On to 2022

Happy New Year! The blog has made it to 2022!

We happily spent New Year's Eve with our NYE people and it was so much fun. While we celebrated last year, it was a more muted, cold, and outside only celebration. This year, it was still mostly outside - but that is because it was just the most perfect winter evening. 

Mike spent a lot of time between our arrival return from up North and NYE evening repairing and reflooding the rink. He also popped up his giant fishhouse to use as a warming shack ... and apparently it lives in our backyard now. It really does make a perfect warming house for all outside activities! And - in the freezing cold, he hung the lights on our patio that I've been dreaming of since we moved in. They look awesome and we all appreciate that he risked frostbite to make the outside perfect for our party. 

Once the Ps arrived, we were outside for over three hours. The kids enjoyed the rink, the sledding hill, the warming house ... and the snacks [I made homemade chex mix and snickers fudge that was very popular with everyone].The adults enjoyed the sledding hill, the fire, and the beverages (and the fudge!). Fiona was not interested in joining the hockey players on the ice, so she and I did a lot of sledding in the early evening. Then Hannah and Quinn joined her and I tapped out. Dec lived his very best life on the rink with Jack and Coop - until the giggles on the hill were too much for the boys! 

Our next door neighbors popped over for a bit to hang around the fire too and we were so happy to have them. Around 10, the kids got cold and we all headed inside. The adults visited upstairs while an epic hide and seek game happened in the basement. Shortly before 11, we all headed out one more time to do our countdown and shoot off confetti cannons. We've learned that when Vannestes are just getting back from a week plus up north, our partying has a limit. So we sent our friends off to another party, we watched the ball drop on Miami (and then turned it off before Miley's wardrobe malfunction), and sent the kids to bed. 

Even though we didn't party until midnight, it was the best way to welcome the new year!