Happy 2012!

We didn't think too long about how to celebrate New Year's Eve around here.

We had fondue.

There was some clinking--if sippy cups clink.

There were lots of noodles.

And even more noodles.

And because Chinese New Year is celebrated with long noodles for long life, we did the same thing for American New Year.

What can possibly be as much fun as eating a long noodle?

Stretching it out to show it to Mama for a photo comes a close second.

And my boys, who are not usually much for posing for photos--I know, I know, you've heard that from me before--happily found the longest noodles on their plates to show off their noodle skills.

The noodles were key, actually, to give the parents some time to cook the meat and vegetables in the fondue pot. Our boys love fondue. But neither of them likes to wait for food--and that may be the understatement of 2011.

The noodles buy us some time and provide entertainment--and even some nutrition--for our hungry sons.

We continued our celebration after dinner. I pushed the clock ahead five hours.



At "midnight" we brought out the blowers.

 It just isn't a party around here without blowers and party hats.

And Michael, who just mastered the blower for the first time about a week ago, was thrilled to see another.

We paraded around the first floor, banging and strumming and shaking instruments. I put a stop to it only when I realized that the boys were having a disagreement over who got to play the guitar. Then the boys blew out candles on a 2012 cake, which our sons were quite happy about but didn't eat.

What did I learn during 2011? If you put M&Ms on something, then only the M&Ms get eaten.

One day I am going to find time to do a post summarizing a year in our life as a family, picking our 10 favorite photos, or sharing my fondest memories. Maybe it will happen in 2012 since it's not happening tonight.

What did happen, though? We managed to get a photo of our family in which everyone looks vaguely pleasant. If you look closely, you can see the confiscated toys and a deflated snowman on the shelf behind us. You may also be thinking, "Wow, they don't have very many Christmas ornaments." Yes, we never did find the box of hooks to finish decorating the tree.

Still, we made it to China and back for the second time in two years. And we managed to get both boys to look the same way for a photo.

Just imagine what next year might bring!