New Year's 2015/2016

Okay, so I know today is the last day in January, which means this is a month late.  But better late than never right?  Here are the events of our New Year's celebration.

We had some friends over for New Year's Eve.  We had several couples, and then the most die hard couple, Jared and Breanna, stuck around for a sleepover.

As always, an important part of our New Year tradition is trying new foods.

The weirdest thing we tried was parsnip chips.  I don't recommend them.

Robyn was not a fan.

Jared was indifferent.

Breanna was also not a fan.

Various treats

Robyn talking to Jackie

Jared and the Barbers

Of course, for the die hards, the part continued into the morning.  Jared and Breanna joined us for breakfast before heading off to do some New Year's day adventuring on our own.

You know a party is serious when the Cthulhu mask comes out.

Ringing in the New Year

As I've already mentioned, the biggest event that happened for our New Year's celebration was that we got a new nephew.  But, I thought I'd mention the other festivities that we participated in as well.

Robyn's family has a tradition that she and I have incorporated into our family.  On New Year's Eve, we try new foods that we have never tried before.  It's a way to bring new experiences into the new year.  Sometimes we try things that sound delicious.  Sometimes we try things that sound strange.  Sometimes they are delicious, and sometimes they are gross, but the expectations don't always match the reality.

This year there was nothing super crazy.

There were however, some unexpected things.  I was excited for the Maple Bacon chips because BACON!  They didn't really taste like bacon but they were still good.

The grossest thing was the carrot chips.  They didn't taste like carrots, they juts tasted like the plastic container.  Fun fact:  plastic tastes gross.

The runaway hits were the butterscotch root beer and the lime and sea salt white chocolate.  They both made me a happier man.

After partaking of our new experiences we went to our friend Melissa's house to party it up all night long.  We had warned her that we are old, and may not stay all night due to sleepiness, but a great miracle happened.  We got into party mode and were totally still awake at midnight.  Who would've thought?

You get us going on karakoe and we can't be stopped.

The moral of the story is that we're totally young and hip, and can totally stay awake until midnight.

Also, for extra credit, the second moral is:  Happy New Year!

A New Nephew For the New Year

New Year's Eve was a big day for my family.  My mom finally became a Grandma.

I should note that she's been pressuring me to have children since the day I got home from my mission.  At the time I tried to explain to her that there were some behaviors involved with having children that I probably shouldn't do when I'm a single person fresh home from a mission, but my mom would have none of it.  She wanted grandchildren and that was the end of the discussion.  (In her defense, she hasn't nagged us about having grandchildren since we announced we were trying to adopt.)

Despite not nagging Robyn and I for grandchildren, Mom's desire to have them hasn't been any less.  So I was very happy when I got up on the morning of New Year's Eve to see that my sister-in-law had given birth and Ethan had entered the world around 3 AM.   My Mom finally got to be a cute little granny and hold her new grandson.

Isn't she the cutest Grandma?

I was sleeping when Ethan entered the world, and after that I was working.  So I didn't get to see Ethan until the later afternoon, but I did get to come meet him and wish him a happy birthday.

Look at that preciousness.

The picture looks kind of like he's a redhead, but he's actually super bright blond.  He's a pretty well mannered baby.  He only cried when is parents did cruel things like move him or change his diaper.

Zack was a super cute little Daddy.  He was just enamored with Ethan and only ran in terror once when he had a poopy diaper.

And Robyn was a super cute little aunt.

We're excited to welcome the newest member of our extended family.  Ethan is probably the second cutest Stockett behind Robyn.

Bacon Soda, Not as Awesome as it Sounds

Robyn and I have a little tradition on New Year's Eve.  As we ring in the new year we like to try some new foods that we've never tried before.

This year, a friend of mine pointed me in the direction of something truly fabulous.  As anyone with taste buds knows, bacon is the greatest food ever to have been discovered on planet earth.  Naturally, it stands to reason that it would make an excellent flavor for soda.  That's where bacon soda comes in.

Don't I look like a happy lad?

Well, unfortunately it turns out that bacon may actually have some limitations. (I'm as surprised as you are.)  My brother and his wife came over and the four of us gave it a try.  Here is the result:

As you can see, the bacon soda could probably use some improvement.  But, don't worry.  I know you're sad you missed the experience.  That's why I made this video, so you could taste it right along with us.  (And by taste it, I mean don't taste it but watch us taste it and imagine what it tastes like as you see our reactions.)

The bacon soda experience was so profound that it inspired this poem.

Bacon soda, you're kind of gross.
Bacon soda, I hate you most
Bacon is yummy,
in my tummy
Bacon soda makes me sad
Bacons soda is so bad.