happy new year!

We had a pretty quiet New Year's Eve and Day, mostly unpacking, doing some chores and errands, and getting ourselves ready for school and work on the 2nd. But we did pour some bubbly on New Year's Eve, sing Auld Lang Syne, and watch the London fireworks and New York City celebration in Times Square. And then we woke up and opened the last of our Christmas presents - packages that had been mailed from lovely family members in other places - and that was great.

 

I print out the blog every year and make a hardcover book out of it - both kids immediately started flipping through the pages, enjoying the annual retrospective. Sebastian read through both books entirely, laughing, teasing, complaining (mom!!).

And then Liesl and I took Jasper for a walk in Forest Park - it was cold and sunny, and we had missed our trees and moss while away. Jasper was thrilled to be romping off leash and exploring the forest again.

And then we got cleaned up and headed over to the Bedards for dinner - blackeyed peas for luck - and an enormous apple cake that I baked up in the afternoon. I didn't take any photos, but Sebastian or Liesl must have gotten my phone, because here are Ronan and Mena. :)

And then, as befits a new year, we undertook some sorting and purging work, starting with the children's bookshelves. We cleared them off, picked out quite a few to send to charity, and sorted the rest. Next up: toys....