Happy New Year!

Oh my gosh, you guys.

It's another New Year! Happy 2011!

We had a really nice family New Year's Eve. We started the day out at the Children's Museum, where they had a Rockin' New Year's Eve Party, complete with crafts, noisemakers, and the usual madness that is the museum. We met our friends there and then went to McDonald's for lunch and more playtime.

After that, we continued our Family Tradition of writing notes to our lost babies and releasing balloons along with a wish for the New Year. This was a tradition that started out as a memorial for Gummy Bear. We now each pick a balloon and release them together at a beautiful park overlooking Puget Sound. This year, we added a balloon for Jack. What I love about this is not only that it continues to serve as a reminder to what we hold in our hearts from our past, but also, as our family grows, it evolves into a beautiful, unique family tradition that we can all look forward to. Yesterday happened to be a beautiful, sunny day, so we could watch the balloons for quite some time before they disappeared into the distance over the water.

M has been craving pizza (a lot of places serve gluten-free crusts now but don't have a vegan cheese alternative) and though I make a pretty good one here at home if I do say so myself, I had found out about this place. So we drove. . . are you ready for this. . . 30 minutes to get take-n-bake pizza. One way. But it was worth it, because M happily devoured over half of the pizza (though he actually said mine tastes better!).

We watched a movie as a family, then tubbies for the kiddos, and after they were in bed, we watched a movie. We opened a bottle of champagne at 11:45 and toasted the New Year. At 12:02, I headed to bed! Ah, New Year's is definitely different with kids.

So. . . 2011. I don't really make resolutions, per se. Last year, I had a goal to become more organized and efficient. I actually made some great strides on that, but I have room to grow. So, let's just say I am going to continue to work on that skill. We are already eating better and I do a pretty good job of getting out and about with the kiddos for walks, but I'd like to do even more physical activity in the coming year. My hopes for this year is that we continue to evolve as a family of four and that I remember to appreciate the little things and be happy in the moment.

How did you celebrate the ringing in of a new year? And what are your resolutions/committments/hopes/dreams for 2011?