Thanksgiving Wrap-Up

Thanksgiving came and now it is gone. Everything went well, though I was forced to realize that being pregnant does make hostessing big events a little harder. I had lots of help getting all the food together and it didn't feel particularly taxing at the time, but I got knocked down by a terrible headache around noon that refused to go away for the rest of the day. Luckily tylenol and my delicious cheeseball appetizers helped dull the pain.

The cooking commenced around 8 a.m. Here my Grandpa Jim is making his famous stuffing while the dogs stick close to their new best friend.

We took everyone out to the park while the turkey cooked. Landon was very excited to show his Papa the ropes. This is his favorite slide -- favorite because it's FAST. Or so he tells me every time he's about to go down it. My dad found it to be pretty quick too.

My dad got a tour of all of the best playground pieces, including careful directions through Landon's favorite tunnel.

Once my dad was safely through the tunnel, Landon showed my mom and me his monkey bar skills. (Also pictured: my 13-week baby bump. And the three sausage rolls I ate for breakfast.)

JP was nearly as excited as Landon because he had my brother, former high school football star, and my dad to throw the ball around with. I know very little about the sport, but their long-distance throws and catches looked pretty impressive to me. Landon played too and had so much fun running with the big kids (my dad included in that group, of course).

My dad's parents were there to watch everyone run about for an hour or two and then we headed back to the house to lay out the appetizer buffer and wait for my sister (who had to work until 3) and my mom's parents to arrive. Thursday was their 54th wedding anniversary and we had a champagne toast before dinner in honor of their happy past, present, and future together.

The meal came together beautifully and JP carved his first turkey. I retired to my room after dinner in an attempt to make my headache go away (and avoid the dishes- a time honored trick my sister mastered in childhood). It was a good day and I think most fun was seeing Landon entertain all of his guests. I'm not sure he's ever been happier- 10 sets of eyes followed his every move and 10 sets of hands clapped whenever he did anything remotely noteworthy. He loves his big family and had a great day.

Everyone was on their way home by 9 a.m. on Friday morning and then we spent three quiet days together as a little family. We took the dogs and Landon and his big red wagon on long walks through the trails around our neighborhood and watched a lot of Christmas movies on TV. I a ridiculous amount of time on the couch and accomplished almost exactly nothing (though I did read the two last books in the Wilderness series by Sara Donati; very good). My work computer never left its case. Landon joined us in bed each morning and we'd tickle and cuddle and read. I thought about getting out the Christmas decorations, but rejected the idea in lieu of watching The Santa Claus on TBS for the second time. I did manage to finish my extended family Christmas shopping on Sunday thanks to my laptop and wireless internet. I'm very excited about all of the gifts I picked out- I even purchased a few for me from JP. They're going to be such a surprise!

Now I'm back at work with the Frank Sinatra holiday station playing on pandora.com. I love the holidays.