She had had a great day.  She had outdoor recess at school.  One of her fellow first graders brought in an assortment of birthday treats, of which she chose a gooey, M&M-topped bar!  Her little brother let her boss him around while they played “school” together.  Pizza and salad for dinner, a family favorite.  Great blood sugars all day long.  And to top the evening off, a giggle-infused game of hide-n-seek with her favorite boys.  She basically had a smile on her face the entire day, at least while she was home.

And then when I announced that it was time to head upstairs for bed, she surprised me when she angrily threw a small toy across the family room.  Since that is not behavior we condone around here, I gave her a stern look.  “Pick. it. up,” I commanded in a very controlled yet firm mommy voice.  And that’s when she totally fell apart.

It started with, “This is the worst day ever!” And then as tears streamed down her cheeks, she rambled on and on, listing various horrible things that happened throughout the day…She rode the bus to school, but she didn’t want to ride the bus that day.  She chose a cookie after dinner, but really wanted a starburst like her brother chose.  She hates having diabetes.  And she threw a toy on the floor and now she’s in trouble…!

It was all a bit dramatic.  And it was obvious that letting her stay up a little past her normal bedtime was not the best choice for that day because clearly the girl was overtired!  I had to hold back a smile, because that was THE fastest transformation from giggles to tears I had ever witnessed.  But I held back and suggested she make a different kind of list.

“I don’t think it was your worst day ever.  Sure, maybe there were some things you wish would have gone differently.  But let’s talk about all the GOOD things that happened today.”

She was too distraught still, so I started by reminding her that she didn’t have any pump or sensor site changes.  (She wiped her tears.)  And that she got to have a super yummy treat at school that her brothers missed out on because they aren’t in first grade like she is.  (A crooked smile emerged.) Then she told me about the worms they were learning about at school.  And her new friend on the bus.  And how good Caleb is getting at writing his letters because she’s such a good teacher for him.  And she’s the best hider in our family.  And how cute it was when Lucas was hiding under the blanket and couldn’t stop giggling, which made him a not-so-good hider.  (A full blown smiler complete with sparkly eyes lunged forward and squeezed me.)

“Sorry I threw the toy, Mom.”

I hate to admit it, but my girl is JUST like her mother!  My tendency is to complain, to list all the hard things, to become quickly overwhelmed when something doesn’t go how I think it should have gone.  Oh, if there was ONE thing I could change about myself this would be it!  I wish I was optimistic by nature.  I wish I was really good at noticing the good, and appreciating the blessings right in front of me.  Maybe it’s just the season I’m in…the season of mothering young children, getting no sleep, meeting everyone’s needs, kind of running just shy of empty all the time.  Maybe I’ll grow out of it when the seasons change.  But I’m not willing to wait til then.

That’s why I started The Joy Before Me Challenge.  For me.  For me to practice noticing blessings.  For me to practice making lists of the good things in an effort to replace my lists of the hard things.  I’ve been practicing this for a little while now and though I haven’t made the switch from pessimist to optimist, and while I still tend to get overwhelmed fairly easily, my heart is more tuned to give thanks when I should.  When Lucas says something cute, when Caleb dances, when Justin surprises me, when Mackenna braves another painful poke, when the encouraging text comes at just the right time…those are blessings!  Those are little gifts, from God, just for me.  And I’m grateful!

In 2015, I was using a cute little notebook, writing things down as they happened or at the end of each day.  I changed things up for the new year and wondered if this format would work well for anybody else.

TJBM Challenge 2016 a

It’s just a calendar, but I love that I can see daily, weekly, monthly all the blessings and gifts the Lord has graciously given to me!  I’ve been just keeping it open like this on my desk for the whole month.  Every time I glance at it, or walk by my desk and see it there, it is a reminder to me to keep practicing.

The first time I tried taking a great photograph, the result was not too pretty.  But countless hours of practice later, even though I still have much to learn, I can confidently say that I can take some pretty great photos!  It takes practice.  So that’s what I’m doing.  And guess what else…I’m heading out tomorrow while the bigs are at school to get a calendar for Mackenna.  I wonder what could happen if she starts practicing this kind of list…lists of joys, big and small…lists of God’s goodness.  What if she started practicing at age 7?  How might that impact her in the days ahead…days of middle school and high school, college and young adulthood, future days of mothering her own young children?

TJBM Challenge 2016 b

If you’re still doing The Joy Before Me Challenge since I introduced it in May, would you let me know how it’s going?  Have you seen a change in your mindset?  In your heart?  In your attitude?  And if you’re thinking about joining me in the challenge, I cannot tell you how glad I am!  I don’t think it’s ever too early or late to start!  (Don’t believe me? Then read this post over here about fresh starts.)   In fact, this far into 2016 you may even find a cute calendar to use with a clearance price tag on it!  And that could be the first thing on your list!  If you’re just reading about The Joy Before Me Challenge for the first time, you may want to check out these other blog posts: here, here and here.

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Another sweet baby from this Fall.  This adorable little guy is one of my newest milestone babies, so I’ll get to photograph him a few more times as he grows this year!  It is an incredible honor to be asked to freeze each stage, and document in photographs, all of the changes that happen too quickly during a little one’s first year. It is such a miracle…how quickly these teeny, helpless humans turn into little people with their own personalities!  Each one perfectly unique.

