Highlights

I am extremely far behind on documenting my cute girl's life on this blog.  So sorry!  But here are some of the highlights from the past several months...

My baby and my baby daddy at Thanksgiving

Getting crafty with our fun friends at Christmas time

On my birthday!

Such a sweet girl - Christmas Eve with Meme and Papa

The girls on Christmas Day! My girl loves her Cay and Tedda!

The very first picture our girl ever colored... I'm sure there are MANY more of these to come!

Like Mommy, like baby girl!  She LOVES to read!

Another amazing day at the Aquarium with my honey and my baby!

She loved the penguins this time! They are really playful creatures!

Saying "CHEESE" for the camera with her face totally covered in guacamole!

Playing with "Cakes"!  Gotta love sweet girls at the park on a fantastic day!

Just highlights of our life for the past couple of months!  So many wonderful memories being made... so much to be thankful for... so much fun!

2012 Goals

Focus and Simplify.

Those are my goals for 2012.  My goals as a wife and as a mommy.  These are also my goals as a Christian woman. 
These are the two hardest things in the world for me to do.

Focus and Simplify.

I've been self-diagnosed with ADD and I have a severe case of "people pleasing syndrome" so for me to focus and simplify - definitely a difficult mountain for me to climb.

But as God so often does with me... I have heard these themes over and over and over again from many, many, many different people and places lately until FINALLY I can say that I'm beginning to understand.

So, I have made some decisions that, hopefully, will allow me to Focus and Simplify.

I am the only mommy my baby girl will ever have and nobody can ever do this job in my place.  I am also the only wife my husband has and nobody can do this job in my place.
Focus.
I will focus on being the best mommy to her that I can be.  I will focus on creating memories with her that will last her a lifetime.  I will focus on taking care of my health so that I can be a great mommy to her for a really, really long time.  I will focus on teaching her through a God-centered worldview instead of a Joy-centered worldview.  (there is enough for me to say on this topic for an entire post all on its own but for now - I'll spare you)  I will focus on my marriage.  God compares the love in a marriage to the love Jesus has for His church.  I will focus on giving my husband this kind of love that can only come from a godly marriage.  I will focus on him - his needs, interests and goals.  I will focus on giving him the respect that he deserves.

Life does NOT have to be a rat race.
Simplify.
I will simplify our family life.  I will put first things first - God, my sweet hubby, my fun daughter... THEN everything else.  This should always be the order of my life - not the other way around.  I will say NO so that when I say yes - I can mean it and do a great job at it.  Saying no does not come easy to this people pleaser but it is necessary so I can say yes.

While I feel that these goals are very lofty for me; I also feel that they are really simple.  It's all about setting priorities and sticking to them...

And these are my priorities...

My sweet family

My baby girl

My girl with her Daddy and the love of my life

Nehemiah 6:3 says, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down." 

This is my mantra for 2012.  This verse sums up my goals - Focus and Simplify.

I know that I am doing a GREAT work that God has prepared ME to do and that only I can do and because of that I CANNOT stop.  I cannot give up.  I cannot lose focus.  I cannot overcommit.  I cannot say yes to everyone at the expense of my relationship with God and my family.  I cannot come down.