Ringing in 2023

Once upon a time, New Year’s Eve was a big celebration for us. I have never been a fan of New Year’s Eve, and we aren’t drinkers, so we shifted our focus. New Year’s Eve became a party with my big family, until everyone started doing their own thing. 

Soon after, a big New Year’s Eve party with friends became our thing. Over time, our group whittled away, families moved, and kids grew up. Finally, instead of going to a party, we became the hosts. It has been that way for several years now. 

I miss how it used to be, but as long as I’m with my immediate family and closest friends, I’m happy. I realize that our traditions will adapt and change over the years, so maybe one day, it will become a big celebration again! Nothing is forever. Maybe I will even start to love the holiday!

A Week In Mom Life - The First Week of 2021

The first week of January has passed, the Christmas season is officially over, and we have returned to reality! In one short week, we went from holiday break to back to work/school/remote learning. We ended this first week of January by finding out that the rest of our kids can join Liam in going to school in person again!

Life lately has been a bit tough, but we're taking it one day at a time. Lexie is dealing with a terrible loss right now, and we can't do anything but help her through it. Liam is going through a scary health issue, and will be having surgery next week. We're hoping it's just a glitch in his otherwise excellent health history, but we are nervous about him going under general anesthesia, the doctors cutting into his neck, and receiving the biopsy results. 

Luckily, the busyness of big family life keeps us from overthinking things - it's those quiet moments that get us down. We do have some exciting things coming up, though! We're REALLY looking forward to some good!

A Week In The Life of a Big Family {Week 1}

We are one week into 2020, and life is just as busy as ever! I honestly don't think it will ever NOT be busy. When you have a big family, there's literally never a dull moment!

Remember when I used to do weekly recap posts? They slowed down last year as I adjusted to life with five kids, but I plan to bring them back this year, and hopefully, stick with it! Time goes by so quickly, and I just want to remember all the little things that made my days with my kids so special! (Plus a few followers asked if I could share more of my family, so that's my plan!)

It's hard to believe that two weeks have already passed since Christmas, and that everybody is already back to work and school. The holiday break is my favorite time of the year, and I was sorry to see it go. The first few days of the new year were a bit rough, but we're back on track this week, and the year is off to a good start. 

The First Week of the New Year

We are only six days into 2019, and my crew is exhausted! There was no easing back into a routine after a relaxing winter break. Instead, we just jumped back into it! 

Reality hit on Wednesday. The kids headed back to school, Grant headed back to work, and the holiday bliss was over. Life returned to its usual busyness, complete with basketball practice, dance classes, appointments, early morning basketball games, family dinners, and birthdays!

Here's how the first week of the new year played out...

Be The Best "YOU" You Can Be

Happy New Year! 2019 is here, and we're already hitting the ground running! Like many people, I'm thinking a lot about the year ahead, and focusing on a fresh start. This year, I decided not to make resolutions or goals, or choose a special word to live by. I feel like that just sets me up for failure at some point during the year. Instead, I'm taking the advice I frequently give my children: Be the best "you" you can be!

I'm trying to be realistic this year. Although I would love to fill my year with huge changes that will make my life run better, I know that isn't going to happen. I'm going to skip washing my face one night. I will forget to pay a bill or two. I will run late no matter how hard I try to always be on time. I'm not going to exercise 5 days a week. I WILL lose my temper and yell at my kids. My reality is that I'm a mom of four - soon to be FIVE - kids, and life with little ones is chaotic and things happen unexpectedly. Sometimes life gets in the way, plans and goals get pushed aside, and I have to accept that!

When I thought about what I really want to focus on this year, a few things came to mind. I want to manage the little time I have better so I can eliminate some stress from my life. I feel like time management is often a big struggle for moms. It's definitely my most difficult issue, and the leading cause of my stress! If I focus on simplifying things and staying organized, and making small yet doable changes in my life, I think I will be able to manage my time much better!

Perhaps if there's one word to live by this year, it will be TRY. As long as I try, accept mistakes I make and move on (because I am only human), and never give up, 2019 will be a success!

Here's how I plan on being the best ME I can possibly be and make my life run better...

Ringing in 2018!

Happy New Year, my friends! I can't believe it's officially 2018. I remember ringing in Y2K with Grant, and here we are, 18 years later!!!

Ringing in the New Year: Happy 2017!

Happy New Year! 

