for the first time in just over four years, kenny and i slept all night, slept in (7:30 IS sleeping in!),and showered and dressed all before breakfast. and that is how we ushered in 2007.

my parents were courageous enough to offer to watch the kids for new year's eve. we decided on a night at a local bed and breakfast with a few of our friends who also could revel in a childless evening/overnight. it was lovely. (and if you look at the online guestbook, you'll notice that there is a quote from one of my favorite actresses who happens to be married to one of my favorite actors from one of my favorite shows, thirtysomething.)

first of all...BIG props to my mom, who spent the night with adam. because of a fever/cold, he's not been sleeping all that well recently, especially during the overnight hours. so she had her work cut out for her that night. while i got to sleep all night long, she woke up several times with adam, and spent 11:30-2:00 a.m trying to get him back to sleep.

and big props to my dad, who bedded down the older two, and tired them out with walks around the property until we arrived home later that morning to another laughlin-family-tradition of bagels and luncheon meats, wine and eggnog with our friends margaret and ellen.

but lets return to that Bed and Breakfast, shall we? i know that i've talked before about my dream of running a Bed and Breakfast. and now i'm even further convinced that kenny and i could do this. someday. it's not that i don't think we can handle it now. it's that i think i don't want to do that alongside of raising of children while they're so young. in 20 years, i'll have more time on my hands to properly spoil, feed, and comfortably house guests in a decadent Bed and Breakfast. that's the kind of B&B I want to run. not a simple one. a simply lovely one. cozy and comfortable. restful and blissful. and the things that i want to provide for my guests just couldn't happen while raising three young and energetic boys.

so of my two dreams...raising a family and running a B&B...i'm happy to be doing one at a time, on a fulltime basis. i love focusing and diving into the dream of raising and possibly educating our children, all the while keeping house. that is fun in and of itself. the cool thing is, i can practice the B&B dream on my family. i can provide decadent breakfasts (and lunches and dinners) for my kids and husband (and the occassional guest). kenny and i can begin planning the B&B, taking notes from various visited ones, and then diving into that dream once our boys are old enough to fend for themselves.

and then, someday, they'll return home for a visit to be the honored family guests at our B&B home.

happy 2007!