Our New Year's Celebration 2019

We began our morning with some family photos.  I was afraid that if I put it off until later that day we might not get it done.   I do not know why I have us wear blue on New Years but I started it a few years back and it has stuck.  Here is our family standing in front of some of the beautiful plants in our front yard.

a silly photo- the boys love doing these

We drove into town for breakfast.  It was a beautiful day to be out walking around the streets of Antigua.  I am still pinching myself when I think about us living here.

We walked to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. 

This was a special treat for all of us.  We love donuts!

After eating we headed up the hill to the cross overlooking town.  It was the boys first time to go there.  They thought it was really cool.

Antigua, Guatemala

our family at the Antigua cross

We returned home and I got busy getting things ready for our New Year's Eve celebration.  A few years back I started a fun tradition of balloon popping to ring in the new year.  The boys absolutely love it and look forward to it so much. Here are our balloons for this year.  We had invited some friends over so I started a little earlier than normal.  We popped a balloon every 30 minutes from 3:30 until midnight.  Inside each balloon was an activity for us to do.  It is a lot of work getting it together but so much fun for our whole family. 

Here are the activities we did this year.  I tweak it some each year.

I always bake a cake for our New Year's Eve dessert and put the new year on it with M&M's.

Parties are always more fun with friends.

In addition to the cake we grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and popped pop corn.

Here are the boys working on their questionnaires.  I have done these for several years now.  I'll keep them and one day we'll look back and maybe get a good laugh from them.

Cruz's 2018 Year in Review

Ben's 2018 Year in Review

picking up marshmallows with straws

They LOVE to play Pie Face!

We made noise makers out of paper plates and dried beans.  They also got party hats and horns.

celebrating the new year with new friends

they got glow sticks and had a silly string war

enjoying the fireworks

We went for a ride around the block.  The mamas and the kids rode in the back.  The boys blew their party horns the whole time.  We were so loud but it was so fun.

Cruz working a New Year's Eve word search

Playing a "catch the cotton ball in the party hat" game.  We took turns tossing and catching.

Noodling around- stringing penne pasta noodles on spaghetti noodles without using your hands

moving a cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands

We played a lot of card games.  Here we are playing Old Maid.

We always watch this Charlie Brown movie on New Year's Eve

Cruz doing a New Year's Trivia sheet.  We also answered a few reflection questions and played New Years themed Bingo.

enjoying more fireworks

Popping our final balloon at midnight.  I usually put confetti in all of the balloons but this year only put it in the midnight one.  It was fun to have it fall all over us.  Happy New Year!!!

We went out on our terrace and watched the midnight fireworks.   The boys were so proud that they made it to midnight.  They loved seeing the fireworks.

We thought they would be eager to get to bed so after the fireworks we got them dressed and ready.  Instead they asked if they could watch a movie.  David took them to the living room and put one on.  I figured it would soothe them right to sleep.  Cruz stayed awake until close to 1:00 and Ben made it through the whole movie.  He went to bed around 1:40. 

Thankfully they slept later on New Year's Day.  We had a late pancake breakfast.  I always cook these new year pancakes on New Year's Day.  It is a fun tradition.

After breakfast Cruz surprised me with these balloons on the couch.  He had sneaked into the school room when he got up and made them for me.  Inside each one was a slip of paper with an activity for me.  He had taken my New Years idea and turned it on me.  I popped them in random order and this is what was inside- Get a massage, drink coffee and watch I Love Lucy, draw a picture and then color it, play a game of mommy's choice, and get a pedicure.  I spent the morning doing one activity at a time.  When I was done I had a "special" balloon that I got to pop.  As you will see down below, it was my favorite.

Here is Cruz giving me my pedicure (he painted my toenails) and both boys had me lay on the couch while they gave me my massage.  I felt like a queen!

When all was done I got to pop the last balloon.  Inside was the sweetest note I have ever received.  It simply said "thank you mommy".  Oh my!  I cried.  It was precious!  It will be a New Year's Day that I will never forget.

Other than that we had a lazy day.  We stayed in pajamas and just relaxed.  I cooked a pot of red beans and rice for supper, we built a fire, and we watched a few episodes of The Lucy Show.  It was a great ending to an extra fun, extra special holiday time together.