Bet you can't top this New Year's bash

I bet you can't top our New Year's Eve plans. We've got one wild evening in the works.

I've wondered for months how we could possibly beat last year's over-the-top event. First there was box mac-n-cheese and chicken sandwiches for dinner, then there was Shrek 2 ("this film has been formatted from its original version") on TV, and the evening was capped off with watching the ball drop and a bedtime of 12:01 AM. I'm pretty sure there was a nap somewhere around 10:15 as well.

But this year, I think we've outdone ourselves. Tonight's lineup is awesome: first, we're starting with leftover lasagna and garlic-Parmesan bread sticks. Then David will likely continue to work on construction in our bathroom while I hang with Noah.

After we put little man to bed between 8 and 9, we'll attempt to figure out a way to make our DVD player work so we can watch one of the three "3-for-$20" flicks we bought ourselves for Christmas with Blockbuster gift cards. If that doesn't succeed, we'll scour the standard cable channels for something entertaining to watch, or we'll spend a few hours cleaning our house (we've got sawdust everywhere).

Sometime around 11, we'll fight off sleep, or we'll actually turn in early. In years past we have watched the ball drop with one eye barely open, heads resting comfortably on our pillows.

I do have a bottle of champagne if I get all crazy and decide to celebrate the birth of 2009. In fact, we have two bottles—last year's new year's eve bottle of bubbly and one we got for free on our trip to Jamaica in October. Since David is on call tonight, that means all the fizzies will be mine, which also could mean I would turn in earlier than expected. Hmm, doubt it.

Things could get really exciting if David gets a late-night service call to attend to an errant fire alarm or a furnace boiler gone bad. But, it probably wouldn't change his night for him anyway. He hasn't slept in about five days as he's suffering through horrible coughing fits (thank you, chest cold) that normally kick into high gear around 9 PM and settle down around 5 AM.

All in all, an envious evening, yes? I suspect it's similar to the way many parents of young ones will be celebrating tonight. As a matter of fact, I talked to my sister-in-law, Emily, earlier, and she and my brother, along with their three-month-old, McCamey, have a comparable evening planned. Likewise, our pals over at The Wilson's House will be ringing in the New Year low-key as well.

If you are planning on partying in, going out, or anything other than eating leftovers, have a great time, be safe and Happy New Year!