How'd I do?

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I posted New Year's resolutions last year, and I feel like I ought to do a bit of a check-up on how I did. Interwebz accountability, if you will. I'll repost some of the stuff below, but here's the full post from December '08 if you're interested.

1. Cherish my friends. Definitely could continue to grow in this respect, but I did improve in this area in 2009, so I'll give myself a thumbs up here. I'd like to get better about remembering birthdays and sending cards for them, though. It's one of those things that I don't care about personally (not being a big gift person, since my love language is not gifts but rather Goodberry's cinnamon chocolate chip custard, which is the flavor of the day today in case you're wondering), but I know other people care about that type of thing.

2. Take back the house from Lee (as much as possible). Yeppers! I'm now the domestic goddess around here, and while Lee does a lot around the house, he's not doing nearly as much as he was doing when my health was so terrible. Stop for a moment. Did you notice that? The use of the past tense? When my health was so terrible. After more than three years of barely having a respite from serious, nasty health stuff, I've been feeling fantastic lately. I have had days that felt like 2006 (the year that my health started declining) since I've start taking Remicade. I give full glory and thanks to God for the blessing of this medication, since it truly does seem to be my miracle drug. While Remicade is an immuno-suppressant and, as such, does make me more susceptible to illness and infection, it's a better option than some of the other drugs I've been on since it is more selective in its immune system suppression (focusing on the inflammatory response of my immune system rather than the immune system as a whole). My IV infusions are now only every eight weeks, although they are still a few hours long, and words cannot convey how spectacular my nurse is.

3. Give birth to our little boy and adjust from having one kiddo to two! Done!

4. Be active. Done! We've joined a gym with great childcare, and I'm more active in other respect too. My goal was never losing weight but rather just trying to be as healthy as I can be since if I've learned anything in the past couple years, it's been that I can't take anything about my health for granted. That said, I am presently 25 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant with Robbie and I'm wearing clothing sizes I haven't seen in my closet since ninth or tenth grade. And did I mention above that I'm feeling great? Because I am. :)

5. Do the stuff I like to do. Could have done better here, but once again I was better in this area in 2009 than 2008. Improvement is good.

6. Get Jocelyn potty-trained. Mostly done! We still have accidents occasionally, but we haven't had on while out in public for several months. (We're working on those rare but still pesky at-home ones, which I think are the result of her not feeling like there's any sense of urgency while we're at home and thus waiting until a bit too late.) I must say that this was my least favorite part of parenting thus far. Any volunteers for training Robs when that time comes?

7. Be real. Yep, I think I've done fairly well on this one, but this will always be an ongoing one.

8. Read through the entire Bible this year. Nope for this one, but I switched gears shortly into the year as I felt like God was leading me to more in-depth study and memorization of smaller sections of the Bible rather than reading big chunks each day. I'm still loosely following a Bible reading plan that will take me through the whole thing, but I'm no longer sticking with an arbitrary timeline. God is showing me awesome things through His Word, and that was the point of this goal, so I'm feeling good about it.

9. Be more intentional about my prayer life. Once again, I saw improvements in 2009 here, but it'll continue to be an ongoing goal. I don't think I'll ever be able to say that I've done perfectly in this area.

10. Start renovating the third floor. Hasn't happened yet, but we are beginning to set up appointments with plumbers, HVAC folks, and electricians to finalize our plans. We still expect to do the plumbing and electrical work ourselves (though not the HVAC), but we're getting some estimates and input first. Overall, we're making sure our budget is as realistic as it can be so that we have things laid out well before our walk-up attic turns into some storage, two small bedrooms, and a bathroom.

I usually don't make resolutions, so last year was a bit of an anomaly. I won't be making any this year, but I'd love it if you'd share yours (f you set any) by leaving a comment. I do enjoy the fresh start that a new year or new day offers!

Lamentations 3:22-23: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases: his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Still celebrating

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These pictures were taken prior to Christmas, but - for the record - our tree and other decor is still up. A part of me is sad that today is Epiphany, which means the decorations will be coming down starting tomorrow.

I love Christmas decorations.

I love them even more as my little girl becomes more engrossed in them each year.

From December 2009


For example, this year she hung each ornament on the tree. However, she first had to consult with the little girl in one of a ceramic nativity scenes. The conversation went something like this.

Jocelyn (speaking for the ornament in her hand, with the tone she felt was most appropriate - in this example, she used a low-pitched voice because she was speaking for a lion): Hi, I a lion. Please I hang on the tree?
Jocelyn (in a high-pitched girly voice, speaking for the little girl figurine): Sure!
Jocelyn (ornament voice): Thanks! Roar! (or another fitting onomatopoeic expression for the ornament)

Occasionally, the girl said no, and Jocelyn set the ornament aside for a few minutes. Then the ornament made another request, which was usually honored the second time around.

I managed to capture a couple good pictures of one of those exchanges.

From December 2009

From December 2009


As you observed our little girl's preciousness, you may have noticed that we just had a little fake tree on our dining room table. Unconventional, yes.
From December 2009

However, it was a wise choice for us. That's because of this guy.

From December 2009

You see, he's definitely mobile.
From December 2009

His curiosity combined with his mobility would make any view other than this one too tempting for the little guy.
From December 2009


Its atypical set-up did nothing to minimize the wonder of it for Jocelyn.
From December 2009

From December 2009

From December 2009


I haven't taken a pictures of our outdoor decorations, so I'll have to do that tonight. It's not much, but I love the lights. And, while I don't aspire to have one of those yards, I do hold a special place in my Christmas decor lovin' for them. You know, the ones that look like the Christmas section of the store threw up on them. Like the one in our neighborhood with Santa, a Nativity set, a menorah, a dozen angels, snowmen, woodland creatures, frogs, and penguins. L-O-V-E IT!

Let's play a game...

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...called "guess what is on my child's face!"
From November 2009

From November 2009


(By the way, the answer to "why is she unhappy?" is "because her mommy is taking her picture against her will." I don't think this kid could ever make it in the Lord family. Heather takes WAY too many pictures!) :)

Hint: This is after I scrubbed her face.

Another hint: It didn't come off completely until four days later.

Another one: I found her with it on her face after I got Robbie dressed. She was still under my desk. She announced, "Mommy, face paint. I bootifoo!" (Her version of "beautiful" - so cute!)

Did you guess Wite-Out? That's what it is.

Oh, and did I mention that she did this minutes before we had to leave for Robbie's follow-up appointment about the croup I mentioned in my last post (back in November, not a new case - no worries!). So I took the kid to the pediatrician with a Wite-Out face. It's a good thing they know me there and have a good sense of humor. They showed her off to all the nurses in the back because they thought it was so funny. Which probably encouraged her.

But the Wite-Out is no longer where grubby little hands can reach it. Hmm, wonder what she'll find next...