Saturday, January 5, 2013

Saying Goodbye to 2012 and Hello to 2013

To wave adios to 2013 and hello to 2013, we hosted our 3rd annual Nova Scotia new years party. What, you may ask, is a Nova Scotia new years party? It is a way for those of us with young kids to ring in the new year at 8:00 (midnight in Nova Scotia) and get to bed at a reasonable hour so we don't start the new year off exhausted ... at least, no more than usual.

We hosted a pasta dinner and invited our guests to bring their favorite sauces—an easy way to ensure everyone likes what they're having for dinner. We also served homemade meatballs (recipe courtesy of America's Test Kitchen), salad, more appetizers than anyone could eat, and champagne cupcakes for dessert.

Our house was filled with 6 families (totaling 12 adults and 10 kids, ages 2-15) and there was activity and noise everywhere! The kids raced around like their lives depended on it; if only we could harness that energy! At one point, our nephew even created a treasure hunt game for the smaller kids to help give them direction; it was really sweet to have him play the big kid during the party! I was shocked by how our circles of friends overlap and people we didn't realize have a connection know each other. It's a very small world at times!

At 8:00, we broke out the champagne and sparkling apple cider, donned our hats/tiarras, and counted down to "midnight".

It was such a treat to spend an evening with good friends ... so many smiles and so much laughter.

Happy 2013 to all of our loved ones!

Rachel, Eric, and Nat catching up

Nikhil having a rare still moment


The Russells

Staci and Kat having a quiet moment

Elaine and Mamatha

Nat sporting his new years hat

Anne and Nicola

Grace enjoying her cupcake

Troy doing dishes ... I'm sure he's dreaming about being at the cabin!

Rachel and Liam playing

Kiran sporting a frosting face

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