2012 So Far

We rang in the New Year with good friends, good food, and games (including Toy Story Yahtzee and Connect 4; we know how to party around here...)

 A couple of years ago when I was pregnant with Mason on New Year's the thought of pizza or bean dip or any of the "traditional" New Year's food made me feel like throwing up.  The only things that sounded good were spring rolls and lettuce wraps and that is what my sweet husband made.  And a new tradition was born.  This years spread consisted of Thai pizza, homemade egg rolls, lettuce wraps, and some yummy chicken and steak on a stick.  It was delicious.  We also had cheesy tacos for the kids, who were not as big as fans of the food as us adults were.

They were, however, HUGE fans of these little noise blowers.  After about three minutes of this, these babies (the toys, not the children) were put back on the table with a warning that whoever blew theirs before the countdown would lose it and not get it back.

 Here are the kids watching the ball drop on the East Coast (9:00 our time).  Mason made it to 8:30 and then was lying on the floor and rubbing his eyes, so we put him to bed.

 Me and my girl.  I love that her favorite p.j.s are these boys jammies she saw on clearance at Target and fell in love with.   She calls them her "Rexies" (in reference to Rex from Toy Story).

 Cheers.  These two have been ringing the New Years in together since they were one years old.  I can't believe how big they are now!

     It was a great way to start the New Year and since then life has settled back into regular life.  Which is a lot like 2011 life, but with some small changes and fun plans for the new year. I am glad that the New Year falls just as the Christmas excitement fades away and we are left with blah January to contend with.  It is the perfect time to reevaluate, to set goals, and to try to be a little better.  As a family, we made a list of things we want to accomplish in 2012 together and then I made a couple of small resolutions for myself. But small changes make a difference.  Dropping off the bags at the Goodwill gets me excited to purge and organize the house.  Waking up a little earlier gives me time to run a little farther, push myself a little harder.  Deciding to go on five hikes as a family this year has me looking forward to summer and planning what we can do.  So, here's to 2012 and all it has in hold for us.