Happy New Year!

I've been vowing I would write this for a day now.... Funny thing, though.  When you have three kids home for the holidays, you don't often get access to your own computer!

I hope that everyone who reads this has a wonderful, joyous, and healthful new year, full of many surprises and wonderful new things. 

Our year began at my Mom's house.  My sister and I gathered there with our respective broods.  Six cousins in all, with only 6 years separating the oldest child from the youngest.  The kids are quieter now at gatherings than they used to be.  They don't play with blocks anymore.  Instead, they huddle around in the basement, playing video games and singing karaoke - and eating!

We had a wonderful lunch- a make your own fajitas bar.  Considering that one of the cousins in now a vegetarian and two have food allergies, we felt safest having all of the food separate from each other.  That way, the kids could build their own food around their own needs.  It worked really, really well!  We are going to have to do that again!

Our New Year's Eve was a little different.  We (meaning me and my husband) actually thought we were going to be alone for the first time in 18 years.  We made some tentative plans, but then decided to go ahead, stay home, and just enjoy being at home - ALONE!

All of the kids were out of the house by 7.  At 8, we got the call from our daughter.  She wanted to come home.  She had no interest in spending the night at her friends' house.

At 10, our oldest child walked back in the door.  He and his friends had been gathered at Ian's house to play Magic.   They decided they were going to have a tournament.  Problem was, when you start your tournament at 5, you're done by 10.  Several of the kids decided that they wanted to go fight the crowds at the Baltimore waterfront to see the fireworks.  Oldest child thought a warm house and a snug bed just after midnight sounded like a better option.  

Middle child stayed overnight at a friends' house.  However, when he found out yesterday morning that both his sister and brother had been home, his response was "Oh man, if I'd known they were going to be home, I wouldn't have spent the night at Scott's!  I would've been here!"

We did have a really nice time.  We rented the movie "The Help", ate popcorn, and watched the Baltimore fireworks on t.v.  We were all tuckled snug into our beds by 1 a.m.

And we ended up spending New Year's Eve together with most of our kids.  It was a truly magical evening!