NYE 2012

I have never been the type to enjoy going out on NYE.  I hate the crowded bars, ridiculous cover, and difficulty finding a ride home.  The older I get the more I feel that way.  We usually find a house party to go to, or spend it with my family.  This year we started a new tradition that I hope we continue for years to come, because it was an absolute blast.  Remember me posting about our progressive dinner party a few months back?  Well we had the idea to do this on NYE.  We had so much fun with it this time around.  It was nice to "do" something without going out, or sitting around someones house.  Even better, it was a PJ party.  Who doesn't love to party and be comfortable at the same time?   We had a different prop at every house, and by the end of the night we were ready to ring in the new year.  Everyone really got into this time with their dishes and decor.  My sister and I did the appetizers this time, and a Roasted Marshmallow Martini for our cocktail.  Everything turned out so great!  We made jalapeno poppers, Gruyere and caramelized onion spread, chicken bites, and brie with caramelized pears.  Leah made homemade lasagna for the main dish with wine, and Jina made banana pudding for dessert.  Since it was NYE, and Jina was the last house she thought it would be fun to do shots for her drink.  Good idea in theory.  Very bad idea the next morning.  Even though we all had a rough morning New Year's Day it was worth it!  We had so much fun, we all had babysitters, so we acted like we didn't have to take care of kids the next day.  I stand firm in my belief that mothers should not be allowed to drink in excess.  Fun at the time.  Terrible when your baby is screaming the next day.  I love this little tradition we started, and we plan to let the kids get involved as they get older.  I have never been one to make New Year's resolution, and I never really have that feeling of "starting fresh" for the new year.  I also never feel like I want a year to be over with.  However, 2012 was a very difficult year for my family, and I was ready to move past it.  After my Papa passed I made a vow to honor him my being a better Christian, so I guess you could call that my New Year's Resolution.  So far we have been to church every Sunday since he passed, and  we plan on being more involved.  Rather than just going to church on Sunday we are going to attend small groups, and become more involved in our community.  We started that on New Years Day.  Our church hosted "Room in the Inn" on New Year's Day, and my family took sack lunches for them to take with them the next day.  It was a great way to start the New Year, and really put things into perspective.  If you ever think you have it bad, someone else has it worse.

It was too cold to walk this time.  Leah fits perfectly in the car seat.

Need entertainment?  Break out the kids Christmas gifts.