We were fortunate in that we were able to bring the new year in with family this year and didn't have to fly out until later in the afternoon on January 1. So the whole Bowes, Balestracci, and Hannen clans gathered at the Balestracci household for one final celebration to end 2013 with a bang.
Callie and Reese were very excited to take part in all of the festivities. They put the new year accessories to work right away and prepared for the evening's activities with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
It was such a festive occasion that we even convinced Mike to put on his party hat and hang out with us for a little while before he headed out the tackle the Guilford high school New Year's Eve scene. We were happy to make the cut and believe that Mike thoroughly enjoyed his time with us. But he did make sure to leave his hat at the house before he left. Understandable.
The party spirit gripped everyone in the house, and flashbulbs popped as we prepared for great appetizers made by Suzy and scarfed down by everyone. Katie worked hard to put together a great main course while Chris ensured that everyone had the fine wine they needed to complement it all. It was a wonderful feast, and this restaurant didn't even have a minimum gratuity despite the size of our party.
We even made time for some post dinner entertainment. John, Mike, Brian, Callie, and Brendan all played the new game the Balestracci boys received from Suzy, Brian, and Zoey for Christmas. The name of the game eludes us at the moment, but there were villages, smithies, and other assorted action cards that made for a good time. John was particularly fortunate that Brian not only explains the rules of these games well but also does not take advantage of the naiveté of his competitors.
This picture highlights the age of all three of the girls. The youngest, Zoey, looks at the dessert longingly and with some hint of sadness is not sure if they are just for decoration or if she will actually get a taste. Then you have Reese, who is a little older, and has the experience to know that if she smiles for the picture she is sure to get the goodies on display in front of her. But you can tell from her forced smile that she is not completely secure in that conclusion. Callie, on the other hand, exudes the cool confidence of a child who knows that on a night like this, the kids will not only get the dessert, but will probably get more than usual because the parents are caught up in the excitement of the evening.
Since Suzy and Katie took on the nutritional part of the menu, it was only fitting that Sarah provided ample amounts of sugar and a high degree of messiness. With that being said, it was a sure thing when it came to family fun. We first painted the cones with melted chocolate and put them outside to harden. Then we got to sit around the table and decorate the cones with an array of fine candied goods. And last but certainly not least, we put ice cream in those cones and ate them up.
It was fun to have activities like this that engaged all age groups and kept us all together having fun for hours on end. Reese, as usual, needed a little extra adult attention since she has a habit of using the array of candied goods for personal use more than communal decoration. In short, Reese is no dummy, and her cute smile is a good cover for the scheming mind behind it.
This year we added a great new tradition that we hope will stick. We created time capsule informational sheets that included a variety of questions. For example, one question asked for your favorite movie and another asked your height. We spent some time answering these questions and the goal will be that next year, when we go to make new ones, we will get to look at the previous year's answers to see what has changed. It should be fun, as long as we can remember where we put the sheets. We are sure they are in a safe place.
All in all, we had a lot of great memories to reflect back on as a family as we brought an end to 2013. We are very lucky to have each other.
And of course, we are lucky to have so many wonderful friends and family that surround us from near and far. We can only hope that 2014 brings even more good times.
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