Happy holidays . . . a little late

Happy holidays to all a little late. We all had a great Christmas here. Everyone actually managed to remain well for a change. Usually, we have some kind of sickness going through the house. I got strep throat the week before Christmas and was sure one of the kids would come down with it at a convenient time, like Christmas Eve. Some how they managed to remain unscathed . . . so far. Scott has now come down with something and is headed to the ExpressCare Center as I write this!
Scott and the kids spent New Year's Eve at home while I went to work. Blake was ready for it two days before. We had just put him to bed on Friday, and he came downstairs, saying, "Hey, I didn't get to yell Happy New Year!" We told he had to wait two days. On the night of New Year's Eve, Blake decided he HAD to stay up until midnight. Scott tried changing the clocks in Blake's room and the kitchen, but Blake pointed to the one in the living room, way up by the ceiling and said, "It's when both hands are on the 12 right?" Why did we teach him to tell time!?!
He almost made it. About 11:45 he said he was "just going to rest his eyes." We woke him up 15 minutes later for a half-hearted, "Happy New Year." And then put him put him to bed.
On the school front, Blake wrote a book for a Young Author's contest. He had to write it and illustrate it. And he did a great job. I leave on this site, a poem he recently wrote. We've been reading a lot of Shel Silverstein poetry ("Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "Falling Up"), so I think that is what inspired this. So without further ado, here it is. Enjoy!

I'm tired of eating just cereal.
So I opened a can of bubblegum.
The bubblegum said,
"Hey, we were trying to sleep
until you let in the light.
Do don't take one and close it up tight."
But I took one of them and closed the lid.
And put it in my mouth.