Last year at about this time, I sat down and opened a blog with the lame joke, "I'm Barbara Walters, and this is 2020". It's crazy now to think I could approach a year such as this past one with such levity, such flippancy, such lack of importance. Actually, for those that know me well, it's really not all that shocking.
What is shocking though is/was the year that we all just lived through. I don't need to go into that much detail; everyone remembers it well. Instead, I'd rather relive the past year by spending a little time remembering the New Year's resolutions that Ellie, Ethan, and I strove to fulfill.
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| If you understand the point of the pineapple, be sure to comment. |
First, let's take a look back at Ellie. Her list of New Year's resolutions were as follows.
- Learn to read
- Spend more time outside
- Improve at riding her bike
- Be kind to her friends and family
- Continue memorizing her memory verses
- Eat less junk food and more healthy snacks
As I look at that list of goals, I realize that Ellie did a great job following through on her resolutions despite the fact that she knew nothing of them. First of all, I feel that #2 and #3 are forever linked as she spent much of the summer and fall outside riding her bike up and down the street with nary a hint of fear. Second, it was great to watch her love for not only Ethan, Bethany, and me grow, but to see her develop quite a few great friendships. #5 and #6 are ongoing goals that will continue to be worked on over the next year.
I do want to take a second and highlight goal #1 for Ellie. While she doesn't necessarily know how to read like a pro yet, she is taking huge strides in that direction. In fact, just tonight, she sat on my lap and read through two beginning reader books with little to no help from me. I don't think I could have been any more proud of her if I tried.
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| Ethan also found a pineapple in 2020. |
Now, I think it's time to take a look at Ethan's year in review.
- Master walking
- Learn to feed himself with utensils
- Begin to speak
- Learn to self-soothe
- Sleep through the night
I can say with the utmost certainty that Ethan had successfully achieved the first three goals on his list. Numbers #4 and #5 leave a little something to be desired. While he can self-soothe at times, it's not uncommon for me to spend stints in his room laying on the floor next to his bed. Also, it goes without saying that me laying on the floor next to his bed wouldn't be necessary if he was sleeping through the night.
That being said, Ethan deserves special props for the way that he surprises Bethany and me each day. It might be due to his rapidly expanding vocabulary some days. Other days it's due to the remarkable intelligence he shows in learning new tasks and skills. It might also be due to the fact that he's just an unbelievably funny little boy that constantly makes us laugh and smile.
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| No photographic evidence of me holding a pineapple exists so this will have to do. |
There was one more person who had New Year's resolutions to live up to in 2020 and that person was me. In case you need a refresher, my goals were as follows.
- Spend more time outdoors
- Read more books, including my Bible
- Pray more often
- Show more patience with my wife and kids
- Better enjoy all of the time I have with Ellie and Ethan
- Exercise
If I'm looking at my resolutions with an honest perspective, I have to say that I didn't do as well with them as I wished. Now, #1, #2, #4, and #5 were actually pretty good in my opinion. We definitely spent a ton of time outside this year since there really was nothing else to do. I also read plenty of books. While #4 and #5 were a struggle at times (since they are pretty linked), I really do feel like I did a better job staying intentional about following through with both of them.
Now, I probably should reflect a little on #3 and #6. Let's face it. Going to the gym wasn't really in the cards for me throughout most of this year. I still found time to go through the spring and summer. However, with the uptick in Covid cases and the more strict mask ordinances, it's been harder to make myself go. Of course, you can also blame Ethan's 5:00 am wake-up calls a little bit too.
As for praying, it's not that I intentionally don't do it. It's just one of those things that slips my mind and I neglect to pursue. I will say that since my discipleship group went on our men's retreat in October, I've been more apt to pray and reflect on God than I was prior. However, there's still definitely room for improvement so #3 should probably be marked as an incomplete.
All things told, I think Ethan, Ellie, and I did a fairly good job keeping our New Year's resolutions this past year. Believe me when I tell you that doing so is a fairly difficult task for a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. That's especially true when one thinks about the fact that the two really didn't even know they had New Year's resolutions to keep.
For now though, it's time for me to stop writing and instead begin thinking about what New Year's resolutions the three of us want to pursue over the next year. Until next time, "I'm Barbara Walters, and this was 2020". #DaddyWrite
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