2015 in Review

2015 was a huge yearof growth and adventures for our little family. We learned to work together and became a much stronger family team. Here is a list of our big adventures

1. Scarlett starting kindergarten

2. Jack learning to crawl, walk, and then run

3. Alice taking swim lessons and becoming more independent (she has the best little imagination)

4. Nates wedding in May

5. Camp family trip to Lake Powell

6. Family trip to Utah to see Payson temple and the zoo

7. Jill turning 30 and Jack turning 1

8. Sisters and Camp parents trip to Hawaii

9. Strobelt family trip to Disneyland

10. Spending Thanksgiving in Dallas with Brady

11. Couple trip to New York!

But the big events were mixed in with a million small wonderful moments that made this year unforgettable. I love simple days at home with the kids playing and enjoying them. My overall goal in 2015 was "stop, sit and play".  My mind and body are always on the go and often times I put household tasks ahead of just enjoying my kids. This year I made a conscious effort to have quality time with my kids everyday. I didn't put Alice in preschool so that I could be with her and be a witness to her learning. I spend nap time doing homework and reading with Scarlett. I have loved these precious moments with my girls. They are brilliant, funny, tender, and spontaneous little girls that bring joy to my life. And Jack...I have rocked him to nap and bed everyday day for a year! Not to mention all the middle of the night feedings. I can honestly say that I am a better, more patient mom than I was a year ago. Here are some quotes that I read and reread over this year.

"Being a mother isn't a job. Its who someone is. I'm a mother forever. A mother is never off the clock;mothers are never on vacation. Being a mother redefines us, reinvents us, destroys us and rebuilds us" 

" You are the trip I did not take;

You are the pearls I could not buy;

You are my blue Italian lake;

You are my piece of foreign sky. 

You are my Honolulu moon;

You are the book I did not write; 

You are my heart's unuttered tune; 

You are a candle in my night.

You are the flower beneath the snow. 

In my dark sky a bit of blue, 

Answering disappointment's blow 

with "I am happy! I have you!"

And then there was this one... written just for me. I literally started rocking Jack to bed because of this poem and I am soon glad I did.