Happy New Year!

This New Year's Eve we did something completely different- we stayed home with the kiddos and celebrated with them! We threw a New Year's party for our children and their cousins. We had 5 children in all and the evening was broken down into 30 minute increments of fabulous activities! At each half hour one of the children had to choose a balloon that had the same clock face of the corresponding time. They had to attempt to pop it because inside was a slip of paper describing the activity of the half hour. I say attempt to pop the balloon because the daddies had to help throw the children onto the balloon in order for it be popped! That was half the fun! Here is how the evening broke down:
6:00 Backwards Dinner (the kids made brownie sundaes and enjoyed those BEFORE the dinner)
7:00 Balloon Volleyball
7:30 Make your own noisemakers (Next year I will plan to do this later in the evening - Wow were those loud for the next couple of hours!)
8:00 Game Time! We played Freeze Dance and Flashlight Limbo (got some great videos of the kids dancing, HILARIOUS!)
8:30 Pj time and then we helped the 2 older chidren write down 12 things they were thankful for in 2010. It was interesting hearing their minds at work and what a great keepsake for the years to come!
9:00 Watch the ball drop (New York Time) with noisemakes and poppers.
Soon after: BEDTIME!

We had a great evening and I think this is going to be a Cope family tradition - maybe even invite some friends next year. It was so much fun! Once the kids went to sleep, the adults played games until the New Year actually made it to California! :-)