Dear 2010,

I'm much better at writing simple little anecdotes about the funny things my toddler does, or how cute my baby's dimples are. I can write a short caption to a picture and be done and feel like I've left something for my family to read. Tonight, though, I'm feeling a little more nostalgic and its surprisingly hard to get out what I want to say.

Personally, I blame this whole "New Year" crap. Every year we set out to be better. I always make my resolutions, with high expectations of myself...lose weight, be a better mom, study the scriptures, pay off our credit cards, catch up on scrapbooking...I could go on. And always at the end of the year, I think, "Where in the hell did the year go?" Usually I'm so disappointed in myself.

Not this year, though.

I didn't get our credit cards paid off (we're in more debt at the end of 2010 than we were in the beginning).

Thanks to our many adventures this year, I'm even more behind on my scrapbooking. But seriously, I had a dang fun year.

I didn't read scriptures every day like I set out to, and we didn't have Family Home Evening every Monday. I did, however, make it to church every Sunday I could, and I was pleased to tell our Bishop we're a full-tithe paying family. I didn't get to the temple nearly as often as I wanted to, but I've gone as often as I could and I've worked hard to make our home our spiritual haven.

I probably wasn't any better of a mother to Annie than I was in 2009, but the good news is...I'm pretty sure I didn't get any worse.:)

I lost weight, thanks to being pregnant with Emily. I haven't gained it all back yet, either, which is a nice way to start 2011.

Here I am, pretty much right where I was last year. It's okay, though. I learned a few things in 2010 so I'm a little more prepared.

• I learned how to be patient (sort of...I'm a work in progress).
• I learned how to deal with a car-sick toddler (Hello, Febreeze!)
• I learned what its like to be a stay-home mama (P.S. It's WONDERFUL!).
• I learned what an amazing husband I have.
• I learned that my mom has got to be sitting in heaven teaching my kiddos amazing things, like how to be cute when I am mad, and how to say funny things when I'm sad, and how to smile just so perfect to make my heart feel like it felt the first time I saw them.
• I learned that I'm probably never going to stop missing my mom, but that having an incredible mother-in-law kind of heals the hurting.
• I learned that my heart is much bigger than I originally thought.
• I learned how much I love simple things.
• I learned how to ask for help (it's not as hard as I thought).
• I learned that some friends are worth having, and some aren't (and it's okay to say so).
• I learned that in order for me to be a good mom, and a good wife, I need a little time to myself every now and then.
• I learned that I could have a baby without an epidural (and live to tell about it). I also learned I probably won't have a baby with an epidural ever again.
• I learned that every day I decide how my day is going to go, and my attitude affects all the other attitudes in my house.
• I learned that I still have so many things to learn.

So here's to 2010...a year in which I accomplished a lot of things, most of which I didn't set out to accomplish - a year which I wouldn't change at all. And here's to 2011...