Thanksgiving and stuff

When I say we had a Big Family Thanksgiving, I'm not kidding. We alternate years between families, and this year we were with Fillip's family. My MIL hosted 58 people Thursday. Twenty five people declined. The holiday actually started on Wednesday for us. I took the liberty of getting a mani/pedi before hitting the road. That was a mistake as traffic was terrible, making my drive nearly 2 hours- for only 20 miles! Nonetheless, with polished toes I faced a weekend of Thanksgiving festivities. On Wednesday night we moved furniture, set up tables, and set the tables- with assigned seats. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins, wondering what was happening at Grandma's house. The traditional bean/barley/ meat soup went over well "preparing our digestive systems for the next day" as one cousin commented.

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious and it was nice to visit with people. It seemed more relaxed than past years for some reason, but I don't know why. Maybe it's my new drinking habit, I really don't know. Just watching the "system" of getting dinner out of the kitchen was amazing. Hayden had a great time running after the "big kids," although I did notice him playing by himself for awhile. He gets a bit overwhelmed and seems to need some time away from other people. Fair enough. Logan was friendly, but became rather clingy as it got crowded. Can't blame him really. The house he is so familiar with had different furniture and a sea of legs, many of which had unfamiliar faces at the top. I liked him all snuggled up to me, so no complaints there. He did spend some time playing with the others. The spread of desserts was amazing as always from guava jelly cheesecake to white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake to chocolate kahlua bundt cake. That morning Hayden and I had baked a double chocolate/cream cheese swirled bundt cake (mmmm!!) which ended up being my favorite dessert. We tried putting Logan to bed at one point, well, at four points, but he screamed his head off and I finally decided it wasn't worth upsetting him that much when we would be leaving soon. The little monkey was thrilled to be taken back out of bed and seemed rather smug the rest of the night, but that could just be me. Despite being up nearly 3 hours past their routine bedtime two nights in a row, the kids were phenomenal. Of course, we paid the price for that the rest of the weekend, but overall, they were really great.

Recently, Hayden has been such a good boy. We tell him constantly and it is a joy to watch him include his little brother, share with him, "read" to him, and just be a sweetheart. He has decided that in return for his overall good behavior, he should get some leeway in naptime and bedtime. It takes him hours to go to sleep! This too shall pass. The weekend naptimes and betimes were such a challenge, until he finally crashed out of sheer exhaustion. Then he would get up and tell me how well he slept and what a good boy he is. Hard to argue with that groggy tousled face. Logan has developed some separation anxiety and clings to me quite a bit, gets really cranky and seriously objects to me leaving the room at bedtime. Over the weekend I would pat his back until his became too heavy to keep open, then just stand next to the crib. Now and then he would turn his head to make sure I was still there, then lie there quietly, alertly, content as long as I was nearby. The second I would leave the room, no matter how deeply he seemed to be sleeping, he would scream bloody murder for me to come back. Last night was a bit better, so hopefully he is feeling a bit more secure. The pending teeth aren't helping.

Friday my mom and her husband were in town. The kids were so excited to see them! Hayden had to show them all his favorite things and was so excited to go out to lunch with them. He just kept saying "Grandma Roz and Papa Arnie are coming to see me!" Yesterday, he got all excited again for my brother and sil to come for dinner. He "read" my bro Curious George and showed his Auntie Joycie all his best tricks. "Watch this! (crashing into the couch, flinging his feet up behind him) Did you see that? Wasn't that cool!" He was happy all through dinner, asking for more of this and that, then put on a great display after bathtime running naked through the house screaming "Nature Boy!!!!" Of course, he had a naked little shadow running after him, giggling all the way. Despite getting all riled up, he went to bed nicely after his story. Logan on the other hand was in fine form this weekend, especially at mealtime. He is so cute with those sweet blue eyes, his funny chatter and big grin. Then something changes. Just picture Jack Jack from the Incredibles, including the funny tuft of hair. That's my boy.

So, I have to say it-
I'm thankful for my wonderful husband, my beautiful boys, my family, my friends and my health. Happy holidays everyone.