Like many of you, our family enjoys the London 2012 Summer Olympics. I personally love tuning in for the swimming and gymnastics competitions. It's always amazing to watch the athletes in peak physical shape going after a goal they've worked for their entire lives.

It sparked a conversation between Ted and I about what we hope to accomplish by the end of the year. When I mentioned that my goal was to run a full marathon by December, little ears were listening. Brody wanted to know what the word "goal" meant. At four-years-old, he's like a little sponge, absorbing every bit of info he hears and sees. We broke it down in simple terms, explaining that a goal is something you hope to do and work towards to better yourself or accomplish a task. At that point, we gave Brody his own goal. His new goal is to stop sucking his thumb by the end of the year.

As a baby, Brody never took a pacifier. His self-soothing method of choice has always been to hold his left ear and suck his thumb. I even have an ultrasound image of my little guy that way! Now that he's four, he usually only sucks his thumb when he's sleepy or upset. Still, it has been a hard habit to break. My mom often jokes with me about how I sucked on one of my fingers well past my fourth birthday. It was only until my great-grandfather told me my finger would fall off, that I kicked my habit! Brody is not falling for any of that nonsense. So, we hope that by giving him his own goal to shoot for, he'll feel like a big boy. In the meantime, if any of you parents out there have any advice on how to stop thumb sucking, let me know.

Now that I've talked about a couple of our goals for 2012, I'd love to read about your goals. Send me a message about what you or your kids hope to accomplish. If Brody stops sucking his thumb, I plan to make him his very own gold medal. It may not be an Olympic sport, but kicking that habit will certainly be an Olympic achievement in the Uelk household!