New Year's Eve

We spent half of our New Year's Eve at our friends, Beau and Diana's party, and half at Todd's mom's party.  It was great to mingle with friends and family.  However, in all honesty, by New Year's Eve, I usually feel plum partied out!  Mind, body, spirit, are party-exhausted from fatty/sugary foods, late nights, errands to run in preparation, excessive trips to the store for loose ends, cram packed schedules, all the high energy, and everything else that stretch from November to January 1st entails.  So New Year's Eve, being the last of it all, is not particularly my favorite holiday.  By then, what my body really needs is a bowl of chicken soup, a quiet night, maybe a movie, and an EARLY bed time!  Does anyone else feel that way!??  That said, I really really super enjoyed talking with the friends I saw.  And was pleasantly surprised how enjoyable the holiday was this  year. 

I didn't have my camera out at our friends' home out of respect.  Nobody else was taking pictures there either so I felt funny to pull my camera out.  They have a gorgeous home and happen to have a jungle gym play room like the ones you see in fast food chain restaurants.  So the kids were in hog heaven and left the parents to mingle amongst themselves in a less chaotic environment.  Such a great home for large family parties!

Here's the camera roll from the rest of the night:

At Todd's mom's there was a lot of yummy food, several games going on at game tables, the football game playing in the background, and lots of socializing.

These guys brought the best meat EVER.  

They have some serious family secret recepies for meat.

This was the game that was basically the opposite of charades.  In stead of one player acting out a word for their team,  a player held a card to their forehead with a word on it and everyone else acted it out for the card holder to guess what it was.  So cute to watch them play this game!

By 11:30, everyone had left!  We were the last to leave shortly after everyone, having hoped to make it until midnight.  But we didn't want to be the lone reason a party was still a party.  So Grandma sent us home with hats and noise blowers!  

We got home at 11:59, just enough time to call Grandma and put her on speakerphone.  Only fair to let her hear the noise with us!!!!! 

It was good times!  We had two days to take it easy until my little man, Ashton's Birthday!