This year, Scott and I spent the evening grilling steaks for ourselves, sipping our drinks and watching the 'Bourne' trilogy on Blu-Ray. Tyler was with his dad and we let the two little ones play until they dropped, both no later than 10:30. We made it to midnight (although at 8:30, it was doubtful for me, but a good movie will often give me a second wind), but we also kind of missed it. At one point we said '5 more minutes' and then there must have been a good Matt Damon action sequence, because the next thing I knew it was 12:04 and we were going 'Oh - we missed it, Happy New Year Sweetie' and exchanging our kisses. Scott only made it about 20 minutes through the 3rd movie, but since I am still taking a med that has a time release at night, I was good to go for the whole thing and stumbled to bed around 2 a.m. Overall it was a great New Year and I was so glad that we weren't going anywhere.
Just like when we were younger and we thought that New Year's Eve held so much potential, there is something about being in your 30's and having a family that turns New Year's Day and those that follow into an opportunity to 'fix' or 'improve' so much about our lives. We aren't big on New Years Resolutions around here, but we do tend to get organized, clean out some of our 'baggage' and think about what needs improvement. We usually set a few goals for the year for our family financially and spiritually, but nothing firm or unchangeable since we know from experience that things change in an instant. I am pretty big on not making any big promises to myself that I am sure to break, but I do spend some serious time thinking about things I would like to do just a little bit better. So, after I did some coupon shopping on Sunday I implemented a new savings tracker I had found on-line and downloaded so that I could keep better track this year of both what I spend on essentials and food and also what I save. I saved a lot of money last year, but I don't know exactly how much (just a ballpark) and I want to do even better this year and KNOW it! We watched a lot of football, organized and cleaned up a few things and waited for Tyler to come home.
Tyler left on Christmas Day at noon for a week with his dad and we really missed him. Christmas, by the way, had been fabulous. And HECTIC! But, really really wonderful. We spent Christmas Eve day at my mothers with my brother and his family. We hadn't been there long when Jocelyn followed her Grandpa without his knowledge and pulled his coffee off of a ledge and all over her. Luckily it wasn't scalding and she wasn't hurt badly, but it was hot and she was not happy. Mom remembered that flour was supposed to take the sting out and keep burns from blistering so we just plopped that baby in some flour.
She was fine, obviously, and she turned the flour into an adventure that had us all giggling. When we opened presents, my kids were pretty pumped up about their gifts from their Grandparents and Uncle, but Tyler's reaction to his big gift took the cake.
He was pretty happy with the Kindle he got, but when I explained to him that he wasn't just holding a Kindle, but a Kindle Fire and that his Grandparents had just given him a Tablet of his own. This was the reaction we got:
That evening we went to the Hensel Christmas Eve get together and the next morning the kids were pretty excited about their gifts under the tree.
And after they had opened all the goodies they found in the living room, they found a note from Santa telling them to take a peek in the garage where we found 3 brand new (and in 2 cases, much bigger) bikes for 3 little boys. It wasn't long before we were all outside checking them out. Luckily, Santa had also given them each a new helmet which I insisted had to be for a good reason, so I better always see them on heads!
After Tyler left for the week we went to Scott's mothers house to celebrate with his family too. Overall, my kids were more than spoiled in their own eyes, but I felt like Christmas was at just the right level. Bargain hunting throughout the year had ensured that I could spend more time putting thought into a few really great things for the kids and that they still felt like they had 'tons' to open. And even though the play room is well stocked for the year, I didn't feel like they got so much from everyone that they couldn't wrap their heads around it or that something wouldn't get played with. Everything has been special to them and enjoyed so far.
Exhausted from the holiday, I hibernated most of the week. I cleaned and did laundry and let the kids play with their new things and didn't leave my house until Thursday. I ventured out briefly that day to get 2 or 3 coupon deals and buy dog food. And then on Friday I actually put makeup on again and loaded up the kids to go to the hospital to see new baby Caitlyn who was not even 24 hours old yet. This is one of my best friends, Mandy's second daughter. We are so glad that she is here and healthy. She is really, really petite and so adorable. Scooter talks about her a lot when we aren't around her, but won't go near her or speak when we are visiting. Riley, however, is fascinated and can't get close enough. We went to their house last night also so that Scott & Tyler could meet our new friend.
In the midst of taking down Christmas decorations and cleaning out last years files to prepare for the new year's documents I am so happy with the sounds filling my home. Tyler's return was met with excitement by the little ones and relief by his mamma. I always sleep better when everyone is under one roof. Scott left to watch his Cowboys at his cousins house just after Tyler got home, but the boys played well together for hours. After playing Transformers and Cars and who knows what else, Tyler got out a new lego set he had opened Christmas morning and let his brothers help him do the construction. This was a first as in the past this was Tyler's territory alone. Tyler built the plane and Scooter built the little maintenance vehicle that went with it. Riley helped find pieces and occasionally was still enough to help Tyler place a few pieces.
And then a little later, Scooter decided to show off his brand new Wii skills to his big brother. Tyler had tried teaching him Wii Sports before Christmas, but when Scooter got a little frustrated and wanted a break, Tyler had wondered if he was ready. I told him that there were 3 year olds I knew with better video gaming skills than me so he shouldn't worry. Last Friday night Scooter had insisted that he got to cash-in on a promised sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's house all by himself. Riley was really stressed out about this because he didn't think his dad and I would play with him and he would be bored. Silly kid. Anyway, for something different we moved the Wii back out to the living room and taught Riley how to bowl, sort of. When Scooter came home we played with him as well and within 5 minutes of his second go-round, he was on his way to being a pro. Riley likes to play, but he gets distracted easily and doesn't often finish a game. Anyway, Scooter & Tyler played, then all 3 of them played, then I joined in and then I sent the little guys to bed and beat Tyler at Wii Sports golf a couple times. It was fun.
Tyler & Scooter go back to school tomorrow. Part of me is ready for the return to routine even while the sane part of my brain rebels at the thought of the alarm going off in the morning. The neighborhood kids have been here just about every day playing with my kids new stuff and making it impossible to keep things picked up. I am kind of ready for Riley and I to have some quiet time. I still have to take down Christmas and work on the files in the office before I can get back to work on the house, but I am ready. And even though my new 2012 calendar is already filling up with swimming and basketball and appointments, I have no BIG plans for the next couple of months. I am looking forward to some calm, some quiet and some normal before I have to start figuring out how to celebrate 2 kids birthdays and what we are doing for Easter this spring.
Happy New Year everyone! I hope yours began as pleasantly as ours did and that you find peace, contentment and satisfaction in 2012!
Thanks and God Bless!
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