I can hardly believe that it's already 2017! It's going to take some time to get used to writing that. The holiday season is coming to an end, but we all have one more day off to enjoy the holiday break before it's time to return to reality. (Do we have to?)

As I explained in my post yesterday, I had to take a step back from my frequency of posting in December. There was just so much going on and something had to give. I also ended up taking an unintentional blogging break for a week thanks to a severe allergic reaction landing Lexie in the ER and strep throat taking down 2 of my 4 kids. Although unexpected, it was nice to take a break and just focus on my family! But I'm refreshed and I'm glad to be back now, with a full editorial schedule for January!

This was the first year in almost a decade that we stayed home for New Year's Eve. A few of our family members and friends joined us for a casual, family-friendly New Year's Eve party! We really did keep it simple. Each family contributed food and drinks, and the only decorations we had were balloons, horns, party supplies from Netflix, and confetti poppers. It wasn't an over the top party, but everyone had a great time!

 

Our crowd wasn't nearly as big as it usually is, and we were definitely missing a few people, but we were able to ring in the New Year with some of our favorites! Every kid made it to midnight, so we all welcomed 2017 together, and within seconds, my floor was covered in confetti!

The party continued after midnight! 

Liam proved to be a party animal!

The 5 year old girls, however, quickly grew tired! (I think they planned this so they could have a sleepover...it worked.)

But even putting on pajamas didn't convince the youngest to go to bed!

I captured him around 1:30 AM and made him say goodnight...

...but he was still going strong at 2 AM!

As for the adults? We sat around the kitchen table playing Cards Against Humanity from 9 PM until 4 AM! Even more surprising? Alcohol was not a factor, and we still managed to have fun!

Our guests left at 4 AM. Dylan went home with our friends and I kept their daughter since she was asleep. By the time I got the house somewhat straightened up, it was 6 AM! It was a really late night, full of laughter, and so much fun. It was great to ring in the new year together!

Today, the kids were kind, and slept in!  Charlie spent most of the day with us, and my niece, Aubrey, came over to play with Lexie. Dylan came home, and his friend came over, too. The house was full of kids, but I love it!

The girls eventually went home, our friends came over for a traditional sauerkraut dinner (not many of us actually ate the sauerkraut), and the evening ended with Lexie and Lily getting locked in their room, thanks to a broken doorknob. After nearly a half hour of attempting to free them, our friend managed to get the door open just as Grant was about to climb through their bedroom window. Obviously, 2017 is going to be as chaotic as 2016. Never a dull moment!

2016 was good to us. Here's to a happy, healthy,  prosperous 2017 full of love and fun!

Happy New Year, my friends! How did you celebrate?

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Ringing in 2016

Happy New Year!  I don't know about you, but I find it hard to believe that it's already 2016! 

The last day of 2015 was very low key for us.  Grant had to work, Dylan was at a sleepover, and the rest of us spent most of the afternoon in our pajamas! We made a quick run to the grocery store to pick up some party food. After Grant got home, we headed to our friend's house to celebrate New Year's Eve!

For many years, we spent New Year's Eve with my family.  Sadly, that became a thing of the past as my nieces and nephews grew up and moved away and everyone began to do their own thing. When that happened, we started to spend New Year's Eve with some of our closest friends. Although I do miss our family tradition at times, I enjoy our evening with friends. This was the fifth year in a row that we rang in the new year with friends!

New Year's Eve/New Year's Day isn't a big deal for me. Truthfully, I'm not a huge fan of it, but I'm not going to be a downer right now. I like to focus on the positive!

Our celebration revolves around family and friends.  I don't drink, so for me, it's all about spending time with my loved ones.  And eating.  Indulging in party food is good for the soul! This year, we played Apples to Apples for hours while the kids ran circles around us!

We all gathered together to watch the ball drop and ring in 2016! It was noisy, chaotic, and crowded, which was the perfect representation of our lives right now. It was a happy moment!

 

Everyone went their own way again.  We talked and played Apples to Apples until 3 AM, and the kids continued to play.

Every single kid stayed awake until midnight (and then some). Netflix sent us some New Year's Eve party supplies for the kids (#StreamTeam), so they could celebrate early. Well, they celebrated early, rang in the new year with the adults, and continued to celebrate.  Out of all the kids, Dylan was the only one who fell asleep during the party.  Even Violet and Liam stayed awake the entire time!

We were shocked by our night owls, but when 3:00 AM rolled around, it was evident that exhaustion was setting in.  Adults included.

