Hello, 2016!!! Hope you all had a wonderful first weekend of the year and the best time ringing it in. My husband & I had a fancy dinner with friends, complete with a few cocktails, & we somehow even managed to stay out to until midnight! We woke up (bright & early!) to spend the first day of 2016 with our sweet girls, I can’t think of anything better than that.



A couple years ago I chose a word to represent my goals for the new year rather than a resolution, and I kind of loved that idea since who really sticks to resolutions anyways?! I’ve been thinking a lot about it over the last week or so, & have finally decided to choose a word. Embrace.
Going from a family to three to four has brought us sooooo much joy, but it’s also made our life a whole lot more hectic. My motto from the beginning was to embrace the chaos and that’s definitely something I want to carry into 2016. Life is crazy, and definitely not perfect, but in the best kind of way. The moments that (while living them) seem hard & impossible are also the ones that I know I will look back on laughing years from now. And for every rough moment, there’s two other amazing ones, the kind that I always try to stop, close my eyes and soak in for every piece of goodness that their worth.
I’ve always tried to embrace every little piece of Waverly’s personality (the good & the bad), and I hope to do the same with both girls in the year to come. It’s not always easy, my husband and I joke that we just don’t make laid-back kids, both girls are amazing in very different ways but I definitely wouldn’t consider either of them easy. 😉 Rather than fight it, I want to be intentional with embracing it. Waverly refuses to walk down the street because “they are dinosaurs down there! they are going to eat our faces!. Even though I reaaaaaally want to go on a walk, chalk that one up as a loss and be thankful for her big imagination. Avalon has refused to sit during her bath for two weeks now, she ONLY will stand while I’m holding her, slippery body and all. Maybe she’s a shower girl?! Embracing it.
And lastly, 2015 was no doubt our BEST yet! If there’s one regret I have, it was that I spent too much time worrying about the future (professionally). This year, I hope (& plan) to embrace the present and trust that everything with work itself out. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, I worried for so long about how teaching full-time would affect my family and in the end, it worked out just as it was supposed to.
I couldn’t be looking forward to the new year more, there’s just something about welcoming a new chapter that brings so much excitement to the air! Wishing you all the best 20-SIXTEEN!
XO
Love your word!!! Such a great choice. I am still trying to decide on mine. I think you do a great job of embracing. And Waverly and her imagination makes me smile.
I think it's great that you're taking the time to enjoy the chaos, and to embrace it. We can worry ourselves into a frenzy but it doesnt really do us any good in the long run. Happy new year!!
Happy New Year! I love that so many of us (with kids) have different words but the reason behind it comes from the same goal. We want to be the best moms we can and really enjoy the stage of life we are in!
Happy New Year sweet lady! We made it until midnight too, but were fast asleep by 12:05. Ha. I adore the pictures of your sweet girls in the purple tutus. They are so precious. I love your word for the year!! I have been pondering on this and a couple different ones keep coming to mind. Hoping to narrow it down soon! And I am right there with you…Mason is anything but easy or laid back. But, he is amazing and wouldn’t trade him for the world.
LOVE your word!! I think mine is MAXIMIZE. Time. Money. Everything. I hope you have the best year ever watching those beauties grow. This time next year, Avalon will be RUNNING after Waverly!! xoxoxo
Happy New Year, my friend! That's a great word to live by! XOXO
Oh my goodness, those girlies are just edible! I think I'm still learning to embrace the crazy of parenting, so I'm glad you reminded me of such! 🙂 happy new year!
I love this!! I need a word! Reading all these posts makes me want 10 words. But embrace is genius. I want to embrace the crazy good bad and ugly with the babes too 😉
How did you make those pancakes??? Sometimes I struggle to embrace the "now" and everything around me but it's a great resolution!!
Love this and love love love your word. I totally agree with kids this age you just have to embrace it and go with the flow as much as possible (as hard as that is). They won't be little for long and it will be so much easier in a few months, since it's all a phase, right? 🙂 Embrace it while it lasts.
I don't think I make laidback babies either!!! But at least I know I have leaders on my hands 😉 This is a great word for this season of your life.
I love your word! I definitely need to embrace the chaos, too.
I'd have to agree that 2015 was the best but cheers to 201 mama!!! xoxo
Happy New Year! I really love that you choose a word, especially the word embrace. xoxo
Your word – I LOVE IT!! Sometimes it's so hard to just allow and accept things – especially with littles. Embracing some (all?) of that is such a brilliant goal.
Love your word. And the pic of your girls is so precious!