We hosted Scott's side of the family over the New Year's weekend for our holiday gathering. We had gotten together two years ago over New Year's when it was the off year for Christmas and it worked out well so we did it again this year. Des Moines area was a good central location as it eliminated quite a few hours for Scott's sisters family from MN. I enjoyed hosting at my home and we had room for everyone to stay (Dave and Margie stayed at hotel). Next time, we will squeeze everyone in!
Everyone arrived on Friday night and we enjoyed pizza from Papa Murphy's that Scott's brothers family picked up on their way (easy for me!).
We had an easy breakfast the next morning of kolaches from Scott's mom, fruit and coffee. Everyone hung out for a bit before heading off to lunch at El Mariachi and a group showing of Rogue One at Flix. Everyone enjoyed seeing the movie at Flix and the movie. I stayed home with the girls to put them down for a nap and to prep supper.
We had lasagna, bread, salad, veggies, and wine for dinner which was nice and also easy for me to prepare. I felt a little bad it wasn't a traditional Christmas meal but I feel like a turkey and all the sides is a lot of work to prepare and plus...it wasn't technically Christmas anymore. :o) Mostly I am good at detecting my own challenges and know that meal prep is no longer a great skill I possess and so this worked out well. I also made plain noodles for kids who did not like lasagna. We moved our dining room table into the main room so we could put the leaves in it and comfortably seat 10. It was fun to have such a big table out for the weekend! The kids sat at the counter when we all sat down for meals together.
We enjoyed so many good Christmas treats, many made by Scott's sister who had lots of homemade goodies! I only made cornflake wreaths and sugar cookies (from a bag and tub) this year and even doing that was a lot. So glad I could still have the classics like chocolate crinkles and peanut butter blossoms!
We opened presents after dinner (minus the girls who had to go to bed early because they were sooo cranky!) and a hit from the stockings were these jelly belly beans that were pop flavored. It was fun trying to guess what flavor it was without looking.
I gave my nephew two pounds of Reeses peanut butter cups...because if there is one thing I know, it is what middle schoolers like (hint: the more ridiculous it is, the better).
We had sooo much fun playing games downstairs after dinner. Pie in the face was hilarious as well as heads up. I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time, mostly at the ridiculous things my husband said to get people to guess movies. It was also neat to spend time with my niece and nephew as they are getting so much older (although I miss the days when they were cute toddlers!).
Everyone left mid morning on Sunday to head back home. I was thankful everyone had safe travels to our home and it was nice to see everyone (even though it felt too short!).
I hope your 2017 is off to a great start!
