Okay, you know the deal. No way am I letting this newly adopted habit go at this point.
I had actually kind of stopped. Like,”Phew! “I reached the 1000 mark in a year. All done!”
Then I felt this creeping emptiness. Not a good emptiness. Something was missing.
This. Just the act of noticing. Observing. Being grateful. Feeling humbled. Feeling blessed. Sometimes in the moment, often well after the fact.
So new year. New list. New gifts.
January
1. Fresh Start. New year.
2. Big dreams. Happy hopes. Calm heart.
3. Rose parade. First time as a family. The perfect snippet
4. Holiday nap
5. Yoga and breath before bed
6. Back in the swing. Happy January days
7. Learning and growing. Fun. Life. Moment by moment gifts.
8. Aidan’s excitement over a squeegee hunt.
9. Afternoon walks
10. Enjoying the small things
11. Comforting my baby in the rare moments she needs me in the middle of the night.
12. Knowing what a gift it is to let our kids have their feelings. To all parties. The peacefulness that ensues.
13. Aidan’s thirst for knowledge beyond the banal.
14. Lainey shaking her head and making a horse sound
15. Aidan’s scientific mind
16. Lainey drinking the pasta juice from the bottom of the bowl.
17. Watching my baby girl blossom. The second year is so incredible. Her language. Her personality. The magic of her. Just taking moments to drink her in.
18. Breakthrough on sportsmanship. A tough lesson one night leads to hue strides the next night.
19. When prayers are answered
20. Peace. After turmoil
21. Girly sweetness
22. Play dates
23. So so so beyond grateful right now for the long awaited shift in energy. For the tiny to huge miracles. For the joy that has surged through me this week. Grace in action.
24. Making it through the week with freedom. Joy and accomplishment
25. Crisp and clear winter days. Cold. Wind. Sunshine. Snow capped Mountains. Puffy clouds. Tromping in nature
26. Flurries of leaves. Fall in winter= classic so cal
27. Help during preparations. God bless my parents.
28. Having a sense of humor and perspective when both children wake up numerous times the night before you must wake up at 5 am to fly somewhere. With them.
29. Arriving safely and in one piece.
30. A joyful reunion
31. Western style dinner at The Boot. Listening to country music and enjoying prime rib chili
32. Bundling up when it’s so so cold. The few moments you enjoy the warmth before you realize how cold it is
33. Settling into the fun of a hotel room. The excitement of being away from home.
34. Being a family again. Just doing it all together.
35. Winter Beauty. The starkness and contrasts. The drama of the trees, the clouds, the snow.
36. Brush peeking out from the snow
37. Bouncing babies. Literally.
38. Watching Lainey learn to and master walking. Reveling in the precise-ness of the description “drunken sailor”. I hope I never forget the way she hobbles, reels back, catches herself, goes forward again, falls back. Just like the way we do life. Perfection.
39. Developing this whole new incredible relationship with my son. We are both so different. So much stronger. More seasoned. It is blowing my mind.
40. Sweet tender moments with my littlest. Her giant eyes and soulful expressions. Her laugh and desire to connect. Her love of books. Her words: new ones every day. Just savoring every second
41. Time with family. Reconnecting. Warmth and comfort.
42.Squeals of delight as kiddies play
43. Lainey masters walking like a drunken sailor on leave
44. Having zen master action plan when baby barfs while out and about. Maintaining zen master regime when older child barfs in my face the next day. Your unconditional love for your child is tested in a new way when vomit is projected at your face.
45. Maintains good humor while all family members have the stomach flu.
46. Regaining an appetite.
47. Winter’s beauty before sunset. Bare trees. Golden wheat. Shimmering sun makes skies pink and orange and fiery.
48. Cherub faces in my LCD screen
49. Making it through dinner at an upscale Italian restaurant with the kiddos. Didn’t know it was upscale. Had to make a quick exit, but we maintained dignity.
50. Family adventures
51. Farm museum fun. Prairie. History. Animals. Joy
52. Good ole western BBQ! Yum!
53. Surviving long travel day with obscene number of bags and minimal naps. Our kids our amazing
54. The joy and comfort of coming home
55. Lazy day to play and rest
56. Presence of mind and spirit when my children need me most. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does the gratitude oozes out.
57. Learning curves. Easier on the other side.
58. Excitement of new old things. Vintage treasures.
59. Kitchen assembly and excitement.
60. Monday fresh
61. Cooking in bulk
62. “Dee dee” (aka, baby). Snuggling my girl at bedtime then watching her snuggle loveys.
63. Watching Aidan play with the mini kitchen. His sweet imagination. How he put on his apron and prepped a full meal of soups. Cloth napkins on the plate. Silverware. Precious.
64. Pretzel bite tossing sillies and fun before bed.
65. Yoga. Breath. Personal space.
66. Morning snuggles. Family time. Setting the tone for the day
67. Sibling love.
68. Asparagus
69. Roasted artichokes
70. Grocery delivery when you really need it
71. My husband. Over and over again
72. The incredible gift of a wonderful babysitter.
73. DIY home, personal care and cleaning products. Fun. Natural. Safe. Bliss.
74. Hemi sync
75. Sense based memory. Seasonal familiarity. It feels like the end of January. The days are predictable that way
76. Goals. Dreams. Opportunity.
77. Feeling safe
78. Yarn
79. Vintage art work
80. Craft projects that work for me. Simple
81. Aidan daddy field trip on the metro. Federal building. Lesson oppt’y
82. Mild so cal winters.
83. Planning.
84. Girl time. Enjoying my sweet baby love.
85. Toddles. I cannot get over how darling she is on two feet.
86. Lainey’s love for books. Reading. Singing too. Her world getting bigger everyday.
87. Aidan’s boundless imagination. And vocabulary.
88. Good sleep.
89. Yoga on my time.
90. We did January. Yay us. We made it to the other side.