We originally planned to sleep over, but Grant was wide awake and offered to drive home so we could all sleep in our own beds.  We made the trek home in the wee hours of the morning. I honestly can't remember the time. It was somewhere between 3:30-4:00 AM.  All of the kids fell asleep within minutes of driving away!

We had a fun night with our "framily" and it was nice to welcome 2016 with them. As long as we're together, life is good!

Needless to say, we all slept in on New Year's Day.  We had a 2 PM brunch together, and enjoyed a lazy afternoon at home before going to my parent's house for dinner.

Even though we slept in, we were all dragging!  After dinner, Lexie stayed behind at my parent's house for a sleepover, and the rest of us headed home.

Here's to a happy, healthy, prosperous, and memorable 2016!

How did you celebrate New Year's Eve and New Year's Day?

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Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015!

2014 was a wonderful year!  Probably my favorite year so far.  2015 has really big shoes to fill!

Years ago, we used to ring in the new year with my family.  My sister lived out of state, so we waited to celebrate Christmas with our family until she came home for New Year's Eve.  It was such a fun tradition, but once she moved back home, our parties stopped. Although I miss it, I understand that things change.

Over the past few years, we grew closer to a group of friends.  They are like family to us, and we started to celebrate New Year's Eve together.  Last year, we partied with them as usual, and everyone ended up spending the night.  We had so much fun that we decided to do it again this year! 

Last night, everyone gathered at Steph's house for the party.  8 adults and 13 kids create a lot of noise and chaos! We chatted, ate, and played until it was nearly midnight. 




Surprisingly, all the kids, including the two babies, made it to midnight!  The kids batted balloons around while we passed out glasses, hats, and noise makers.  Steph and I are both members of the Netflix Stream Team, so we celebrated with the All Hail King Julien party supplies that Netflix sent us!






It was so much fun counting down to the new year with some of our closest friends!   The night flew by, and 2015 arrived so quickly!  I am so thankful I got to spend it with the 5 people I love most.  I'm so blessed!



The babies and little kids were very tired, so we attempted a group picture before they fell asleep. It was quite an ordeal to get everyone in one place, and just as I was setting up the shot, my camera battery started to die.  Oh well!  Perfect is overrated!



Shortly after midnight, the kids changed into pajamas, and most headed to bed.



The adults stayed awake, and Steph, Tracy, and I actually outlasted the men!  They went to bed just before 4 AM, but we talked until 5 AM.  It was SO late, but so worth it. We rarely have the chance to stay up so late talking, without kids interrupting, so those memories we made in the wee hours of the morning were priceless!

Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep!  By 10 AM, Steph's house was bustling!

The kids played, the adults cleaned up, and we all ate a big breakfast together before heading home.





{Just for the record, true friends cover their pajama-clad friend while taking a picture, to spare her the embarrassment of being the only one not dressed.  ;) }

If last night was a sign of all the fun to come over the next year with our friends, I have a feeling it will be a great year! 

The rest of our day passed by quickly!

All but one of us took a nap when we got home.

I got a big hug from a dear friend who I didn't get to ring in the new year with.

Instead of the traditional pork and sauerkraut New Year's Day dinner, we opted for Chinese takeout. A friend joined us for dinner. It was so delicious!!!

We stopped by my sister's house so Dylan and Lily could see their cousin, Kelvin, before he returns to Florida. (Lexie and Liam saw him at his soon to be wife's bridal shower on Tuesday.) It has been over a year and a half since we last saw him, and we miss him so much!  I wish all our family and friends could pack up and move to Florida with them!

We visited for about an hour, and my brother-in-law, Kevin, gave the kids sharpie tattoos.  They thought it was the coolest thing ever! Lexie ended up staying to spend the night with my niece, Aubrey, while the rest of us headed home.



Once home, I tried to snap a few pictures of Liam wearing his (3-6 month..ha!) New Year's Day shirt, but he decided clapping and trying to climb down was more fun!




By that point, it was getting late. Liam went to bed, Lily and Dylan watched a movie, and Grant and I watched a few episodes of The Office on Netflix.  It was nice to finally relax!

Our New Year's Eve party/sleepover with our friends was so much fun, and the first day of 2015 was a great one!  Life isn't picture perfect at all times, but I wouldn't change anything!




Here's to a happy, healthy, prosperous new year! Happy 2015!!!