New Year!!

I always say I am not going to make New Years Resoultions...mainly because I know I won't stick to them...but as usual I am making them anyway. With that said, my New Years Resolutions are as follows:

1) Be more diligent in reading/memrorizing the Word and praying WITH Ronnie and Madison.

2) Be a more organized person....this may be the biggest challenge on the list!!! I am NOT an organized person. At all. My husband can verify this. Never open a drawer in my bedroom as it is full of receipts, paid bills to be filed, etc. I started on this today by deep cleaning. Pantry, microwave and kitchen island have all been cleaned and organized on top of the typical mound of daily laundry. Christmas put away all but the tree. This week I need to clean out the closet in my bedroom and nightstands and shampoo the carpets. Next week the shed!!

3) Be more active and healthy!! One thing I am doing is buying all whole grains. I actually don't mind whole grain except for one thing...BROWN RICE. I despise it! We love fruits, veggies and fish in our house anyway. The problem is my sweet tooth. Be in prayer please.

4) Be more thrifty...I actually love making my own laundry soap so that's a start. I am going to try to start taking Madison's pictures myself all except for one session. Most likely Christmas or her Birthday. My cousin bought me a sewing machine for Christmas so I intend on learning how to make Madison some dresses and pj pants for her and I. Hopefully, if I am not too terrible at it, I want to make her a new bedding set and curtains. Be in prayer for that too. Lol

5) Same resolution as last year that I did NOT do...BLOG MORE! I am computer illiterate is one of the setbacks for me in that area. I can post a blog post. That about covers it. Ha. I want to figure out how to post certain posts in the correct categories. This year I hope to cover: DIY projects, Wordless Wednesdays, Homeschool, Foster Care/Infertility, and Recipes.

That's it. And by far more than enough. 8)


Here is a recap of 2012 for the Brauer's:
We had 5 foster kids. Only one stayed permanently.
We had the Princess for 20 months and she went home permanently with bio mom in July.
We are still struggling majorly with losing her.
Madison's adoption was finalized on May 16th.
Ronnie began boat training at his job.
Madison turned 4.
The Princess turned 5.
We vacationed in TX and Branson!
My brother got married and our girls were the flower girls. 8)
My Grandpa went to be with the Lord.
We renewed our foster care license.
Madison learned to write her letters and name and spell her family's names.
Madison can now count to 30, to 5 in Spanish, recognizes all numbers and colors and the basic shapes. She can identify rhyming words. Her vocabulary is quite extensive.
She learned to ride a big girl bike.
The Princess lost her 1st tooth.
Madison has a wiggly tooth that is almost ready to come out.
We decided to go back to the fertility doctor. (Separate blog post coming.)
Ronnie and I celebrated 5 years of marriage.
We had a baby come to us at 5 months old and stayed with us until 8 months old. We MISS her!

All in all it was a hard year full of heartbreak. Losing the Princess was the hardest thing we have ever had to go through. We are still at a loss and not sure how to move on. Maybe one day I can go through a day without crying over her. Maybe. Maybe one day Madison will not beg Jesus to bring her back and ask why we can't go get her. Until then, we are missing her. Hoping 2013 is less heartache and more joy. Our hope and prayer is that it brings more debt payed off and a sibling for Madison. She prays for one everyday. I hope your 2013 brings you and yours much blessing as well! Regardless of what happens, God is still on the throne.
Because of Him,
Stephanie