Project- Find Joy 365 {Days 1-10}

I still have Christmas pictures to post but I wanted to share my new goals for the new year. 2013 was a rough one. It started out looking bright and hopeful but as the months passed it just kind of fell flat and then fell apart. It was a year of fertility tests that gave us zero results, a move back in with Ben's parents, and a job loss. Needless to say, we are living in a limbo state right now just waiting to see where life will take us. Last year I did have a tender mercy in which we decided to stop going down the fertility road and to just enjoy the kids we DO have instead of pine away for the kids we DON'T have. Since that moment, my focus has shifted and finding JOY has been my goal. So with the new year starting I decided I wanted a way to encourage myself to seek the JOY in my family. I've begun taking a picture a day and posting them to instagram with the hashtag #365daysofthebrownfamily. It's been a great way for me to look at the day with a different perspective. Next I figured I post the past week every Friday on the blog so I have another place to save them. 
So the top picture is of my new necklace Ben got me for Christmas and it's my constant reminder to find the JOY.

Stryder got a huge Lego set for Christmas and started it all by himself but it soon turned too difficult for him to do on his own so Ben eagerly jumped in and helped him finish it up.

Santa brought Disney Infinity for the kids for Christmas and the mean parents that we are made them wait till we got back home from Utah to open them. But it was like Christmas all over again as they opened each character and played for hours.

I love this little one of mine and I can rarely turn him away when he asks to sit on my lap.

It was a bit of a rough morning but boy was I glad when school started back up and secretly I think the kids were excited too.

We gave the kids the entire Harry Potter series for Christmas and then decided to read them out loud as a family. They get very angry with me when I have to stop reading.

Sleeping kids brings me so much JOY! And seeing him wrapped up in the blanket from my mom and dad makes me pretty happy too.

These two are my cuddle buddies. It's just cold enough that if they aren't basking in the sunlight streaming in from the window, they are snuggled in my lap.

Oh man his bed head has been killing me. Sadly, he's finally giving me his opinion about getting his haircut. When did he get so old?

This picture was from today after school. I decided it was a good day for Sonic but shortly after we left I made a sharp turn and Ben's drink tipped over in the passenger seat. It wasn't a total loss until I got it home and Soren was so excited to tell Ben something and bumped his drink. It was a mess of ice and soda all over the floor. I instantly felt anger but Ben showed me a better way as he smiled and cleaned up the whole mess. Then he reminded me that the soda wasn't as important as our little boys' excitement. Oh the lessons I'll learn this year as I strive to find JOY.