Happy New Year

It really was my intent to get this up earlier.  Oh, well, here it is.

New Year’s Eve 2009

We had a fun time celebrating leaving the old year and ringing in the new!  We were joined by friends for our annual tradition and as always - it was a blast!  My children love the bags and couting down to the New Year.  We've done it often enough now that it is considered a tradition and one that they look forward too. 

I started a little earlier this year (2pm) thinking I'd include some things just for the younger children.  I did this since both Roger and our friend's dh had to work.  It was fun, but definitely pushed me to get things going earlier than I was ready.  LOL  Thankfully, we approach this in a really relaxed way and if we are a little off schedule, we just work in order and don't worry about the times. 

Our theme this year - Monsters and Aliens

Here are our clues, what was in the bags and of course pictures!

1^st clue:

It’s New Years Eve, the countdown has begun!

Are you ready to have some fun?

We’ll spend time eating and creating too.

Can you figure out the theme of all that we’ll do?

In the bag:  items for making noisemakers; we played charades to guess the theme.

 

Getting some help from big brother.

Guess these monsters weren't too happy.

The kids like reading the clue and then guessing what might be in the bag.  Some of the ideas are the same or similar from year to year.

2^nd clue:

Monsters are silly and funny too!

Do you think they are sometimes blue?

Maybe they’re happy or perhaps mad

A game of expressions will make you glad!

In the bag:  The game Silly Expressions. 

The general idea of the game is to draw a card with a face pictured on it.  You then try to make the face (the mirror is to help you get it just right). 

The others try to guess which face (pictured on the board) you are making.

3^rd clue:

They come from a planet far away

Sometimes to visit and sometimes to stay

Would you like to travel?  Ready let’s go!

Let’s make a rocket out of play-doh!

In the bag - play-doh.

Eliana even skipped her nap (she went to bed early) so she could join in on the play-doh.  This is one of her favorite activities - if only she didn't eat it!

 

They  made rockets and aliens - all versions from cute, to creative to clever to fierce.

4^th clue:

We’ve been busy, is your tummy starting to rumble?

You’ll like the next step, so don’t start to grumble.

We’re making more spaceships, but these for our guests

They’ll look like a saucer or maybe a nest?

In the bag:  some of the pizza ingredients.  This is a traditional item.  I thought about changing the food this year, but when one of my children listed this as a favorite activity for the night, I knew it needed to stay the same.

5^th clue:

When people travel they often keep a log

It reminds them of the past when their mind is in a fog

Its time to look back and ponder the past

This years almost over, today is the last.

In the bag:  Questions on pieces of paper for everyone to fill out.  This is also a favorite activity that is repeated.  After everyone finishes, we read one question and then all the answers to that question.  We then try to guess who wrote each answer.

 

Here are the questions for this year.

*Favorite book you’ve read this year

 

*Favorite trip/outing you’ve taken this year 

 

*Name something you are most thankful for 

 

*Something you have learned 

 

*Something you hope to do next year

6^th clue:

We’re going to make aliens

These will be sweet

Decorate how you’d like

And then you can eat!

In the bag:  sprinkles, frosting, candy  This again is a repeat.  We may need to find something a little lower carb for next year though. 

7^th clue:

It’s time for adventure and maybe a giggle

Find a spot to sit and don’t wiggle

Does anyone need something to eat

You can have some popcorn while in your seat

In the bag:  movie and popcorn

We enjoyed watching a movie on the "big screen".  We hung up a sheet and used a projector to make it a big.  It's fun to see it this way.

 

8^th clue:

The monsters are gone and the days near the end

Still a little more time with our friends

Let’s play a game – or maybe more

We’ll split into teams and then start to score

In the bag:  chalk and pictionary cards.  This is a fun game that everyone can play!  We split into boys v girls and had some fun.

This one was funny in person and I'll try to explain.  The cards had "themes" to them and if you could figure out the theme sometimes it was easier to guess the rest of the words.  After guessing the first word (which was tooth), they were then guessing for the second word ... dental floss, and other words related to teeth.  They were stumped.  Daniel walked up and looked at it and said "triangle" which was the correct answer.  It made for a great laugh all the way around. 

9^th clue:

It’s time to say good-bye to ‘09

Watching the ball drop is a fun time again

A hug, a prayer, a sweet drink for the toast

Happy New Year, it’s 2010

In the bag:  Bible verses to read.  I picked verses that had to do with how we were perfectly made to accomplish God's purposes.  (Tied in with the theme of the movie.)  We discussed briefly and then prayed.  We also had bubbly cider to toast in the New Year.  I didn't get a picture of all of us in the New Year. 

Hoping the formatting on this works as it is a long post.  We had a fun time and I highly recommend the "bags" as a fun way to bring in the new year - or to count down to anything.  Hope you enjoyed reading about our fun time ringing in the new year with friends. 

Blessings

Leslie