Flashback: Thanksgiving in Washington

It feels strange to be talking about Thanksgiving in January, but as part of my catching up I can't skip over one of my favorite holidays. We had a fantastic time with our families over Thanksgiving weekend. Beware . . . lots and lots of pictures again! :)

We made the drive on Thanksgiving day and arrived in Tacoma just in time to spend a couple hours playing out in the snow before it melted. Jonathan had a blast in his new snow outfit.

He even helped roll the snowball that would become the base of his first snowman (gotta love autumn snow . . . look at all the leaves!). The base was so huge and heavy, but he put his all into it and had so much fun. (Truth be told, the base didn't budge when he tried to move it. Don't tell him that. ;))

We made a daring move and took the base and mid-section of the snowman down to the lower backyard. What a task! It partially fell apart on the way down the stairs (lots of laughter when that happened), so the boys worked to put it back together once it was closer to the house.

Of course Jonathan had to help so he "held up" the snowman while Gampa and Daddy put all the pieces together.

What would playing in the snow be without an impromptu snowball fight? (Don't worry . . . Jonathan started it, so it's okay that he's getting pelted in this shot.)

And what's a snowball fight if it doesn't end in Jonathan pushing Daddy down in the snow? They proceeded to make snow angels in the very little snow that was left on the ground. Again, note the leaves and remember we're still in November! :) (If you haven't noticed in the last couple of posts, Daddy has had an addition to his face. More on that later.)

Ta Da! Jonathan's first snowman finally came to life. He was pretty funny looking (interesting eyebrows and cheeks, Daddy), but Jonathan sure did love him. He was so excited about him! JD kept asking about how Mr. Snowman was days after we were home again (and after Mr. Snowman was long gone).

What a great way to spend Thanksgiving afternoon! We were definitely ready for yummy food when we went inside. Since fall 2009, our holiday menus (and our every day ones) have changed dramatically. We have cut out butter, refined sugar, animal fats, and enriched flour as much as possible.  We've been introduced to some amazing produce and delicious recipes thanks to the work of Rebecca Katz and her cookbook, The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen. She introduced us to the health benefits of purple peruvian potatoes over regular baking potatoes. They sure make amazing-looking (and tasting) mashed potatoes! The rest of the meal was pretty tasty, too.

After a very yummy and healthy meal, Gamma treated us to her delicious pumpkin pie. Little Mister's favorite thing about it? Isn't it obvious? :)

On Friday, we headed over to the Olympic Peninsula for a Thanksgiving-weekend tradition — picking out Gamma and Gampa's Christmas tree. It was a rainy day, but the hunt was on for the perfect tree.

Jonathan followed Daddy around most of the time, and even spent quite a while riding on his shoulders.

Eventually we found the perfect tree and headed home. Jonathan was worn out by running around in the fresh air, so he hitched a ride back to the car with daddy. What a perfect opportunity to capture the sweet sweet face of my sweet boy. This is one of my favorite pictures of the season.

Next stop of the weekend: Grandma's. Jonathan had so much fun with his Grandma Renee! He was thrilled when she let him "drive" her 1972 TR-6.

This boy loves to drive, so for him to get behind the wheel of such a cool car was the best thing! He loved every minute of it and put up a bit of a fight when driving time was over.

Next was playtime with Grandma. She surprised Jonathan with a frog puppet she had made Daddy when he was little. The froggy kept trying to take Jonathan's pretzels, but Jonathan was determined to hold onto each and every one. Froggy even tried to get the pretzels that were already on the way to Jonathan's mouth! Persistent little froggy. :)

Jonathan loved his time with Grandma. There was lots of laughter, smiles, and fun.

The next day it was time to say good bye to Gamma and Gampa and head home. It's never easy to leave them. Before we left, we took the opportunity to snap some photos for Christmas cards. Didn't this one turn out great? Look how happy our sweet boy is (to say nothing of how happy Gamma and Gampa look).

On our way home, we stopped to see our friends Lisa, Keith, Maddie, and James. Jonathan and Maddie had fun together during our short visit . . . jumping immediately into Maddie's newest favorite toy — a box that her new car seat came in. They both fit perfectly and laughed up a storm as they played with Maddie's Polly Pocket dolls and Jonathan's new Buzz Lightyear doll that he got from Maddie for his birthday.

And what's a visit without a quick foam sword fight? Looks like Maddie won.

Before heading home, Jonathan made sure he gave Maddie a big hug. He was sad to go and couldn't wait to go see her again.

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend filled with good food, lots of fun, and the love of our families. Who can ask for more to be thankful for? We are definitely blessed.

One last note about that addition to Daddy's face that I mentioned earlier.  In partnership with the men he works with at UO's Men's Center (his clinical rotation for the year), Michael agreed to be part of "Movember," an annual event intended to raise awareness of men's health issues. I salute him for committing to the cause. (Of course, I was quietly counting down the days until December 1 so I could see his clean face again. It will be back in the next post. :))