New Year's Eve

There it s again: New Year's Eve. Old one ends, new one's about to begin. Honestly, I have never really been the party-till-dawn-type. The new year WILL come whatever I'm doing the night before.

We have spent that night with befriended families for some years in a row. There are several advantages to this kind of partying: kids (own and guests') have something to do, food is usually brought over by guests AND everyone is highly interested in going to bed as soon as midnight has passed.
This year we spend the Eve at our holiday home, together with my in-laws. As soon as we proposed this plan to our kids, my daughter declared she would only come with us if we were able to provide a proper party - one with kids' drinks and food, games, decoration, music, staying up until late and - OF COURSE - other kids (her brothers don't count). Hmm. We were actually not planning to do so and that is why we're having an ongoing discussion with a 7-year-old about the pros and cons of New Year's Eve-partying.

In the end we will have it our way, as a matter of fact. I ordered a dozen Bismarcks today. We will all have a nice long nap after lunch (which the kids will refuse), then we will have tea time eating the Bismarcks. To follow is a nice long walk in the cold (which the kids will refuse) after which we will probably watch a DVD. Paulina and her grandma already planned to decorate the family room (which is also the kitchen) and to prepare dinner together, so this is what they will do around 6, I suppose. In the evening we will have a nice long dinner and nice long talks, then we will maybe play some games with the kids. Here's the longest part of the night: waiting for midnight to come. At the moment I am really not entirely sure if I will make it until after 12, but we will see. I'm pretty sure though the kids (at least the bigger monkeys) will indeed make it. Somewhen between dinner and midnight we will go outside again, to light our fireworks (in case we really don't stay up until 2013). And then that is it.

I am really not so much the New-Year's-Eve-type.

Awww... yes! Jakob did his first turn (back to belly) today!