It's 2008!

Where does the time go? In a flash we leave the heavy emotions of 2007 behind and focus on carving a new path in 2008.

We attended our annual New Year's Eve party with the same group of friends as in years past. This was our 9th time connecting for the festivities. The boys decided at 6 pm that they wanted their hair cut for the party so that they could look "cool." So, I dug out my shears and clippers and set to work cutting their hair before we left. Funny how influenced they are by holidays.

Upon returning home, around 1:00 a.m. EARLY the morning of the 1st we all snuggled into Doug's and my bed. Doug and I have a king-sized bed so there is room for all four of us. I asked everyone what their resolutions were for the new year. After defining the word "resolutions" for Quinn he was the first to tell us what he resolves to do.

Quinn: I resolve to write thank you cards for the gifts I received over the holidays (he came up with that ON HIS OWN!!)
Fergus: I resolve (after I buy the PSP game I have had my eye on) to save my money this year.
Doug: I resolve to be happier (and for a guy who has had a really crappy 2007, I suspect that he will be successful)
Sam: I resolve to make more time for my family to spend time with them and do new and different things with them.

And, with these resolutions voiced, we settled down for a long sleep. Upon rising yesterday we discovered a different world than when we had gone to bed. We found about 4 inches of new snow lying over everything. I had a breastfeeding consultation to go to so that meant Doug and I got to start the day by shoveling. It was heavy snow underneath so the lifting and lugging was harder than we initially thought it would be.

They boys now have a great mountain of snow in the front yard to play in. In fact, I think I will send them out there right now!! I can't remember when we last had a winter with this kind of snow in the Greater Toronto Area. Lots of places west and/or south of us here get loads of snow. Not here though. We received more snow in December 2007 than we had ALL winter last year.

Anyway, we were to travel to Kitchener for our annual New Year's Day dinner with Kelly and Chris (LONG-TIME friends) but with the blowing snow here I couldn't take that risk. I have a client due on Jan. 10 who has been going regularly for extra doctor's appointments re: the baby so I couldn't take the chance of being storm-stayed in Kitchener. They often get lots more snow there than we get here.

It made me sad not to be able to go and see them but I think Kelly, who is currently pregnant herself, understands. We will see them again at the end of the month instead. (That's when we both had spaces available in our schedules.)

Because we were staying in town we decided to spend some time at one of the many hills (here in Halton Hills) to go tobogganing. The boys love tobogganing and Doug and I do too so this was a great family activity. I think Quinn was still somewhat worn out from the previous night's activities (and the celebrating of the previous few weeks) that he could only go up and down the hill half a dozen times or so before he decided that he was a better observer than participant this time around.

We finished our activities off with a stop at the most traditional of Canadian establishments, Tim Horton's! Everyone enjoyed a hot chocolate while we discussed our best runs of the day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR one and ALL!!