachers told her goodbye and told her to "Have fun in Cannon Beach!" Then she looked at me and asked "Do you guys have a place there? Because it sure seems like you go there a lot!" 

My puzzled expression outed Emma's little story and the teacher and I burst out laughing, as Emma hid in embarrassment behind my leg. I guess our summer trip to the beach made more of an impression than I thought! 

In other news, in case you missed it, EMMA GOT A HAIRCUT!!! She'd been begging for months and finally we gave in. I told Graham the night before that I was just going to "give her a trim" but then at the last second I decided - what the heck- if we're gonna do this, let's just do it and donate it like she'd been asking.

Some lady with cancer is going to be THRILLED to receive the locks from this generous soul! I'm so proud of her!

Oh and in other big news, I'm told Emma tied the knot up at the slopes earlier this month. She and Isla and Daddy got to go on a sledding "adventure" with some of the Steingard crew. The day had a few hiccups which eventually led to Graham and the 4 kids spending a LOOOOONG afternoon in the lodge. So what is a couple to do when stranded in the mountains? Get hitched of course! 

That picture!!!! I just die. And then this next one too! I mean. The way she is looking at him! If that's not the look of TOTAL ADMIRATION than I don't know what is! We are in TROUBLE. 

(But in all honestly, Leif, you have our blessing).

A Letter to My Readers

Dearest Readers,

It is with great excitement and a fair measure of trepidation that I share with you some changes are happening in my blogosphere. Most of you probably know that I have a food blog in addition to this personal one. Well, the time has come for the two sites to merge. As a reader of this blog, you are well aware that I have a LOT of thoughts and even more feelings. I have used this space to process the struggles and joys of parenting and marriage and life in general and everything in between and the Lord has been laying it on my heart to put it all out there over on Kelsie's Kitchen. I've committed to honesty and vulnerability and you guys - it's been amazing to see how this realness breaks down walls. I've reached a point where it feels somewhat dishonest to keep these two blogs separate and the Lord has been nudging me to make a change. It hasn't been intentional but sort of by default, the hard stuff goes here on the personal blog and the good, fun, silly stuff goes on the food blog. Presenting a picture-perfect life is the exact thing I am fighting against so the time has come for the spaces to merge.

For those of you who have been following me here, I would love it if you subscribed to my blog over at www.kelsieskitchen.com where you will find me writing about all the same stuff plus some food posts and recipes too. As for this blog, very soon I will be making it private and will pop in monthly-ish to continue document the nitty gritty details about what each of my kids are doing. I'm finally admitting it outloud: my monthly kid posts here are the closest thing they will ever have to a baby book! If you are interested in these intricacies, please please contact me and I will grant you access. Even if you've been a closet reader up until this point. I'm a closet reader on plenty of blogs and I know what it's like when they make it private and you don't have the balls to officially ASK to read it so you just have to let it go. ;) My intent here is mostly just to keep the creepy internet stalkers from knowing too much about my children. Which you aren't one of, of course.

Here's to many writing adventures ahead! Thanks for reading.

It's a new year!

I know it's not what the cool kids are doing but I'm a big resolver and I sort of love New Year's resolutions. Over the past few New Year's Eves, as we've closed down one set of 365 and welcomed a new one, I've asked my compatriots if they have made any resolutions. No has been the consistent response because, well, I hang with the cool kids. Admittedly, this phases me briefly, as I'm never one to totally enjoy bucking the trend and going against the flow (the trend here being not setting resolutions) but then I dig deep and carry on with my decision to resolve.

I'm a black and white girl and so the idea of a clean slate appeals to my soul. I'm also very, very goal-oriented and setting resolutions helps me stay on track. To be honest, I don't yet know exactly what my resolutions will be for this year, except of course that I plan to make some. I'm hoping they will flesh out and make themselves known as I sit here and think on the year.

A lot has happened in 2015 and I can't help but think about the resolution I made and wrote about here. I resolved to deepen my relationship with Christ, to pursue Him and get to know Him as a God of love and grace, as a God who loves and accepts every ounce of me. I had no idea if and how this resolution would come to fruition but it seemed like a good goal. In January, I went to get my hair cut and I told my hairdresser about the resolution. She challenged me read the book of John, as John was always referred to as "the one Jesus loved." How better to learn of God's love than to hear it straight from the source of one who is loved by God? I thought. I accepted her proposal and began slowly working my way through the gospel. I read small chunks of verses at a time but then grew inconsistent and over the 11 months that followed, I only made it to chapter 8. 

I thought about my resolution periodically throughout the year. Was I making any progress? How could I be if I wasn't doing my "assigned" reading. Guilt would bubble up and I would feel disappointed in myself. How was I ever supposed to grow if I wasn't follow my own self-inflicted formula? I love it how God, in moments like these, can take our best-laid plans (no matter how noble they may sound) and dump them on their faces, which is exactly what ended up happening. Not in an I'll show you sort of way but more of a Are you willing to be open and let me take the lead here sort of way.

He waited until nearly the very end of the year to show up. I was fighting feelings of disappointment. Wasn't this a resolution worth granting? In my head, I couldn't fathom how God could hear my plea to know His love more deeply and NOT grant it. But the truth, as I know it now, was of course that He DID want me to know Him as a God of profound love and incomprehensible grace. But it wouldn't happen as the result of anything I did, no 10 easy steps to knowing God. I'm a logical thinker but our God in one who defies all logic.

