Ringing in 2013

 After Ephram's birthday festivities were over, we donned our pajamas and got ready to celebrate the other holiday that takes place on December 31st.

Charlie fell asleep almost immediately - and Macie was soon behind.

So it was Ephram, the birthday boy, with Mom and Dad for a couple of hours.
This boy was not tired.  Not tired at all.
But he was really, really stoked about his new LeapPad.

We had such a great time playing with him and talking about our roller coaster of a year.  Then, ten minutes to midnight, my little princess woke up screaming.

Since she was making so much noise, I figured she could come downstairs and join in with us.  So I equipped her with her best rattle.

Meanwhile, Ephram chose which "New Year 2013" necklace and which noisemaker each of us should have and passed them out.  Because I was entertaining Macie, I decided to forego the big camera and relied on the iPhone to take a few pictures.

Ephram was hyper, marching around, making noise, doing dances.... right up until the moment we started to watch the ball drop.  Once he hit the couch and paid attention to the TV, he quickly changed to a tired three-year-old boy.

By the time the ball dropped, he was laying down in our laps.

His little eyes closed on the best birthday he's had yet by 12:04am.  And then the three of us remained to speculate on what 2013 will bring.

I really am not one for resolutions.  I don't believe that I can solve all of my problems by writing down a list of things to accomplish.  Instead I like to choose one personal goal to work on for the year.

2012 was an intense, revealing, dramatic, fulfilling, challenging, rewarding learning experience for me. I learned so much about myself, about what matters, about what doesn't matter ...  My perspective on so many things changed.  I learned about miracles, the grace of God, the power of prayer, how to find strength in community.  I learned how to face down depression, how to breathe through anxiety, how to let myself feel and experience without being lost in an abyss.  I was far from perfect, yet I feel that 2012 was my year of greatest self improvement.  In 2013 my goal is just to have fun.  I want to incorporate fun into our family life.  Movie nights, more board games, more outside time, more family outings.  Also, more me time... more squeezing in the hobbies (photography, piano, writing, crocheting,) more caring for my body... I must find a way to squeeze back in the walking/running.  If I am able to do these things and feel that I am at least a little better in a year, I will feel successful.

We woke up on January 1st and enjoyed the Rose Parade.  The kids were all tired, but happy!

January 1st was our last day of vacation.  On January 2nd, Charlie would go back to school.  We spent the last day relaxing, playing and enjoying each other's company.  We had a great New Year's this year... a fantastic holiday break.  And, a great start to 2013.