One Little Word

I've seen this concept around the Internet of choosing a word for the year and making it your mantra so to speak.  It's One Little Word.  It's picking a word and making it visible in your life daily or weekly or monthly, whatever you may need.  I started googling this concept and came across a class at Big Picture Classes about your one little word with Ali Edwards.

So, I got to work thinking about my one little word.  I thought about the things I needed to accomplish this year and the things needed to get those things accomplished and a word came to mind...FOCUS.

FOCUS

It seems like some point in our lives we lose focus on the important things in our lives, or we lose focus on ourselves.  Whatever it may be I felt like FOCUS what the perfect word for me in 2013.

Then it was on to define my word....

The definition of FOCUS....a center of attraction, activity or attention (noun), a point of concentration (noun), to concentrate attention or effort (verb)

Then similar meanings...

Measure, standard, aim, ambition, aspiration, dream, goal, intention, objective, purpose

Without giving away too much of the class the first assignment was to sit down and write out 12 "intentions" with our word.  This did take me two days to really sit down and really FOCUS on what I wanted to FOCUS on for the year.  That makes sense, right?

So, I set to work......

• FOCUS on God
• FOCUS on a Budget
• FOCUS on Me
• FOCUS on Staying Organized
• FOCUS on Family
• FOCUS on Friends
• FOCUS on a Goal
• FOCUS on Fitness
• FOCUS on Staying on Track
• FOCUS on the Little Things
• FOCUS on What's Important
• FOCUS on Fun

I won't go into my reasoning for each "intention", but I will say that halfway through January and I already feel more focused and am really into this project.  I also love that it is going into a scrapbook that I can look at and reflect on through the year and years to come.  I look forward to keeping on this journey and doing this again next year.

My inserts for the month of January for the album

I love this little journal on Etsy and just embellished it with my word and a few stars.

December Daily

I decided to do a December Daily mini album this year.  I was inspired by the December Daily mini albums that Ali Edwards has done.  I looked on Etsy to see if there were any kits available and I found this one from Simple Mini Books.

I was so excited to get started on it and actually finish it!!

I was very diligent about taking a photo every day and sometimes I had more than one photo.  All of the pictures I took were with my iPhone and the Instagram app.

The kit

Day 1

Somehow I missed getting the pictures of Day 2-7...oh well

Finished album! 

So glad to have done this!  

Next time I'll do a little bit bigger album.

The 6x6 wasn't quite big enough for me.

Thoughts on being pregnant

This pregnancy has really flown by!  There are some things that I've noticed that are different this time around.

Being pregnant in your 30s isn't the same as when you're in your 20s.

A lot more things ache and are sore.

One good thing is I haven't gained that much weight, but I was already not at my ideal weight to begin with.

I am enjoying each kick and flip and flutter because I KNOW this is it!

I changed doctors this time and couldn't be happier, he is the best and he really cares!  He even checked  up on me after our girl's trip to Disney to make sure my legs were okay.

Speaking of my legs, I am having more trouble with them this time around.  Lots of swelling.  I had to have a Doppler to check for clots and now I have to wear support socks to keep the swelling down.

I am trying to enjoy these last few weeks though.  I know I will never carry a baby again and that is sad.  There is something that is unexplainable about feeling a baby in your womb and seeing your baby on that ultrasound screen and hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time.  I thank God for this tiny blessing that came into our lives when we least expected it and might have most needed it.

20 weeks

21 weeks

23 weeks

26 weeks

27 weeks

28 weeks

30 weeks

Christmas cookies

We had to postpone our annual Christmas cookie baking that we had scheduled.  A little back story...

Craig and his best friend started this tradition 26 years ago when they were in junior high school.  One night when Craig was staying with his friend Ted, Ted's mom wanted to keep them busy so she set them to work on making cookies.  Thus a tradition was born.

Each year we get together, alternating who hosts, and make and decorate sugar cookies.  This year was our turn to host.

The guys set to work on the dough.  

We usually don't involve the kids until at least on batch of cookies is in the oven.

They have this down to a science.

They lay out the cookie cutters to maximize space.

Now it's the girl's turn.

Have to stop for a group picture.

Now it's the boy's turn.

The boys hard at work.

Then the girls go wild and crazy with the sprinkles.

Of course Amy and I have our job of icing the cookies.  

This used to be a more involved process with outlining the cookies and putting details on them...now we just slather on the icing! 

Being that Ted is a veterinarian, we always have to have the Christmas cow, Christmas sheep and Christmas pig.  It's isn't complete without them!!

Christmas morning

The kids were so excited to open gifts on Christmas morning

Shara with her pile

Noah with his gifts

Noah got some camping gear for all those Boy Scout camp outs

Shara was excited about her Legos

This is what I was waiting for Noah to open...

And he was excited to get it!

A Playstation!!

Stocking time!!

They didn't make too big of a mess

My babies