I was sitting in church and, though I can't recall the exact passage our pastor was preaching from, I think it was from Ecclesiastes. All I know is that he was sharing about 3 gifts from God, three gifts that He longs to lavish upon us. I can't even name the gifts now because I was so caught off guard in the moment. All I know is that they were lovely, and amazing and things I usually view myself as unworthy of. Suddenly something clicked and I saw my God in a new way, full of immense and unfailing love and it totally undid me. Tears streamed down my face and I couldn't get up on my feet when it came time for the congregation to stand and worship together at the close of the service. Afterward, I felt an undeniable urge to walk up to the front of the church and talk to my pastor. This isn't something I typically do. Ever. It isn't that the guy is unapproachable at all. It's more that I view post-sermon conversations to be for the super spiritual types which is not a category I would put myself in. But in that moment, no was not an option and I felt so compelled to go forward, dragging my husband along with. Through teary eyes, I told him THANK YOU for helping me see God through a different lens, that I'd been deeply impacted that morning. 

I didn't come to church that Sunday expecting what had happened. And then God showed up. In His timing. In His way. Lesson learned. And now my faith is all the better for it.

Well. That wasn't at all where I expected to go with this post but there it is. Over the past year, I've done a lot of growing. I feel that, by the grace of God, I know myself better today than I ever have before and I hope to live into that better in the year to come. I've identified some innate needs and, maybe more newsworthy than that, I've actually accepted theses needs as valid and even beneficial for my functioning. I'm hearing the voice of my loving God telling me It's how I made you. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

Still, every time I do something "for me," I have to wack away an entire army of voices proclaiming guilt and my undeservedness of good. But slowly, one by one, this army is shrinking. The root of this guilt, of course, stems from one of my biggest fears - that I would somehow be viewed as a selfish, self-serving, and/or high maintenance. The meeting of my needs can sometimes feel so indulgent because it is typically comprised of time alone, time spent writing, reading, and running to name a few. BUT again I am reminded of God's unfailing love which does sometimes means really, really good things for me. I'm no proponent of prosperity gospel but I do believe now that God does desire to lavish us with good gifts.

So this year, I am committing to doing the things that I've discovered to be life-giving for me. I've done a lot of surviving and this year I would really, really like to thrive. So, without further adieu, this year, I commit:

1. To write - I love writing more and more with each passing day. It is one of the most life-giving activities out there for me right now. I have some ideas, some big dreams and a few personal goals of course but mostly I commit to continue forging ahead. To share my heart. I have no idea what lies ahead but I feel a very clear urging to keep at it and have faith. It's a bit like I'm walking into a fog without a whole lot of direction, but yet I can say confidently that this fog is exactly where I'm supposed to be. I don't think I'm quite to a place where I can commit to writing every day but I would like to put my fingers to the keys on a more consistent basis. I'm anticipating a few changes to my blog in 2016 that I'm excited about! To my cheerleaders out there (you know who you are), THANK YOU for encouraging me to keep putting out words. I have lots of them. 

2. To read - I guess it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to me that I love reading. Writers usually do. But I've felt an insatiable appetite for books lately and I plan to plow my way through as many books as I can this year. For starters, I will try to read 1 book every month and I will find time to do so by reading at night instead of surfing who knows what on my phone.

3. To run - a full marathon!!! Back in college, I dated a guy. I was a nutrition student and therefore "supposed" to be about all things health and fitness. I decided that I'd better take up running which of course led me trying to impress said boyfriend by opening up my big fat mouth and stating what I thought was a simple runner's goal - I'd run a marathon. He seemed mildly impressed. Never having run a day before in my entire life, I slipped on my shoes and jogged down to the canal that borders Fremont in Seattle, near my college campus. I made it, heaving and gasping, to the blue bridge and back, totaling a whopping 1 mile. Maybe it was even 1.3. I immediate canned that idea as my stupidest ever, gave up running for the rest of my college career and never thought much about the marathon thing again....until last year. I never would have predicted it back then, but now I am a 100%, full-fledged and addicted runner girl who is currently registered for her first full marathon in May!!! If you happen to be in Vancouver BC around the first of the month, give me a buzz! I could use some well-positioned cheerleaders. In the meantime, you can find me and my amazing running buddy Olona, adorned in headlamps and mittens, running at the crack of dawn in below freezing temperatures 3 times a week. WE ARE GOING TO DO THIS!!!

4. To create - This is probably my most recently-identified need: to create beauty. I never would have thought of this being one of my "things" (mostly because I usually feel so out of style!!) but as I think back on the past year, it's very easy to identify that this is something that feeds me. I have a list, pages in length, filled with projects, both completed and ones I'm dreaming of completing. All of them have to do with creating beauty in my home, ranging from the taking and hanging of photographs, arranging and organization of the office, the moving bristles of a paint brush, the running of fabric through a sewing machine, the planting of seeds or bulbs in soil, or the artful presentation of food and recipes. I never would have called it but, I'll be darned, I guess I am pretty creative! This year I'm going to do some of the things I've been dreaming about and enjoy making my house a home!

As a depression-sufferer, I know in my heart that I have to fight HARD to do things that are life-giving. I am praying over the year - that whatever my hands find to do, that I would do it with all of my might. I would love for these resolutions to be in "the plan" for me in 2016 but I am also praying that my hands would be open and that God would bring to light HIS plans for my year. 

What are YOU resolving to do in 2016?