CHAPTER 2015

And we are off and running and into the next chapter of our lives ... Chapter 2015!!! Wasn't it just like a few days ago that we brought down the house and rang in the new year .... how is it already the end of January???

So, I got the idea from one of those super inspiring, creative, put it all out there people that I don't even know yet know everything about (and it totally makes me feel like some kind of a weirdo stocker!!!) because I follow them on instagram and read their blogs type of thing ... to come up with a word for each year and just loved the idea so I went with it!!! I decided on "growth" for 2014 as I reflected back on last year. 

My word for 2015 is going to be ............ FOCUS!!!

I've never been real big on using the word "resolution" when thinking about my plans for improvement for the year that lies ahead ... so here are some of the goals that I plan to "focus" on in the year to come.   

 

Goals For 2015!!

*Setting A Budget & Financial Goals - At one time (seems like such a long time ago) I was that super organized probably very annoying person who had a spot for everything and my account balanced all the way down to the penny ..... then this little thing called life happened and I became a wife and a mom and well do I really need to continue!?! Anyone who has kids knows that raising them is not cheap anyway you twist it so the fact that we are bringing up 4 has without a doubt made for some challenges in the saving money dept.!! So this year we are putting a plan in place to do just that. The plan sure looks good on paper so here is where that word "focus" comes in to execute and achieve!!

*Being Positive & Setting A Good Example - there is this saying that my Grandma used to say "after the rain comes sunshine" and boy is there so much truth behind these 5 words. In this journey of life we go through; times where we feel like we are unstoppable and on top of the world ... uneventful times where everything just feels comfortable and feels right ... times of sadness & frustration ... times when we feel lost and not sure what decision is the right one to make ........... but in time that "sunshine" that lights up our days will shine through and life carries on.  I want to focus on keeping a positive attitude and let my kids follow my example (I do believe it to be true that our little one's spend more time watching us than they do listening!!!) in the days to come and always.   -Don't Let People & Things That Surround You, Dictate Who You Are Going To Be Or How You Are Going To Act.

*Making Memories - I'm pretty sure we already have this one in the bag, as making memories is one of our favorite things to do and if you stick around long enough to hear my kids and their "remember when" stories its pretty obvious there are memories being made and lots of them. However that does not mean that we should lose focus on not only making more, but embracing them and appreciating each and every one no matter how big or small!!!    -Make Memories Because Nobody Can Take Them Away.

*Healthy Diet - Overall we maintain a pretty healthy lifestyle, but again there is always room for improvement. I want to be sure to keep focused on eating right more often than not (we all have to cheat!!) & drinking more water. The water thing sounds like a given but its a huge one for me, did I mention I really don't like drinking water!! Haaaaaaa!!

*Camera  - I know all 4 of my kids would laugh right out loud if they heard this one and if you asked them they would say there is nooooo way I could possibly need to make a goal of taking more pictures (and the hubby would be secretly agreeing) in the year to come!! However I feel there is always room for improvement!! HeeeHeeee!! No but seriously ... ever since technology turned cell phones into an all in one device which includes a pretty awesome camera, it is a rare occasion for me to drag my good camera along with me. And almost every time when I go back and look at pictures I am disappointed and kicking myself in the butt for not. Soooooo this year I vow to use my "good" camera more often to capture all those moments that the phone camera just doesn't give justice to!!

*Church - I have been saying for years now (yes years!!) that I really want to find a church to start going to here and have yet to do so since I moved here all those years ago. So 2015 is the year ..... I have a couple in mind that me & my Momma are going to try out and once we have the right fit I will introduce the hubby and the kiddos!! Very Excited to take this step and get started on this journey.

So while I sit and ponder all the improvements I will attempt to make in the year to come .... I also think it is important to remember .... that all the imperfect things in life are what make it life!! So we just do the best we can and the rest is part of the journey!!!

COUNTDOWN TO 2015

Normally to ring in the new year we go riding to the mountain top ... however this year the weather was waaaayyyy tooo cold and we had some bonus visitors in town so we had to switch it up!! And boy o boy was it a blast!!! Complete with fireworks, games, good food and even some snow!!

 

This year we "literally" did a countdown to 2015 thanks to all the creative & inspiring people out there who are kind enough to share their ideas to the wonderful world of pinterest and to Lacey who took the time to put those ideas into action and make them happen, of course with our own twist!! I have to say this was my favorite new year's yet!! Here's how it went .... we had balloon's marked with time's from 7:00 to 12:00 and inside each balloon was a piece of paper that contained a different task that we had to do for that hour. The kids got a kick out of popping each balloon on the hour and kept a close watch on the clock! It was way too much fun and it kept everybody together and awake to ring in the start of the new year!!!

