Happy New Year!

2011 was such a good year for our family.  I was almost sad to see it end.  But, that being said, I'm so excited to see what 2012 brings.  Audrey is growing and learning and changing and laughing and so much fun.  I know that as she grows, things are only going to get more exciting and fun.  I'm really looking forward to 2012!

This year, we spend the New Year's celebration with my parents, aka Gram & Gramps Patton.  They came up the morning of Saturday, Dec 31st.  We hung out during the day and then they babysat Audrey so Carl and I could get some time away just the 2 of us.  We saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  Holy cow, what a great movie!  I have all 3 books in the trilogy on my Kindle, but I hadn't started on them yet.  (I'm still in the middle of Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix... still.  I'll finish soon, I promise.)  All I'd heard about the books is that they were good.  And my Mom had seen the Swedish version of the movie with the subtitles, which she said was really good.  I didn't really know anything about the plot, storyline, characters, anything.  It was intense and so good!  Intense.  Carl and I both really enjoyed it!  And Carl has been furiously reading the next book in the trilogy.  I plan to start soon.  The Order of the Phoenix is hanging over my head... still.

Photo courtesy of IMDB.com

Carl and I (mostly Carl!) had prepared to have a great dinner with appetizers for NYE night.  While we were out at the movie, my Mom prepared and cooked the Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts appetizer so they were ready when we got home.  They were soooo good!  We munched on those while Carl was hard at work cooking our dinner.  Dinner menu included Porterhouse steaks and twice-baked potatoes.  He even had sauteed mushrooms to top the steaks and also marinated vegetables.  I don't think I even ate the vegetables because I was so fulfilled and satisfied by the humongous steak and delicious potatoes.  We were all super-impressed with Carl. What a guy!  (Note: New Year's resolution... take more pics.  I wish I could document what the food looked like.  Seriously so good.)  

After dinner, we hung out and played with Audrey and watched TV.  Before we knew it, it was countdown time.  We had our favorite Verdi champagne and pickled herring for our midnight toast.  It is a Swedish New Year's Eve tradition to eat pickled herring at the stroke of midnight to ensure a year of "bounty and prosperity."  The first year I participated in this tradition was NYE2010, and since 2011 was such a good year, I insisted that we continue with the tradition.  Let's just say that my parents *loved* the pickled herring.  (Sense my sarcasm here.)  In fact, my Mom did the Buddy the Elf "aaaahhhhhhhhh"... you know, when he walks in the department store and sprays the perfume in his mouth.  Hilair.  It was so fun to ring in the New Year with them!

Audrey's first New Year's Eve celebration:

 She's a big partier!

Gram & Gramps with Audrey:

 As you can tell, Audrey did not stay up until midnight.  :)

Our first New Years as our new family of 3:

New Year's Day, we had Frank and Katie over for breakfast.  I made a breakfast casserole (with egg and bacon and sausage.. yum!) and hashbrown casserole.  And Carl made his famous Swedish pancakes.  It was a great breakfast with my parents and Frank and Katie who have a big year ahead with them getting married in June.  We made them eat some pickled herring, too.  All because we like to see their sour faces want them to have a happy and prosperous 2012.  :)

Bring on 2012!