2012

Happy New Year!  It's a new year and we started it off right with a visit from Alicia (oh yeah, and my sister and brother-in-law...they all come as a package deal).  It was a quick visit as they are on their way home to Montreal, but a great way to start off 2012 nonetheless.

Alicia enjoyed the shape sorter, which is now on it's way to their condo in Montreal.  I tell you my sister couldn't have planned this any better...having a daughter just 3 years after I'm done having kids is perfect because just as we are done with everything we get rid of all this junk hand down all this useful baby stuff.  Alicia even warmed up to Uncle Jeff during this visit, although I'm sure he'll need to win her over again next time he sees her.  Jillian fed Alicia her bottle and then it was onto Aunt Christina's salon where the girls had their nails painted and decorated with new nail polish and nail decals they'd received from Santa.  Alternating colours along with flowers and stars...only a 3 and 7 year old can pull that look off and still look adorable!

And how did we spend New Year's Eve?  We have lovely friends down the street who host a family friends NYE party each year.  This is one of my favourite parties for several reasons...

* my kids have a bunch of friends there so after eating their way through the buffet they head down to the basement playroom and we don't hear from them again, unless there's blood

* I know everyone at the party and they are all people near and dear to me, which makes the food, wine and conversation a lot of fun

* since the host is British, we do a big countdown at 7:00pm which is midnight in Britain, so the kids get to be a part of all the kissing and NYE good wishes (then they go back down to the basement...)

* they live just down the street which means just a 2 minute walk there and home

* I'm home, in my pjs, sitting on the couch watching Times Square by 10:00 pm (yes, you read that right, we are par-tay animals).

I'm very much looking forward to 2012...we have some fun family things planned and my baby will start school in September...thankfully our school is still every other day for JK/SK, I do enjoy my days home with Leah and I'm not ready to have her gone to school every day.

As for the usual New Year's resolutions, I have many things I'd like to accomplish this year...more patience especially with my kids, better organized home, plant a veggie garden this summer that grows something other than huge weeds that seem to occupy my garden each year.  But the biggie is to be healthier.  It has been years since I've been in any sort of a regular exercise routine and seen a number on the scale which doesn't make me cringe.  Now I am at home full time, I have a very easy 3 year old at home with me and I have exercise equipment in my basement...I can no longer plead busy with work or I have a baby as excuses...2012 is the year I get back into shape (there, I've put it down in writing, now I have to do it).