One crazy tree, four happy people, seven attainable(?) goals

The holidays are over and everything is already packed up and put away on our storage shelves. We might have kept the decorations up longer, but our Christmas tree disintegrated. It was really epic, actually. Christmas 2012 will go down in family history as the year our real tree (that we cut down ourselves!) fell apart. I'm pretty sure I will still be cleaning up tree needles from this epic tree in 2022.

We spent the holidays at home with our closest friends, who like us, don't have family close by. It was really really fun! (despite our tree's preference to hang out in the nude on Christmas day). Seriously, though, I have NEVER seen a tree do that. EVER. Check it out. This is after Eric took the lights off.

I have never been so envious of people with artificial trees before...

The beginning of the new year is always interesting for me. After reflecting on the last year, I realized how full it was of change and tough transitions. Lots and lots of growth too. I can only imagine that this new year will be just as full of change as the last one, although hopefully not as drastic as a new baby (a biological one, that is), a new job, and a new house all in the same three months.

I am not one to publicly make resolutions, but always end up making personal ones anyway and then of course feel guilty when I break all of them two days in. So instead of making myself feel like a horrible person, I decided this morning that this year I would make goals instead. Goals are something that I can work towards gradually, and yet have a clear vision of the end result. Unlike a resolution, where I always feel like I am supposed to change who I am overnight. Yeah. Not happening.

So here are some of my personal goals for 2013. I think they are pretty attainable.

- Make space in my life as a SAHM to pursue my personal interests (drawing, painting, sewing, reading, creating)
- Illustrate two children's books (you heard that right. TWO. One is in the works, the other is in my head)
- Make my home a warm and welcoming place for everyone who enters
- Love my kids more, parent with patience and fun
- Make my husband laugh every day
- Drink more greens
- Let my hair down and do something crazy (hopefully more than once)

Hats off (or on, in our case...) to a new year! Happy 2013!!!

[maybe this will be the year we actually get a decent family photo that ALL four of us are in together?!? I can dream, right?]