December Already????

I just cannot believe that 2009 is almost over! Or that our Christmas tree has been up for over a week now, I'm never this early. Life has been good, really good, and I'm just enjoying everyday so much that it doesn't seem fair sometimes. And nothing has even happened! I just feel really blessed and grateful and lucky to have what I have, my two beautiful daughters, my house, my job, life is good :) And I'm not trying to say everything is sooooo perfect, because it's not, but I am just dealing with things better, and practicing being patient, and spending lots of time with the girls just having fun, and asking for God's direction in everything I do.

Tonight was Family Fun Friday! And we had lots of fun. I wanted to take the girls to the movies, but Eva wanted to stay home and have a pajama party, paint fingernails and watch movies here at home. So that's what we did.

Work has been going very well, the days go by fast, which is nice. I am so thankful to work for a company that is doing good, and my boss is the best. I am so grateful for all of the paid time-off he gave me in May to be with my dad, and he even put me on salary instead of hourly because he said he wanted me to have a steady paycheck and not worry when I have to take time off for the girls. I know I'm lucky but I would like to think that he is too, because I work hard and never take advantage of the benefits I'm given.

I'm also starting a New Year's resolution early this year, and that is to EXERCISE and NO MORE SUGAR. My sister, Becky, and I are going to do it together and are talking about joining the Genesys Athletic Club after the Christmas sugar. Sugar is my nemesis, and I just swore it off two days ago, then a lady at work brought in approx. 300 Christmas cookies for an office of only about 10. And they are the best ones too, all homemade, fudge, frosting and sprinkles. There's no way I can stop eating sugar with those around my desk.

We had a great parent-teacher conference with Eva last month. She's getting all A's, with one B+ (Reading). I am always telling Eva that her education is her job right now, and I know she can do better than a B+ in reading. So I asked her teacher, and she said Eva is reading at a fourth-grade level, and it may be because she doesn't raise her hand enough or participate in discussion (part of the grade). I know how painfully shy Eva is at school, and it makes me sad that it's hurting her grade, but I also know how important it is to be a well-rounded student. Life involves interaction and I'm confident this is something she'll get better at the older she gets. Her teacher said she is doing wonderful and there isn't anything she needs to work on. I know it's because we work with her at home almost every single night. She does hundreds of math problems at home each week and reads every single night. I think it's important to practice the things she is learning at school, even if she doesn't have homework.

Kayla is quite a little smarty-pants too. She's so good on the computer, it's almost scary. She writes her name so beautiful and almost every other letter of the alphabet too. She writes certain numbers, and can recognize all of them. She's much more interested in learning than I thought she would be. She's such a carefree spirit, I thought it would make her restless, but she just cannot take enough in and loves to impress us. And Eva's really good at teaching her things too. Kayla's so excited to start school.

And one more thing before I go, I have the best sister and best brother-in-law, I do not know what I would do without them. Becky helps me with the girls all week long, picks up Eva from school, stays at my house to make it easier for me, she's just always there for us. Well, Dan came over with her a couple days this week and COMPLETELY cleaned out my garage, fixed my one garage door that was catching, and now I can park in my garage for the winter! He also cleaned and vacuumed my breezeway today, and fixed my vacuum (that I didn't know needed fixed). I'm just so lucky that I have them.

A few readings that have really helped me this week:
"Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do."

"I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead."

xoxo