Looking Forward and Back

I checked my final post of 2024. These were my goals for 2025:

"In 2025 I hope to keep learning, reading, and strengthening the relationships that matter the most. And while it's probably useless to continue counting it on my resolutions list, I'd like to sleep a little more next year too."

I had no idea that I would spend the first two and a half months of 2025 in an exhausted stupor that left me sleeping many days while the kids were at school. After getting my thyroid medication straightened out in March, I felt more human. But when I wished for more sleep in 2025, that is not what I had in mind.

I feel like 2025 was full of learning experiences, both the happy and the difficult. I relearned that patience is a lesson I need to keep learning, exercise helps my brain and my body, it's important to serve others, and it's important to make time to take care of myself.

I read a lot (that post will publish tomorrow), but not as much as last year. And that's okay. I think there was a little more balance with how I spent my time this year. And by balance, I mean time listening to my kids instead of listening to books.

Did I strengthen my relationships this year? Hmmm, that requires reflection. I think I did. All that extra time listening to my kids helped. And I feel like Bryan and I have worked to carve out more time for each other this year. I've said yes to all the girl nights and book clubs I could squeeze in, which is maybe not good for my sleep but it is great for my soul. I've continued having regular family calls and writing on the blog as a way to maintain long-distance relationships. And continuing to serve in my calling, study the gospel, and spend time in earnest prayer has strengthened my relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

It looks like I met all my goals this year.

And what will I do in 2026?

I want to continue nourishing my spirit, mind, and body. I need (this comes as a strong and loving suggestion from Bryan) to find better ways to take care of myself. I want to spend more together time as a family without screens. And I want to get rid of enough stuff that I spend more time on projects that benefit our family and less time on managing our possessions.

I think that's enough to fill a year.

On Christmas Day in the Morning

The Work of Christmas

Before we get to Christmas, the Saturday prior to Christmas was full of celebration. 

In the morning we had our ward Christmas party. After the movie nativity we made last year, I wanted to do something a little simpler. In March the idea came to me that all the Primary kids should draw pictures of the scenes of the nativity and we would put them on the wall like an art gallery. We asked the kids to draw them during singing time a few Sundays in November and December. But the last Sunday we planned to finish the project, church was canceled due to snow. We sent out a message to all parents of primary kids and asked them to have the kids do the final picture at home. We got fewer of that one, but the ones they did were awesome.

We set it up before the party started. I love how it turned out.

The first picture was of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus.

The second picture was of the angels and shepherds.

The final picture was of the Wise Men and the star.

When the party was over we rushed home and loaded up the car for our final kid choir performance of the season. We had been invited to sing downtown in a nearby city that is famous for its Christmas traditions. We sang to draw in crowds and bring their attention to an emergency shelter that our youth serve at once a month during the cold time of the year. Our set was about an hour long. We performed the same songs we'd done at the interfaith concert, as well as standard Christmas carols. Bryan came as the sound guy and set up the mics and speaker. Just as we were about to start we discovered that our entire file of audio tracks had disappeared. While my friend and I directed the singers, Bryan recreated the set list on the fly by remotely connecting to his desktop at home. He's amazing and I'm so thankful for him!

We were all chilly, but it was warmer than it had been for most of the week, a miracle that we were grateful for. Many of our singers couldn't be there, but we had some bonus singers in friends and siblings that joined us, so we had enough people to be heard! We performed in a courtyard next to an inn on a busy street for foot traffic. We had a steady audience the whole time, though not everyone stayed for all the songs. Those that listened seemed appreciative of what the kids were doing. And we're glad we could help the emergency shelter in their fundraising efforts.

After All There's Only One More Sleep 'til Christmas

The kids were supposed to have a half day of school on December 23 (I have no idea why the school board thought that was a good idea), but we had a snow day instead. I did not mind. We all turned off our alarms and I woke up at 9 o'clock! I slept in so late that I had missed several texts from the dentist asking if we could bring Phoebe in earlier than planned for her cleaning.

Pre-Christmas day activities included a high fit class for me and Sophie taught by a friend's daughter home from college (this picture was taken at the end of the class, we could barely stand),

a round of the game Why Are You Like This,

Christmas themed Legos,

the most delicious Christmas Eve soup Bryan has ever made (chicken and potato, I'm sure I will dream of it),

a pajama photoshoot,

the annual viewing of The Muppet Christmas Carol,

and a very late bedtime for the parents.