Happy New Year

The first week of January is always something of a rush around here, since eldest boy's birthday also falls there. Thankfully, we're past the days of needing Christmas put away prior to said birthday -- he actually seems to enjoy having all the decor out. And his friends are also large enough that no one is grabbing ornaments off the tree.

In fact, he has now turned seventeen.

Seven. Teen.

What on earth?

Of course Google Photos and Faceplant conspired with many many pictures of an adorable toddler and small boy that made me nostalgic. Although, for all his teenagerness, I'm really proud of the young man that he's becoming. What hangout time he allows, I treasure.

A small group (ha) of boys went out to laser tag and then basement shenanigans for the night on Friday. But "the real party" is a massive nerf war planned for an upcoming weekend. It amused me, when looking at a FB memory from I think his 3rd birthday that I pondered if we had set an unrealistic precedent for birthdays that year.

Yes. Yes we did.

Or, you know, we just like celebrating the kid. It could be that. (No fear, his brother gets equally ridiculous celebrations. But that's next month.)

The puppy does as well as one can expect of a baby with the glut of people in the house. And also with sleeping long and not needing potty time. But still I end up awake by 5:30 most days these days. I am trying to remember to put my laptop somewhere accessible for the groggy mornings so that I can do something more productive than scrolling on my phone and playing word games while the house is quiet and I have one (sometimes two) dogs curled up on or beside me. Today, it worked. (I have the unfortunate affliction that, once I've been awakened after a longish sleep, there is no chance I'm going back to sleep. I have tried. Oh, how I have tried. But I end up just laying there getting frustrated. So it's better to just acknowledge that I'm up now.)

My one hope for 2025 is that no one I love dies. Given the state of Daddy these days, I'm not sure how well that's going to pan out, but it's still my hope.