Tara’s Takes
New Year’s Eve means PARTY night! Or for many of us, hoping we can make it to watch the ball drop on the East Coast and then be in bed well before the clock strikes midnight here.
This year, I can say that I watched the ball drop in New York and was awake for the clock to strike midnight here, too. Or more specifically, to hear eight middle school girls count down the last 10 seconds until midnight and then scream as they rang in the new year.
We seem to have started a tradition where our house is the New Year’s Eve house for Natalie and her middle school friends. They have spent New Year’s Eve painting tote bags, tie dying shirts, watching movies, eating and any other thing middle school girls do. It’s been a long time since I was that age, and I have well forgotten that part of life.
One year, I made the mistake of buying the New Year’s noise makers. NEVER AGAIN. Before, during and after the countdown those things were echoing through my house.
This year, I thought we needed something to do to burn off some energy and save my sanity. Thankfully, we are extremely lucky to have Tracy Lanes here, and it was my savior.
I thought ahead and booked two lanes for the eight girls I’d have at my house that night. After discussion with the boys, Brady asked about two friends from high school coming to bowl. Ben asked about his girlfriend joining us. Of course, I added another lane.
We arrived shortly before 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. I felt like the leader of a threering circus trying to corral kids to the lanes, getting shoes, balls, etc. Before too long, all three lanes were rocking, and while loud, everything was going great.
We ordered a few pitchers of pop, one of water and four pizzas. As the pins dropped, the gutter balls added up and the noice level rose, two more pizzas and more pop was ordered and delivered, along with a couple drinks for Per and me.
By the time the two hours we were bowling ended, all the kids had bowled three games, eight pizzas were consumed, multiple pitchers of root beer had disappeared and the number of gutter balls far exceeded the strikes.
We headed for our house and what I was sure would be a calm evening. Of course I didn’t really think that. I also didn’t think that the eight girls would decide that they could all pile into Natalie’s room using the bed and an air mattress to provide the perfect seating for a scary movie.
I saw the kids, both the boys and girls, on a few occasions that evening. Mainly it was when they emerged to fill a plate of snacks from the spread on the table or grab something to drink from the fridge. There was enough noise that I was still awake and watched the ball drop in NYC. I was ready to call it a night then, but the girls had another idea. If you heard a loud, echoing countdown from 10 to zero on New Year’s Eve, it was probably originating from Hollett St.
I eventually went to sleep. The dogs seemed to have forgotten that the next day was a holiday and still thought 5:30 a.m. was the appropriate wake up time, so I used that time to make rolls, and eventually the kids all started to wake up.
After much discussion, Ben was the first to call it quits while playing video games with the boys and was in bed before 2 a.m. The girls were next after watching more movies and I’m sure solving all the world’s problems at that age, they called it a night at around 3 a.m. Brady and Dylan, of course, were in heated online games and didn’t give up on the night until closer to 4 a.m.
Despite the late night, they were all up by 9 a.m. for rolls, and all three of my kids kept a great attitude at a family Christmas that day. Natalie even babysat that night.
Every year, as I try to regain some sleep I’ve lost, I think why do I do this to myself? But the answer is simple: core memories. I am happy that my kids have fantastic New Year’s Eve memories with friends and that I knew where they were. I laugh at the number of Natalie’s friends who call me mom.
I cherish the fact that Brady and his friends, kids he went to preschool, HRS and high school with, still get together. I also greatly appreciate Tracy Lanes for helping me keep my sanity for a couple hours.
They will have plenty of future New Year’s Eve celebrations somewhere else. For now, I’ll deal with the noise and chaos. And I’ll countdown to midnight twice, because before I’m ready they’ll all be moved out and the only counting I’ll be doing is the sheep before I fall asleep well before midnight.
