We started off New Years Eve with a quiet celebration in our home. We were supposed to get together with some friends but after a long drive back from three days of F.U.N. in Fall City we were tired and ready for a night in.
We made some special treats (sparkling apple cidar, cheese fondue with bread and apples and spinach artichoke dips with crackers) to nibble on throughout the night...
Emily made some party hats for all of us all by herself. I love the way she wrote 2011 in glue and then put sparkles over the top and then found a personalized letter for each person's hat (the "G" is for Grandma Emily)...
Then we got the party started. We broke out the glow sticks and had a dance party in the dark...
...lit sparklers and held them out the sliding glass door since it was super snowy and chilly outside...
...Charlie snacked on some applesauce...
...Bryan lit a sparkler tower in the snow...
...played ring-around-the-rosie with Uncle Mike...
Then took a few last pictures with Uncle Mike before he headed home the next morning. I couldn't pick just one that I liked the best so I am posting them all. Emily and Jack had so much fun playing with Uncle Mike during his vacation home and have continued to talk about him on a daily basis since...
Around 9:30 Grandma Emily came over, the kids went to bed soon after and then everyone went home. Bryan and I techniqually stayed up until the New Year but it was a push.
The next morning the kids were ready to get moving and head up to Birch Bay for our annual Polar Bear Swim with the Joneses. We all put on the matching shirts I made us, we took a few pictures and off we went...
When we got up to Tom and Mary Lou's condo we gathered outside with all of the cousins to take a few photos...
I left Charlie bundled up all snuggly in the stroller since it was FREEZING outside...
Emily and Jake decided that they were Mrs. and Mr. Claus for the day...
Then we headed down to the beach with the whole crew...
Steve, Tom, Jen and Bryan were the only ones to go in this year. Debbie, Amanda and I decided (as we usually do) that the shore looked like a better place to be...
Uncle Mark and Alison were first timers this year and looked as if they were trying to pump themselves up for what was about to happen...
The count down and plunge...
Then the aftermath...
Bryan dipped in only once this year and then we sprinted with all three kids to the back of the condos to the swimming pool. Emily was more than ready to get in...
Jack, Charlie and I stayed inside, snacked on food, visited with family and played in the game room...
We were the last of the few peeps left in the building when we decided we had better head home. As we were leaving we made a quick decision to drive to Nooksack, spent a few hours hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa Jones' house and then headed over to Auntie Diane's for a evening Larson gathering.
We were super excited to see Auntie Carmen, Uncle Dave and their kids with their families...
Somehow we managed a group shot of ALL of the Larson second-cousins together...
After the photo shoot our kids were D.O.N.E. All three were tired and crying and we decided to venture back home. Poor Charlie cried the entire way home, even after we pulled over two times to feed and comfort him. It was a super long day for them but a lot of fun and made for good memories.
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