First week of a new year

Our family traditions for New Year's include staying up 'til midnight playing games, then banging on pots and pans yelling "Happy New Year!" then eating finger foods in front of football on the TV all day. But this year, New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, so things were a little mixed up. Eventually we got it all in, though!
Friday night (Dec. 30) we went to the Lechners' and had finger foods and played "Would You Rather?" and Quelf--laughed a lot, and thought about staying up 'til midnight and pretending it was New Year's Eve, but Mike wasn't feeling good, so we didn't. (He was fine the next day. Thanks for asking.)
Then on the actual New Year's Eve, I wasn't planning on staying up, but Mikayla's big blue eyes talked me into it. So we started playing Life on the wii, which took 'til (past) midnight! We took a Life break a few minutes before so we could set off a loooong firework and bang on pots and pans and yell, then went in and finally finished the game.
We home schooled Sunday School the next day (just kidding...we were sleeping) but made it to "big church," although Mike was preaching somewhere else. When he made it home we had ham and black-eyed peas and cornbread--mmm, mmm! But no football or snackies (we're not into NFL, just NCAA), so it still didn't feel like New Year's until...
Monday, at lunch time, when I decided to make mini-corn dogs, tater tots, fried cheese, sausage balls, and carrots/brocolli with ranch (that made it a healthy meal), and Mike started watching football. The girls, who don't even watch, brought their food into the family room, too, and Mikayla said, "NOW it feels like New Year's." :) I had to agree.
We probably should have started school the next day, since we'd been out since December 16, but you know what? I didn't feel like it. So we didn't. Jessica had a job (!) babysitting all week, which I thought was too good an opportunity to pass up, and Mikayla and Rebecca had sleepovers and play dates--taking care of that socialization people are always worried about. :D
And now I'm getting more football, watching my Hogs in the Cotton Bowl (which may be why this is so poorly written), and at halftime I'm going to warm up some spiced nuts. And Jessica is leaving for a sleepover, too.
A good start for 2012!