I know I’ve already shared my 2017 goals and am looking ahead to the new year, but before it fades too far in the distance I wanted to share about June’s first Christmas! It was simple and very sweet. Here’s a little peek, if you’d like to see…

On Thursday, December 22, we fed June dinner, gave her her bath, put her in her jams, and then John loaded up the car while I fed her. After that, we popped her in her car seat and hit the road!! I drove north from 9pm to 4am (!), and June only woke up briefly on our one stop for gas. John took over driving for the last leg, from 4 until we arrived at his parents’ house in Connecticut at 6:30am (while I slept in the backseat).

You guys, this COULD NOT have worked out better – I would drive overnight a million times over, especially a baby June’s age. It was completely painless for her, and relatively painless for us — there was no traffic, and no stopping for meals or anything else, so we made fantastic time. The only downside was that because I drank a fair amount of coffee (maybe 8 ounces?) to help stay awake and LITERALLY never drink coffee – the most I had probably ever had before this was a single sip – I felt queasy the following day. Thankfully, by our second day in Connecticut, I was back to normal. Next time, I think I’ll plan to step up and down the caffeine intake a bit more gradually :)

We spent the first four days of our trip with the Thomas side at John’s parents’ house. Everyone was there, meaning eight adults and three kids (2.5, 1.5, and 1). Yes, it was a little crazy, but overall so much fun! John is representative of the whole Thomas clan in that they tend to be low-key and easygoing, so that helps :) We played lots of board games, did a 1000-piece puzzle, went for walks in the neighborhood, pretended we were tigers and seagulls with Wes, sang along with Johnny Guitar (John’s uncle-name!), and ate delicious food made by my mother-in-love.

On Christmas Eve, we went to the candlelight service at John’s childhood church and dressed the cousins in matching jams for bed, then spent Christmas morning opening presents and eating monkey bread. June got lots of clothes, a toy train, books, and some chunky puzzles! The grandparents also held down the fort one night so the siblings and spouses could go see Rogue One in theaters. (Loved it, but I really want to see La La Land!)

Midway through the week we packed up all of our stuff (LOTS of stuff)… then drove it ten minutes across town to my parents’ house and unpacked it all :) We spent the next four days at the Ayer casa. I got to see my parents’ new kitchen renovation (amazing!! Thinking of sharing photos here because it is so beautiful!), plus see extended family at a dinner we hosted and lots of childhood friends and my parents’ friends at a cocktail party one evening. In between, we went for walks, visited Sift in Mystic, ate peanut butter balls, followed June up and down the stairs, and played more board games. We also had a second “Christmas morning,” which my older sister Kate joined via Google Hangout – she and Cormac decided not to travel this year because my newest nephew was born at the very end of September!

On New Year’s Eve we again packed up our stuff and drove about 6.5 hours to Northern Virginia, where Natalie and Joe recently moved. This was the perfect stopover on our drive, and in addition to June getting to check out all of her cousin’s toys, we had a lovely low-key, pajama-clad, takeout-Chinese and Trader-Joe’s-raspberry-tart New Year’s Eve.

We made it home on Sunday with enough time to unpack a bit, go grocery shopping, and generally get ready for a new week. June was SUCH a traveling champ, for which we are so grateful! Time with our families is so precious, and this week did not disappoint.

Since Marget and Seth now live in California, there’s talk of a Cali Christmas in 2017… so June’s second celebration might look very different than her first! :)

Hoping you all had wonderful holidays, as well!!

Happy 2017, friends! The company I work for is a big fan of the phrase “there is nothing magical about January 1.” And while I wholeheartedly believe that, I also think there IS something special, invigorating, and exciting about turning the page on a new year. Some of the best things in my life have come out of looking back, looking forward, and making intentional decisions about how I’ll use my time, focus, and resources. In that spirit, I’m excited to share my 2017 goals with you today!

But first, let’s briefly revisit 2016 (again). For 2016, the year I knew we’d be welcoming our first daughter, I decided to set guideposts. From last January’s post: I love the idea of having something to measure myself against throughout the next twelve months – a touchstone to refer back to in this year that has the potential to be tumultuous. Because you know, the one thing people love to tell you about kids is that they will change your life in ways you could never imagine. And while I welcome that, I also don’t want to start at zero on January 15. I want to protect and preserve the best parts of the life John and I have built together over the last ten years while welcoming the changes that will inevitably come. So, knowing that this Big Change has the potential to throw us off track and derail the progress we’ve made, I want to establish guideposts that I can look to to remind myself of what matters most to us as we integrate our girl into our life over the next year.

