Thanksgiving Week in Salem

We converged in Salem for Thanksgiving week this year. What a fantastic trip! Cabrini and family came in as well making for all 9 cousins together. It was a fabulous week with a special baptism of our newest niece, Isabel, time with all the grandparents, a trip to Portland, amazing dinners, wine tasting, chilly bike riding, swimming, meeting Rob's girlfriend, Rachel, a yummy lunch made by Lulu and movie afternoon with Grandpa B, a special "kid free" sibling dinner out, and quality catch up time. Oh to be closer to everyone!
I left my camera in my kitchen and thus have no photos. Hopefully I'll be able to post some soon from the other photographers in the bunch.

New York, New York!

Hello New York City! What a treat to spend a weekend with my parents and brother in New York City to celebrate my cousin, Jess' wedding. It was amazing! Mom and I took a bus trip down to NY and met up with the guys. After dropping off our bags at our "cozy" apartment, we hit the streets.

Though the leaves were gone in Boston, Central Park was alive with color.

Pondering a carriage ride in Central Park.

We spent some time at the Met. This picture cracked me up.

The rehearsal dinner at the University Club was top notch. You felt like you were stepping back in time.

Saturday morning, we were thrilled to have a visit with Sister Peggy (Mom's cousin). Nathan and I first met Sister when we lived for a few months in New York 11 years ago. We still joke about her leading us through the streets of the city. Two bumpkins from out west trying to keep up with a nun on the streets. We once had her over for lunch to our studio apartment. She arrived an hour and a half early with a bottle of wine triple wrapped. She laughed and said that she'd be the talk of NY if she tripped walking up the stairs of the subway and the bottle of wine broke!

We had the restaurant to ourselves. It was a lovely lingering lunch.

We then explored NY including a taxi ride past the World Trade Center site and a stroll through Chinatown. Jonathan and I dashed into an Asian massage parlor (not what you think) and questioned ourselves as we were riding in a dark elevator up to the massage room. It was all legal and we emerged relaxed though our parents weren't thrilled about us leaving them on the streets of Chinatown. A frantic subway ride trip uptown and a dash to get ready for the wedding gave us a enough time to relax while waiting for the ceremony to begin.

The wedding was something else. It was glamourous, beautiful and a lot of fun. It was a weekend to remember. And the best news, Nathan did fantastically with the kids. He said that had he not just returned from Hong Kong and had to deal with jet lag, the weekend would have been perfect.

Plimoth Plantation

How lucky are we? A visit from my mom in November! She headed east for a family wedding next weekend and added on a week at our house. Yipee! We initiated her into the craziness of our weekly lives with drop offs, meetings, classes, etc. Nathan missed the fun as he was in Hong Kong or as Gabriel calls it Honk Honk. Mom even got to have a dinner with the Rupps!

We spent Veterans' Day in Plymouth with a visit to the Mayflower and Plimoth Plantation. Everyone on the tiny boat and plantation is in character. It was amazing to talk to them and walk their life - what a life!

It was frigid on the Mayflower. And what a journey it was for the pilgrims. I cannot even imagine making it across the Atlantic with the smells, crowds and rocking of the boat.

We enjoyed the Wampanoag village.

Always the clown.

As the temperatures drop each winter, I think about the pilgrims. It's no wonder 1/2 of them perished. Thank goodness for the kindness of the Wampanoags.

Dog Dog's Twin?

Theo's dear Dog Dog went missing a few months ago. No idea where that little dog is hiding. My best guess is that he got tossed in the recycling bin and without realizing it, he was sent off to the recycling plant. They were not helpful when I called asking about a little blue dog.

Theo was very macho about the loss of Dog Dog, or so I thought. Bowen has a showtime bag that the children bring home, fill with the theme and show and tell the next day. This theme was your favorite stuffed animal. As we were discussing who Theo should bring, his big brown eyes welled up with tears and he snuggled his face down into his elbow. Hello heartbreaking. He wanted Dog Dog to bring to school. I searched the Internet with little luck and then, thank you E-Bay, I found a ridiculously priced Dog Dog which I promptly purchased and OVERNIGHTED to our house. Welcome to the family Dog Dog's twin brother from California.
I suppose the concept of an unknown twin who's been out surfing in California might be a bit much for a four year old. Confusion resulted until Theo just decided that this dog is in fact Dog Dog (he knew it was not the original but still it became his own Dog Dog).
Meeting Dog Dog's twin brother or the reincarnation of Dog Dog or, you get the picture.

I believe this post may earn the title - Most Use of the Word Dog.

Return of the Greats

We loved our week with Grandpa B and Lulu. I took the kids down to Newport earlier in the week for a fun adventure. It was a cold rainy day but we enjoyed a yummy lunch and dinner, and a great swim in their hotel pool. Grandpa B used his charms to have the manager open up the water slide for the kids. What a hero!

They drove up to watch Theo star in his soccer game. Such troopers to huddle in the freezing cold. Theo couldn't have been happier. He made the drive worth it with a few goals.

We ended the day with a yummy lunch at Casa Portugal and some puzzle building at home! What a joyous day.

Backyard Fall Fun

Maddie in her handmade hat from sewing class.