Happy Slappy New Year

I know. Christmas should come first but this is easier... and I'm up for easy this evening.

So here we are on New Year's. New Year's Eve during Alaster's nap and while I was scouring the bathroom (one really ought to ring in the New Year with a clean commode don't you think?) and putting Christmas away, Jack and Corey set to making the festive Chinese lanterns you see pictured above. We hung them over the entrance to our living room. They colored the papers first with designs (unfortunately Jack's didn't show up very well on the picture) and then they cut (for a kid who loves cutting this was a good project), taped, and hung. I love that Corey enjoys doing these things with the boys like I do.

Alaster got this adorable sweater from Ed and Cindy on Christmas. Didn't he look cute NYEve? Snuggalicious is what I call that:

Both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day were spent at Ed and Cindy's. I did an absolutely horrid job taking pictures through the holidays so I'll paint a little picture in your mind. Picture the following:

A dining room table spread with all the food you could ever want. Veggies, cheeses, crackers, chocolates, salsas and dips, chips, desserts, sandwich fixins, salads, finger foods... everything. Oh! and don't forget the Burton Family Tradition of Wantans and Eggrolls! Ed even made me vegetarian Eggrolls. That was nice huh?!? I brought fried rice to fit the Asian theme.

Stimulating company... Ed, Cindy, our little gang, Tyler (One of Corey's brothers that lives in Chicago) and Tyler's best friend Luke (that he met in the Marines) and Luke's wife Amanda.

It was super relaxing. We ate, we talked, we played... just what a New Year should be.

Corey had to work NYEve but the boys and I stayed till 10:30 at which point Alaster had a melt down of massive proportions and even in his sleep could still be heard asking to go back to "a rom a rampa's," all pathetically. The next day we were a bit more ... conscientious... of his needs and left at a much earlier hour.

Here Jack helping Gram in the kitchen.

These pictures were taken on both NYDay and NYEve. I know they are a lot of shots of ME. They are for my Aunt Dee who tells me I need to include myself more in the pictures I blog. The top right one... which you're probably wondering why I chose to include it... was just to show you my cute shirt... ignore the look on my face. Like it? (the shirt... not the face)

In the bottom right I am showing off my nails because Jack chose that polish to go in my stocking. (Santa doesn't do our stockings... we pair off with the boys one night during the season and shop for each other). It was all his idea to get it for me and I loved it. When I put it on Christmas morning he told me I looked "so beautiful." Sweet, sweet. I may have hot pink nails for the rest of my life. I certainly will for a while anyway.

I am quite sad that the holidays are over. I loved all the time off from work, and spending it at home and with our family. Corey and I were talking on the way home from Ed and Cindy's NYDay and were just reflecting on how good it was to be there, and how sweet Ed and Cindy have been. They open up their home with big wide open arms and you can tell how much they want to make us all comfortable and happy. They really do put so much effort into entertaining us all and we appreciate it so much.

So, so nice.

More holiday posts to come...

But tonight I will end with my New Year's Resolution. I normally don't make them because I am always working on improving myself in some fashion or another (aren't we all?!?), and the whole resolution thing just never has worked out for me the way that I plan it. However, for this year I really have had a strong desire to do it. I have a theme for myself for this year, and I hope it will be something I continue for the rest of my existence. It will not be the only thing I work on this year... if you think I would be capable of that you don't know me at all... but I do hope it will be something that I think about daily and kind of keep with me at all times no matter what else I'm also working on at the time... if you know what I mean.

K- my goal is to:

#1- Pray every morning to be an answer to someone else's prayer that day.

#2- "Never suppress a generous thought."

I want to really pay attention to all my little thoughts aka promptings... better than I currently am... and try to not suppress A-one of them... compliments that I need to pay, people I need to call, things I can do for someone else, things I should share... anything and everything. I sometimes suppress these thoughts occasionally because of fear or whatever, but hopefully no more. If you'd like to know the inspiration for my goal please read THIS wonderful address. It's excellent.

I may let you know how it's going throughout the year... but maybe not. We'll see I guess.

With sincere love and hope that you enjoyed the holidays-

Ashlee