a brand new year.

We welcomed 2014 with a "Happy Noon Year" party at grandma's house. I know a lot of people with kids count down to 8 pm, but my kids are totally nuts starting at about 4, so noon it was. And I have to say, it was perfect. We counted down to noon, shouted "Happy New Year!", and toasted with our sparkling cider. Then we ate an array of delicious finger foods (a tradition) for lunch. That afternoon Chris and I were able to escape for a date, and that night we all went to bed on time. Last year I have a very vivid memory of sitting at the top of our dark stairway with Chris, listening for our screaming babies to finally fall asleep, as the clock struck 12 and the fireworks outside went off. This New Year's Eve was quite symbolic of just how much better life is a year later.

As cliche as it may be, I always feel the New Year is a great time for a new start, an easy time to evaluate and decide who you want to be. There are big changes coming up for the C family in 2014, and I feel one overwhelming desire: Simplify. Less is the new more. Do less. Have less. Be less. It is so very easy to get caught up in the Insta-Facebook-Pinterest world of cuteness and perfection. I feel a desire to just be. As part of this simplification I have my 5 words 2014. 

Eat.

The diet and exercise frenzy reaches fever pitch in January, and you can't escape it. I have been wanting to work on what my family eats for a while, and this is one of our 2014 goals. I was reading in the Word of Wisdom, and the Lord instructs us to eat grains, "fruit of the vine" (fruits and veggies), and meat sparingly. Simplicity. We are working on eating more real food. Not paleo or completely organic or whatever the trendy folks are doing, just more real food and fewer processed things. I will always have boxed mac and cheese at the ready, and we'll always turn to hot dog night on busy evenings, but I want to do better and improve our food habits.

Sleep.

"Cease to be idle; . . . cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated" (D&C 88:124). This sums up one of my primary goals this year. I am a night owl. This is one of my greatest weaknesses. I finally get those kids to bed, and the freedom is so nice, I don't want it to end. But for me it is truly a weakness, as it means I can't get my day started the way I need to, leaving my kids and my house and my schedule a bit of a mess. I want to go to bed earlier, and get up earlier. I want to have more energy. I want to feel on top of things instead of playing catch up. That promise, "that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated," that is what I'm seeking.

Run.

I want to keep running. Training for my half marathon was such a wonderful thing, and I have to admit I went through major withdrawals following it. I missed it. I still do. I'd love to train for another one, but there is this big whopping dissertation that takes priority over errrrrything. Which is good. But I don't want to let go of something I love. It has been so hard this winter, with our insane temperatures and never-ending snowfall. I can't run outside (I'm not that hardcore). And the treadmill at the gym, once a friend, is now a boring foe. I want to keep running for the love of running. I hope to do 10k's here and there, and maybe later in the year explore the idea of a half (out west!), but for now, I am happy with just running.

Clean.

I'm the messiest person. I don't know why. Maybe it is because I had my own room my entire life (yay for not having sisters!), but I have a hard time staying organized. My man is good and patient, but it can cause both of us a little stress. I want to be cleaner. I want to be more organized. It is hard right now, to be honest, as we are way to big for our 2-bedroom townhouse, and it is hard to find a place to put everything. But we also have way too much "stuff" and as I simplify our lives this year, that means getting rid of a lot of stuff. I look forward to our move as a time to purge. We are in the early stages of purchasing our first home, mortgage pre-approval completed and figuring out finances, and whatever house we find to make our home, I want it to be orderly and clutter-free. A house of order, where the Spirit can dwell.

Play.

Play more. Less gadgets, less structure. Just get down on the floor and play whatever is in my children's little brains. We already do a lot of this. I just want to be a little better at doing it more.

All of these things stem from my life motto, from my beloved President Gordon B Hinckley:
"Try a little harder to be a little better."

That's what I always (try) to do.

So here is to a happy, healthy, simple 2014
Cheers.

~

~

You though I was done, but I'm not!

Surprise!

Yay!

Because really, its the last day of January, and what a January it has been.

