i love...

...that josie cut her bangs. (reminds me of our favorite sufjan stevens christmas jingle)
...that jeneva prays for her non-christian friends daily. and earnestly.
...that jude prays for snow every day so he can play in it with jeneva.
...that my house was clean yesterday and that today it's a disaster--life lived here.
...that i'm sitting on my couch recording my thoughts rather than washing dishes.
...that my hard working husband is snuggled up in bed...since 9:00.
...that we discovered memory foam. i can hardly wait to go to bed!
...that living in a city doesn't feel lonely.
...text.
...eating cooked spinach with sea salt.
...that it's 5 days post christmas and i'm still enjoying the light of our tree.
...that it's warm out and there's no snow (okay, i lied, i REALLY want snow).
...that so many people send out christmas photos.
...the quietness and calmess i feel right now.
...that i have such great parents who i enjoy visiting.
...jesus who is the giver of all good things that "i love" in this moment.

random thoughts as we enter a new year

I have blog posts swirling around in my mind of all the things I want to say about my three little loves. I've been writing on this blog for 4 years now and the first two years had much more content than these past two years have. I just don't want to forget it... the funny things they say...the changes they make...the growth I see in each one of them personally.... spiritually.... emotionally.... physically. This is really the only place I record it besides my piles of photo albums (not scrapbooks, just albums with plain pictures) and a few random baby books. So, I guess one of my New Years Resolutions would be to be more consistent with recording the stuff I want to remember.

The only thing is, I don't make New Years Resolutions.

BUT, if I did, here is what I would choose from (the exhaustive list):

1. Catch up on printing pictures and be sure to record milestones.
2. Go on a 10 day juice fast.
3. Read the Bible and maybe even STUDY it?!
4. Paint the dresser that is in my living room a fun color. Green?
5. Work through the My Father's World curriculum with Jude (we have started already).
6. Organize my recipe file and print off recipes I've saved online.
7. Volunteer at school more.
8. Try and spend more time with my immediate neighbors. Community building?
9. Recover my dining room chairs with oilcloth.
10. Label bins in my basement with a label maker.
11. Plan some field trips with the kids.
12. Paint the trim and the walls in the hallway.
13. Get a small group going (mostly Steve, not just me).
14. Sew some curtains for Jude's room and for my room.
15. Work through a personal devotional book with Jeneva.
16. Do Classical Stretch every day.
17. Figure out how to garden in the city with a small yard.
18. Read: A Praying Life by Paul Miller and put it into practice.
19. Find some more creative ways to be thrifty.
20. Encourage, love, and bless my husband more.

And this is why I don't make New Years Resolutions! I wouldn't know what to pick. My list is always too long and I always feel defeated if I don't accomplish things. I am a list maker though and making a list like this for reference is helpful (and daunting). These are things that I would love to accomplish over the next year. If I look at them more as "goals" or "options" I feel better. When I "resolve" to doing them then it's like making a promise to myself that I know I won't be able to keep. God help me. Give me the strength I need to get done what YOU want me to get done. And may nothing be more important to me than spending time with You and seeking Your will for me and for my family daily.