Thanksgiving Weekend

Perry has a new friend from school whose family is from Russia, so we invited them over to try a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. They brought a honey cake and we made 5 pies.

The kids played the whole time and barely ate, but it gave the adults time to visit.

The next morning we went to hunt for a tree.

Our favorite place to go has hot chocolate and cider, isn't too far up the mountains, has a tree wrap and ties you can use, and sells tamales.

Found a winner.

It was not small.

Amanda is a Perry magnet.

Taking turns with the saw

Jane offered to help carry the tree to the van.

She quickly let her older brothers take over.

Grapes for people trying not to get carsick, books for the unafflicted. 

Hey, where's Perry?

I got Buddy and Jovie pajamas for my matchie buds.

The perfect kick off to the Christmas season!

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

While John's parents were in town, we went on a hike.

Jane was on a "bear hunt" like her book.

It was a clear and lovely day.

Hitching a ride

Climbing anything they can

Trekking up the hills

Then we tried Crumbl cookie. We got one of each flavor and cut them in 8ths so we could sample all of them.

Some were better than others, but they were all good.

Then grandma walked the boys to school with us

and headed out.

Their visits are always too short, but it's so nice to see them.

12th Anniversary

My mom came out to watch the kids while John and I went on our anniversary trip. The way to Jane's heart is through reading.

And shopping. Jane loves getting out of the house and particularly likes going to stores.

It was our first time away from Jane, so we were glad my mom came early to get reacquainted. Then we stole away for the night.

Our first stop was Henry Cowell Redwoods for a stress- and complaint-free hike. Then the Cheese Shop 831 for lunch.

At our hotel we went swimming, soaked in the hot tub, then John painted my toes.

We went for a walk on the beach.

And went down to Monterey to eat more. Pasta lunch at Il Vecchio, cheese tasting in Carmel, then we tried this amazing Dutch donut.

We walked down Cannery Row and had to stop at Ghirardelli. On our honeymoon we had a peppermint hot chocolate and sundae. Since we were still pretty full this time, we combined the treats and shared a frozen hot chocolate.

We came back home to some very excited kids. Jonah was showing us the cookies they decorated before we were even in the house. 

The rest of the week we ran some errands with Oma.

The lady at the Indonesian shop gave Jane a candy necklace. She could not believe she'd been missing out on wearable candy all this time.

While my mom was here, Scott was in the bunk bed and Jane liked to sneak up and sleep with him.

Then, before we knew it, my mom's trip ended.

Jane was very upset about her going on the airplane without her. Same, Jane, same.

Thanksgiving 2021

The kids had the week of Thanksgiving off from school. Perry did some fun crafts the last day before break.

Little turkey.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, John worked a half day and we all went to the zoo.

Jane enjoying her nutella sandwich before playing. And sharing her platypus hat with a platypus statue.

How many kids can we fit on one sculpture?

We visited the "Perry dogs" and found four giant ones hiding.

On Thanksgiving, Jane wore Perry's old turkey shirt. I sent her matching dress to my friend and wished we were together for a matchy picture.

We had a delicious dinner. I did the grocery shopping and many, many loads of dishes and John did allll the cooking.

We each made two pies.

Then we went to the drive-in and saw Encanto. It was the kids' first big screen movie since before the pandemic, which was two Thanksgivings ago when we went to Arizona. 

It's chillier in the winter, but also starts earlier so the kids are still up. We had a great day together, but missed being with extra family.

Jonah Turns 8

Jonah requested John's sourdough waffles with cream and berries for breakfast.

Excellent fuel for swim lessons, where he gives his all and is making great progress.

Then Amanda brought a special Zelda Hylian shield cake to celebrate with us.

He opened his gifts

Including a big tube of candy.

The next morning he broke out his new Risk game.

Then on Saturday, we had a swim party with his cousins and a few pool friends.

Playing silence, which we called sharks and minnows.

We had a coin dive, a water fight with the new water guns he got, and then pizza.

Even with his peers around, Jonah gravitated to his siblings.

Then birthday brownies!

At eight years old, Jonah is 58.4 pounds and 4'2". His favorite food is haystacks, animal is otters, movie is Star Wars, color is navy blue, books is the Misadventures of Edgar and Allan Poe, and song is Hero by Weezer. 

When he grows up he wants to play sports. He loves swimming, reading in the hammock in the backyard, playing games--board, video, and sports. He also loves eating and is always hungry.