Happy New Year & 2020 Vision (Get It ;)

Happy New Year, friends! I know I already made that grand statement when I shared more about my favorites from the decade, but it didn't feel right not to have a dedicated post to welcome in the new year and share my thoughts, word(s) for the year, and 2020 vision. Ha! I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. 20/20 vision—get it?!? 

If you've been a reader of mine for awhile (always a huge thank you) then you might remember we do a 12pm kids countdown every year with our little guys to celebrate with them. It works out great because they aren't half falling asleep, cranky or tired, and still full of energy to celebrate. Confetti has been our thing for years now, followed by a milk and cookies toast, which always creates some fun moments. After we saw some glistening specks of confetti still floating around in our flowerbeds during the summer, we learned that putting a sheet down to collect all the remnants is the best idea. Total cleanup saver.

I've never really been one to go all out with trying to narrow down new year's resolutions. Mainly because they can be a lot to remember and I usually lose focus after the first few weeks. The past few years I jumped on the trend of picking a word for the year, which I love, because it's easy to remember and something you can strive for throughout the year. But this year, when I was thinking about my word, I really had some struggles with it.

If I'm being completely honest, my word for last year was fearless, and if I truly look back on the year and all that it entailed, I think that was an ambitious word to choose. I remember in that moment it felt so right to focus on that word, and I felt really hopeful. I also stand firm in knowing that the scripture tells us not to be fearful and to cast our cares upon Him. I think we did an ok job of that throughout the year, but there definitely were times where fearful moments would make their way back in. I'm not going to beat myself up over not being completely fearless (because in reality is that actually possible?), but it did put things in perspective when I reflected on how I want to approach this year. 

I had a moment where I got so caught up on trying to narrow down this one word for the year that I started to frustrate myself. So many things that felt typical popped into my head, being intentional, healthier, more self-care, but for me that felt forced and not relatable at the moment. That wasn't what this was supposed to be about. It's supposed to be a time of reflection and really thinking about what I want to strive for in the start of this new decade, not to try and impress everyone with this perfect word to live up to. So you know what? I'm not picking a word this year. Instead, I'm picking word(s) and areas that I would like to focus on that feel relevant in the moment, to help me to better myself as a person, and for the people around me. Maybe if I did a mid-year look-back this all might be different, but for now, this is where I'm at. 

At first I contemplated on having my word be organization. Plain and simple. But, there are a few other things I want to focus on this year aside from just that. Organization is already kicking off to be a huge part and focus for us this year, which I'm proud of. If you've been keeping up with my insta stories then you've seen that we already started tackling some projects, like revamping our playroom. I like to think I'm an organized person, but when it comes down to it, there are so many areas I can improve on with this. I want my house to have purpose, order, and feel at peace. A lot of that comes with having organization.

Another area I want to concentration on this year is prioritizing my time. It's been a bit of a struggle for me having my days feel structured and productive since I've been home now with C. One would think that you can get a lot done while your kids are off at school, but when you try to fit in so much that sometimes it's too much, before you know it it's dinner time and everyone is hungry. There are days where I have high hopes for getting a lot done but then the baby will be extra needy, or not cooperate for his naps, and everything I thought I would get done gets pushed down my list. I know these things will only be temporary, but I do feel like there are little things I can adjust to help prioritize my days better. I also want to focus on prioritizing my relation with God even more. I want to be more diligent about my devotionals, making time for prayer, and continuing to seek and draw closer to Him. I want others around me to feel God's love shinning through me and make it more of a priority to lift others up in need.

I also want to prioritize this little space of mine a bit better. While I love sharing our family adventures and using this as a way to look back on our memories (which I will still do), I also see those moments where I post about what's on my heart are where we can connect even further as a community. Those posts where you like getting party ideas, hearing more about blogging resources, or our home renovation projects, are what open up conversations that allow us to learn even more about each other. I also truly appreciate any feedback you send my way that helps me to have a better understanding of what draws you to want to visit and read more on Beautifully Candid.

Something else that has been heavy on my heart is responding more in love. What do I mean by that? Well, there are moments when my sweet little boy crew isn't exactly the sweetest and can certainly get under my skin. I've fallen victim to raising my voice, chasing after them when they don't listen, respond with open ended threats (if you don't knock it off there's no tv for the week). I don't want to be that person. I don't. I think my kids have learned that they can push the limits and now we need to curb that. I also know that if I want them to respond to me in a loving manner, I also need to be the example of that. Now, before you think I run around my house all day screaming, that's certainly not the case. But there are moments where if I took a deep breath and focused more on wanting God's love to shine through me, I know that I could respond differently.

So while this might not be a ground breaking revelation of how to tackle 2020, it's what I'd like to do for me. What I feel would help to make my focus attainable and areas where I can continue to strive for improvements. Here's to organization, prioritizing, and responding in love. 

I'd love to hear more about some areas you want to focus on in 2020! 

Welcome 2019 And Word For The Year

Well here we are my friends, another year finished and a new one started. It's that broken record talking over here, but seriously, how quickly does time fly?

I am so thankful and feeling incredibly blessed that each year seems to be getting better than the last. We had a lot of changes, exciting times, and also some uncertain times throughout 2018. It's nice to look at 2019 with a fresh start and new approach.

