my birthday. instagram style.

Yes, my birthday was almost a week ago. Yes, I am still talking about it. It's the only day of the year that is all about me so I try to make it last as long as possible. :)

After taking the big kids to school I dropped the little ones off at my sister-in-laws house and made my way to the spa for a one hour massage. This spa was so posh. It was packed with Ladies Who Lunch so I was a little out of place but I enjoyed myself nonetheless! Unfortunately, I accidentally left my favorite ring there. I am SO bummed.

After the spa I met up with Michael for a delicious (and healthy!) lunch.

My sweet husband mid-chew.

Then is was back to regular life for a while: library, getting the big kids from school, homework. After that I got to share another great meal Michael! We ordered miso soup and several different sushi rolls. My favorite was the garden veggie. It was amazing. I purchased all the ingredients to recreate it at home because I couldn't get enough!

Because we are old and boring we went to a movie after dinner. We saw the new Sherlock Holmes film. I'd like to say it was good but I fell asleep. See? I wasn't kidding about the old and boring part!

++

January isn't just my birth month it's also the month that I started this blog, three years ago. Last year I didn't do anything to mark the blogiversary since, you know, I'd just had a baby but this year I want to do another giveaway so be on the lookout for that!

she's arrived!

Gemma Hazel
January 22, 2011, 9:38 am
8 lbs 4 oz, 20 inches

Hello 2011!

Now that the house has been de-Christmased and everything is clean and uncluttered, I am ready to face the new year!

If you have been around for awhile you will remember that last year I made a long list of resolutions that coincided with my 31st birthday. I actually managed to accomplish one or two but getting pregnant really messed up my goals (lose weight? ha. hahahahaha.). Not that the pregnancy was unplanned, I think I just forgot how pregnancy can usurp everything else going on in life.

Anyhow, last night for Family Home Evening we discussed our family and individual goals for 2011. I decided to go easy on myself this year. My resolutions are:

1- have a baby
2- survive being a mother of four.

They're no fail resolutions! This baby will come out (at some point) and I have no choice in surviving... I will because life goes on!

All kidding aside, I didn't want to set unrealistic goals or have too high of expectations for myself. I do, however, want to do more than survive. I want to live and enjoy this time in my life and continue to learn and grow.

At Church last Sunday the congregation sang the hymn "More Holiness Give Me". This is a hymn I have sung many many times in my life but seemed to really come alive to me on Sunday. I have decided to use this song as my inspiration this year. My moto or theme, if you will.

More holiness give me, more strivings within.
More patience in suffering, more sorrow for sin.
More faith in my Savior, more sense of His care.
More joy in His service, more purpose in prayer.

More gratitude give me, more trust in the Lord.
More pride in His glory, more hope in His word.
More tears for His sorrows, more pain at His grief.
More meekness in trial, more praise for relief.

More purity give me, more strength to o’er-come,
More freedom from earth-stains, more longing for home.
More fit for the kingdom, more uses would I be,
More blessed and holy, more, Savior, like Thee.

I hope that if I can keep these words in my heart and mind that by the end of 2011 I will be closer to being the kind of wife, mother, friend, sister, and daughter that I long to be. To be honest though, some days it may include me gritting my teeth and muttering "More Holiness Give Me" à la George Costanza's "Serenity Now!" :)

So there you have it, my "goals" for 2011. Are you going easier on yourself too or do you have a list of resolutions a mile long?

p.s.- I have this CD and it has a beautiful version of "More Holiness Give Me". You can take a listen here.

why I have been neglecting the blog...

I am alive and well! Thank you for emails and comments inquiring about my whereabouts. It is nice to be missed! But attention seeking is not why I have been absent. It also wasn't the anonymous comment on the infant canopy post. Though I won't lie, it did upset me when I first read it, but that is not enough to keep me away. I have been working on a new project. The kind of project that practically sucks the life out of you. That's right, Woodward baby #4 is on it's way! The big debut will be sometime mid-January.


While I have been less sick with this pregnancy than my previous ones I have never been so exhausted! Most days I lay on the couch while the kids destroy the house. Once Michael gets home he cleans up and makes dinner. What a lucky guy, right? :)

I have many half finished projects awaiting my attention and I feel like I will be able to tackle them once I hit the second trimester which is about a week or so away. So don't give up on me!!


UPDATE: Thank you for your well wishes! You guys are the best!

boston

Thank you for your well-wishes. I LOVED Boston! I had been there once before, way back in 1996, but only for a few hours. Michael and I had so much fun. We were there for a dear friends wedding and were able to spend time with lots of friends from our Brooklyn days. It was like a mini-reunion. Saturday was the one full day we had for sightseeing but it was pouring rain and very cold so were weren't able to do some of the things that we wanted to do like the freedom trail. We did get to wander around Harvard (gorgeous!) and Quincy Market (hasn't changed in 14 years!). We ate loads of delicious food and spent hours talking and laughing with friends. We missed the kids just enough to motivate us to come home. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the weekend.

we're off!

image

Today my husband and I are flying to Boston... sans kids!! I am so excited! We haven't had a weekend away in over three years. In fact, I have never been left Ezra, now 18 months, overnight before. A special thanks to my generous sister-in-law for caring for our kids while we are away. See you in a couple of days. Have a great weekend friends!

thirty-one

me with my birthday cake, italian creme cake, recipe coming soon!

Yesterday was my thirty-first birthday. In honor of that (and in no particular order) here are thirty-one things I would like to accomplish in 2010.

31- refashion at least one item a week.
30- stop swearing. I don't swear much, sometimes I do it only to make my husband laugh. I am not sure when I developed this habit. I used to be such a goody two shoes that I would chastise my mother for swearing (sorry mom, that must have been really obnoxious!). But I really want to stop because one of these days my kids are going to catch on and start using bad words. I would really hate that.
29- Pray each morning and night.
28- lose those last, stubborn ten pounds.
27- read more.
26- exercise three times a week.
25- kiss my husband more.
24- paint the baseboards (they were installed over a year ago and I still haven't painted them!)
23- fold laundry right away- don't let it sit in the basket for weeks on end.
22- be patient- with myself, the children, michael.
21- sew more clothes for myself.
20- learn to control anger.
19- read from the Book of Mormon daily.
18- play with the kids more.
17- get out of bed by 7 am.
16- have a regular date night with Michael.
15- be on time.
14- smile more.
13- stress less.
12- be more financially responsible.
11- waste less.
10- be happy.
9- learn how to french braid.
8- attend the Temple monthly.
7- be more outgoing.
6- care not what others think of me.
5- have a cleaning system- similar to this.
4- make my bed everyday.
3- take more pictures.
2- be comfortable with who I am.
1- re-learn how to crochet.