Thanksgiving 2011

 

We spent Thanksgiving in Washington, D.C. with Braydon’s side of the family. Gamma came from MA, Grandpa Robert and Miss Carol came from GA, and we came from PA. We all descended upon Sabrina and Chris, who graciously volunteered to host us, for the big day. For that (their gracious hosting) we are extremely, extremely, extremely THANKFUL! (Thank you Sabrina and Chris!!!!)

We had a great time. Auntie Sabrina and Chris recently bought a house just outside of D.C., so we got to see their new place – and, even more importantly, meet Chris and his daughter for the first time – and spend the holiday soaking up time with the McCormick side of the family.

As anyone who has read this blog for long knows, the bambinos love to travel. They are real troopers in the travel department and they are always up for any trip. Every minute of our Thanksgiving was a thrill for them – from the road trip snacks, to the hotel pool, to exploring Auntie Sabrina’s new digs. Seriously, they are lovers of adventure. And every trip is an adventure. Each one is an experience that pulls us tighter and brings us closer. Despite the loss of desperately needed naps (Meera), and the loss of desperately needed routine (Kyle and Owen), our kids are able to fully engage in, and appreciate, the life of a trip. They are good travelers. And for that we are THANKFUL.

Sabrina and Chris live in a lovely little neighborhood. We enjoyed our walk to their sweet neighborhood playground (where the boys proceeded to freak out everyone with their crazy swing stunts). And Sabrina and Chris fed us very well for the entire Thanksgiving Day (they didn’t just do Thanksgiving dinner, but a huge pancake breakfast too!). There was football (on the t.v. and in the yard), and parades (on the t.v. and one we attempted to go to in real life, but failed miserably at!), a cranberry jelly contest (still not sure who won that one), and a pumpkin pie contest (still not sure who won that one either). The bambinos got a lot of quality time with Papi’s side of the family. Thanksgiving 2011: it was, as the old saying goes, as good as it gets. And for that we are THANKFUL.

The day after Thanksgiving we all went to the National Zoo. None of us had been there before. It was great fun. And it was a magnificent warm November day for being outside together. And for that we are THANKFUL.

We spent Thanksgiving in D.C. two years ago too. We stayed in the same hotel this year as we did then. Check out this comparison! (These photos were taken waiting for the elevator in the hall outside our hotel room):

Thanksgiving 2009                         *                         Thanksgiving 2011

Man! How quickly they change! Some things don’t change all that much, though— I remember in ‘09 the bambinos were sort of obsessed with this lion sculpture that stood out front of the hotel. They were again this year too:

Grandpa Robert was snapping photos the whole time we were in D.C. (which gave us the luxury of not having to be The Family Photographers). For that we are THANKFUL! Here are a bunch of the photos from Grandpa Robert’s Thanksgiving camera (it is always so interesting to see what someone else captures!):

It was a very happy Thanksgiving 2011!