If you've been following along for awhile (always a huge thank you to my loyal readers) then you know we love doing our 12pm kids noon countdown to the new year. We started this when A was tiny and we knew there was no way he was staying up until midnight. It's a fun way to kick off the day with them and have them join in on the celebrating. This year we even had a milk and cookies toast and ate all the non-healthy foods (pizza bites are hard to resist) before we changed our mindset over the next day. We have been loving all the hummus and fresh veggies. If you caught my instagram (@beautifully_candid) then you might have seen some of these. I also mentioned how every year we take pictures with numbers, it never fails and someone has one backwards. I've grown to love it and now I think every year there needs to be a backwards number in the mix.

Our new year looked a bit different this year. Eric and I usually go out with some of our closest friends, get dressed up, dance a lot, and ring in the new year together. While we would have loved to do that again this year, staying in with the boys and keeping it low-key was the best idea. A brunch with the girls on new year's day that turned into us chatting and catching up for five hours made up for us not being together the night before.

We aren't big on setting resolutions for the year. Most of the time I'm lucky if I remember what needs to be done for the day. With the season of life we're currently in, keeping a long list of things isn't a priority right now, and half of the times we are just trying to stay afloat. But, for the past few years we have been picking a word to focus on throughout the year. So much easier in my opinion to remember. Last year our word was, Trust. It was such a big one for us. Right at the end of the year, everything we had hoped for and set out for with that word came true.

This year we decided our word would be, Fearless. There's a song by Jasmine Murray called Fearless and some of the lyrics from the song say, "I wanna be fearless! No holding back, no backing down. Fearless! Because I believe you're with me now. Bring on the unknown, lead me and I'll go".

This song has always spoken to me, so when we were deciding on our word and it came on the radio it felt like it was meant to be. Last year I spent a lot of my time being worried and fearful. When we found out baby C was going to be born with a cleft lip and palate I let fear creep in way too many times. I should have been enjoying my pregnancy, taking more maternity photos, and allowing my mind and body to relax. Instead, I let my mind wander and fear take over. I know most people will say that's normal, and it is, but at the same time I don't want to live this new year in fear. We still have a lot of obstacles in the way with baby boy's surgeries and so many unknowns with that. In addition, the boys started a new school, Eric a new job, and we're tackling a major renovation. The last thing we want to do is live in fear. 

So instead, we're choosing to be fearless (as much as we possibly can). I know that the reality of it will be that we'll have days where we will falter. Those fearful moments might creep back in. But what we're planning on doing differently this year is, remembering what we're focusing on, trusting again in Him to guide us through every step, and standing firm in the face of fear. There's another song by Hillsong called, Not Today. In those moments we'll try to remember, let the devil know not today.

So 2019, we're embracing you. We're excited for all of the adventures, the memories to come, and growing from each new journey that unfolds. 

A New Year For New Adventures

Happy 2018! I hope everyone had a great time ringing in the new year. There is always something that feels refreshing about starting a new year. We had a really good 2017, so I can't say I was wishing it away, but we do have some exciting things on the horizon for this year that I am anxious to see how everything plays out.

We had so much fun celebrating the new year and were happy to do our 12pm kids countdown again. It was a sparkly, confetti, good time cleaning it up—fun. Little nugget might have been more concerned about holding onto his pretzels instead of his number balloon or confetti popper, but that's real life. We could have reconvened and tried for different pictures but I love sharing our real life moments and capturing what actually happens. That's also something I hope to share more of in the new year.

We celebrated at my sister's new house and then at night headed into Philly to celebrate with some of our friends. It's always a nice excuse to get dressed up and spend time going out. Eric's parents offered to watch the boys again, and while they are still so young and not making it anywhere close to staying up until midnight, we figured we might as well enjoy ourselves.

I've never really been big on resolutions, but I do like to think of goals or things that we can work towards in the new year. I guess when you really break it down, it's basically resolution's little sister—just labeled differently.

This year we decided to get the nuggets involved and asked them what they would like to work on in the new year. At first A said getting more Paw Patrol toys. I quickly realized I needed to break that down to very simple terms for a two and four year old to understand. After they grasped the concept, they said things like to be kind to others, make new friends, make more cookies, and give some toys to kids who don't have them. That made my mama heart so happy even if they decided it would be baby toys that they're too big for. We actually went through a lot of their toys after Christmas and will be donating a good amount. It also feels great to free up some space and teach them about giving to others. Although, I don't think any Paw Patrol toys will be making it into that pile anytime soon.

One of the things Eric and I have been doing the past few years is thinking of a word to incorporate our focus on throughout the year. This year our word is Trust. We have encountered things throughout our lives that while they might not make sense at that moment, we try or best to remain faithful and Trust that God has a plan for us greater than we could ever imagine. It's happened so many times that we will look back and end up be thankful that something didn't go the way we planned and are so grateful that His guidance is with us leading our path.

Here's to a great year, new memories, new adventures, and all of life's craziness in between. 

New Year's Eve Kids Countdown

Three, two, one...Happy New Year! 

Boy did we have fun with this one and all the gold and silver confetti that was involved. I think I still found a piece of it in my hair yesterday, but totally worth it.

Since Eric and I were going out for new year's and we knew the boys would be fast asleep by midnight, we thought it would be fun to do a kids countdown at 12pm.

Unfortunately I came down with something the night before and was not feeling like myself at all. But, when you make a promise to your three year old, and he knows there's confetti poppers involved, you keep your promise.