I'm still in awe of how much time these kids get for winter break. I'm absolutely, positive that we didn't get 2+ weeks when I was a kid (if we did, I'm not sure how my mom handled it!).
We kept up with the tradition that we started back in 1998 and Mason had some of her friends over for a New Year's Eve celebration. I'm not sure how this one will rank, but from the sleepy eyes on the morning of the new year, it should be somewhere in the top 3 so far. We had some fun with crafts, making some sort of basket/box with paint and decoupage - apparently girls like to do this sort of thing. Then we ate pizza from Bertolli's (definitely the best pizza around). I had planned to make brownies for dessert, but my plans were foiled when the brownie mix was infested with some kind of silk worm - gross. So, I had to run out to the White Hen and pick up some ice cream treats - not as good as brownies hot out of the oven, but I don't think the girls cared.
At 11:00, CST, we watched and counted down as the Ball dropped in Times Square (I took a break from the Bears post-game coverage to join the party girls). That's when it started to get a little crazy. Since they're 11 (or so), I excused myself to the upstairs and let them do their thing. I was awakened at 12:05 by the sound of party poppers and the smell of sulfur, not to mention Daisy the dog jumping on the bed, seeking some refuge. I used all of my strength not to go down and see what they were up to, I was strong and eventually found comfort in the pillow.
On New Year's Day 2007, Daisy woke me (at exactly 6:20) and we went about our daily routine, feeding the cats (Murphy almost 20 and Lily 3) and going for our w-a-l-k (you can't say the word, or else Daisy runs to the door and starts barking if you don't follow her with a leash - she hasn't learned how to spell...yet). When we returned at a few minutes to 7:00, the Little Party Girls were just starting to stir. All of them were sleeping on the mattress of the pull-out couch, poor Vicky was sleeping at the foot, with a lot of feet on top of her! They kept warm throughout the night with a layer of confetti and body heat. I'm told that the weakest links made it till 2:00 a.m. and that the rest stayed up till 3 watching movies. How fun is that?!?
We had breakfast (thanks to Lisa and Ray), scrambled eggs, blueberry waffles and blueberry muffins, everyone had an appetite ;-) Then the girls did another craft that involved some plastic beads and the iron.
Overall, it was a great party and Mason and I are so glad that everyone could come. I'm sure this tradition will go on for many more years.
Max and Mason
