Lighting up the New Year

J has always been an early to bed, early to rise type of person, where I’m more of a night owl.  It’s certainly changed since Kiddo came about and now J is definitely an early to bed person, but Kiddo always gets her first thing, so I can sleep in, but I also get the night shift with Kiddo as I’m her first get in the middle of the night.  This has always kind of just worked for J and myself and Kiddo just fits into that mix.  

J is also not much of a party girl.  She just runs out of steam early.  We’ve had some nights out, the two of us, but we’ve never done New Years Eve.  At least, not with people.  We used to, before Kiddo, chill at home.  We’d get a good beer or nice wine, so cheese and meats, maybe have a nice dinner, and we’d ring in the new year together.  It was always simple and just the two of us.  Since Kiddo we’re more of the; Yup, next year will get here, but it’s 22:00 (10pm) and it’s bedtime.  

We changed that this year.  A colleague of J’s lives in a condo that overlooks the river and the City and was having a smallish event.  Plus, he’s got kids and others coming had kids.  They had it set up so the kids could watch something and chill and then crash if they needed.  Thankfully, there was an early fireworks celebration and show at about 21:30 (9:30pm) and Kiddo saw that was was over the moon with it.  Then, she just wanted to chill.  

The main firework show at midnight was CRAZY.  It lasted 10 full minutes and just lit up the world.  We had a TV on behind us from the main celebration at Icon Siam so we had their countdown and that is the fireworks we could see along with the show at Asiatique.  The Ferris wheel is at Asiatique, so that was an easy landmark to find and watch out for.  Just to the left was the other.  So, the angle and view was perfect for both of the shows.

A few hours later, we found her like this.  Then, as we were waiting on the Grab car to arrive, she was looking like this.  

She was super trooper that night and had a blast.  

Next year, we will be in Shanghai, so we won’t have a repeat performance, but it was amazing to see and to F and Hel, if they ever happen across this— Thank you!  It was a wonderful evening, a great view, and the company was all we hoped for and more.  Simply amazing!

J was also pulled into her Power Form as Reader Deluxe.  We got a group selfie and nice shot Hel!  Kiddo is absent from the pic as she was crashed.

The afternoon before, Kiddo and J made Rice Crispy Treats.  As you can see, Kiddo was working her little butt off with all the cooking she had to do.  LOL

New Years Day was a lazy day.  Kiddo was grumpy monkey in the morning, but we just rolled with the random meltdowns, feelings, and grumps.  Once we had lunch and a little 75 minute rest/nap, everyone was happier and ready to lazy the afternoon away.  We watched The Princess Bride and I don’t know if you can tell, but Kiddo was entranced.  She was also loving life as a Flufferfly in her fluff cocoon.  

J and Kiddo did get out and climb the other day as well.  Just to get their bodies moving and all that.  

Yesterday was an errand day, so we did and completed and then Kiddo was with Nanny Beer for a bit in the afternoon so I could task and cook and all and J could Masters reading and work.  We also got a bunch of paperwork from Shanghai, so that rollercoaster is leaving the station and is going to only get busier.  

Today is just Wednesday and we’re all doing things today.  Tomorrow, though, is the day of days for Kiddo.  Her and J are going to the Serpentarium.  It was actually something Kiddo asked Santa for, wrote a note to Elfie about, and has been really excited for.  I wish I could go with and experience her in that, but I seriously wouldn’t survive.  I have a pretty serious phobia of snakes.  Just writing this and thinking about going to that with J and Kiddo has my heart rate monitor going off on my watch.  Seeing it, even just the pics and vids they bring home really get my heart rate going.  Being there in person, I’m sure I would go into cardiac arrest.  That’s cool, though.  Kiddo and I have baseball and the Brewers, so we have our thing too.

Come Monday, they ladies will be back in school and I’ll be back to my normal day to day.  However, as the info and paperwork comes to us from Shanghai, I will take on that as well.  It will be interesting this year, though.  I will start the paperwork and visa stuff, closing life here, packing and coordinating, planning trips, logistics, and everything else.  It’s not back to normal, it’s back to routine, but in that it will be a change of things as well.  

It’ll be an interesting new year for all here and 2024 will hold much for us.  A move.  A return to the States for the first time in 3 years.  Figuring out the move as expats.  Just life in general.  So many changes to come.  Yet— There’s a familiarity in that for us.  We’ve done this expat move thing, only it was COVID and things were seriously locked down.  This time, it’ll be a bit easier to move about, but that also means more people about.  Less time waiting in quarantines or separated by 6ft and getting Covid Tested on site, but more people, so longer lines and more people to navigate through and around.  We are, without question, very excited for all of it, however.

Let’s go, Kiddo… It’s a new year and your first new years eve party.  We’ve had a lot of fun and are looking forward to more to come.  We can’t wait to keep exploring with you and to hear and learn about all the fascinating and wonderful things that you want to tell and share with us.  Happiest 2024, Kiddo.  We hope this is a good one for you with 100 more to come.  Love!