Party like it's 2011

Kennedy invited a bunch of friends over to bring in the new year. We banned them to the game room upstairs and let them out occassionally for food and bathroom breaks! Actually, I think they much preferred the privacy of the game room to hanging out with mom, dad and little brothers downstairs. Kennedy had the room looking very festive and I stocked the house with enough food to get us through all of 2011!

Kennedy with Jacob Troupe... and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, um, I mean the man behind the kids.

Kids came and went throughout the night but this was the group of kids still standing when the ball dropped.

Even though we were fewer in numbers downstairs, we were not any quieter. We played some games and watched the countdown on T.V.

Karsyn had a babysitting job that night but they were nice enough to have her home by 11:00 so she could party with us at the stroke of midnight.

She is really enjoying being old enough to babysit for other people now. She mentioned it had something to do about being paid in money rather than blessings! I couldn't pass up a photo of her stash from that night hanging out of her pocket.

I let Karsyn have a New Year's Day party at our house with some of her gymnastic friends since she spent most of New Year's Eve babysitting. But instead of eating all my left-overs, they made more food! Karsyn got some new cookbooks for Christmas and had her heart set on making these duck cupcakes.

They had a blast but the ducks ended up looking like they swam through some toxic waste!

Then they relaxed with a facial of Dead Sea mud until all the mom's came to take the girls home.

Another fabulous year has come and gone. Our family was blessed beyond imagination. Here is hoping for a wonderful 2011 full of family, friends and good health. 2011 will definitely bring with it some changes, but change can be good!