Our Little New Year

Image by Monkeys Always Look. You can buy this hand-stamped little gem on Etsy!

Since my parents happen to be quite the social butterflies, and Scott and I could not secure a quality team of sitters willing to keep her past midnight on New Years, we partied with the kiddo this NYE. Which was really OK, because instead of going big, we spent a blissful little evening cubbied up in our living room.

We talked and laughed and sipped cheap champagne, and right as Everleigh nodded off, Tom Waits' movie Big Time came on (this movie is absolutely awesome). So I did silly gypsy dances to the music while Scott watched and laughed. We smooched, we ate pizza that took 3 and a half hours to get to us. We kept glancing over at little E fast asleep on the couch, and thinking, "we MADE that!".

It was a top shelf evening, for sure (even though I fell asleep at about 11:30).

Last New Years, I was visibly pregnant, but still able to rock a sexy cocktail dress, so we went to some underground art-school rave kind of BYOB shindig in the West Bottoms (a very weird, cool, and strange part of Kansas City). The party was actually held in an old factory or something that was the same space we rented out for our wedding reception, so we felt right at home. My how things change from one year to the next!

Here are my New Year's Resolutions:
1). To slow down and enjoy the time I have with Everleigh, even when it's tough. Time flies, and I'm already seeing how quickly she's growing and changing every day. I don't want to miss any moment of it.

2). To keep on losing weight and get stronger and healthier. I don't know if I've mentioned this in my blog, but I used to be really really fit. In college, I did dance, cheerleading, yoga, and kept a close eye on what I ate. Then I got in a loving relationship, got a desk job, and started going to night school full time. I would work 8-4:30, then go to school 4:30-10. All my meals took place as quickly as possible while I was sitting--at work, in class, in the car, on the couch. I was exhausted all the time. Finding time to exercise seemed like a cruel joke. Fast food was a staple. Then I got pregnant. I was careful to eat healthy foods, cut out the junk, and limit my pregnancy weight gain (since I was already overweight), but I still put on about 22 pounds. Since having Ev, I've lost about 50 pounds. I still have about 20 more to go to be at my most healthy weight. Plus, I wouldn't mind looking kick-ass either. I'm planning on buying a used running stroller and hitting the park with E as soon as it warms up a bit. Until then, doing some fun Mommy-and-Me yoga should help entertain her while getting my abs back ;)

3). To be a better wife. Sometimes I know I don't fully appreciate how amazing my husband is, and I want to work on doing a better job.

4). To continue to grow creatively. Whether it be through writing music, making clothes, reading more, whatever. I feel more like ME when I'm engaging in creative work, and I want to make sure I find the time and energy to really be myself. This sounds crazy, but in the midst of working full time, running errands, and being with baby, it's easy to unwittingly go into robot mode.

5). To be a better friend. I'd be lying if I said I feel 100% fulfilled in the friend department. Now that I'm a mommy, and many of my friends live in different cities, I sometimes crave that female companionship. This year, I'd like to take the time to be a better friend to the friends I've got (keep in better touch, make time for them), in addition to making some NEW friends who actually live here in town. This is a scary prospect--making new friends can be trickier than it seems--but I'm excited to try.