New Year's Resolutions

My sweet girl.

The year you were born has come and gone.

We now look ahead to 2013, and all it will bring us.

We will see major milestones from you - words, steps, and a lot more independence.

You will move from a formula based diet to a food based diet.

You will grow exponentially.

You will turn one.

I can't believe these milestones are just around the corner.

In this wonderful year to come, I do have some resolutions.

Not in the sense of the regular New Year's Resolutions that people make, but resolutions that will help improve your life, Your Daddy's life, and my life.

I resolve to...

Be a better wife to Your Daddy.  There are times that I can be overbearing and nagging.  There are also times that I can be crazy and fly off the handle.  I am going to strive to be a patient and serving wife who prays for Your Daddy persistently.  I want to be a role model for a wife and marriage that you can watch and emulate with confidence as you search for a husband.

Be a better mommy to you.  I often find myself wishing I could continue playing on facebook or folding laundry instead of tending to your immediate needs.  A friend of mine posted a picture that said, "My child is not giving me a hard time.  My child is having a hard time."  I am going to try to remember that with every step.  You should be my number one focus.  If I am not looking, I might miss something.  I should never be too busy to help you.

Be a better housewife.  Our finances have struggled this year, as well as my ability to keep a house.  I am going to work on a schedule for cleaning and chores, as well as try to stay on top of our finances.  I would also like to start paying down some debt that we have sitting.

Be a better friend.  I will admit that this year, I have let my friendships slip.  It wasn't on purpose.  I wasn't trying to exclude any friends.  But I didn't find the time to work on my friendships like I have in the past.  I am also going to reach out more to new friends.  I like to be alone a lot of times, but there are times that I just want to go out to dinner with friends, and I haven't allowed myself the opportunity to do so.

Be a better worker.  I am easily distracted and find myself drifting to pictures of you, or text messages to Your Daddy.  I need to focus on work and accomplishing tasks on my to do list daily.

Be better me.  I need to eat healthier, get in shape, and take better care of myself.  I drink waaaaaaay too much caffeine and rely on it to get me through the day.  I also really love french fries. Often times at night, I pass out from exhaustion at 8:30.  I know that with better eating habits and exercise, this would correct itself.  I also need to allow time for myself daily, whether it's in bed reading a book or taking a hot bath.  I need time to relax and decompress, or I become a ball of frustration.  So much of my day is spent giving to other people, that I need to give to myself a little bit, too.

Be a better Christian.  In all this time that I spend in a day, not much is spent in my relationship with Christ.  Finding a healthy balance between work, home, parenting, marriage, self, and friendships can only be tethered by a solid relationship with Christ.  Spending time in the Word, in prayer, and in spiritual family growth is the only way to accomplish this.

I hope that when you grow up, you are proud of me.  I don't want you to look back on your childhood thinking that I was a workaholic, didn't have enough energy to play with you, or cared more about the dirty floors than I did reading you a second story at night.  I want to build a strong foundation for you to model in your lifetime.  Your GiGi was a wonderful role model for me.  She did it all!

This next year is going to be a challenge for us all.  You will be moving and shaking and we will work hard to keep up with you.  But I am going to do my best to be there as much as possible.

Now if I can only add 6 more hours to the day...