Happy New Year!

We had breakfast this morning at the Magnolia Pancake Haus. Mom remembered eating there on a previous visit and she wanted to go again. The wait was an hour, but the time passed quickly for those of us with electronic devices. :)

Grandma and Grandpa split the "

Authentic Munchener Apfel Pfannekuchen. The description in the menu states the following:

Granny Smith Apples, zesty cinnamon and secret spices all combine to create a puffed pancake that is an authentic taste of Bavaria. Served with powdered sugar and European style whipped cream.

Patrick and Natalie had the chocolate chip pancakes (with Ghirardelli chocolate chips). I tried their Bananas Foster pancakes with scrambled egg and sausage. Eric had a good portion of Natalie's pancakes with one whole sausage from me. Anthony had a huge bacon and cheese omelet that even he couldn't finish. Grandma felt his forehead and asked if he was feeling okay. Alex decided not to join us. He said he didn't feel like leaving the house. That was his loss!

Instead of breakfast, it ended up being more of a brunch because of the long wait to get in. We left there probably around 11:30am. Grandma, the little ones, and I went to the mall for a bit. I got more Cars stuff for the little man. I couldn't resist! In the afternoon some of us napped and then we went to the 5pm mass.

After mass, Patrick cooked a delicious, gourmet New Year's Eve meal. We had grilled lamb kebobs with vegetables and creme brulee for dessert. They had the creme brulee at Costco, already made in little glass ramekins with the sweet topping included that he put on top and put in the broiler. I think this is an excuse to get one of those torches in the future so we can make our own creme brulee. ;)

The kids had dinner first and then spent some time outside playing with the neighbors. Patrick bought a package of snappers and poppers to share with the neighbors. The neighbors also had some small sparkler-type fireworks. We ended up watching New Year's Rockin' Eve with the grandparents. Grandpa took a little nap waiting for the ball to drop in New York, after which Grandma and Grandpa went to bed. The boys and I played our electronics while the TV was on in the background. Eric asked to go to bed around 9pm after dancing to some of the music on TV. Natalie spent most of the night outside playing with friends. She only came in at around 11:30pm. The boys played a little on the PS3 and lights are going off here around midnight.

I hope everyone has a fun, safe New Year filled with many blessings. Happy New Year!