I think January is quite hated by most, including myself. But while the last week has been long, the month as a whole has not been too excruciating. And that is as nice as I'll get regarding January.

This January's word: survival.

We started 1 pm church. 1 pm is precisely when the twins go down for their naps. So going to church right then is so much fun. Every Sunday is survival. We try to squeeze a nap in ahead of time, but 45 restless minutes just isn't that effective. We are trying to make the best of it though. We are working on having more spiritual mornings, trying to ensure it still feels like a special day. And I do have to say, I like coming home, doing dinner, and going straight to bed time.

It has been the coldest, snowiest winter I dare say I've ever experienced in my life, and I'm an Idaho girl. We have bouts of snowfall followed by bouts of seriously cold temperatures. This week we fell back down to a windchill of -20. Monday morning I new it was going to be bad on Tuesday, so we went to the store to get out of the house. But it was still -11! That was the "better" temp. Poor little John had chapped windburned cheeks from being outside for just a few minutes. So our being stuck inside is not because I don't want to take them out in the winter, it is because it is literally too cold to be outside. So we've been trying to keep busy.

There is yoga.

And endless renditions of all the various Frozen songs. I found some fabric in my sewing box that made perfect Elsa and Anna capes. John recently began really loving the song "Frozen Heart", as it is quite manly. He stomps around to the beat, grunting and growling. Its pretty dang cute.

The -20 degree day had daddy staying home a few extra hours in the morning. Before he new it he was Flynn Rider up in the tower with Rapunzel, holding Pascal and Maximus. He is the very best daddy. My role? The witch mommy, laying under a blanket as a pile of dust. My favorite role to play.

Carly goes to school every once in a while. I think her district is up to 6 snow days (its hard to keep track since she doesn't go every day). She had a unit on pets and started to really want a puppy. I held her off by explaining how John is pretty much like a puppy, so we'll see how long that lasts. Quinn likes princesses a lot, which doesn't make sense because little girls like princesses, not tiny babies like Quinn (right!?). We eat a lot, we visit Target a lot, and we eat at Target a lot (yay popcorn!). One day I got super Pinteresty and made hopscotch squares on the carpet with painters tape. Anything to make another inside day a little more fun.

I put in a request to grandma for some fun pillowcases. I thought the babies were about ready for pillows and this would be a fun way to get the ball rolling. The kids just love them. Carly screamed like she won the lottery when we opened the box. Q loves her Minnie and is very good about starting her night on her pillow, but it doesn't last long. Quinn sleeps with a crowd, all sorts of animals, and 2-4 blankets, depending on what I can sneak away from her. She likes to be all wound up, and when we go check on her it is often hard to find her in her crib. It is hilarious.

But true to John fashion, the pillow wasn't working out. It was keeping him up, making car noises and the sorts. We had to take it away. He uses it when snuggling up with his sisters to watch a show, but he is a simple man when he sleeps. Nothing but a blanket for him.

Speaking of snuggling up, we have been doing a lot of that. When your temperatures hang in the negatives, your heater can only do so much. Our house has been chilly, and our playing only goes so far. We often find our afternoons spent under blankets watching movies. I don't like them watching so much tv, but we do the best we can. And at least when you throw popcorn into the mix, then it becomes an event of sorts. A few favs these days include Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Brave, Cars, and Tangled. Heaven help us when Frozen is released on blu ray (we've already pre-ordered it).

(This just may be one of my favorite pictures ever. 

Carly was offering pony rides before bed, and John was waiting his turn not-so-patiently.) 

We wrapped up this long cold month with Carly's field trip to the bowling alley. Chris took her, and it sounds like it was all sorts of fun. Bowling is now on our radar as a future family outing. Because two 2-year-olds in a bowling alley is exactly what we all need.

We survived another January.

A year ago today I spent the day violently ill and rode an ambulance to the hospital, where I stayed for 2 days. I've been reliving it all day, my heart filled with gratitude for my happy life and my healthy body.

Welcome 2014.

You'll be a good one.