Thursday, January 01, 2009

Happy New Year!

Happy 2009 to all--may this new year be filled with every kind of blessing!

Well, we're definitely getting older and our New Year celebrations are starting to reflect this undeniable fact (I'm not complaining, by the way, simply reflecting...). As is our custom, we spent our New Year's Eve with dear friends enjoying a fantastic dinner of prime rib, chicken piccatta, shrimp and tiramisu. We all have children the same age and the kids had a ball playing together all evening while the adults visited. We always enjoy this event.

This year, however, reflected a few changes. First of all, we now have so many small children that need our attention that it is nearly impossible for the stars to align such that both Jay and I can sit down to dinner at the same time. Technically, this is not a change, as this as been our state for last decade. The emerging difference is that our sensible friends (who stopped having children long ago) are no longer similarly interrupted, thus making our plight much more noticeable.

Second, the "big moment" isn't what it used to be. In fact, when midnight arrived last night, it found the children enthusiastically counting down with Dick Clark, Jay asleep where he unintentionally stayed after laying down with an injured Tony and a tired Isabella at about 9:30pm, and me doing what I am always doing these days...nursing Natalie. The tide is turning: the children are becoming the revelers and the adults are snoozing in the corner. Scary, but true.

Dick Clark was an eerie reflection of all of this last night. Did you see him? Post stroke, only a shadow of who he was before, but there he was, plugging along nonetheless. I related to him in a strange way. The people around me last night were questioning why he was still there, why he was doing what he was doing in the state he was in, but I understood: he loves it and doesn't want to give it up, even though he is paying a price for it. It's who he is. So it is with having so many kids--they definitely take their toll, but I wouldn't change a thing. So what if we're sleeping/nursing/not celebrating New Year's Eve in a "cool way" at the midnight hour? It's who we are!

2 comments:

KatieGirl said...

AMEN! Even with the chaos of the big family I wouldn't want it any other way. Who would I be able to live without each with their own wonderful contribution to our lives. Each with so much to teach us. God Bless you and has definately blessed you.

nicole said...

We celebrated by watching Survivorman and cleaning up poop and vomit due to a stomach virus. We really know how to party. :0