2009 & 2010

A fellow blogging friend posted things that she learned in 2009 and things she wants to focus on or do in 2010 and I thought to myself that it was a good idea to put it out there in the universe...so here I am being a big ol' copycat! LOL

2009 was full of ups and downs...mostly ups or at least that's mostly what I'm remembering which is good, right?! Who the heck wants to focus on bad stuff...not this lady!

We had fewer blow outs with my stepson's mom which is always a blessing! In the midst of a few of the explosions the Lord really revealed some things to me which have really helped me grow and learn how to deal with the whole situation. It really showed me that there is a reason we are apart of each others lives and although it's not always pleasant, each obsticle is a growing opportunity and I for one want to be as close and as much like Christ as possible and if it means hitting some bumps along the way to sand down some rough edges in myself then BRING IT! :)

My beautiful and amazing daughter, Tatym turned 1 and we experienced so many firsts with her...first steps, first words, first tooth, first time in the snow, first family vacation and even though some things weren't firsts in 2009 like holidays...she's old enough now that she's really enjoying things and getting excited about things and you can't top the joy you see in your child's face when they get really excited about stuff! We were blessed with fantastic health for both children *praise the Lord* and hopefully that continues in 2010!

My adventurous and animated and wonderful son, Keegan had another good year full of all sorts of activities ranging from sports like soccer, tball, basketball, tennis, swimming to joining Cub Scouts and going to AWANAS every week and being involved in our homeschool co-op. He's really growing up and watching him with his sister just about brings me to tears on a regular basis. He's so loving and protective and he's really stepped up with helping to watch over her and help with her daily needs! He is seriously the best big brother I have ever seen in my life! Never could I have hoped for a better relationship between the 2 of them! It also amazes me at how smart Keegan is. With homeschooling I'm blessed with the opportunity to help teach him things and see how his brain works and see how quickly he catches onto things. With AWANAS he memorizes verses and it blows me away that merely hearing the verse 2 times is all it takes for him to pretty much have it completely memorized! WOW! I wish my brain was that quick! LOL Over the course of 2009 I've been able to learn more about what works best for him as far as school goes...how he better understands things and when we're both due for a break! LOL

I've learned that the kids and I need to have a schedule for our days activities for us all to make the most out of the time we have.

I've learned that it's ok for my house to be a bit messy if it means I'm getting more time to play and do things with my children. It's not always easy to put down the laundry to crawl on the floor and pretend to be a horse but in the end I want my kids to look back on their childhood as a time in their life when they just got to play and enjoy the time they had with their parents. I don't want their memories to be of me in the kitchen, saying I'm too busy to play!

I've learned that I spent WAY too much time on the computer in 2009! With making up a schedule I'm finding I spend less time online and more time with the kids doing fun activities that I get to post on here...our baking and crafts! That's way more fun!

I've learned how my hormones fluctuate now that I've had my 2nd child. I never had PMS before and I thought I was going crazy last year with the changes in my moods and now I've learned when to expect the bad days and how to better deal with those days and not beat myself up for it because it's nothing I can control right now. I can take charge on those days and pray all day long but if I need a break and need to lock myself in the bedroom in the evening then it's ok. It's better for me to step back and say I need some alone time then to spend the day screaming at everyone for annoying me!

I've learned how to better love my husband and I really hope that is something that continues to grow and grow, year after year! I hope to never quit desiring to be a better wife. I want to always be working on growing in that area and I hope that my hubby knows just how much I love him!! I always want him to know that to me, he's #1...there's no better man than him!

On a lighter note, I've learned how to make cards and do lots of crafts and that too I hope is something I can keep doing! It brings me so much joy to create things and find fun things to do with my family!

I've learned how important it is to spend DAILY time with the Lord. My devotional life was awful in 2009 unless I was in the midst of a battle, mainly with my stepsons mom. That is how I learned the purpose of having her in my life. I never understood why I had to have someone in my life that brought me so much frustration and drama and unhappiness until this past year. When I'm in the muck of things I'm forced to realize that I am NOT the one that is in control. God is in control of every situation and at those moments when I'm on my knees, feeling completely helpless and at my wits end...that's when the Lord really has an opportunity to reveal some things to me. I have to fully rely on Him. During those times in my life, that is when I've felt the closest to the Lord and it makes me sad that I have to be going through Hell in order to fully put my everything in His hands and step away from it! It's so easy...at least for me...to say, "ok Lord, here's the problem...you deal with it" but then 2 seconds later, I pick it right back up and try to do it myself! I wish He'd just smack me and say, "hello Christina...let ME do it...get the heck out of the way!" If anything, that's probably the biggest lesson I've learned this past year and all those days of fighting and wanting to scream and punch and run away...in the end, it was totally worth it! I'm proud to report that we haven't had a big fight or even really a little one since last summer so the past 6 months have been a very nice non-dramatic time in our life! LOL I don't know what it is about the ex and I, we could probably be really great friends if we didn't have to deal with that aspect of our lives. Most friends don't have to be THAT involved in each others lives or have to deal with each other in the way that we do so we tend to butt heads a lot in that area. We have so much in common in every other area...it's just very strange! I wish I was able to just let my hubby fight his own battles and quit feeling like the protective momma bear when I see him being walked on and I wish I didn't feel the need to try to "help"...that's still stuff I'm working on and I'm doing better but still have some ways to go! :) I do have to say to my co-mom---thank you for forgiving me when I've been the one that needed forgiveness, thank you for being willing to try to be friends even though I know it's not always easy...thank you for allowing the Lord to use you in my life!

2009 also opened my eyes to my need for a healthier body and it jump started this weight loss adventure I'm on.

Enough of the past...now to focus on the future!
Some things I want to do or improve on in 2010:

I want to do more fun activities with my family.
I want to grow closer and closer to the Lord.
I want to continue to work on losing weight so I can reach my goal weight by my 30th bday in Feb. 2011.
I want to work on being a better steward of our money.
I want to learn some new crafts.
I want to continue to improve my relationships with people that I've struggled with in the past.
I want to get a schedule set for our family.

So yeah, I'm pretty excited for the new year and I have high hopes for what the Lord has planned for us! It's going to be another great year!