a new year

Every morning the world is created.
~Mary Oliver

This has been a very dry, warm winter. Disturbingly so. But one morning, we awoke to what appeared to have been a very, very damp night.

This one was hamming it up on every turn of the carousel. The one below started giggling in response to the attendant, but refused to look at me!

Sunrises, above and below. Both taken looking the same direction from our house. Above, from a week ago. I thought this was pretty, but it was nothing in comparison to the fire in the sky a few days later, below. No rain, fog, and (sigh) pollution have made for some incredible, stunning displays of color at sunrise and sunset this winter.

Guess who really likes the rubber band board? It isn't the recipient!

Mike made Antarctica in my coffee!

I really have entered the year with hope. No resolutions this year means no opportunities to fail, just chances to fly. Tuesday took us back to school, work, and daily deeds, which, glorious as our time together was (and it really was...no glossing, I promise), the routine of which was welcomed (at least by me). I spent the first day back organizing, decluttering, getting paperwork in order, making lists (of the simple, followable kind) made, and so on. It felt really good.

Although we had planned to keep our tree up through this weekend, something in the weather, mood, and our plans for the weekend prompted us to take it down on Monday. With it gone, so much space was restored. I cleaned and rearranged furniture. All the rest of the decorations remained, though, so slowly, we are saying goodbye to the red and gold and glitter of Christmas and hello to the blue and calm and promise of a New Year.

At dinner, on the 1st, I asked the following questions (inspired by Kyndale) and this is what my people said:

What would you like to do in 2012?
Mike: I'd like to make a hand plane. And I would like to find some property to buy and slowly build a cabin on for someday.
Nicola: I'd like to reach out and tell people, preferably via an old fashioned note in the mail, when I am thinking of them. (And I'd like to take a family vacation to Alaska!)
Isabella: I'd like to work with Dada in the (wood)shop, merry making for next Christmas.
Finnian: I'd like to go to the park.

Where do you think we will be and what do you think we will be doing on January 1, 2013?
Mike: I think we will be much as we are today, only the kids will be bigger. I will try not to be too heart broken about their growing up so quickly.
Nicola: As hope is my word, I hope we will be much the same, just having made the changes needed to be healthier and happier.
Isabella: I'd like to be at fairyland.
Finnian: We'll be at the park. (Notice a theme for him?)

How are we accomplishing this? One day at a time, with hope.
Oh, and we are a family participating in Erin Goodman's Family Recharge! (It starts on my birthday!)

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Below....a little something for myself, because one day, I will come back and read this and be touched by my own memories:

I realized I had been thinking negatively of where we had not changed in 2011, but some status quo is good. Our parents and siblings are still in very good health entering 2012. And some change was inevitable over the 365 days, even if daily, little changed. Of course, much has to do with our ever-growing (healthy!) children. It's usually the little things we forget that we wish we didn't don't you think? Somewhere in the middle of the year, my two switched...for the first 3.5 years of his life, Finnian was took a long time to fall asleep at bedtime. Lala always crashed the moment her head hit the pillow. Now, it is the opposite. A year ago, I often sang to them at bedtime. Finnian moved from a crib to a bed last winter break, so for some weeks/months, I laid next to him until he fell asleep. Then, I got asked to sit in the room for a few minutes. Now, I tell them 5 minutes and leave, and I do honor the 5 minutes. Christmas of 2009, the holiday book of favor was Cookie Angel. In 2010, it was Winter Wonderland, book and song. This year's song seems to be Deck the Halls (or "No way" in a Manger) and they each had a favorite book. Christmas ABC for Lala (which she can read by herself, exquisite and all) and any of the Jan Brett books for Finnian.