For the New Year

After looking at my last post, Landon informed me that "(I)'ve lost focus." So, in an effort to find my focus, I would like to write about some of my many blessings from the past year and also a bit about what I hope to find in the new year.
2008 was a vast improvement over 2007. I started the year with a bang, bringing Marissa into the world on the 5th of January. That was pretty awesome. Despite a rough couple of months, she has been a blessing that only people with kids can understand. She brings me so much joy and fills my heart until I think it might just explode. Marissa makes me laugh and laugh, and has made our family feel complete. I am so, so grateful that Marissa came to live at our house. She is definitely a keeper.
Unlike 2007, no one close to me was diagnosed with any serious diseases. No one I love tried to die (repeatedly). Instead, my nephew turned the corner in his fight with cancer and is nearly finished with his chemo. Given the odds he faced, it's pretty amazing that he made it through. He looks awesome. I'm so grateful that he is still with us.
Something that continually blesses my life is Landon's job. Landon found a great job back in Sacramento. His job has provided us with the opportunity to be back near our families, which is something we all enjoy on at least a weekly basis. His job has continued to allow me the blessing of being a stay-at-home mom, for which I am often not grateful enough (but I'm working on it). His job has allowed him the opportunity to learn how to be a "real" lawyer and not just some cog in the machine that is a large corporate firm. His job has allowed him to be around people who value their families as much as we do, and who expect him to be a part of his kids' lives (and don't make jokes about how his kids won't know/recognize him... gosh that was so upsetting and creepy!). Most important of all, Landon's job has allowed him to feel happy with the fact that he has to go to work every day rather than feeling constant stress and frustration. This change has been such a huge blessing in my life because Landon is Landon again. What a huge blessing for us both!
Mason started school this year, which has been a blessing for the whole family. He was definitely ready for the challenge and the structure preschool has provided. We were fortunate enough to find a school that is well-respected and that Landon and I both love just down the street from our home. We love Mason's teachers and can see him growing academically (if it can be called that at this point), socially and personally. It has been wonderful for Mason to have the opportunity to be in school. It has also been a wonderful opportunity for Marissa and I to have some one-on-one time alone together. When we were deciding whether to have another child, part of me felt that because there would necessarily be another kid to take care of, it wouldn't be fair to my second child since I wouldn't be able to devote to him/her the time I was able to devote to Mason. Mason being in preschool has resolved much of that anxiety (and I've since rediscovered the blessings that come with your kids having siblings). Finally, it's been a great opportunity for me to have a little more time to get my work done, to rest, and to generally rediscover myself a bit.
I think the last really big thing for me this year was touched upon earlier, but I'd like to go into a little more depth about it here. Being back near my family has been a huge blessing for me. I think that if we had not moved before Marissa was born, I would have de facto moved up while she was a newborn. My mom, my sisters, and my mother-in-law are who kept me sane while Marissa was in the midst of her colic/acid reflux. I honestly don't think I would have made it on my own back in the Bay Area. Since those early days, though, we have really enjoyed being back with our families. It has afforded us the opportunity for our children to grow closer to their cousins.