A Blessed New Year

Happy New Year!!
2009 - What a year! And we ended it with a bang.

Tuesday, Pam took 4 of the kids to meet my sister "T" halfway between our place and hers. "T" wanted to spend some Auntie time with the kids. Mine got to spend some quality time with her and her children for a couple of days. They really enjoyed it. Pam then went yesterday to pick them up - about 2 and a half hours each way. "T" sent them home with a ton of boy's clothes for our boys. "T" has 4 boys and we have 4 boys, thankfully ours are younger than hers.

Thanks "T"!

Then last night we went out as a family to join in with a bunch of families to one home for a night of fun and mystery solving. "The mystery Of The Stolen Menorah". Everybody had parts to play in trying to solve the mystery. Everyone had fun. We didn't hang around to ring in the New Year, so we left for home about 10:30 or so.

On the way home we talked together as a family and one of the things we said was this will be a blessed year. And our goal is to make it a calm year. No moving, no job changes, no new kids, no fighting, no biting (That's an inside laugh with the youngest kids about that because I tell them that as they leave for school). We want 2010 to be a "normal" year.

I do plan a goal of running in the Outer Banks Marathon this year. We'll see how that goes.

Pam was exhausted from her drive, so when we got home she went right to bed. I let all of the kids stay up and we watched the New Year's Eve celebration on TV. The youngest ones went to bed about 10min after the Big Ball Drop in NYC. "L", "A", and I stayed up watching more celebration until 1:30. "A" got a call from one friend wishing her a Happy New Year at midnight. She tried calling her brother "C" but he didn't answer.

Then one of "L's" friends called to say hi, etc. And get this...asked her to come walk down to see her (she lives in the neighborhood). This girl and some friends were hanging out outside somewhere. At 12 o'clock at night!! "L" knew better than to even ask me if she could. She thought it was funny that the girl would ask her.

I'm sorry, but my kids got saddled with having Old School dad. I see no reason for a kid of any minor age hanging out outside past bed time. Unfortunately for mine, their dad still remembers the announcements on TV that said, "It's 9:00. Do you know where your children are?" So help me God...as long as I'm alive and they're minors, I will always be able to answer that question, without a doubt. And Lord help them if ever I can't.

Well, I've got to put in some pictures one of these days.