Congratulations to the A Family on such a perfect little addition…and congratulations to Baby G on landing into the arms of some pretty awesome parents!

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It’s been a while since I just blogged photos.  I think it’s about time I share some of the incredible people who stepped in front of my camera last Fall.  I’ll start with this beautiful little family.  Baby E was just about a month old and not only cute as a button, but also already starting to show some of her personality.  She’s got spunk and wide-eyed curiosity that I think is going to provide her parents with lots of entertainment as she grows!

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Baby E, please tell your parents how grateful I am for the opportunity to take some of your earliest photos.  You are a delight!

2016.  A brand new year.  A fresh start.  I know lots of us use the start of a new year to set goals.  Resolutions.  Changes we desire to make over the course of the new year.  Some of us actually write them down and post them somewhere as a reminder.  Some of us talk openly about the changes we want to make, sharing our goals with loved ones, perhaps as a way to be held accountable.  And some of us never speak them aloud or write them down.  But they’re still there in our minds, resolutions known only between the resolution-maker and her Maker.

Today is the thirteenth day of 2016.  Twelve days of the new year have already come and gone.  How about those goals you set?  Are you keeping up with them?  Are you surprising yourself with how disciplined you’ve been?  Has your success encouraged you to keep going?  Or are you looking at the calendar, realizing that in those first twelve days, not much has been done about the resolutions you made?  Is your lack of progress a discouragement?  Are you wishing now that you hadn’t voiced your resolutions out loud to begin with?  Are you already thinking about quitting because you haven’t really started the year as you had hoped?

If you find yourself more in that second category, I have good news for you.  2016 has more than one opportunity for a fresh start.  Sure, January 1st seems like a nice and neat time to begin anew.  But why is January 13th any different?  There are 354 days left in 2016!  That means 354 opportunities to start fresh!

If you resolved to read your Bible every day, but haven’t picked it up yet, guess what?  It still counts if you begin today!

If you resolved to work out more often, but haven’t added it into your schedule yet, guess what?  It’s still beneficial if you add in another workout today!

If you resolved to spend less time looking at your phone and more time with your family, guess what?  They’ll still love it if you put that phone down tonight!

I know that for some of us, 354 opportunities for a fresh start still isn’t enough because we’ve resolved to change behaviors that happen multiple times every day.  We’ve chosen to speak more kindly to our children.  To avoid frivolous spending.  To eat healthier.  To mean what we say, and say what we mean.  And when yet another day goes by and we failed at these goals again, for what feels like the millionth time, it’s important to know that just like we don’t have to wait for the next January 1st for a fresh start, we also don’t have to wait until the next morning.

8,496 hours

509,760 minutes

30,585,600 seconds

Any moment of any day can be your fresh start.  Why not right now?  How about this moment?  Decide now that you’ll begin again.  And if you fail, because sometimes we do, you have at least a few million seconds left in 2016 that are perfect times for a fresh start.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!”  (Isaiah 43:18-19)

fresh starts

I did NOT design this super adorable desk calendar, BUT you can print it too thanks to the oh-so-talented Kristen Duke! http://www.kristendukephotography.com/cute-and-colorful-2016-desk-calendar/

I did NOT design this super adorable desk calendar, BUT you can print it too thanks to the oh-so-talented Kristen Duke! http://www.kristendukephotography.com/cute-and-colorful-2016-desk-calendar/

“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”  -Psalm 126:3

I know we are already a fair amount into 2016, so a post about 2015 may seem a bit late.  It does to me at least.  I like to be on time for things and sometimes if I feel like I’m too late for something, I figure that I ought to just skip the experience all together.  But not this time.  An entire group of 365 days has passed and God blessed me in some incredible ways throughout that trip around the sun.  It would be a mistake on my part to not acknowledge His goodness and faithfulness throughout 2015.  He deserves more glory than a blog post could ever deliver, and sadly I know I have already forgotten many of the ways He blessed our family last year.  But here are a few of the blessings that stick out to me…

1 brand new blog up and running

2 years managing diabetes, celebrated

6 amazing days exploring the magic of Walt Disney World

15 weeks of God’s faithful provision as we went with without income and health insurance

31 photo sessions with the best clients a girl could ask for

55 blog posts written and shared

153 of your beautiful faces captured with my camera

$6,000 raised for the JDRF One Walk in February

6,173 people who have made a visit to this little blog space on the internet

Crazy right?!  Do you know that a lot of the things on that list include you?  Whether you have read a blog post, hired me to photograph your family, or donated to our JDRF walk team, your support and involvement is a huge encouragement to me.  I am humbled by the opportunity to capture your loved ones with my camera.  I am humbled that you read the words on this blog.  I am humbled by every dollar you have donated to get us closer to a cure for type 1 diabetes.  So thank you.  Thank YOU!

What did the Lord do for you last year?  Have you had a chance to reflect on the gifts He gave you in 2015?  It’s not too late!

Later this week, I’ll share a few more significant numbers of 2015 and the new way I’m continuing The Joy Before Me Challenge for 2016!  (If you would like to learn more about The Joy Before Me Challenge, head on over here and here and here!)

2015

 

 

 

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