Some great new years resolution ideas!

I can't believe how fast January just flew by! Between working part time, helping in my kids school classes and keeping up with kids homework and activities, making sure we have something homemade and yummy to eat each night and for lunch each day and trying to help Tracy build in our food storage room I just barely got my Christmas taken down on January 24th. If I wouldn't have had visiting teachers that came by this week, I would probably still have Christmas up. :-)

Anyway, as I was organizing I came across an article in the paper that I had laminated last year to put on my fridge and these are some great new years resolutions. Now mind you, they are not the typical new years resolutions, but they are truly things that your family and kids will probably never forget and so I am going to list these and try hard with my family to do many of the things on this list this year.

New Years Resolutions 2009!!

--Sleep outside in the yard with my children
--Always use a speaking voice
--Let them find out themselves "why not" when it won't hurt them
--Say YES more often
--Stay up late and show my sons how to use a telescope
--Teach my children to find constellations
--Teach my children how to skip rocks
--Let them explore more
--Go fishing more
--Get up early and enjoy the sunrise
--Lay on blankets and watch the stars at night and enjoy the phases of the moon
--Build a snow cave
--Help my children answer "what if" questions
--Teach my dog a new trick
--Build a tree house or clubhouse
--Eat a meal with chopsticks
--Build a catapult to throw snowballs and water balloons
--Go snowshoeing
--Eat a meal with no silverware--right off the plastic tablecloth
--Do something special and "out of the blue" more often for Tracy
--Go cross country skiing
--Teach my children to ice skate
--Read the "Harry Potter" series with my kids
--Teach my children how to use a compass
--Have dinner on a blanket on the grass more often during the summer
--Make homemade ice cream
--Make vacations a TIME not a destination!
--Go hiking more
--Make cookies for the specific reason to "dunk" them in milk and enjoy being a kid!
--Have a water fight
--Mix Mentos with Coke for a family activity
--Teach my kids how to light a fire without matches
--Have less rushed and more meaningful dinner times!
--Accept the mess
--Go backpacking more
--Set up tents in the living room and sleep in them
--Make more popcorn
--Sing in the car
--Make homemade milkshakes
--Teach my children to make paper airplanes
--Put together a jigsaw puzzle
--Let my children choose what color we paint their bedrooms
--Let them help paint
--Go camping more
--Go to the lake and make sand castles and bury each other in the sand
--Take dancing lessons with my husband
--Cook in our Dutch ovens more
--Enjoy the sunset with my kids more often
--Take a raft or canoe out on the river
--Roast more hot dogs and marshmallows
--Explore some caves
--Visit Oregon
--Have a weekly family bike ride
--Try some foods from other countries

**************

****Don't make checking off this list so important that we don't enjoy what we do!

Farewell 2008...A Big Welcome to 2009!!

I am really late in posting, because I have been savoring the last few days with all of us having time off together until we are all back to the grind of work and school on Monday the 5th.

I am sad that another year has just flown by and I have treasured all of the wonderful memories with my sweet kids and hubby! They are growing so fast and I wish that I could slow down the clock of life a little because these boys will be grown before we know it.

What an honor it is to be a mother to my 2 wonderful sons and a wife to the worlds most awesome hubby!

I love all 3 of my "boys"
and I feel abundantly blessed in all of the things that really matter in life!!

Since, I didn't start my Blog until the last 2 weeks of December, I thought I would post a little "best of" photo collage of Jade and Ethan and Tracy and I.

**(Be sure to click on the photo collages to enlarge them to fill your computer monitor!)

Highlights of Tracy & Kimmie 2008!

Our year 2008 started off with fond memories of our wonderful Mexican Riviera Cruise that we took over the Christmas Holiday with my family! Tracy and I enjoyed many nightly walks and talks and we

didn't miss a Friday night date!

(our most treasured time of the week).
We also very much enjoyed gorgeous sunsets and really got into enjoying the "phases of the moon".

We worked hard in our yard and enjoyed the rewards of an abundant harvest of strawberries, endless dozens of eggs from our chickens and beets, carrots, spinach, tomatoes and a variety of squashes from our garden.

The highlights of our summer were our
yearly hike...this year we hiked into Alaska Basin and Buck Mountain Pass,
we also had a family trip to the Lewis and Clark Caverns
and many scenic drives through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park
we also enjoyed a drive up through BearTooth Pass.

Tracy turned the big "40" this year and we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. I can't believe how much time has flown by since we were newly married! I'm thrilled to say that we are indeed still "newlyweds" at heart!

It was another year of saying... "Life is Good"!!

Highlights of Ethan 2008!

Ethan turned 6 this year...

My sweet little boy is growing up too fast! He absolutely loves school and learning. He enjoyed playing soccer during the summer and he is Tracy's shadow being right by Tracy's side as soon as Tracy comes home from work each day.

Ethan is such a responsible kid with getting his chores done each day and he has realized that he would rather do his chores before he goes to school so he doesn't have to do them when he gets home from school. He would much rather come home and get to play then do chores. He's a really hard working kid!

He's also an adventurer and fills our home with lots of joy and laughter!

We love our Ethan Kip!

Highlights of Jade 2008

Jade turned 14 this year!
He is officially 2 inches taller than his mom is. He really excelled in art and was on the Cross Country running team. He enjoyed our hikes and family trips that we took this year and has really gotten into being a teenager (with listening to music and "clothes").

Jade is the main "care-taker" of our chickens and dog "Butch" and he faithfully feeds and waters them each day without having to be asked. He also is a big help to us in our yard helping keep our trees watered.

Jade is such a great kid and we are so thrilled to have him in our home!!