Happy New Year!

Yesterday was not a good day. I can't really figure out why exactly, but it started out rough and got rougher before things mellowed out and I could enjoy our little family party. I find that I yearn, yes, YEARN, to have all my children around. This is a different feeling from wanting them all to leave me alone, as was the case during those busy, sleepless, baby and toddler years. Now that Kate is gone most of the year when she's home for breaks I just want everyone home. Maddie has been working a lot this past week. This isn't a bad thing for her or even her "fault." It's just that she wants to continue to do her other activities too. As she headed out the door for Mock Trial practice I wanted to know how long it would last, thinking it couldn't be more than a couple of hours. When she informed me it would be 6 hours I just became so SAD, and cranky. Who are these people taking all my children's time away from me??? Don't they realize that the time I have with them is precious??? Soon they will be grown and gone and with families of their own??? Anyway, my mind went on a bit of a hysterical bent there for a few minutes. Sigh. So, that's how my day started. Then I realized that I had things to accomplish...a couple of items to exchange/return...some food to buy for our NYE party...but most importantly my VT'ing to do. Yep, that's me, Miss Leave it Until the Last Day of the YEAR!!! I was so unsettled at the thought that I couldn't quite get myself calmed down until I had completed my responsibility, albeit slightly pathetically.

Around 5:30 p.m. Maddie informs me she wants to spend NYE at Graeme's house (mind you, she's been home all of 10 minutes) because she hasn't been able to hang out with him FOREVER (mind you, again, she spent the prior evening at a party with him and spent that ridiculously long 6 hours of Mock Trial also with him) and couldn't I just let her do it after she does 15 out of the 50 or so seminary makeups she was supposed to do during Christmas break. I was good, I almost broke into tears but I didn't. I gave her my best mommy guilt inducing lecture on how I wanted us to spend the night together and Kate, ever so eager to add her two cents let her know that she was crushing me because I wanted to spend time as a family and on and on. Finally I walked away and went to read my book, The Christmas Sweater, which at this point is kinda depressing anyway, and to sulk and feel unloved by this, my middle child. Amazingly, after about 10 minutes Maddie calls down to me that Graeme can instead come over to our house, which was okay by me and I again felt maybe my kid did have some empathy for her sad, sorry mother who has a hard time letting go.

Well, a fun time was had by all. I put all the teenagers to work making food then we watched some movies, played some Wii and some Rock Band and The Price is Right, and toasted the new year in. I know this won't last forever but while I can fenagle it, I'm going to spend family time with the people who mean the most to me.

Just for kicks, here's a picture of Dallin. He had informed me earlier in the day that he was going to sleep in the Christmas tree box that night. Don't ask me, I have have no idea, but how cute is this????