New Year, New Outlook

For the past few weeks, I have been contemplating what kind of goals I wanted to set for myself for the year 2012.  Lose weight?  Get in shape?  Save more money, take up a new hobby?  They all sound good, I suppose, but they don't touch my heart in a way that makes me want to REALLY do them, and stick to it.

I want to do something that makes a difference, not just in my life, but the lives of my husband, children, and others around me.  And possibly people who are on the other side of this great big world.  This past Christmas I realized just how much STUFF my kids and our household accumulate.  It's not pretty. 

This year, I want to GIVE more than I RECEIVE.  Not just during the holidays, but for the entire year.  And it doesn't have to be just material things either.  I can give my time to someone who needs a visit or help doing something.  I can give words of encouragement to someone who is feeling down and having a rough time.  I can give my husband a back rub when he's had a hard day, or spend an extra few minutes with my kids at bedtime if I feel that they need it.

Sure, I have done these things before, but not intentionally.  I didn't seek them out and do them whole-heartedly and cherish it.  These things may mean the world to the person you take the time to share with, but do You....do I, see what it means to them, and mirror that appreciation and joy? 

That is my resolution, my goal for this new year.  To live more in the moment, and relish it, enjoy it, and to give more freely and intentionally.  And appreciate the things I do have and hold dear.   Hopefully this will serve as a good example to my family and they will feel the want to jump in occasionally.  :)

"It's a Small World"

This past Saturday, my little girl, Alli, had her first ever dance recital! 



The theme of the recital was "It's a Small World", and she was a Holland Tulip. She has had an absolute BLAST this past year working towards this.  She made several new friends, had a wonderful teacher and loved going to class. These are some truly precious little girls, they are all so sweet and I am so proud of my little one! 

Alli is in the yellow tutu, on the right side, with the big smile on her face

I was worried that she would be a little bashful on stage, but she was a natural!

I think we have a future ballerina on our hands!  :)

covered in flowers and gifts after the recital, she loved all of the attention

She was a little sad that her classes have ended for the summer,

but we have already signed her up for her second year. 

As long as she wants to dance,

this momma will gladly take her and watch her twirl around!

WELCOME to my new blog....

Hi, and thanks for stopping by!!! I previously had a blog here on blogspot, but after a while, I deleted it.  (Don't ask me why, I have no clue!)  I decided to start a new blog, and focus on just my family, mainly my kids who make me laugh on a daily basis.  Sure, they make me cry sometimes too, but I choose not to dwell on those times.  They are very few and far between. 

I am also going to be using this blog as a sort of family scrapbook.  I am really awful at scrapbooking actually, so I figured this would be as close as I could get to the real thing.  So have a look around, hopefully here in the next couple of weeks I will have a handful of funny stories and experiences to share!