Ready....set.... GO!

We hope your twenty + eleven is finding you all inspired, motivated, and healthy! This blog (as well as a lot of other things) have been neglected for awhile, so this is our attempt to update it.

We had a lovely Christmas. I think we are so blessed that we don't have to travel too far to spend Christmas with family, since that cuts out so much stress! This year I got hit with a pretty bad cold, and I was finishing and designing handmade gifts, baking, and wrapping until the last minute. Thankfully, I like to get things done early, so a lot of my work was already done, although I certainly was lacking in the energy department as my body was starved of sleep. I was so grateful that thru some tender mercies, I was feeling more like myself by Christmas.
The older the children get, the more we are able to enjoy and incorporate into our family holiday traditions. One of the kids' favorite traditions is going to Temple Square. We try to go a few times each holiday season, since we can catch musical performances, the Christus presentation, and the Nativity presentation all amidst the gorgeous lights. We love it there and we love how it helps them to focus on the "reason for the season." I'm so proud of our little ones for how their hearts just embrace the true Christmas spirit of celebrating the birth of the Savior and of remembering to be like him.

And so, since 2009 was the year of epic changes and 2010 was the year of starting a new path...2011 is the year of THRIVING. With each step we take as a family, we are learning and growing. We are becoming better equipped with the skills and talents that we will need to overcome challenges. There are lots of new things in store for us...lots of challenges that we will face...and lots of refining that will occur within each of us. We are committed once again to making the gospel and the Savior the foundation for our lives.
We have chosen the passage found in Moroni 7:33 as our family motto for 2011:


So much can be learned from such a simple scripture. For me, I think the part that I will focus on this year is the phrase "expedient in me." Expedient means to be "fit or suitable for a purpose." I am so guilty of drowning in impatience and discouragement because I want to "run faster" than I should simply because I feel like I haven't accomplished much, even though in reality, I truly have. I just don't give myself enough credit and I find myself dissatisfied. I feel like I have to go, go, go, and go because I refuse to be mediocre and under accomplished. I have this picture in my head that my report card for how I am as a person is filled with failing grades....thank goodness I have a husband who reminds me that I get things done and that I can't be so dang hard on myself!!!
So when my thoughts start spinning out of control, I always (reluctantly, at first) have to stop and refocus. I have to re-evaluate my priorities and pray for a sense of peace to know that it's not expedient that I should run that fast, but that I should run the best race I can today and feel a healthy pride in my abilities. I have to choose projects carefully so that I won't become disappointed/discouraged in my inability to perform them to the best of my abilities. I have to choose activities carefully, as I realize that I am still setting the tone for the home and that these years are still very crucial to the development of the little ones. I am committing to searching out the expediency in my life's endeavors and praying for reassurance that those things are His will for me.
...I am starting to build great habits already, as I have started to devote a lot of time and energy into taking care of my body. I appreciate my husband who is my exercise/weight loss buddy. We have both lost weight, even during the holiday season. For me, I wanted to start exercising to get in shape during the hardest time of the year, just so I can prove it could be done and so I could get a jump on the new year. By exercising, we found that we didn't overeat and that all the unhealthy food wasn't as much of a temptation. My body craved good food and healthy portions of it.

And so, my journey of doing things that are expedient in Him begins. And our family's journey in strengthening our testimony that we have the "power" to do things that are expedient in Him begins. Let us not forget that the precursor to that power is FAITH. Faith is only true faith when we are removed from having any control over our situation. Here's to a year where we experience the depths of faith and are rewarded with that power from above.

You and I look at this picture, and see the beautiful, smiling faces of my children on Christmas morning. What you don't see are the faces of some pretty happy parents, a bit exhausted, and a bit sick, but bursting with happiness because the best Christmas present ever is looking right back at them! :)