Sunday, November 27, 2011

Thanksgiving weekend in Michigan


Happy Thanksgiving!

My mom (Nonna) is the original Fancy Nancy. She decorates a beautiful table and a tasty turkey. I wouldn't want to spend Thanksgiving dinner anywhere else. So thankful for a healthy, happy year for our families. As we followed tradition and went around the table sharing what we are most thankful for, family topped the list...nothing else really matters, does it?


Tonight we are back in Chicago and looking through our photos to relive our family filled weekend. A little recap of some of our happenings...

Thanksgiving morning began with a walk and exploration along the (new-ish) nature trails and docks on Reed's Lake. A crisp and windy morning on an otherwise beautiful and balmy Thanksgiving weekend.



To shed the carb weight, Andrew ran in the 1st annual Kent Country Club 5k. He ran along the golf course amongst wild turkeys (who managed to escape capture the day before). Guess what else...he won! He beat all 25 racers/walkers/elderly golf cart drivers. Here he is about to cross the finish line and Eloise running to greet him.


As in typical Eloise fashion, she bites it and lands on the cement. But Andrew swoops her up and carries her to the finish line - actually there wasn't even a finish line. She scraped her knee, but all is okay.


First place finishers posing at the clock with George practicing his putt in the background.


This cute boy loved the golf carts.


Nonna took her grand girls (and me!) to see the Nutcracker. Such a fun memory to take Eloise to her first ballet - and especially special that it was a ballet that I spent so many years performing in. I was SO much better than any of those mice this year. I mean, come on.



We were happy to get together for a play date at Breton School with Reedo and Cam and their families. How quickly our EGR friend's families are growing and it is SO much fun to get together with our kids and watch them play together - and catch-up with our friends at the same time. We are thankful that Ryan and Dave each welcomed baby boys just last week and Reedo's little girl will be here in a few months. So amazing, right? And the cutest kids...ever.


We had a second Thanksgiving feast at Poppy and Yaya's house on Saturday. Such a fun, chaotic (8 kids under 8 is a lot to handle!), football watching celebration. George preferred painting with mashed potatoes to eating them.


Now we plan to enjoy every single second of this Christmas season. So many fun things to do in the next 4 weeks and such a magical time for our children. Next on the list, decking our halls with boughs of holly (not to mention don we now our gay apparel).

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Lights, camera, Christmas!

Andrew spent the weekend in Ann Arbor while Nonna and Grandpa Walker came to visit us in Chicago. We went downtown for the annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, which begins with Mickey and Minnie lighting the trees along Michigan Avenue and continues for over an hour with floats, balloons and bands. The best part? We saw the REAL Santa Claus. Eloise's reaction was unbelievable. Squealing, frantically waving, jumping up and down, and screaming over and over "He's come to town! It's really him! Saaaaannnta!" I'll remember it always.




Sunday, November 13, 2011

Yikes!

We went to an after hours fancy pants party at the Field Museum this weekend. This crazy man was juggling knives. Guess who loved it and kept inching closer? Stay back!


Sunday, November 6, 2011

Jane and gang



Baby Jane was here this weekend. So was her mom, dad, and doggy. And Hamma and Boppa. And Uncle Jon. And Uncle Jon's friend Chris. Mostly, we celebrated Uncle Dave's birthday. HB MBD!


big cousin feeding baby cousin

Hamma and her granddaughters

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Happy 5th Birthday!



To our sweet, mostly lazy but occasionally overly wild, always sneaky, lovable but often grouchy, barky bark Maize Mountain Jam Hamm. We love you SO much. You helped turn us into a family of three and now in five quick years, we are a family of five! Thanks for putting up with the babies pulling your ears and body slamming you. I promise that one day they will become your best friends...perhaps they already are. Actually no, I am.


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Happy Halloween!

Fancy Nancy and a sock monkey

We did a little trick-or-treating preview and attended a party in our neighborhood on Sunday. On the actual day, I was lucky enough to volunteer at the Halloween party in Elle's classroom. I made thumbprint bats, spiders and pumpkins with the kids and also brought in string cheese fingers for a snack. I loved another chance to get to know all of her new friends. Such a cute, patient, well-behaved group of kids! We trick-or-treated with our neighbors on Halloween night. The kids were so excited - and exhausted! Boo!!!

dressed and ready for their party

cutest sock monkey ever

love this one

now get back here!

string cheese fingers

Halloween parade at school

she was SO excited to have me there

trick-or-treat smell my feet

not scared this year

he ain't afraid of no ghosts