HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

My 2011 ended with a little bit of excitement and chaos. Since Joel is in the Pep Band and since Luke's basketball coach plays high school basketball, I decided to go to the basketball tournament this last weekend. I haven't watched a basketball game since I was a teacher! I really enjoyed it. Watching sports is only fun for me if I know people involved and if I really feel like being there. I've been pretty much house-bound the last ten years with small children, but all four kids are now old enough to get out and do more things like staying up late at night to watch high school basketball :-)

Joel enjoys being in the Jazz Band, but the Pep Band wasn't quite as thrilling for him since they don't play much. Also, when they do play, they often play only parts of songs and repeat most of the songs. But he sure looked cute up on the stage :-)

I'm thinking this picture is too far away to be able to see that a giant tuba blocked our view of Joel most of the time. I had to go up on the stage to get that first picture.
The games ended between 10:30 and 11 Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Seth, especially, was hard to wake each morning, but no one was too grouchy because they all looked forward to the day. Joel helped me at work so that his friend could come over one day. Makenzie and Luke ran around the school with their friends. Seth watched movies in one of the classrooms and did his best to escape occasionally to get some excitement. After the final game last night, we went over to Amanda and Darryl's to welcome in the new year.
Seth's mouth is blue because a family friend gave him a blue ring pop as we left the gym last night. And the camera wasn't what caused me to look many pounds heavier :-( I've put all the "baby weight" back on from all four babies! Obviously then, my top New Year's resolution is to take care of that. I'm turning 40 in October and decided that I really want to spend that special day with my mom, my childhood friend who shares the birthday, and her mom. Sara and I were born on the same day in the same hospital and have been close friends all our lives. We grew up in the same small town, same small church, same small elementary school. Our lives took different paths when my family moved to Arizona, Sara went to a Christian school, we went to different colleges, we both got married and moved to different parts of the country. She lives in Michigan now, and our parents live in Illinois. We've started planning now so that I can hopefully get a free ticket with Jason's air miles. Anyway, back to the weight problem. Those airplane seats, as everyone well knows, are very small and uncomfortable. They're even more uncomfortable, though, to people who are a little too "squishy." Right now, I fall into the "squishy" category, but I have determined to lose as much weight as I possibly and safely can before I get on that plane! So it's back to counting calories, getting a half-hour of exercise five nights per week, and getting at least seven hours of sleep every night. We're eating more fruits and veggies this year and fewer sugary desserts. Drinking is my downfall, even more than snacking and desserts. I don't like water, but all the diet-type drinks have artificial sweetener -- YUCK!!!!! Plus, I really like my decaf white chocolate mochas :-)

Seth starts his new school on Tuesday. He'll start riding the bus to and from school the following week if all the details and paperwork go through quickly. I know this is a good change, but change makes me nervous. I'm really looking forward to seeing how much more Seth will accomplish with all the adult attention, help, and supervision that he'll have in his new class.

Another change for this year is that Jason and I are going to head up the annual Down syndrome Buddy Walk. I refuse to allow myself to get worked up about this huge undertaking and rather wait until I get the to-do list and do my best at delegating and working through the list to get everything done. We'll see how that goes ;-)

Two thoughts from the Bible have started out my new year on a good note, I believe:

1. Last night, Seth and I made up a little tune to combine Philippians 2:14, I Thessalonians 5:16-18, and I Corinthians 10:31 -- "Do all things without arguing or complaining. Do all things without arguing or complaining. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all things for this is the will of God. Do all things without arguing or complaining. Do all things to the glory of God."

2. This morning, I started a new daily Bible reading by Charles Stanley. The opening page had the perfect prayer to start a new year: "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning for in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk for I lift up soul to You." (Psalm 143:8)

Right before I sat down to write this post, I changed Seth's diaper. He's SIX YEARS OLD!!!! It's time for him to be potty-trained!!!!! So I told him that: "Seth, I REALLY wish that you would pee and poop in the toilet!" He very sweetly smiled at me, hugged me so gently, rubbed my back, and said with the sweetest little voice ever: "Nooooooooo :-)"

Oh yeah! Starting the new year with so many challenges :-)