Happy, happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful time this holiday season, and that you’re all ready for a fresh, new month! The end of first semester was getting a little overwhelming for me, so I needed to adjust where I spent my time, and here didn’t make the cut the last several weeks. Now that school is over and I am a ….*drum roll please*… Master’s GRADUATE, I plan to be looping back and increasing my frequency here.
New Year Goals
I’ve always been one that thinks New Years’ Resolutions are fun, and last year I heard about choosing a “word of the year” for the first time. I hadn’t sat down before now to give it much thought, but looking back at last years’ journal, I think I’d like to continue improving on/doing the same things. For me, I like to think of the different roles I value most in my life, and having some specific goals for each: wife, mother, personal, and professional.
As a wife and mother, my goals include being more patient and playful. “Play” was actually what I picked for my word of the year last year, and I actually think I want to give it another go this year, because I want to do better. I think the responsibilities that come with school/work and being a mother brought out some attitudes from myself that I don’t like. I’d never been one to get stressed or anxious about things, and I don’t know if its postpartum hormones or just getting older, but I have started having those feelings more often than I like. I feel like I’ve lost a lot of my bubbly/playfulness I used to have. I want to make a conscious effort to bring more of that Nicole back into my marriage and into my relationship with the kiddos. I think a lot of that will start with more planned quality time with each of them.
Personal goals for myself have almost always been health related – and usually in the physical sense. These goals for me have moved from weight-oriented to focusing on improving my strength and flexibility. This past year, like I said above, has also made me realize that I need to be making an effort to take care of myself mentally and emotionally as well. I’ve learned new stressors for me, and I allow myself to get burnt out on things too often. So this year, I want to make sure that I’m planning time to check in on myself. That also includes meeting some “fun” goals – like reading 18 books this year (I’ve already finished 3!), crossing some shows off my watchlist, learning how to do a handstand, and continuing to have fun teaching my kiddos.
“Professional” goals for myself are more loose, as I am not quite sure where this year is going to take me. I am completely done with classes and now have my teaching license, so if a position I really want comes open I can try for that. My husband and I have also been discussing me possibly staying home with the kids! I love getting to be the one primarily teaching them, and two in daycare gets pricey. In the meantime, I would like to study and take the exams to be qualified to teach Physics and Math so that I’m ready to go if I chose an opening in those subjects, and otherwise, I plan to spend time working on my social medias. Setting high goals there, I have specific numbers I’d like to reach for both my IG and TikTok accounts, as well as being more consistent here (I’d love to revamp this site).
Family
Not too much to update with either of the kiddos. Asher seems to be getting older everyday, and is every bit his own little person. I need to work on getting him some more active time to get his energy out and let him explore and improve his coordination. We don’t plan on starting him in any daycare or preschool yet, so I just want to maximize his learning through play and his senses.
Winry turns 1 in two-and-a-half weeks which doesn’t seem possible. She is climbing on everything, and pulling herself up and “cruising” around furniture. She took her first steps almost a month ago, but hasn’t walked more than 2 or 3 steps here and there. It will be anytime though! She’s getting more vocal and trying to copy more sounds. She says “momma”, “dada”, and sometimes “bubba” and “ni-ni” at nighttime. She waves hi and bye and claps. I am working on weaning her from me, and it is not going well. Yesterday morning I decided we needed to just quit cold-turkey, but I gave in when she woke up in the middle of the night and nursed her. So maybe just at nighttime for a few days and we will see where that gets us. My husband and I are going on a trip without the kids next week, so that may be the jump-start we need to no momma at night.
Shannon has been working away and also coordinating plans for our house. Our foundation crew continues to have delays, it started with sicknesses, and now we’re into crappy weather, so we still do not have any kind of a timeline on when they will be done and we can get our builder going. *Hopefully* there will be a nice stretch of days in the next month or two so that we can get past this first step and on to the shell.
Most exciting for us right now is the vacation Shan and I have planned with most of our siblings and a friend! At the end of next week we will be on a beach with all of the food and drinks we could ask for. I am so ready for some sunshine and one-on-one time with him.
Christmas Highlights
Since I haven’t posted since before the holidays, and our kids were so spoiled by family, I thought I’d share our hits from Christmas in case you or your kids received some extra spending money, or you have any birthdays to plan for!
Ash
Paw Patrol Tower | Gator Golf | Magnetic Tiles | Mario Kart Racecar | Red Racecar | Grumpy Monkey | Dinosaur Book | Dino Set
He loved his Santa gift of Paw Patrol the very best, and then next he says is Gator Golf. He’s made us read Grumpy Monkey every night though, and we have already run the batteries dead on both cars!
Win
Metal Tea Set | Stacking Rings | Dinosaur Feed Toy | Double-pom Hat | Sew-a-Smile Doll
We really didn’t go crazy on Christmas for Win this year, we have so much of Asher’s old stuff! I had to get her this doll though. I know she won’t appreciate it for a little while, but I wanted to have it in the house.
Adults
Mysterium Park | Nidavellir | Brother Label-Maker | Wingspan | Botannicum | White Boots | Custom Whiskey Decanter | Here to Slay | Bissell Carpet Cleaner
Here are some of the Christmas highlights between me, Shan, and my brothers! We’ve already played several of the board games and they’re hits, especially Nidavellir and Here to Slay. The decanter I had done for my brother, and it turned out beautifully! And the label maker I haven’t got out yet, but I am so excited for using it to help organize before and after our move.
That’s all for now! I hope to have some construction content soon, and next up will be a re-introduction for our new faces stopping by.
Thanks for being here, and as always, comment or email for any questions or what you’d like to read next!
xx Nicole
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NICOLE LUCAS HALL 