Catching up

I know this is very belated, but our Thanksgiving was just delightful. We spent it with my parents and sister, who oogled the baby, thus giving me plenty of time to relax-fully cook. Never have I been filled with such gratitude on that holiday. Nat was featured prominently in each of our thanks-lists. We watched the Mayflower Charlie Brown episode. We stuffed ourselves silly. Menu featured below, for those of you into that sort of thing.* (On the subject of Thanksgiving food, we actually enjoyed three Thanksgiving meals this year. Can't get much better than that.)

Nat has been growing bigger and stronger. He loves playing and cooing now, and particularly loves being held up in the air. He's had the opportunity to meet a few more cousins of late, and, social butterfly that he is, flirted with them all.


Per my normal December attitude, I've been filled with Christmas giddiness and spent an embarrassing amount of time adding every Christmas movie known to man to our Netflix list. Sadly, many of them have waits, so we may not get through very many before January. At least there's always music by the tree and fireplace. And pumpkin chocolate chip bread and hot chocolate. Lots of hot chocolate.


(Why, yes, we are wearing matching penguin Christmas socks, thank you for asking.)

We fly to Utah a week from yesterday, and I am beyond thrilled. It will be so fun to see all of our family out there, although I will miss my parents/sister desperately. Although I think they will miss the little one even more.


And a few more pictures for my traveling family.


And finally, I didn't realize I wouldn't be able to turn this, but here's a little video clip.





*Thanksgiving menu:

• Cornbread
• Cranberry sauce
• Quinoa with pomegranate, craisins, and walnuts
• Julia Child's garlic mashed potatoes (the ratio of butter to potato is only justifiable on Thanksgiving)
• Creamy corn casserole
• Glazed carrots
• Sweet potato casserole
• Green bean casserole
• Pumpkin curry soup
• Sweet potato & butternut squash lasagna
• Apple pie (with an all-butter crust, shortening gives me the heebie jeebies, and butter is just so tasty)
• Pumpkin pie
  

Almost as cool as last V-day

So I admit it, I'm a grinch - I've never believed in Santa Claus (the subject for a later post) and I don't like Valentine's Day. But this year, we went down to Houston to witness the wedding of our friends Manny & Lorie and oh it was so wonderful.

A) We got to see them get hitched! They were so happy and so relaxed, which I loved. Always the sign of a good relationship, I think.

B) We got to hang out with our fabulous friend Cynthia and her equally cool boyfriend Carlo. We ate and walked around and chatted and, importantly, listened to the Valentine's Day CD Making Contest contenders. I'm embarrassed to admit that this has been a bi-annual tradition for six. years. now. Yeesh.

C) It was warm! Joy of joys!

D) We got to dance the night away at their reception. I never danced in high school until I met Dan. He was just so uninhibited and just worried about having fun rather than how he looked or, um, running into other dancers, that I just couldn't help myself. I've loved dancing ever since, and he makes me feel comfortable enough to do it in public.

E) We saw a really fabulous Byzantine fresco museum and a lovely lovely sculpture garden. Where we read a book in the aforementioned warmth of the sun.

F) We had the adrenaline-pumping experience of almost missing our flight. Abnormally, we were at the airport a full 2 hours in advance because Houston is super spread out and we couldn't find a restaurant other than McDonald's within walking distance. So we figured we might as well go to the airport and eat there. So we get there and because of the (again aforementioned) warmth (do you see a theme emerging?), we sat outside on the grass for a while and read a book (theme numero dos). We go inside with a full hour and a half to spare and leisurely eat our dinner. Except, um, it was a bit too leisurely. Dan eventually glances down at his phone clock at 6:47. Yeah, our flight was scheduled to depart at 6:55. We frantically gather up our half-eaten food and start towards our gate, at which point we hear our names announced over the intercom. I race ahead (Dan is kindly carrying, oh, uh, ALL our luggage) to keep them from closing the doors on us and, thank heavens, we make it. But by this point, every single non-middle seat is taken and we have no chance at sitting next to each other. :( :( But about half an hour into the flight, Dan glances across the row at me and motions that his very very kind seatmate with whom he's been chatting has offered to trade up his lovely window for my middle seat across the aisle. Not gonna lie, a teensy tear of surprise and joy may or may not have escaped.

G) We met these cuties at the Houston Arboretum Discovery Center.

(PS - I even TRIED to upload pictures this time. But my computer is having nothing of it.)

(PPS - See here for last year's festivities. Because we all know it's cooler to celebrate 100 days until your wedding than Valentine's Day. Dang it, I just realized that this was supposed to be an annual thing.)