Today

Mason had his 9 month appointment this morning.  He weighed 17lbs 8oz, finally hitting the 10th percentile.  He was 27.5 in long.(25th percentile), and his head circumference is 18 in. (50th percentile)We are so happy that he is growing, and the doctors want us to continue concentrating his formula until 12 months.  He said that since he's about to be very mobile, that he will need those extra calories!

Mason's appointment was early this morning, so instead of going home after dropping the kids off at school, I picked up breakfast for Neen.  She ate it in the front seat of the car like a big girl. She was thrilled that she got to sit up front.

As she was getting her food out of the bag, and opening the straw to put it in the drink, I sat there just staring at her.  It's hard watching your kids grow up. I imagined her actually sitting in the front seat in a few years, and wondering about our life at that point.  It will be a whole new chapter for me.  I will have a son about to graduate from college.  I'll have a daughter that will be a sophomore in high school...(Lord help me with this one!!) Trin will be in the 4 th grade, and Mason will be in first grade. 

More than likely Anna will be driving, so the front seat will be all Trin's.  I wondered what she'd look like, and the conversations we would have. I wondered if she'd still be the quirky, shy, funny girl that she is now. As she sat there looking at each bite before she ate it, and scrunching her nose with each bite, I wondered how I was doing. Am I being the best mom to HER, and the other three?  Am I setting the best examples, and teaching them how to handle life appropriately? For the most part, I think I'm doing ok, but there are nights I go to bed and think FAIL, I could have done better.

I either didn't accomplish something I had set out to, or I realize that I forgot to do something that someone asked me to do.  I feel like some of the time I answer conversations with the kids with a little too much "uh huh", and "oh yeah", and "that's cool", without really engaging what they're talking about. I feel like I need to get my standards back up to where they were a few years ago.  I've become lazy in a way, I guess.

So, with these thoughts, I realized that I want to have real goals this year, and be held accountable. I need to do this for me, and my family!  Today is only today, today.  I will never get it back, and I need to make the most of it, and be the BEST mom to my kids that I can be.

So...my goals for 2012 are:

Play with my children every day. I mean really play....completely engaged. Except for Bub...he might think I'm a little freaky. ;)

Write letters to our sponsored children, Ingride, and Jenipar once a month.  Get back to keeping them on my mind daily, and with prayer.

Take care of myself. It's amazing what I have come to accept these last few years. I've put on about 50 extra pounds, used my hat as an excuse to not fix my hair, and rarely wear make up.  Who is this girl? I want the old me back, and I'm working hard to find her.

Be in the Word daily.  On the first of the year I started doing a nightly Bible reading.  It's just about 30 minutes a night, and it's supposed to take you through the whole Bible in a year. So far...I've done really well, and have only missed one night when I fell asleep early.

I want to have a date night with Casey at least once a month! We NEED this.  When we can come together and REFOCUS we become one again, and in tune with each other.  We think better together, and understand each other, and therefore parent better, and love each other better.

I want Casey and I to alternate taking each of the kids out by themselves, once a month. Nothing elaborate, just a special time with us.

I want to slow down and BE in the moment.

I have several other things brewing in my head. I just need more time to sort through my thoughts.

I hope today, and everyday is just how you wish it to be! Take time to "be" with your children and make today the best day it can be.

A few of the photos of my little Trini B.