Happy 2012!!

Happy Happy 2012!!

  

I was feeling kinda guilty about not sending out Christmas cards this year and so on New Years Eve, I decided to do a little New Years card...by text and email (and now blog).  I found this great little app called Red Stamp for the iPhone that allows you to create the cards on your phone, drop in pictures and then text, email or have them send out postcards.  Pretty easy and cool! So consider this your Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's card!

We spent NYE at the Masco's again this year.  I love staying in the neighborhood for it.  I hate to go out and worry about being on the road and I really like (love actually) having the kids with us on New Year's Eve.  I like to ring in the new year with them.  I can't even remember the last time we didn't have them with us.

Miss Boo managed to find a hat that matched her outfit.

The boys looked dapper in their hats too!

We had a fun, fun time with the gang and I was incredibly excited that I had planned absolutely NOTHING on New Year's Day.  I slept in, lounged in my pj's, putzed around the house, read a stack of magazines...I did get dressed to take Mason to Wal-mart for a PS3 game but that was the extent of my efforts for the day.  We got the year off to a proper start with a crockpot full of pork and sauerkraut! It was delicious!!

When I woke up that morning, this is how I found Silas.  He was up late to ring in the new year, got up early apparently, and then decided that was for the birds and he was sacked out on the recliner. I love it because this is the kid that NEVER naps! (I love how his sock is 1/2 off).

The kids ended up with Monday off from school too - a last minute change to the school calendar because of "parent complaints" - wasn't me! The kids' 2 full weeks out of school actually went really fast. We didn't get to do as much as I would have liked but we did get to do our ice skating! Mason had a D&D sleepover with his friends, so he didn't go with us, but really I think he was just afraid of falling down ;)

 Si and I taking a break on the sidelines.  Self-portrait with the phone :)

Both Ella and Silas really like skating with their dad better than me, he is much more stable and goes faster! Silas did make me wipe out once - he fell at my feet and I fell on him.  It wasn't a graceful fall either!
I think we overdid it with a 2-hour skate though. By the end, all of us were hobbling off the ice - feet killing. Silas ended up with a big blister on the back of his heel.  The kids were exhausted by the time we got home, and Justin and I had very achy muscles from trying to hold them up while skating.

Much more to update about our YOSP for 2011.  And what we'd like our YOSP goals to be for 2012.  I kinda gave up updating on the YOSP progress because I feel like I was repeating myself a lot and I felt that we had a few setbacks that impeded progress...but still, I'm happy with what we accomplished. More on that COMING SOON!!

Blessing for the New Year

(an Irish Blessing)
May the New Year bring
The warmth of home and hearth to you.
The cheer and goodwill of friends to you,
The hope of a childlike heart to you.
The joy of a thousand angels to you,
The love of the Son and God's peace to you.

 We wish and pray this for you family and friends...

The OH Youngers