Here's To The New Year

Here's to the New Year....said 15 days into January. 

But when you are a teacher and a mother of four you give yourself grace and start the new year a little late. I love a new year. I love that there is so much unknown out in front of us. So much hope and change possible. So much time to plan fun things and get stuff done. This is me totally putting all of my positive eggs in the 2021 basket. But what else can you do? How dismal to start out the new year thinking it will be much like the last. 

And honestly as hard as 2020 was for so many people, this Jansen family cannot ever say 2020 was bad. We were blessed with more time. We were blessed with sweet memories. We were blessed with Theodore. 

So if 2021 is going to be even better it really has a lot to live up to. 

Praying and hopeful that something good is always coming around the corner. 

We celebrated the new year in such a fun way. About a week before the new year Ammon texted "This might be a wild idea...we should get an airbnb together." This was indeed a wild idea and the best idea Dana and I had heard in a long time. We landed the perfect house in St. Louis and moved in six adults and ten kids on New Years Eve. For two days we ate yummy food, stayed up late, wore pjs, never left the house and laughed and laughed and laughed.

Our kids are still talking about this little getaway, so I am going to go ahead and say it: this is now a tradition.

The next week I slowly prepared myself to go back to work and to have my littles go back to school and the babysitters. One minute I would be very ready (usually right after a Bennett meltdown) but then sweet moments like this would make me never want to leave the house again. I used to be a go-go-goer. I filled our weekends and couldn't wait to do the next thing. Corona virus plus maternity leave have officially made me a home-body. As much as I missed my students, I secretly enjoyed being home from March to May. As much as I missed friends and family, I secretly enjoyed our slowed down summer. And I have not so secretly enjoyed my maternity leave. It has reminded me of how wonderful rest is and that the glorification of busy can just leave us exhausted and burnt out. Its okay to be bored. Really sometimes its wonderful.

Last Thursday though....it really was back to it. The big kids started school, so I decided that would be the day that I would go back to work and that Bennett and Theo would go to the babysitters. I was doing great; hustling to get out the door (20 minutes late). Douglas even checked in on my emotions. "I'm good!" Well when I walked out of Sharon's house the tears started to fall. When I got in the car I explained to Em and Aug that I always cry dropping my babies off for the first time. To that, without missing a beat, Auggie said, "Well they don't call them baby sitters for nothing." Emery then looked at me in disgust and told me not to mess up my make up. It was the least sympathetic moment I have ever had with them and yet it was so perfect and funny. 

We have officially gotten out the door on time five whole days in a row. I don't even think there were tears. 

Go us. I'll admit, it does feel good to be back...but this three day weekend is going to feel wonderful too.

So here's to the weekend. Here's to the new year. Here's to good things coming around the corner.