New Years Ponderings

In the natural sequence of things, Christmas came and went, and along with it New Years as well. We are now no longer poised on the edge of 2011, we're already 3 days in. Here is a recap:

• Christmas was great, we spent it quietly at home, just the kids and Thad and I, with a visit from my brother in law, sister in law, and niece. The kids got beaucoup presents, and I got a fabulous red enameled dutch oven and a metal handle for it.
• My mom came and stayed the week after Christmas while our daycare was closed. I don't know how the woman puts up with me at times, as she noted on a little notepad before she departed, "Mary Rose, I love you even when you're bitchy".
• I got to see some very great friends that I only get to see once a year anymore. My friends Jen and Rick came and spent Christmas Eve Eve with us, along with our mutual pal Laura, and we had a wonderful time catching up over Tom & Jerry's and psuedo-Four Lokos. These are our Portland pals and I love and miss them very much.
• We also got to see our friend Brian from LA. Brian and I go way back to Red Lobster in the summer of 2001, but we have taken very different paths since we were both hosting that summer. Brian is a very brilliant guy working for a huge aerospace company in California, and he is now a big-wig over yonder. He got to witness my brother and husband trying to make the other puke by eating bar fare like pickled eggs, sausages, and gizzards. Neither one of them puked, but my brother makes faces like a little bitch when he eats something disgusting. BOO YAH, JOHN.
• New Years Eve was pretty uneventful. We made plans to go to dinner with a couple other couples, and those plans fell through spectacularly, so Thad and I went alone, then went to my former coworker Matt's house. Let the record show: I insisted on going home at 11:30 so we could maybe be with our kids at midnight, and neither of those kids were awake, or even wakeable, when we got home. Am I glad I went home early: HELLS YES. Because staying out until the bars close, while it's definitely doable, is not what I consider a good time anymore.
• The rest of the weekend was devoted to doing laundry (which was nearly all done, hooray!), dishes on top of dishes on top of dishes, cleaning, and playing.

Kid Update 2011:
Colter should, GOD WILLING, have most of his teeth in soon. He got an ear infection a couple weeks before Christmas and has been fighting more of one off since right after Christmas. The kid is a trooper, and I just want him to be his happy little pooper self again.

Elora had a lot of fun with her Auntie Tona last week while my mom was up, although whether Tona had much fun is debatable. I forget that when you're 10 you have very different ideas about fun than a nearly 4-year-old has. HOLY BIRTHDAY, BATMAN, Elora will be 4 in 16 days! I just got a wonderful offer of help planning her party, so I'm totally taking advantage of that offer as I type this!

Well, that's all the news that's fit to print on 1/3/11. I hope everyone had a marvelous holiday season, and is ready for a fabulous 2011!!!