Thanksgiving 2009

We squeezed a whole lot of activity into Thanksgiving week! We always look forward to the annual visit from Bruce, Becca, Kate, and Kiki. Their visits always end too soon but we did plenty of eating, shopping, and even got family portraits of all the grandkids with Paul and Ruth. Let me tell you - this is no small feat for the 2-6 year old contingency. I dreaded going to the studio and spent more than I care to think about outfitting the kids in clothes that are "itchy", but the end result is always invaluable.Bruce, Me, Becca, Cheryl, Burke, Mark, and James.

Becca challenged us to run the 10K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. I've never run more than three consecutive miles in my life so the prospect of running 6.2 was daunting to say the least. I seriously considered quitting at mile 4. I was painfully winded, it was hot, and the water stations consisted of boys scouts scooping warm water out of garbage cans. The combination of some timely cheer leading from my always encouraging sister, and a bit of residual sibling rivalry with my brothers, and a good playlist on my i-pod kept me in the race. I wanted to finish in under an hour. I knew it would be close and had to sprint the final 400 yards to do it but finished at 58:35. I can see how these races get addicting, although the thought of running more than a 10K is not all that appealing to me. I'm thinking a rematch at Pat's Run in April is in order.

Adorable Tiffany and Kate. Move over Kate. I have a feeling there will be a different kid on her lap next Thanksgiving, or maybe she just ate too much pie. Hard to say.This is a little random to include in this post, but since it made me laugh, I had to. This is Kiki in the playroom on Thanksgiving. She picked up this anatomically incomplete Ken doll and said, "How he go pee?" She's a funny little girl-says it like it is. No sugar coating for her.
Next stop was Thanksgiving dinner at The Hatches. There was plenty of food and extended family. This was a shot of some post feast sunbathing with Uncles Burke, Mark, and Jimmy.

We couldn't stay long because we had a Thanksgiving engagement with the Palmers in San Diego on Friday to get to. We drove from Phoenix to Yuma where we met up with Jim and Karla and drove on to San Diego. We arrived long after bedtime, so rather than get a hotel for the night, we camped out in Jim's boat. The kids thought this was pretty cool. Sophie awoke the next morning a bit disoriented. She popped her head up and said, "Mom, Where are we???" I told her to look out the window. She looked out, saw the water and said, "We are on a boat!"

It was on to Thanksgiving dinner at the Pier on Friday. The feast was delicious and hospitality amazing. The kids got to go fishing, pet a stingray, and go kayaking around the pier. It was a fun-filled day for them.

The highlight for the boys is always the beach. We have learned to stop spending money on amusement parks because this is what they love the best.

We met up with friends at the beach house they rented for the weekend. They were so nice to share their potties and warm showers when the kids came back to shore covered in sand and freezing cold.They even served us up yet another turkey feast and let the kids make a gingerbread house. Sophie loved this. She ate about four gum drops for every bite of turkey, but what are you going to do?

Watching the sunset on the beach with friends.

We finished off our mini vacation with a trip to the Scrips Aquarium. We were lucky to have Grandpa Jim as our knowledgeable tour guide. The kids were fascinated by the huge aquariums and the amazing sea life. Now on to the mounds of sandy laundry that await me...