Happy New Year, everyone! We’ve had a fun and busy week as we usher 2020 out the door and welcome in 2021, and once again we were able to spend much of it with our family.

On Tuesday last week, a winter storm blew through town, dropping around six inches on us and prompting me to take a “snow day” to work from home. It was actually quite nice, as I let the plows do their work rather than slipping and sliding to work, and little Harold kept me company on my makeshift office on the couch. I got a decent workout afterward shoveling our driveway and my in-laws’ before having a burrito for dinner and having a bible study over Zoom.

Next came New Year’s Eve on Thursday night. The City of Omaha had some fireworks down by the riverfront, so we took the kids down there to watch the show. People were told to park in various lots around the Qwest Center (I know what it’s called now but I don’t care), but we found a spot with a better view down at River’s Edge Park in Council Bluffs, where Loess Fest is usually held. We got to see the fireworks a little after seven with music coordinated with 104.5 FM. The kids snuggled in the back seat (mostly paying with their Mad Lib Elf), and then we slogged through the traffic afterward to make our way home.

We had a dinner courtesy of Taco Bell before watching The Lorax, some TV shows, and playing a video game as the time crept toward midnight. Our neighbors set off some fireworks, which we watched out the window, and when midnight rolled around. Aaron fell asleep on the couch, but we roused him for a New Year’s toast (with sparkling white wine for us and eggnog for the kids) after the clock struck midnight.

The college football playoffs happened on New Year’s Day, so I went over to my dad’s house to watch Alabama beat Notre Dame via a free trial of FuboTV. I brought along some cowboy caviar, which we had with chips as we watched the game.

Then I returned home to have some fondue with Vivian’s parents afterward. We had a cheese fondue once again with parsnips, shrimp, and other things that the kids dipped for us (but didn’t eat themselves). We also wound up watching another football game, as the Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Clemson Tigers (which made me happy, since we weren’t going to have yet anther Alabama / Clemson championship game).

We finally got around to getting some fresh air and enjoying the snow on Saturday and Sunday. We went out and threw some snowballs with mommy in the driveway, and Hannah tried to build a tiny snowman on the side of the driveway, but we found the snow was still a bit too powdery to make a real one (that would have to wait until Monday).

Then on Sunday, we woke up to a world with trees frosted white, and I took a brief walk snapping pictures of some of its wintery beauty. Then that afternoon we took the kids sledding down at Bellevue East (on “suicide hill“). It was above freezing and the snow was packed down, which made for good sledding conditions. Several other kids and families were there as well, so we had to be careful to avoid collisions with other sledders. Aaron seemed to prefer rolling around in the snow and making snow angels as Hannah tried repeatedly to fly her way into the ditch at the end of the hill.

Then on Monday, we did even more sledding down at Memorial Park around lunchtime. The weather was in the 40s and lovely as we sent the kids down the east side of the park. Once again Aaron seemed to want to run around and play in the snow with mommy rather than sled, while Hannah tried repeatedly to hit a small snow ramp someone had made — and she was quite happy when she finally succeeded.

We’ve had a fun week kicking off the start of 2021. I hope the next twelve months are filled with more fun with our friends and family, and the pandemic of 2020 quickly fades into a memory. Here’s to hoping!