(1) New Year's Eve

After a 3 1/2 year break, I've decided one of my resolutions will be to bring back the blog.  I know I can't commit to a daily picture, but will do my best to update frequently.  So to ring in 2018, here is how we ended 2017...

I blew up 12 balloons and stuffed them with an activity for us for every hour.  I taped them up in the shape of a clock and wrote the popping time on each of them. 

12:00 - New Year's Eve Bingo:  cross off a square when you see or hear words associated with New Year's.

1:00 - Fill out a "Year in Review." 

2:00 - Make a Gingerbread House

3:00 - Show us your "Christmas Play."

4:00 - Secret Santa (Just a little excited. Sorry for cutting off your head, Maya.)

 Maya organized a Secret Santa for the family.  Daddy had Maya, Mommy had Mitchell, Maya had Cameron, Mitchell had Daddy, and Cameron had Mommy.

Time-out for real life... 

Somehow I have been averaging 7-8 hours of sleep per night (thanks fitbit sleep tracker) with a newborn in the house.  Arthur has been getting 3-5.  He goes back to work tomorrow, boo!

Cameron passed out in the hallway during time-out. 

Our first winner of New Year's Eve Bingo... 

5:00 - Saint Name Generator

Every year we use the website to pick a new patron saint to ask to pray for us...

Daddy: St. John Damascus

Mommy:  St. Joan of Valois

Maya:  St. Catherine Laboure

Mitchell:  St. Paula of Rome

Cameron:  St. Albert of Jerusalum 

6:00 - Make a drink from the surprise mocktail bar...

7:00 - Make our new resolutions...

8:00 - More presents...

We saved two Christmas presents for each kid as a surprise.  They all got a book including a letter from Mommy and a letter from Daddy recapping the year and what makes them special.  Maya got an art cart for her room, Mitchell and Cameron got Ohio State and bedding, and Ronan got a stuffed seal.

9:00 - Make a marshmallow catapult.  This was a failure and we resorted to just tossing in each other's mouths.  Ronan conveniently needed to be fed and I sat this one out.

10:00 - New Year's Eve Poppers

11:00 - Present from Ye-ye

They had to figure out what the cards spelled to find out what Ye-ye got everyone for Christmas.  He got us a night at Great Wolf Lodge.  Thanks, Ye-ye!  The kids are super excited!