A Beautiful Day in January!

So, lately, our January weather has been so crazy! First, we were getting such record low temps that nobody could stay warm. Our furnace broke, and I found myself shelling out a big chunk of change for a whole new AC/Furnace Setup! Then, all of a sudden, the cold temps moved out and the mild temps (50s/60s) moved in! Last weekend we had Sat, Sun, AND Mon. off, and I was so excited to get out and about and enjoy the beautiful weather. As luck would have it, though, Kayli came down with the influenza bug. She ran a high fever for a couple of days, and generally felt miserable. I went into Obsessive Compulsive Action, washing everything in sight, so I could avoid getting this. I already had some kind of virus that lasted a solid two weeks leading up to Christmas, and that was not fun! Instead of getting out to play, we had to stay at home the whole weekend, waahh! Oh well, it gave me a chance to get my Christmas stuff put away, and now I have a nice clean house!
Anyway, after getting back to school, Kayli was feeling better and began planning ahead for the next weekend. "Please, please, mom, can you set up a playdate with Megan?" Kayli loves to go to Megan's house to get what I call her "big family fix" (they have 6 kids and lots of fun commotion!) but I told Kayli it was our turn to have Megan come to our house. It wouldn't be the same, but there would be plenty to do. When Megan's mom dropped her off on Saturday, the weather was pushing 60! The girls headed outdoors, and immersed themselves in this Springlike weather, getting out all the outdoor toys, and playing forever! I couldn't resist snapping a few pictures when I saw them out in the cul-de-sac in Kayli's convertible mustang. They were hilarious, as they both squeezed their tiny tushes in this vehicle, and decided that one leg out and one leg in was the way to go...

my turn to drive...

Ok, switch places...

or not...

there is no doubt that we have gotten our use out of this fabulous vehicle over the last couple of years! Let's just say that this little car has provided endless hours of fun and entertainment for Kayli and so many friends! Way to choose the perfect gift, Santa!

Happy New Year!

In Kayli's opinion, the two most exciting things about New Years Eve, are getting to buy party hats and horns at Party City, and staying up until midnight! I love planning an evening at home that begins with a steak dinner, complete with steamed broccoli, twice baked potato, and a nice tall glass of red wine! Then, I light a fire in the fireplace, and settle in to the living room for the night. Tonight, Kayli and I decided to rent a movie from Redbox, and we went to 3 different boxes before we found the movie we wanted...Mr. Peabody and Sherman.

Kayli had spent some time in her craft room getting party hats ready for her dolls...

Then,we got the snacks out, and let the night begin!

we celebrated the countdown to midnight twice, once with New York in Times Square, and again an hour later with the local news!

there were lots of noise makers and fireworks in our neighborhood, so we just joined in with our noisemakers out on our deck until we couldn't stand the cold (about 2 minutes, ha!) Sprinkles was not amused with all this noise...but was a good sport to wear her homemade party hat, for about 2 minutes!

one out of our three party poppers actually worked like it was supposed to, popping open and throwing confetti into the air, in our living room!

we both had a fun time tonight, but I was telling Kayli that although this night is traditionally a very big night, and very significant for most people around the world, for me, I always feel that my New Year's Eve is truly the night before starting another school year.  When I was the one in school, there were always so many goals, so many adventures, so much to look forward to. When I became the one working in the school, I had so much to celebrate as I looked back over the previous year, and still so many new experiences, adventures, and new goals to be accomplished in the course of a new school year. There was always so much to look forward to. Then, when my child began school, the starting of each school year took on a slightly different significance, in that it represented all that my child had accomplished the previous year, all that the two of us had accomplished together, and all the adventures that still lay ahead for us. It was a celebration of so much! Yet, still, the new beginning was always bittersweet, as it was a blatant reminder of time flying by, of my child growing up too fast, of time just marching on, with each new school year, this one, being 2014-15. I can't decide if I should say this school year is "half way over" or "half left for adventures ahead?' I think I'll go with the latter! Happy New Year/Happy School Year!