hereby resolved

so i've had a few days to think over some New Year's resolutions, and this is what I have so far. i am sure I'll think of more as the days go by.

* i aim to be more hospitable. Brian and i have already dubbed this year, The Year of Hospitality for the Wells family. at least we hope it will be remembered as such. last year was so wrapped up in all the projects going on at the house, the we weren't very hospitable and hardly had any guests in our home. we hope to have at least one family over every other week, and a friend from school over at least once a week. and Keegan Langley doesn't count as he invites himself over every day anyways.

* i will attempt to read through Robert Murray M'Cheyne's Bible reading plan this year. i have used it off and on for probably 15 years, and it is the best reading plan i've known. if you follow it fully you will read through the NT, Psalms and Proverbs twice, and the OT once in a year.

* i will keep a record of all the books i read. i really wish i'd been doing this all along. maybe i'll even write a little summary of each. and along with this, i hope to read at least 50 books. i have no idea if this will be easy or difficult, as i don't know how many books a year i'm already reading on average.

* i will continue adding to my list of 1,000 Thanks.

* i will write thank you notes. i used to do this religiously as a kid and teen. and as a newlywed and a new mommy. then i got lazy, and what with the internet and all, told myself that a phone call or a hastily typed email was just as good as a written thank you. but i know that's not the case. and a long with this, i hope to teach my children the importance of writing thank you notes.

* i will plan and make lists. i so resist this. ugh! there is something in me that finds lists confining. i want to just fly by the seat of my pants and make things up as i go. the ironic thing is that i am married to someone that could not be more opposite than me in this area. he cannot function without a list. so i will plan. i will have an agenda and not just be carried along by my feelings. i will put tasks on my lists, and not just after i have done them so that i can add a check mark and make myself look productive.

* i will plant a spring garden.

i have some other ideas that i typed out, but they started to sound really me-centric and , well, just silly. so maybe i'll just keep those resolutions in my head.

the kids go back to school tomorrow. it has been a good vacation and a blessed Christmas season. i am just so thankful to be a mom and be able to enjoy these sweet times with my kids and husband!

we are going back to Big Bend fro spring break. Brian made the reservations today. it'll be much more enjoyable to camp along the Rio Grande when it's not 109 degrees as it was when we were there in the summer. the kids are so excited!

i've finished two books in the last couple of days.

1. Across Five Aprils, sort of a juvenile book, but i thought i'd read it to see if i thought the kids would like it.
2. We Were the Mulvaneys. wow, what a sad book, but good as well. i'm still digesting it. i got some into it that i read the whole thing in 2 days.

Wednesday, January 5

i blogged that first part a few days ago and had every intention of returning that evening to finish it and publish it, but life got a bit carried away.
the kids started school on Tuesday. no complaints from any of them, and each seemed to have a pretty nice day. i had to go in and meet with the principal, the speech therapist, and William's teacher to discuss William's progress. his lessons are gong to be suspended for now until he begins communicating more. he still does not talk to anyone at school. when he does talk to his teacher, it is in the breathiest whisper. so it was a discouraging meeting. i feel like they're looking at me as wondering what i did to my chldren to make them this way. maybe i did something, but i really don't know what it is. i don't know why William struggles with anxiety issues so much, or why Samuel is always so down on himself, or why John can't sit still. i don't have any answers! this morning when i hopped back in the car after running at the trail i saw a message on my phone from Samuel's teacher saying that he had another break down. he refused to go in the classroom, said that nobody understands him and that he has no friends. Brian had to call and soothe him and try to decipher what had brought on these feelings. Samuel said that ofttimes there isn't any incident, but maybe a thought, a feeling of "being different" that causes him to feel out of place. both he and William are just weird socially. that's all there is to it. it's our job to teach them what is acceptable public behavior. that's just not as easy as it sounds. especially when you have a son that doesn't "get" the normal social cues that the majority of us just take for granted. but even in these things i can thank God. i'm thankful that these trials bring me to my knees and cause me to pray more than i would otherwise.

this morning i went down to the trail and did the 10.2 loop. i was so happy when i finished. no knee trouble. i ran it at a 9:30 pace. i know, slow by most standards, but it felt like something i could sustain for a long time. between now and marathon day i'm going to attempt to get down to a 9 minute mile. that would have me finishing the marathon in under 4 hours. i so want to break 4 hours. my PR is 4:00:30. so close yet so far away!

today was report card day. there was some improvement in areas, some regression in other areas. Margaret was in tears because she had a couple of B's. it was mostly because she has horrible organization skills and often loses homework. and she admitted as much. so we have some things to work on before she starts middle school.

i took Margaret to basketball practice last night and Brian took the boys to Boy Scouts. i did the elliptical machine at the Y, then some weights, then read my book for awhile because the practice ran long. i've been reading Eat, Pray, Love the past couple of days, but i find the woman so nauseatingly flighty and self centered that i can't stomach any more. on the Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses.

******
1,000 thanks~

0040 - mild Texas winters

0041 - arms that hold me all night long

0042 - a son that no longer needs glasses!

0043 - hearing, "can you read me a story?" and knowing that the days of hearing that are numbered, so cherishing those sweet moments

0044 - a beautiful table with candles, and placemats, and great-grandmother's china, and chargers, and cloth napkins, even for a simple mean of leftovers.

0045 - reserving the last available camper spot at Big Bend for spring break

0046 - God's Word that is fresh and new each time it's read

0047 - pots of herb plants on the kitchen window

0048 - a new vacuum cleaner filter

0049 - children that love to feast on Scripture