Thanksgiving 2011

We spent Tuesday with Marleigh's family. This is Sarah, Edison's favorite cousin and he calls her his friend - how sweet. She was great with him.
Busy preparations the night before the big meal. Edison & Eben brined the turkey while Uncle Palmer made an amazing apple pie.
Edison was so excited to play with all seven of his cousins on Thanksgiving. They ran a million laps around the yard.
This is the first picture of the cousins in which none of them are actively protesting the affair. I think it turned out splendidly! Back row: Ellie, Harry, Lily, Will - Front row: Drew, Amelia, Edison, Charlotte, and Sarah.
They read books while they waited for the meal.
The kids table never looked better. I missed a picture of the feast, but it really was a fantastic meal, one of the best Thanksgiving meals I've ever had.
To burn off the calories, we all walked over to Stanley Elementary School. Eben & his siblings reminisced about the good old days while the kids burned off some steam.

The Phillips Family: Marleigh, Eben, Dean, David, Palmer (and Gus).
Our only family picture of the trip.

Exploring Granddaddy David's House

Often hailed as the least child-safe house in Massachusetts, we braved a week at Eben's dad's house for Thanksgiving. The kids ended up making it through the week without injury, but these stairs were still threatening - well, mostly the thin ropes serving as a barrier to falling off the platform into the living room below. The kids didn't seem to notice, though.
They slept in Uncle Dean's old room. Thanks so much to Auntie Carolyn for bringing over all the baby gear we needed for the whole week. We managed to travel without checking any bags - a near miracle.
Charlotte adored riding on this Thomas scooter at Dean & Carloyn's house Monday. We were able to spend a lot of quality time with our newest nephew, Drew, while there. Somehow I didn't get a picture~ drat!
Following in his father's footsteps, Edison was quickly drafted into service for Granddaddy David, a three-year-old can totally handle a leaf blower, right?!
Fortunately, Edison decided leaf blowing was not for him. Instead he tried to tie two scooters together with rope and tow Charlotte behind him. She escaped with minor bruises. Grandaddy had given the rope to Edison so he could continue to work on his "sheepshank knot" that he learned on the sailboat this summer.
The kids enjoying the rolls at dad's favorite Chinese restaurant, Fantasy Island. I've always wondered why a Chinese restaurant serves these Italian rolls with the meal, now I know.
In the kitchen - the calm before the Thanksgiving cooking begins.
My cousin Matt is now in grad school in Boston. It was awesome to see him. I actually kind of like the "Mo-Vember" mustache. We're hoping to convince him to come out skiing with us this winter - hope it works out!

Traveling to Boston

We took the kids to see Eben's family in Boston for Thanksgiving. At the Seattle airport we found a giant Orca whale!

They haven't been on the airplane since last January. Their favorite part was looking out the window on take offs and landings.
We had a lay-over in Minneapolis. Luckily, they had a great playground for the kids.

Charlotte took a nap on the second leg. It is the best thing in the world to have your kids fall asleep on you. Edison mostly watched cartoons on his DVD player - not something we do every day, but definitely worth it on long travel days.

Early Snow!

We had an early snowfall before Thanksgiving and the kids got out on the sled. They had a blast!
It was wonderful when Edison took over the reigns for awhile.
When they were warmed up we moved to the hill between our front and back yards.
Edison did a great job helping Charlotte go for her first sled ride of the year. She had a blast!
I finally unpacked our toy bag from the summer - I had it ready to go for all the camping trips and overnights. I found Edison's sunglasses in it - but Charlotte was the one who was really excited for them.

Weekend in DC - Bill & Katie's Wedding

While our kids stayed home with Nana, followed by Matt & Lisa, we enjoyed an awesome trip to DC for Bill & Katie Woityra's wedding. (Note - Edison insists on wearing the giraffe outfit all the time now.)
We got to spend the weekend with our Coast Guard friends. Eben loved being back with the guys. This was our hangout for the weekend, RJ's house.
The gang before we headed out: Eben, Paul, Craig, Josh, RJ & Ratch.

With my hubby - all dressed up for a change!
Craig, Bill (the groom), Eben & RJ.
Bill & Katie hosted an amazing pre-wedding eve party at Marvin in DC.
Craig & RJ.
My buddy for the weekend, Wally. The only other lady amongst these guys.
At the wedding reception. It was a grand affair and the bride & groom are so happy and in love.
Fun to have a giant "date weekend" for a change!
Paul, Eben, Craig, RJ, and Josh.
At the after-party.
And, as RJ calls it, the after-after party at his house. We had a blast playing Rock Band.

We were on fire!
Last ones standing... nice duets RJ!

NOVEMBER - Happy Birthday, Nana!

It is starting to get chilly here - just this week we've been dipping below freezing at night. Eben took both kids with him to gather wood - our community association puts all the wood from trees that go down in windstorms next to the pool. So he filled up the trailer with a cord of alder, now all he has to do is split it...
Charlotte's attentiveness has increased tremendously in the last two months.
Yesterday was Nana's birthday party. She wanted to get a few shots of herself with the "Baby Grands" beforehand.
Charlotte has been infatuated with the football lately - one of the few words she says. She brought it in the car and held onto it the whole way to the restaurant (20 minutes).
We went up to Anthony's in Everett. It was a beautiful day, especially for this time of year. Edison liked checking out the fishing boats and all their equipment on deck.
Looking south towards Mukilteo behind us.
We had a big group, but luckily the kids were on the end and could do a few laps during the meal to make them last.
On this side:Peter, Jason, Bestamor, Kirstie, Lee, and the birthday girl, Bonnie.
And on this side, a beautiful view of the marina, Charlotte, Edison, Eben, Kathie, Floyd, Jennie, and Pete.
Can you believe this is my mom's 70th birthday? I can't! She looks fabulous!
We also celebrated Bestamor's 97th birthday! The headphones are hooked up to a microphone that she uses to help hear better.
My kids know that a birthday party means birthday cake. In this case, Charlotte enjoyed the creme brulee.
It was warm in the sun in the afternoon and we played outside a little more.
With my cousin, Jason. As you can see, Charlotte and I coordinated outfits - very fun!