7:00 - Time Capsule: complete pre-printed pages reflecting on 2014 & future plans for 2015. Save in jar for next year!!

8:00 - Eat Dinner

9:00 - Kids Craft: make noise makers

10:00 - Reverse Charades (my favorite of the night!!!)

11:00 - Read Your Time Capsule Pages Out Loud (close 2nd to my favorite!!)

11:30 - Midnight Snack

12:00 - Happy New Year: toast, make noise, hoot & holler, celebrate, kiss your main squeeze ... you get the point!!!)

We say CHEER'S to: good times, family, memories, fresh starts, goals, and a big ol bring it on to 2015!!!

(and yes I can GUARANTEE you that the kids have sparkling cider for their toast!! Although the look on Trey's face may lead you to believe otherwise!!!) Haaaa!!!

Lucky to have these 2 beauties by my side to tackle 2015 with!!

 

So blessed to have Alis & Parker here to celebrate with us!!

 

Very very thankful to have this guy back and a part of my life and my kids lives along with his beautiful new bride, Phyllis, whom we all just love to pieces!!

It's snowing its snowing!!! Did I mention that we really did send 2014 out and welcomed 2015 in with some snow in New River!! Well at least what we consider snow in these parts which would be any little bit of a white flurry falling from the sky!! Haaaaa!! The kids thought it was pretty awesome and spent some time catching it in their mouths and spinning around with their arms in the air yelling "its snowing its snowing"!!

And these snowy white mountains all around us is what we awakened to on the very 1st day of 2015!! Beautiful & Cold!!!

 

I am welcoming 2015 and all it has in store for us with open arms and ready to roll with the punches .... however I would be lying if I didn't say that I am hoping & dreaming for a slightly slower pace and a little more time to enjoy the simpler things in life like snuggles on the couch, good books, crafting projects, gardening!! (I know I know fat chance while raising 4 little one's & working a full time job, but I can still hope, dream and imagine right!?!)

HELLO & GOODBYE 2014

Wow, am I really getting ready to reflect on 2014? Where did the past year go anyways? Are we really ringing in 2015 already? Well the answer is yes yes and yes and as much as I dislike the fact that time just refuses to slow down, it's also exciting to see what new adventures and changes will come with a new year!! Not to mention this is real life!!

If I had to pick just one single word for 2014 it would be GROWTH!

Growth with the kids: their personalities, their independence, their responsibilites

Growth with the garden: more planting space, more fruits & veggies, more lessons learned

Growth in my marriage: being supportive & patient

Growth in myself: starting to admit that I am acutally in my 30's now (eeeeek!!!)

Growth in my career: taking some steps to move up & forward, even if they are baby steps

It was certainly not an easy task narrowing down just 10 of my favorite things/memories/moments from this past year, as I could go on and on and on with favorites and there are so many so I cheated and did my top 11 and even that was nearly impossible!! So here you have it, in no particular order!!!

 

1. Kaintz Farms: our garden has turned into such a hobby for us and boy has it expanded! We built 3 new boxes for planting this past year along with a strawberry patch and have been lucky enough to harvest harvest harvest!! One of my favorite things about the garden is that we can constantly experiment and learn new things. There is so much more to still discover and we are hoping to add a pumpkin/watermelon patch to the mix this next year amongst other things ... like chickens and goats .... ahhhhh did I really just throw that out there!!! Rilyn and I will have to do some SERIOUS sweet talking to daddy for that to happen though!! (and if I'm really being honest, its the hubby that has the green thumb!!)

2. Morning Walks: we live in such a beautiful place in this valley but sometimes being on the go all the time makes you forget to stop, look around and soak in the beauty. So when time permits, one of my favorite things are my morning walks with Bubba Brown Murphy Moose dog (yes he really has all those names) and my coffee on a Saturday/Sunday morning.

3. New Neighbor: my Momma & Normy are officially AZ Homeowners now but not just AZ Homeowners ..... NEW RIVER HOMEOWNERS and only about a quarter mile away!!! You want to talk about one happy chick, I could not be anymore thrilled to have them so close to us. Not to mention that it is a beautiful home with beautiful views and a pool, perfect for our crazy family!!!

4. Daddy Day: well its definitely not any secret that the lake/river is probably my most favorite place to be and my little piece of paradise!! We do sooooo many fun family outings throughout the year that it makes it hard to pick a favorite, but I have to say that our father's day weekend camping trip at Bartlett Lake topped them all for me in 2014. It was a weekend filled with adventures, exploring, relaxing, kite flying and just plain ol family time on a sand bar in the middle of the lake with no electronics and nothing but our imaginations and each other to keep us busy!!! This will definitley be one of those trips that I will remember forever.

