We did New Year's Eve with lots of kids this year. Sometimes that just feels good, and for me, I have some of the best memories of hanging out with friends while the adults hung out upstairs--memories that I believe all kids need and love. We'd run and scream and shriek through the basement or between bedrooms upstairs, doors slamming, huge thumps as we jumped off the beds, and loud crashes as bins of toys got poured out haphazardly all over bedroom floors. Inevitably the parents would each take turns coming up to reprimand us every twenty minutes or so when it started to sound like mutiny was imminent or someone started crying. It was the best.
And last night, when the basement doors had slammed one too many times for me to ignore I headed down. One of Georgia's friends hurled open the door as I approached the bottom of the stairs, took one look at me, and yelled a word of warning into the basement, "Georgia, your mom is coming....you better stop doing that." I laughed. Because that? That kind of childhood, word-of-warning, camaraderie at parties is the stuff that kids remember and laugh about. And I laughed because I felt like I'd earned some mom stripes in that moment. Someone warned the others that a "mom" was coming. Me. The big terrible scary mom.
We made pizzas, ate chocolate cake, strung snack necklaces, the kids watched a movie, the grown-ups played a game and stood around the kitchen island and talked, the kids chased each other, we laughed, and we had a great New Year's. A perfect way to send out 2012 and welcome 2013.
One of the most amazing little artists around!
All settled in for a Tinker Bell movie.
These two are incapable of taking a picture together where they don't look like they're squeezing the life out of each other.
Happy New Year to you!
that cat pic is insane! i love your blog so much. it helps me miss you just a little less when you post because it's such a cool quick snapshot of your life. but i still miss you like crazy. i love you.
ReplyDeleteaw. don't say sad stuff like that! :( i'll keep posting away though! yes--grace is an amazing artist. whenever i see her pictures i'm blown away!
DeleteThis post cracked me up about the "your mom is coming!". sometimes Nate & I just shake our heads and laugh about how we thought we'd be having some conversations with B when he is 15 and not 3!! p.s. your party looks rocking and I wish I was there!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes get it in my head that I have to create these grandiose experiences for the sake of a memory. Thanks for the reminder that memories can be made in simple ways like having friends over and letting them be loud together.
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