happy new year

I think most people were ready to say goodbye to 2020. 2020 was a doozy of a year. But in reality it was much better than my 2018 or my 2019. So I felt a little indifferent on the matter.

But I am all about any chance for a fresh start or a party so I was excited for this new year's! 

We had two families over to celebrate with us on New Year's Eve. We ate pizza and treats and played games while the kids all played.


At 10pm we joined New York as the ball dropped to ring in the New Year.

We played with fireworks and sparklers.

Happy New Year!

We got the younger kids in bed while the teenagers crashed our house for awhile and played games and set of their own fireworks. 

Eric and I stood out on our balcony at midnight and watched fireworks go off in every direction. How lucky I felt to be standing there under that sky next to my best friend with the hope of a new year lighting up the sky with every burst of color.

The next morning seemed even more hopeful and fresh and alive.

While the younger kids played with friends, we took the older boys on a hike near lost dutchman. 

Where we could dance in the new year!

I'm glad we could hike together and talk about life and work out some things that we needed to work out together. I love how hiking encourages deep conversation.

 

Kyler was there too, but somehow he avoided the camera. Maybe because I was so captivated by the cactus.

It was a lovely start to the new year. I was so hopeful. We were all sorting out our new year's resolutions. And we were ready for school to start a few days later.

ALAS. After a circus of a board meeting, our school district decided to return to virtual learning for two weeks. Which made me BOIL inside. Our kids, MY kids, need to be in school. With the data and the evidence in the schools and how our school district is handling things, you just can not convince me that this is a plan in the best interest of our children.

This is how life goes though, isn't it? We hope and we plan and then we adjust.

I've had to adjust a lot. I am teaching Layla myself instead of having her participate in virtual school because it's just not how she learns. She will return to her class as soon as in person resumes though. I have to make sure someone is always available for Perry during the day. And has eyes on Brinna, too. And the older boys jump from google meet to google meet. It's a lot to manage again, especially when I am still working on some things myself. But we take what we are given and we carry on.

This first week of the new year is reminding me once again not to have expectations.  To focus on what's most important. To rise to the occasion. That life is about building character and showing love and not about a checklist to accomplish in a week. 


Here we go 2021.

a new year

The year 2020.
What better way to start a new year than among the cactus and under the arizona sky?

The desert is breathtaking. I feel so lucky to live in such a place.



We started this decade with a day trip to Tucson to visit my uncle Randy.
That's him waving there. Hello, Randy.



He took us to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It was my first visit there and it was a great place! With some great people.





The kids took turns pushing grandma in the wheelchair as we strolled through all the paths and all of the exhibits to see animals, birds, and so many desert plants.







I feel closest to God when I am out in nature.



It was a good place to be as I was reflecting on this last year and thinking about the new year and my goals and the direction I would like my life to go. We have some decisions to make as a family, including a new theme to decide on.

I'm looking forward to finding some time over the next few weeks to finish recording last years adventures and then start recording my thoughts and plans for 2020.

Happy New Year!

2017 family theme

 

In 2016, our family's focus was the Six B's spoken about by Gordon B. Hinckley. We recited the 6 B's every monday night at family home evening and tried to incorporate them into some of our lessons and discussions throughout the year. We started the year off strong with our family goals, but after a few months in I think we all forgot that we were even planning on setting goals that year! I know that when we were deciding on our 2017 theme, for the life of me, I could not remember if we had even set any family goals in 2016. Thank goodness for this blog so I could eventually go back and check to remember! Some years are better than others.

I sat down a few weeks ago to brainstorm my thoughts for our focus in 2017. After praying, I made a list of thoughts, words, and scriptures that came to my mind. My mind kept settling on something to do with the word "courage." Eric and I talked about a few different ideas. But it wasn't until the day before we presented our theme to our kiddos that we settled on a phrase and a scripture.

Our 2017 family focus is  Have Courage, and Be Kind

and Alma 53:20-21  

20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

 21 Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.

This phrase "Have courage and Be Kind" was the trendy latest-thing after the Cinderella movie came out so we hesitated to use it for fear it had been over used. We like the idea of carving our own path around here and not jumping on a bandwagon. But there was no way around it, the phrase was simple and to the point and exactly what we want to focus on this year.

Our goals this year are focused directly on this theme and have more to do with our character, our actions, and our thoughts.

Have Courage and Be Kind

2017 family goals

Have courage

-to try new things

-to stand for the right

-to be friendly

-to act

-to face your fears

-to be honest

-to show up

-to be involved

-to care

-to develop and share your talents

-to choose the unpopular, but right, choice

-to follow your heart

-to communicate clearly

-to look everyone in the eye

-to say “I’m sorry” or “I was wrong”

Be Kind

-notice others

-give compliments

-hold the door for others

-show empathy

-give hugs

-smile

-be generous

-show gratitude

-say please and thank you

-say “I’m sorry” and be quick to forgive

-stay calm

-use a pleasant tone of voice

-put others before yourself

-don’t argue

-assume everyone is trying their best

-give the benefit of the doubt

-to yourself

When we presented the theme to our kids and talked together about what it means, I also found this quote that I just love. I read that this was on the wall of Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta and it is based on writing published by Kent Keith. It's hanging on our quote board right now.

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  

Forgive them anyway.If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

So there you have it. We are ready for 2017! 

2016 Theme: The 6 B's

A new year, a new family theme!

2016 is the year to

Be Grateful, Be Smart, Be Humble, Be Clean, Be Prayerful, and Be True

To kick it off, we watched the talk by President Hinckley, a special address that was given back when Eric and I were in high school (oh, I remember going to this fireside so well!) , that introduced the Six B's.

We decided that each month we would focus on a different Be. And instead of setting year long goals, we would set monthly family goals.

January, Be Grateful, write 3 thank you notes
February, Be Smart, read a book together
March, Be Humble
April, Be Clean
May, Be Prayerful
June, Be True

Then repeat the 6 B's one more time each to finish out the year. We are going to decide on the family goals as we get closer to each month. Maybe, if I remember, I'll post them here.

Recap of last year-
In 2015, our theme was "The Family is Ordained of God" and we studied the family proclamation. I love the clarity and simplicity of that inspired document. I think it blessed our family to put a little more emphasis on learning the principles in that proclamation. We also came up with "mantras" to help us remember how families treat each other. They were: families forgive and move on, families communicate, families give hugs, families stay calm with each other, families tell the truth, and families speak nicely to each other.

Other years: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010

Ringing in the New Year

I can not believe how fast 2015 flew by. I blinked and there we were ringing in the New Year. 

No one had plans to stay until Midnight so we let the kids celebrate with poppers around 9pm.

As you can see, Perry was big into celebrating the new year.

Well, we got busy playing games and talking and just like that it was Midnight. So we watched the ball drop on Times Square and celebrated one more time before heading home.

Welcome 2016! I have a good feeling about this year.