5. Mommy/Daddy Date's: every January when we start a new year ... each of our kids draw's 2 months out of a bowl .... 1 month is for a one on one date with Mommy and the other for a one on one date with Daddy. Having 4 kids makes it very hard to get that one on one time with each of them that we all crave and this is a perfect way to make it happen!! I don't know who looks forward to our date's more the kids or me but man do I love them!! I hope they never get to big to hold my hand, call me mommy and tell me they love me!!

6. 4th Of July: the last few years for 4th of July we make a trip up to Munds Park with friends for riding, the parade, to celebrate the 4th and get out of the heat for a few days. It is one of our favorite trips and we look forward to it every year. This year was particularly fun because we had some pretty crazy weather which caused for some really fun riding adventures while we were out on the ranger!! The kids were such troopers and it made for some really good "remember when" stories!! (side note: I absolutely love when my kids get on the "remember when" kick and start talking about things that have happened. Makes you realize how important it is to make memories that count!!)

7. Girl's Trip: I made a trip down to Lake Havasu with some of the favorite ladies in my life to get away and enjoy some adult girl stuff kinda fun and boy o boy did we live it up and have a blast!! Definitely would love to try and make an annual tradition out of this. This trip without a doubt makes my top 10 list!! Can we go back like right now!!! Haaaa!!

8. The Whole Fam Dam: camping anyone? how about the whole fam dam, why not right?!? We made a family camping trip this past year with this big ol crazy group and it was too much fun!! Horseshoes, shooting, eating (why is it that you always eat better when you are camping than you do at home!?!), birthday festivities, fort building, scavenger hunts and everything else that a perfect camping trip should include!!

9. One Stop Drop: this one is a little bittersweet because there are so many things I love about it (which is why it made my top 10) but it also means these 3 cuties are growing up and up and up!! We have officially graduated from daycare with Rilyn starting kindergarten and I am happy to say that the "one stop drop" off in the morning is a-ma-zing along with the fact that I feel like I got a pay raise!! I love watching the boys take such good care of their sister walking her to her gate before they head for the playground with their friends (I have even had a few of the staff from the school come up to me and tell me how sweet it is to watch them every morning hug her at the gate and tell her they love her and to have a good day!! *sure makes me one proud mommy to hear these stories!!) I love to see Rilyn becoming the independant little student that she is, following in her brothers footsteps. Its almost like we have started a new chapter in our story of life!!

10. The Big 10: we celebrated 10 years of marriage this year with a bang!! Between our "Cheers To 10 Years" party with family & friends before we left and our 8 day trip to Seattle it could not have been any more PERFECT!! In some ways its so hard to believe that it has been ten years since we said "I Do" and in other ways its hard to believe that it has only been ten years!! At the party we danced to the song "Love Isn't Something That You Have, Its Something That You Do" by Clint Black and the lyrics are dead on! I say cheer's to continuing to work together, communicate and to many many more years of livin' our love song with this handsome man I am lucky enough to call my husband!!

"We Still Do"

11. Special Visit: Grandpa & Grandma Ingram came to town and we were more than thrilled. We miss them sooooooo very much so this was definitely a huge highlight of our year. The kids loved that they were able to watch them play football while they were here and for me it was wonderful catching up and just chatting about everything and nothing all at the same time. Sure do love these two with all my heart!!

I say thank you to 2014 for the many memories and blessings!!! 

STRAIGHT A'S

Trey has gotten Straight A's two quarters in a row!!! So proud of this handsome boy of mine!! Such an accomplishment!

 

HOME SWEET HOME

The BEST part of my day ..... Home Sweet Home!! Arizona Moonrise (I know this isn't a real word but I am making it one!! Our moonrises are just about as pretty as our sunsets in this beautiful state!!!)

COP DUNKIN'

 

Rilyn and I were back road cruising to Grandma's and she was riding shotgun and said "Momma if we see a cop I gotta dunk right"!! Its way too cute to correct her that it is duck not dunk .... so she will be my little "cop dunker" for life!!! Haaaaa!! I just love this little chick!

A NEW YEAR'S TRADITION

If you spend your new year riding to the top of a mountain, starting a fire and drinking beer ..... you might be a redneck!!!

 

We rang in our New Year mountain top again this year which has become another one of our little family traditions that we love so much. Thankfully this year it was not nearly as cold as the year before and we had an amazing time!! Jamming good tunes around the fire with family ... nothing beats it!!!

 

 

A group selfie!!! Still not sure how we were able to pull this off and actually get everyone in the picture but we did and I LOVE IT!!!

 

We are super excited to see what 2014 has in store for us and are looking forward to another year of blessings, fun times, challenges, growth & many more MEMORIES!!!