Happy New Year

We had a wonderful time ringing in the new year with our friends, the Guerards, yesterday. I am hoping this becomes an annual tradition. Alison and Thomas and their kids Turner (almost 3 year old daughter) and Parker (1 year old son) arrived shortly after nap time yesterday afternoon. They not only brought food to share and pjs to spend the night, but Turner also brought some fabulous dress up clothes for she and Mady. We had some yummy appetizers and then fed the kids dinner. I found these dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets for their "main course" and we had fruit with marshmallow dip for the "side." We followed this delicious and nutritious meal with sparkling grape juice and cookies. I can't think of a better New Years' eve dinner for 1-4 year olds. Then, we went outside and lit some sparklers. The dads had to do it first, but then Trip and Turner decided they could handle it. They loved it! They figured out how to twirl them around and run with them to make shapes, and trails of smoke. And, Mady even held a few with Mommy and Daddy's help. After filling our entire back yard with smoke, we came inside to put the youngest ones down and start a movie for the older two. While all munchkins were taken care of, the adults enjoyed steak dinners. Then, we put Trip and Turner to bed in Trip's room. They talked to each other for a little while, but eventually fell asleep. TJ and I had a bottle of Dom Perignon that we'd been saving since we closed on our house and we figured tonight was the perfect night to bring it out. So, we poured us all a glass and turned on Dick Clarke's (Sad) New Year's Rockin Eve. I do not know why they still let that poor old man try to speak on TV, but it made for some good laughs. The party animal adults managed to make it to midnight, but we were all in bed (except TJ) by 12:30. The kids surprisingly stayed in bed until almost 8 am! Then, we had some cinnamon rolls for breakfast and it was time for the Guerards to head on home. The picture on the top is our attempt to try and photograph all the kids this morning. Our families always have such a fun time together! It was great to have a New Year's slumber party with them. Below is video from the sparklers. Hope it works!