HaPpY NeW YeAr!... a few days in and counting...

So I bet you can tell what my new year's resolution wasn't.... I would have chosen to be better about blogging... but I did that last year! haha. As for resolutions... I don't actually do them. I blame my lack of self discipline. Truthfully though, I have a million things to work on, it doesn't make much sense to only start at the beginning of a new year... and then end up disappointed when I don't succeed... and then quit... and then wait for the next new year! haha. So... I'm a walking endless resolution. :) How's that for avoiding commitment! haha.

Our New Year was rung in with friends and noise makers (a.k.a. children, 7 of them) and sparklers. None of which I have pics of. Bummer. Patrick had to work, and as it turned out, a friend of mine was alone too. (And by "alone" I mean... without adult company. It's an adult holiday, you should get to celebrate it with at least one person who's favorite meal doesn't include chicken nuggets!) :) The kids actually made it to midnight... which was shocking! It was a blast!

New Year's Day Grandma & Papa Salisbury made it into town! (They claimed the weather was too bad to make it here by New Year's Eve, so the HAD to spend it in Vegas! No one got arrested, but that's all I got out of them! haha.) That would be the actual reason I haven't done any blogging. Among other things... like cleaning my house, doing laundry or dishes, or getting dressed before 10 am... I also don't blog while we have company. :) But I thought I should post something, so people don't start to worry!...

Alright, so here's the skinny... 2010 was a HUGE year for us... the year that felt like 3 or 5! (Not necessarily in a bad way.) But still went by way too fast!... Now looking back, there are literally months I don't even remember. Where the heck did it go?!  We must have been busy. :)

It was the year Jackson started school, the big K. He learned to read and count to 100. He lost 2 teeth, and grew 2 new "private" teeth. haha. Learned to ride a bike without training wheels and how to throw and catch a baseball.

The year Harrison became a BIG brother. He officially joined the Big Kid club, and has the underwear to prove it. He learned his alphabet and letter sounds. He also learned how to ride a bike... or at least to peddle one.

The year that brought us Miss Reagan. She got 2 teeth. Learned to sit and roll. She discovered how to play, laugh, pound on things and throw a tantrum! She has also grown about 7 inches of hair!

I can't speak for Patrick, but in my opinion, it was a year of learning for us. LOTS of learning. Humility, gratitude, love, hope, patience, faith, grace... and while I feel like I learned, I also feel like I'm still way below the curve. So here's to doing it all a little better this year.

Personally, I found my... butt... and my feet. haha. I don't think I've ever been knocked down so many times in one year before! :) I have to laugh. Some things, like Jackson starting school, seriously (and laughably) got to me. Not because he was going to school, but because it made me feel old... Other things, like listening to my brand new baby girls labored breathing all night and praying my guts out to have answers, were harder on my heart. Spending WAY too many nights up with poor Harrison and a high fever (2011 better include a tonsillectomy), left me tired. (Which also contributed to the feeling old.)

...I found out that the things that can knock me down are not all big or life changing... but sometimes they are... and sometimes it was lots of little things. Spiritually, mentally, physically I got beat!  haha.  BUT... and there is a but... I did manage to get back up... find my feet! I know I sound like a dork, and my life isn't hard by any means, but there were days... you know, when survival is considered successful!  haha. :)

I discovered that old is a mindset, and sometimes an energy level... so my age fluctuates. And that isn't so bad... at least I'm not 30 yet... not even in 2011. haha. I found a love for my children I didn't know I had. Not that I didn't love them before, but that I love them more now. I found out that faith and hope go a long way. And that the worst thing that can happen... isn't always the worst thing. I had answered prayers... usually in the form of a person! Lots of them! I'm tougher than I thought I could be. Stronger even. But my heart is softer.  (I cry at the drop of a hat... sometimes it's a problem!)  I also discovered that being alone too much sucks... and can make me a little crazy... but it's not the end of the world. :) But most of all, I learned that I am truly never alone! It may have taken a few bruises on my backside to figure it out, but I'm not complaining, I wouldn't change a thing. And through it all I've had the most incredible safety net in the world... he's tall, handsome, funny in a smart-a$$ kind of way... good at breaking a fall! :) I'm sure picking me up all the time is a little hard on him too... but he is good at it, and if it ain't broke... ;) Lots of practice finding my feet has left me a little sturdier on them. ...So maybe this year there will be less falling. haha.

2011 should be interesting... I'm excited already!  ;)