Here goes nothing! My Life & Times.: Happy New Year.

I know this is a time when you're supposed to make resolutions to change but I don't even really want to do that. I wouldn't have wanted to change anything from this year. In a quiet moment I flipped through my photos and saw how much we were able to fit into these last twelve months. It's surprising how much things have changed.

Last year, we were a family of three. I know that this makes perfect sense because Colin is less than a year old but it still seems weird to think about. I don't remember us being three. Four seems like the way it's always been, but in this case "always" is only 8 months long.

Having two children is different than I expected it to be. I expected to feel pulled between their drastically different needs but I don't. I thought I would feel guilty about the time Oliver and Colin don't get from me as the result of sharing me with a sibling, but I don't. I expected so much turbulence and hardship with the addition of another family member but it never came. It's all quiet here on the western front. We've survived the first eight months of this new life with smooth sailing. We've enjoyed it even.

Aside from the exponentially longer amount of time it takes for us to get fed, dressed, and out of the door, not much has changed. Though extreme, all changes that we made were so gradual that falling into our new routine was almost imperceptible. Like a lobster put to boil in a cold pot of water, we didn't realize we were cooking until somebody stuck a fork into us and proclaimed us "done."

We have two kids? Two? Since when did this happen? How come nobody told us?

We did a good job this year. We've taken care of each other. We've kept busy learning new things. We went on adventures. We all had food and clothes and a safe place to stay.

The house wasn't organized. Our kids walked through grocery stores with crumbs on their faces, stains on their shirts, and hair sticking out like crazy. We showed up late for dates and appointments. At times the laundry and dishes stacked up as tall as mountains.

While some people might see that as something I should resolve to change, I'm not even going to try. We did a good job of being a family this year and that's what's most important to me. I'd rather have these awesome times together instead of a tidy home and punctual arrivals and perfect attendances. Hands down. Every time.