NYE 2011

Believe it or not, we really didn't do anything the week between Christmas and NYE. I started a new job, and I worked nearly everyday, so that was our excitement for the week. Well, this Escalade was also our excitement. It was a gift for the girls from my Aunt and Uncle. Daddy got it all put together, and they've been enjoying it since!

On NYE, I worked what felt like the better chunk of the day (11-5). But I was super excited to get off work and head home to celebrate NYE with our little family. 

 Daddy's NYE treat--I don't think he even one whole drink, but that wasn't the point of our evening anyway. Our party on NYE days have long since passed!

 We did an appetizer and dessert buffet. This is my homemade spin and artichoke dip with pumpernickel! So dang good!

Oh, sweet pumpkin bread--you're chocolate chips make you even tastier!

 Special drinks for the kids. Juices and lemo-lime soda--they loved it!

 My small drink of vino. My favorite vino at that!

 The spread consisted of caramle popcorn and chocolate-chip pumpkin bread for dessert, spinach and artichoke dip in a pumpernickel bread bowl, some sweet/savory meatballs, hush puppies, and some delicious roasted veggies. They veggies didn't necessarily fit in, but we needed to use up the food, plus it added a nice little boost to our not-so-healthy buffet.

 This was my first time making hush puppies. I used Paula Deen's recipe (from my new PD cookbook that is signed by the sweet, Southern chef herself--thanks, sis!), and the whole family ate 'em up.

 Peach wanted to turn napkins into flower for everybody, so I put her in charge of that task. She did fabulously. 

 Daddy gave this one some baby laughs and snorts. Snorting is her thing! She developed this talent all on her own! So proud of her skills.... I think (SMILE)!

This was our "family" (I use quotes because I'm never in our family pictures since I'm always taking them) picture before the end of the year. It cracks me up. It's so candid. So real. So us! 

After our snacks, we all sat down to watch The Help. It was a bit over the kids' heads, but I thought it'd introduce some ideas from history that they need to be familiar with. Peach has talked a little bit about MLK JR., so some of this made some sense to her. 

By the time midnight rolled around, Matt, Peach and I were up. Brownie and Bug woke up briefly right around midnight, but they were all party poopers. I had to run outside by myself to spray the silly spray and toot my party blower horn.  The girls can never claim I'm not cool--because apparently I'm the only one up partying on NYE (SMILE)!

2011 was a sweet year, but we had too much involvement with doctors. So I'm hoping this year brings us health, happiness, and even more love than we've ever felt before.