Thanksgiving 2008

We had a lovely, long weekend for this year's Thanksgiving. Here's a brief synopsis of each day, because I have to think through things in an organized way!

Thursday: We hung out at home on Thursday and enjoyed a quiet day. James didn't nap, which was frustrating. But during his rest time with Greg, I got up to Giant to get some extra appetizer stuff for dinner. We hosted my parents, my grandma and my uncle for a non-Thanksgiving dinner of crock pot beef stew, rolls, salad, and cake. For appetizers my parents brought samosas (yum!) and I made puff pastry-wrapped brie (wow wow!). It was lovely to host a small gathering and James was in his element showing off his zebra riding toy, his cars, his dancing, etc. Nate was awesome and was happy to be held and to observe. My grandma really enjoyed holding him, which makes me so happy. It was a lovely day.

Friday: We were all up at 4:55 a.m. Not to go shopping, but just...because. Ugh. Ugh. I sent Greg back to bed for a few hours as I'd slept late on Thursday. So at 6 a.m. while Nate took a short swing nap, I made apple pie for that evening (James helped me make the pumpkin pie on Thursday). Scrumptious is the name of the pie and it certainly was. I can't wait to make it again. I could LIVE on crumb topping. Seriously. Anyway, I digress. We went to Reston Town Center for the Holiday Parade - we were walking with Wee Play. It was pretty darn cold but still very fun. Sadly, a horse in one of the nearby groups fell down and had a seizure - he seemed okay after a while but some of the kids were really freaked out. We were nervous too, we weren't sure what was going on. Besides that, it was pretty funny to be in a parade. One friend who was visiting her mom for Thanksgiving (from Richmond) saw me and yelled at us. That made me feel very popular. :)

After more play at Wee Play and some pizza, we went home and all took naps. Thank goodness. Then we went to my parents house for turkey dinner. All the trimmings plus family and pie. Wonderful.

Saturday: Greg had some work to do for an upcoming presentation, so the boys and I used our 1/2 off discount for James to work off some energy at At Play Cafe. He had a blast and I enjoyed catching up with a friend from my moms group who works there. Greg joined us and they turned on the Tech game for him (it was on cable). James seriously could have stayed all day. We eventually left but only after 3 hours of playtime, Greg seeing the game, and me using their free WiFi to order Christmas cards and gifts. How's that for $4? We then had lunch at Buffalo Wing Factory. Do not order the $5 nachos. Trust me.

Sunday: We awoke to a cold and rainy day, so decided to stay around home instead of going to the Annapolis tree lighting ceremony. Instead we spent way too much money at Costco (on food, mainly meat, so the freezer is now bursting) and then just hung out here. Greg did a research trip to Ritz Camera for my "surprise" Christmas present and then Nate and I went to Giant during his evening nap for fresh groceries. So we got a lot accomplished which was good.

So all in all a good weekend. James is such a fun kid. And it seems like he's been talking forever...it's SO nice to communicate with him. Sure, we have tantrums and on non-nap days it's like having a drunk sorority girl in the house (dramatics, crying at the drop of a hat, etc.), but overall he's such a great boy. And Nate is SO happy. He smiles, laughs, and is just so easy. Was James like that but I didn't see it or enjoy it as much? I'm not sure. I just love them both so much. It is a fun life with our kids - exhausting, frustrating, overwhelming...sure. But happy and full of love and joy? Absolutely.