Happy New Year!

2012 is here!  We had a pretty amazing 2011 and I can't wait to see what this new year has in store for our family.  My resolution for this year is to simplify.  My goal is to be less stressed about my to-do list, to not over schedule our days, and to really focus on enjoying and playing with my kids.  I once heard that during the years with young children the days are long, but the years are short.  I totally agree with that statement and the fact that Handley is going to be in Kindergarten next year just blows my mind. I want to make sure I am soaking up every last second of my kids during this season of our lives and I often feel like I let other things get in the way of that.  So, that is the reason for my resolution this year.

I spent the last few days of the year working like crazy to get all of our things unpacked from traveling, all of the toys and new presents put away, and took down all the Christmas decorations.  I'm pretty exhausted, but I can't stand to have things hanging over my head so I was glad to have it all done.  When I wasn't slaving away we were spending time outside testing out the new ride.  The girls are loving it and I'm actually pretty surprised by how well Handley can steer, drive, and take directions to help her maneuver.  Harper, obviously, needs more assistance, but she's loving it just as much and makes a great passenger too.

Yesterday we spent New Years Eve with our friends celebrating Justen's birthday.  Usually the girls spend the night with Gigi and Papa, but this year they came with us too (because Gigi and Papa were watching the ball drop in NYC!!!).  Handley and Harper were super excited about the party and getting to have a sleepover at Jen and Justen's house.  They dressed to match their new dolls and even packed their dolls' sleeping bags so they could have a sleepover, too.

The kids all had fun playing with Parker's new toys and after they were in bed the adults had some serious fun playing Wii Just Dance.  It was SO MUCH FUN and we were all cracking up.

My sweet boy is getting his first teeth so he's been a little off the past few days.  He was up a lot the past two nights, and last night he woke up before Midnight and was not seeming to interested in going back to sleep.  I gave up, brought him down to the basement to join in the fun and ring in the new year with the rest of us.  He was all smiles and loving being up at that hour. Seeing as how he joined and completed our family during 2011 I was happy that he was there with us to bring the year to a close.

Today we enjoyed being around the house, a long walk and then a hibachi dinner with our friends to celebrate the New Year.  The girls were fascinated by the whole experience and when we got home they immediately got the play food and cookware out of their kitchen and started tossing things around like the chef did for us.