Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!

William has been sounding out words to spell.  Here is his Happy New Year sign.  He says five are tomatoes and one is a balloon.  One of these things is not like the others. . . Can you guess which one?

 Happy New Year!!!

Each year we hang a traditional New Year wreath from Japan on our door.  Oshiogatsu or New Years is the biggest holiday of the year in Japan.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day were quiet, peaceful days at our house.  

We were so happy to see life-giving snow on our Pine Valley Mountain.

I took this one later in the day.

This is big, big news!  Ken played a game with me.  Did you hear the news?  Ken played a game with me. Ken is NOT a board game player.  But he actually ordered this one because it is about birds.  It is a beautiful, well -made, complicated, educational and fun game. 

We played it New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and we have played it a few times since.  I guess it's a new leaf for a new year.

Family tradition is that we all make aebelskivers on New Year's morning.  We actually didn't.  But we feasted on our daughters' pictures!

Michelle's kids did chores to prepare for the new year.  Jaron always gets his chores done quickly and early.  Gabbi was struggling getting motivated to get hers done.  Jaron quietly went over and mopped the floor- one of Gabbi's chores.  What a great way to start the new year-serving his sister.

Shonna sent this silly picture of Blake making gluten-free aebelskivers. 

So Brian copied Blake's pose and face.  These guys are funny.  

Happy New Year!!!!!