Happy New Year!

I was recording yesterday some of our family traditions yesterday and couldn't help but notice that our New Year's traditions are very few. I tried to reconcile this problem, but as with most first year tradition efforts, the results were a little lame. I thought I would be super tricky and set the clocks ahead two hours ahead so that the little kids could celebrate a "midnight" and still get to bed at a decent hour. They caught on pretty quickly, but were too sleepy to argue. The rest of the gang stayed up way past midnight playing video games and eating junkfood. We did renew out tradition of new year's fortunes hidden in a lemon pie. The fortunes included such important soothsaying warnings as, "beware the Ides of March!" and "beware men in tights." My fortune said something ridiculous like, "rigidity will be your downfall!" ABSURD! It was nice to have the Larsen family join us and they were good sports about the general chaos of our parties. We did have Martinelli's sparkling cider and lucky grapes, but I forgot to give Tony a good smooch at midnight because we were enthralled with a Sherlock Holmes movie. Our friends the Stones helped us start a new tradition this year. They gave each of us (count 7) boxes of sugar cereal for Christmas. What a fun and unhealthy way to start the New Year! Max proposed we do it every year as he ate his 9th bowl of Lucky Charms with Marshmallows. I anticipate, as I always do, that 2013 will be better than 2012. I will love Tony a whole year's worth more, I'll learn 12 months of lessons from my kids and will have 365 days worth of opportunity to apply Grace in my life. What's not to look forward to?