This worked out SO well. I referred back to that post each time I set my monthly goals, and it was the perfect encouragement to keep me working toward the life I want.

For 2017, I’m keeping the intention that worked so well for me last year but giving it a little more specificity. Still, I hesitate to even call these next four things goals, because they certainly aren’t goals by the SMART definition. I’m thinking of them more as focal areas, and I plan to flesh them out with specific, smaller goals each month as I work through my PowerSheets.

My four focal areas for this year of PREPARED (my word for the year!):

1. Become a woman of prayer. Pray diligently for John and June. Pray with John and June. Turn first to prayer. Know Him better. Anything I want to accomplish, do, or be needs to start here.
Why? Prayer has never been something that’s come naturally to me, and I hope this is the year that changes. I know all the fruits of the spirit I so deeply want to embody – joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness – flow from a heart connected to the giver of Life.
How I will feel at the end of this year having made progress on this goal: Peaceful, more assured, and more mature in my faith.
How I will know I accomplished or made progress on this goal: I will hopefully see the fruit of this goal in my life, and in the life of my family. John, June, and I will pray regularly together. I will have established rhythms of prayer in my life. I will feel comfortable praying out loud and will naturally turn first to prayer.

2. Love my loved ones well. Through good and hard things, surprising and delighting them along the way.
Why? My people are most important. I want them to feel His love through me. This is the primary circle of influence I’ve been given and I want to honor it.
How I will feel at the end of this year having made progress on this goal: Grateful that I am pouring out effort in the right places. Satisfied, on top of things.
How I will know I accomplished or made progress on this goal: I will have systems in place for important touch points. Loving on others won’t feel overwhelming or like a burden, but a natural, gracious way of life.

3. Cultivate a rich life for my family. Find joy in the smallest adventures, establish traditions, and create space for fun.
Why? I specifically chose the word “rich” for this goal, because even in this year where we will be quite conservative financially-speaking, I want to create deep, joyful, rich time together for our family of three. I know this is completely possible, but it will take thoughtful planning and a willing heart. (More about this later!)
How I will feel at the end of this year having made progress on this goal: Content. Grateful for a year of sweet memories.
How I will know I accomplished or made progress on this goal: We will love to tell each other stories about the things we did in 2017! As silly as it sounds, I always love looking back at our photos on Instagram, too :)

4. Live fit. Take a ballet class. Run. Build muscle. Stretch. Ride our bikes. Walk in the evenings. Hit 10k steps on my Fitbit.
Why? I want to honor my good health by reestablishing a healthy lifestyle. Most of the things I want to do and be require a healthy, physically fit body, and I want to be proactive about maintaining mine!
How I will feel at the end of this year having made progress on this goal: Strong! Confident, prepared.
How I will know I accomplished or made progress on this goal: I will have greater flexibility, greater stamina, more strength, and more energy!

And now, here are my goals for January:
— Head to Val’s site and choose and order a prayer journal
— Look over Val’s recommended books on prayer and purchase one (considering this one or this one – any other suggestions?)
— Mark monthly prep days in my planner (more about this later!) and try my first one for January. I need a better name for these!
— Celebrate June’s first birthday in tuxedo cat style! (hint hint :))
— Finish June’s one year video!
— Attend my free trial ballet class
— Restock my supply of cards (birthday and otherwise)
— Set a date for my favorite things party!
— Buy one product Sam recommended during my personal consult (more about that soon!!)
— Peruse the aisles of a bookstore for a new Bible

There are few things I love more than reading about other’s goals! (Second only to reading other people’s Christmas cards, haha!) If you’ve posted your goals somewhere, I’d love to see – or just drop them in the comments! I can’t wait to take a peek and cheer you on.

Vision board credits, clockwise from top left: patriotic couple photo by Laura Ivanova, blueberry photo by Elaine Palladino, beach house, Jenny Komenda’s play room, personal photo from Michigan, tomato sauce, clever little pool, Simply Seleta ballet photo, office photo, camping photo from Lovely Morning, Laura Ingalls Wilder quote, Rylee Hitchner photo from Southern Weddings