JUST DO IT!

As 2014 came to a close, several friends of mine started to ask what my new word for 2015 would be.  "Forgiveness" ended up to be so powerful that I struggled to come up with the word to motivate me to be my best.

One thing I learned about myself in 2014 is that I let fear hold me back.  I'm not a perfectionist; however, if I don't have the ability to do something at a impressive level, I don't do it because I don't want people to see my weaknesses.  For example, I take a lot of pride in my teaching, both at work and church.  I feel good when people see me teach because I feel strong.  On the flip side, when I was challenged to bike up Canyon Heights Drive last summer, I heard myself say, "I'm scared."  Then I realized I wasn't scared that I couldn't make it; I was scared that people who might drive by while I was slowly biking (or heaven-forbid walking) up the mountain, would see that I'm not in tip top shape.  Weakness exposed!

Sometimes I get stuck in the dream, or the plan, and I wait for the perfect moment to attack, to conquer.  Over the past few months, I have said to myself, "Just do it, Jody!  Just do it and quit waiting and planning."

Therefore, my catch phrase for 2015 will be:

JUST DO IT!

Over the Christmas Break.....

Kangaroo Zoo

Playing our new board games with Aunt Cindy

Austin has drooled on my lap every week for the past 2 years during church!  

Next Sunday:  9am church!

Oh Beautiful, Christmas Day!

 We slept in until 7:30am (record for us) and then it was full awake-mode for the kids!  We had Christmas snow outside and you could almost feel how cold it was outside from within our home.  Santa had come and brought us all gifts.

 Each year, I ask the kids to stand together at the end of the hall for our special picture.  Look how tall Taylor has grown!  WOW!

 The boys loved their helicopters from Santa while Taylor got a shelac nail kit from him and Alyssa got some coloring books, doll, and the DVD Maleficent.

 Here is Austin's face when he opened his iPod touch!  I'm so happy I caught this!

 Workout items from Santa!

 After opening our gifts, we ate traditional Ebelskivers and eggs.

We slept a little in the afternoon, skyped with mom and dad in the Canary Islands and Ginger in Tuscan, AZ, and ended the day at Poppie and Grandma Barbie's house again for leftovers and games. It was a wonderful day with family and the spirit of love.

A Family-Filled Christmas Eve

 What a wonderful evening Christmas Eve was!  The food was scrumptious, the presents were piled high, and the kids' smiles wouldn't stop!  Per tradition, we met at Grandma Barbie and Poppie's house with the entire Lindsay crew for several hours.  We enjoyed a yummy ham dinner with all the sides possible.  Pies of all varieties followed our meal.  The kids could hardly wait for us to leave the kitchen for the mile-high pile of presents in the living room.

Each year, Grandma Barbie sets out her festive train and beautiful village under the elegant Christmas tree in her front room.  It is mesmerizing for family of all ages!  My kids will sit there and watch the train circle the village.  How do I know?  Because I am there too!  While it seems so simple, it is something special to our Christmas memories with our grandparents.

TIME TO EAT!!!!

 Later that night, we drove home to end the evening with our own tradition of reading out of the book of Luke about the night of our Savior's birth.  We talked about what our gift to the Savior would be for 2015 and how to continue to be more effective member missionaries in the upcoming year.  We sang some hymns and prepared for bed.  

Each one of our children is growing so quickly now.  Taylor has changed drastically in the last year and looks like a young woman.  She is tall, curvy, and still very sweet.  I tell her all of the time tht she has given me freedoms again because she is so good with her younger siblings.  Jaxson has grown in maturity.  He recently landed a role in the upcoming school play.  When he auditioned, I was blown away by his charm.  Austin is still passionate about everything sports.  I constantly listen to ballgame scores and shake my head in interest as he gives me long-winded details of a play he saw.  Alyssa is spunky, sassy, and smart.  She continues to be my shadow (she loves her momma!).  

Here are some of my favorite pictures of my favorite people: