Turkey Day Replay
Thanksgiving always seems to be a whirlwind of traveling, friends, family, and food for us. This year we started off our adventure in New Jersey to cram in visits with as many people as possible. Though somehow we only really ended up with two good pictures, this one of me and my good friend / former work partner Heather (and her sweet son Evan):
It’s amazing to see how much both of our kids have changed since our visit last Thanksgiving, when Evan was only 7 weeks old and Clara was just over six months):
As much as Clara enjoyed playing with Evan while we watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, she was most enamored with her Uncle Monkey (aka my brother Almost-Dr. Dan – who actually will become a bona fide doctor/chemist this January!). For the record, Dan established the “Uncle Monkey” nickname for himself, and Clara is quickly catching on (when we showed her this picture a few days later she exclaimed “Uncle Monkey!). Now if only I could get $herdog to stick…
Sadly we didn’t get any pics of Clara with my mom, my dad, or my grandma – that’s how much of a whirlwind it was. And then after a few good meals in Jersey / New York, we headed to Delaware to clock some time with John’s family at his parents’ beach house (where that whole crew was gathered for their Thanksgiving celebration). And thanks to the unseasonably warm weather, we actually got to spend some time on the beach itself. It was an amazing 75 degrees!
But most of Clara’s time was spent playing with her cousins, specifically cousin John (who’s about 10 months older). We don’t see him as often because he lives in Manhattan, but John taught Clara the wonders of coloring…
… as well as the joy of throwing rocks in the bay (it was very shallow there btw, which is the only reason I’m ok with John not holding her with both hands while she wears ten life jackets)…
Clara repaid him with one (well, several) of her intense tackle hugs.
And even reserved a gentler version of her hug for new cousin Ben, whom we got to meet for the first time on this trip.
Clara was in love with “Baby Ben,” as she calls him. Like legit, all-caps IN LOVE with him.
And we, Ben’s aunt and uncle, were pretty fond of that boy too. No need for bump watch on me though – we’re still about a year off from being ready for Baby #2. But we’re very happy to enjoy this little guy in the meantime.
John and Ben even had a “Who can make more neck rolls” contest. It was a tie.
The other star of the weekend for Clara (besides Evan, Cousin John, Uncle Monkey, and Baby Ben) was John’s Dad, aka Tom Tom.
Even if she had to share him with her other cousins, we often found Clara right by Tom Tom’s side.
She even helped him plant a tree (sort of).
Oh, and if you’re wondering about Clara’s clothes – she was cheering on John’s alma mater on Saturday thanks to a UVA cheerleading outfit that his mom got her. Though it clearly didn’t work because UVA was slaughtered by Virginia Tech. Sadness. But look at those long legs!
Despite all the boys to play with over this holiday weekend, there was still room for Daddy. Even if Daddy was giving me a heart attack by swinging her around (which she of course loved more than I would have like her to). It was hair-raising for both of us, in two senses of the word.
And we can’t forget about Burger – look how sweet he is. Just sunbathing on the beach house steps. Not a care in the world.
So that’s what our whirlwind NJ, NY, and DE Thanksgiving looked like. Lots to be thankful for. How about you guys? How’d you spend Turkey Day?
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What a sweet and fun holiday you had! P.S. I, too, have a Dr. Dan for a brother. My big brother just earned his PhD in Chemistry in August! :)
That’s crazy!!! Are we the same person?
xo,
s
Thanks for sharing the joy of your holiday – what wonderful families you have. I particularly loved the last three photos – Clara really is turning into quite the long-legged beauty, that shot of John and Clara made me say ‘aww’ out loud at work, and, hey, who wouldn’t be thankful for a guy like Burger!
Looks like you guys had a great Thanksgiving. Clara is so sweet and cute!
Love love love swinging babies around! I’m also a fan of the “pretend to drop them and then catch them at the last second” game… Every kid I’ve ever done it to loves it too.
Very sweet. I have a son about a month older than Clara and it’s crazy to compare where they are now to where they were a year ago. It’s even more amazing when someone in the family has a child that is about a year younger and you tell your self, “Man, I can’t believe this is what we looked like last year.” It’s wild!
It’s a good things we don’t age as rapidly as our children do.
Looks like a great time was had by all! :) My father-in-law is a grandbaby magnet too, there’s something so sweet about seeing a granpa surrounded by all the babies…those pics made me weepy for the days when mine were babies. It’s unbelievable how fast it goes by. Thanks for sharing these moments with us “looky-lous”, I, for one certainly enjoy it. :) :)
How long do you stay at each place? We go to both families also for all holidays, but luckily, we all live within 10 minutes from each other. :)
We were in NJ/NY for two days and in DE for two more! Gotta love long weekends.
xo,
s
Sounds hectic, but oh so much fun! Growing up my favorite part of the holidays was playing with my cousins. Definitely lots of fond memories for Clara in the making!
Great pictures! The one of Clara by the water is beautiful. And I think I could give those boys a run for their money in the “most neck rolls” contest, haha.
Ahh, it hurts my eyes to see that UVA cheerleader outfit, I’m a Hokie though and through and thorougly enjoyed the slaughtering :)
Another Hokie here, but I would still cuddle that cute cheerleader, even if she is cheering for UVa! Adorbz!
Baby Ben looks like Clara did in early infancy! So cute :)
I agree! I see the most resemblance between him and her than any other kiddos born yet!
xo,
s
Way to go, $herdog (someday it’ll stick)… That neck roll comment made me spit my orange soda on my keyboard… Thanks. =P
Looks like you guys had a great holiday! We had 4 Thanksgivings, but no travelling (thank GOODNESS). Christmas will be a different story…and in the snow too! Blech.
So, so sweet! Love Clara’s tackle hugs, that shot cracks me up! She’s such a little lover. :) Mine was spent with family (I live a whole 15 minutes from my parents), eating and then relaxing at the dog beach on Black Friday. My brothers and I each have a dog, so it’s quite the menagerie when we all get together!
I just have to say – I love these posts. So great to see cousins love on each other and family that is so close. We are the minority these days, I am afraid. Also, just a little jealous that you got so many pictures over your holiday. I was so caught up in the fun that I missed a lot of photo ops. :(
Sounds like a great holiday! Our Thanksgiving was also spent in the Jerz (we live in Hoboken), complete with some Black Friday shopping at those famous Jersey malls.
That picture of Clara’s Tom Tom with all those kids is precious. Grandpas love the babies!!
Heck ya for Tom Tom’s Marshall University. Way to show the Mountain State some loooove. (Although like a GOOD West Virginian- I’m a WVU fan. Go ‘eers!!!!!)
My dad’s actually wearing that for my Mom. She grew up in Huntington and went to Marshall. My dad is an OU Sooner. :)
-John
John,
Your dad must be a great guy if he is a Sooner!!! It is Bedlam this weekend and it is Crimson and Cream all the way, BOOMER SOONER! Such a small world sometimes :)
I can’t believe you have an Uncle Monkey in your family, I thought I was the only one! My brother makes a frighteningly accurate monkey noise and bounds around the kitchen with all the kids racing after him trying to imitate the whole process. Absolutely hilarious!
Amen! It’s total comic relief. Love it!
xo,
s
Go Hokies! ;)
Go hoos! such a sad game…
HAHA I love your explanation of why you are letting Clara stand close to the edge. Have you seen Tina Fey’s prayer for her daughter in her book- Bossypants? I feel like her “Guide her and Protect her” paragraph is totally applicable here
Haha, totally!
xo,
s
What a great (albeit hectic!) holiday :) Clara is just beyond adorable!
Sweet family pictures. Looks like you had a great Thanksgiving.
I have a baby named Benjamin, and my friend’s daughter (about Clara’s age) calls him “Baby Ben” too :)
So cute!
xo,
s
I actually “AWWWW!”‘ed outloud more than once reading this post. (Okay, so I may have “OMG AWWW!”‘ed at the Burger pic.)
Glad you guys had such a fun holiday!
Clara is going to be long and lanky! I had legs like that at her age and now I’m just a few centimeters under 6 foot.
I am sooo excited to have a tall kid! Can’t believe it because I’m so short (5’2″). Just like I look down to my mom (she’s 4’11″) I’m sure Clara will tower over me!
xo,
s
Just moved from NYC to rehoboth with my hubby who is in the coast guard. We went to the beach that day too! I would have had a cow and a half if i had seen you guys! I have been to every thrift store you guys have recommended : )
I love Clara’s love for baby Ben! Is this the first baby that she’s interacted with?
p.s. I love the cheerleading outfit! could this be a future sport for her??
He’s the second baby who is younger than her in our extended family (my bff, who is married to John’s cousin had a little boy about 6 months ago) so it’s her second baby run in. She seems to love all babies! As for cheerleading, she likes to bounce and shout and clap so she might be great at it!
xo,
s
Clara’s hair is really coming in!
Also, there are few things sweeter in this world than a toddler loving on a newborn.
Too cute! Love all the pics.
I’m not sure which melts my heart more Burger snoozing in the sun or Clara’s gentle hug for Baby Ben! You two are one lucky couple!
Did you and John watch the FSU v VA game two weeks ago? That was crazy, I was there and as a FSU fan it was one of the worst games I have been to. Anyway congrats on the win Virginia really played well, unlike FSU. Sorry you couldn’t beat VT.
We didn’t see that one! Sorry we missed it!
xo,
s
Whenever you talk about baby #2, you act like the minute you’re ready, poof, it will happen. (I’m assuming that was the case with Clara.) It’s not always that easy you know…
Nope, there was no poof for us with Clara. Haha. And we certainly understand that those things can take time. We were just saying that we won’t start trying or “be ready” until then – and then who knows how long it’ll take!
xo,
s
I’m being nosy but can I ask how long it took? My husband and I are trying for our first and we just reached the 6 month mark.
Let’s just say it didn’t happen right away, but it didn’t take more than the average duration for folks our age (which I believe is six months). We actually tried not to keep track or be too stress-y about it so it felt less like a chore and more like a “should be fun to see when it happens” thing. We were very fortunate. Wishing you lots of luck!
xo,
s
I was in Richmond over Thanksgiving weekend to visit friends and actually had a dream during my first night there about meeting you! It was weird but fun at the same time. Hope it doesn’t sound too creepy!! I checked out your post on Richmond favs before heading done but unfortunately we didn’t have the time to do any of them. Oh well, maybe next time!!
Next time for sure! Maybe we’ll bump into each other!
xo,
s
That’s too funny! I was in Richmond over Thanksgiving too and told my husband how cool it would be if we ran into them (we were at Mongrel!).
I love that store! Totally possible to bump into us there someday!
xo,
s
We were in Bethany Beach too!! Ate Five guys…blue coast…all that yummy stuff (and did xmas shopping at the outlets in rehoboth). We actually stay at my husband’s aunt and uncle’s beach house which is KILLER (and if you are interested, I can try to convince her to let you house crash some time; AMAZING decor–mostly from homegoods too!).
Ooh I’d love that!
xo,
s
Looks like you gus had an awesome Thanksgiving! Too bad about the UVA game – what a BEATING! We’re secretly glad that we didn’t splure to fly home to VA for Thanksgiving (Don’t tell my inlaws!)because we definitely would have forked over heaven-knows-how-much for UVA tickets!
But on a happier note, do you think they make one of those UVA cheerleader outfits in my size!!?!?!?
Hope you have a Merry Christmas!
Haha, keep an eye out at Marshall’s – that’s where John’s mom got Clara’s! Haha.
xo,
s
I am from Delaware and love going to the beaches! We always go to Bowers Beach where it is empty and the dogs can run and frolic, and the water is super shallow. I love her cheerleader outfit, however I am a Hokie so I can’t go too far on the liking!!! Great pics!
That picture of John’s Dad with all the kiddos snuggled up to him is so darn sweet!!
YEAH HOKIES!!! Take that you Wahoos! Jon should check out this picture that I took from one of the first few weeks of the football season. Apparently FOX sports doesn’t know what the mascot is for Virginia Tech.
http://i56.tinypic.com/30cn894.jpg
P.S. Our family alternates Turkey Day at Bethany with other places around the east coast. I spy the boardwalk at Bethany in that picture. Glad it was a beautiful weekend!
Haha- such a funny pic!
xo,
s
My husband just became Dr. Dan this week! Whoo-hoo! Best of luck to your brother as he rolls into his last few weeks of dissertating! :)
Congrats to your Dr Dan!
xo,
s
So sweet! Looks like a great weekend. Just curious, is the little John named after his Uncle John?
They’re both actually named after my John’s grandfather (and little John’s great grandfather)!
xo,
s
You were in NJ and you didn’t call! We could have fed you well :)
Aw so sorry we didn’t get to bump into you Rebecca!
xo,
s
I am LOVING cousin John’s face as the recipient of Clara’s tackle hug—like, “What’s going on here?”
Hahaha… the expression on cousin John in the ‘Clara tackle hug’ picture is priceless! It’s like “Whoa! What is going on? Where did she come from?”
Looks like you had a fantastic weekend!
So much family fun! :) I completely understand when you say that John swinging Clara gave you a heart attack. My husband regularly “throws” our 14 month old on the bed.. he loves it…and I envision him doing it one time when we aren’t prepared!! aaggghhh!! LOL Daddies get away with all kinds of stuff huh.
John! Your dad looks exactly like Larry David. I just noticed now.
Haha, we can both see that now that you mention it. Too funny!
xo,
s (& j)
I LOVE Clara’s cheerleader outfit! I also went to UVA (Class of ’03), and now I live in Jersey. Wahoowa! :)
Sounds like a great holiday! I have been reading your blog for years and somehow missed the fact that John is a UVA grad. As a VT grad I have to say I was quite pleased with the outcome of Saturdays game! Clara does look quite sweet in her UVA outfit!
The weather in Delaware was amazing last week! We got in some quality time at the beach in Cape Henlopen and took a nice stroll around downtown Rehoboth. We always go to the beach when we go “home” for the holidays but that was the most crowded I’d ever seen it.
So cute! My 2 year old (also named Clara!) has an Unky Monkey too…(it started as Unk, but he has always liked monkeys)…it’s the perfect way to describe her uncle. :)
Haha, so cute!
xo,
s
Is it just me… or does Clara look like she’s going to be a lefty?! I saw the crayon in her left hand and got excited. lol (I’m a lefty too.)
Yup, she’s a total lefty (even crawled with her left leg as the dominant one and eats and draws with her left hand now). My BFF and brilliant dad are lefties are so I’m psyched!
xo,
s