Celebrating a New Year!

 We're used to having friends over at our place, or us going to a friends home, for a new year's eve party. This year was different. 
Sure, we were invited to go to a couple parties, but we decided to stay home.
For one, the weather is really bad, and we'd have to spend the night wherever we went.
Also, because Conner was invited to his first new year's eve party, and we needed to pick him up afterward.
We asked friends, and family, if they'd like to join us at our home, but they already had other company joining them. 

Oh well, we had a great time with just our family!

After we dropped Conner off at his party, we took the rest of the family to the theater, to see Gulliver's Travels. 

It was a pretty good movie. The kids liked it, a lot.

 After we got home, we got out snacks, and desserts, and played games.

Right before midnight, I got out the Martinelli's.  We certainly can't start a new year without it!

 As always, we turned on the TV to watch the live show at Time Square. We watched the ball drop in New York City.

Together, we counted down the last seconds of 2010, and cheered when the new year came! 

Happy 2011!! 

 We gathered together to toast to the new year.

{I forgot to buy the children those plastic champagne flutes, dang it. They had to use plain 'ole cups. Bummer.}

Of course, Warren and I, have to start the new year with a smooch...

...and then we gave Andelin her first kiss of 2011.
{She looks like she's being smashed together, like a sandwich!}

 Even though it was freezing outside, {literally- it was like 3 degrees! WoWzers!} I got out the Sparklers, anyway.

Only three kids were brave enough to join me outside, and only then were they willing to do ONE sparkler a piece, because they were so cold! 
I didn't object.
I was soooo cold, I wanted back in the toasty warm house, too.

{I bought several boxes of Sparklers, with 30 in each box, thinking we'd blow right through them.  NOT!  Now we have a stash for the 4th of July.}

 I laughed, because within fifteen minutes of 2011...Spencer, and Tucker, zonked out on the couches.

I have to give them credit for staying up until midnight. Usually, they'd have fallen asleep well before the strike of twelve. I think going to the movie helped keep them awake for so long.

Andelin fell asleep shortly after.

We had a grand time together!

When Conner got home, he reported his fun night.  They played games, listened to music, ate food, and watched Indiana Jones, before watching the ball drop in New York, on TV. I'm glad he had such a great night.

{*Sniff *Sniff* My complete family will probably never have a new year's eve together again, or at least not for a long time, now that we have teenagers up and coming.  I bet at least one will be gone at a party, or dance, from here on out. Oh goodness, my children are growing up.} 

How was your new years' celebration?

I wish for a happy and healthy 2011!