*** WARNING: This is a very long post!! I had good intentions to blog each day, but as you will see we were pretty busy during this trip ***
This year we spent Thanksgiving with my family in sunny Florida. Goodbye 40 degrees and hello 80's! This was also Caleb's first flight and he did great both ways. Actually, he did amazing the entire trip and we gave him the 'Super Trooper' award. After you read this post, you will understand -:). Thanks to my cousins John and Mary, who very graciously opened their home to us since they were out of town, we were all able to stay together very comfortably for the week - thank you so much!
We arrived in Miami on Sunday afternoon and headed north to Boca Raton where we were staying for most the week. Grandma Sue and Grandpa Art could not wait for us to arrive so they can love on Caleb, and he was all smiles when we got there. That evening my aunts came over for a visit and it was nice to have some one-on-one time with them.
Visit with Great Aunts Eileen and Gail and 'Aunt' Anita.
On Monday we relaxed with my parents and went to Mizner Park, a local shopping/restaurant park nearby. That evening my good friend Lauren from high school came over to have dinner with us and to hang out with Caleb. She came up to Virginia to visit Caleb when was 8 weeks old, so he has grown a lot since she last saw him. We all had a nice evening together, thanks for the visit Auntie Lauren!
On Tuesday we relaxed in the morning then headed out mid-day to visit my good high school friend Priscila, Alex, and their 3 boys Ayden (4 1/2) and twins Kyle and Luke (almost 2). The last time we saw the twins they were around Caleb's age...man have they grown! Priscila is a very busy mom of 3, and she does a great job with her boys. Priscila has been a great help to me these last few months. She is a Nurse Practitioner in pediatrics, and she has been an invaluable resource when I have questions - thank you Auntie Priscila!
After our quick visit, we went to downtown Miami to see my good friend Heidi for dinner, who I know from Virginia. It was a beautiful night, so we grabbed dinner at a little market near her house and enjoyed eating and chatting outside. Heidi is a dear friend, and I am ready for her to move back to VA next year so I can selfishly have my good girlfriend back! The night ended with us driving to Kendall to crash at my good friend from high school Paula and Jimmy's house for the next 2 nights.
On Wednesday we went to the Miami Metro Zoo with Paula and Marina. We rented a bike to get around and it was a good thing because I forgot how big the zoo was! It was a beautiful day, and we rode around looking at all the animals. Marina is so smart and she knew most of the animals. Paula and her spend many days at the zoo, so they were good tour guides. We relaxed at home the rest of the day and played with the kids. Marina was a good helper with Caleb. She wanted to share everything with Caleb and always make sure he was ok. I also taught her how to hike a football, so I am now 'Auntie Hike.' Later that afternoon Nathan put Caleb in the pool for a bit, Marina took a big bubble bath, and we had a nice dinner with Paula and Jimmy after all the kids were asleep. It is always so relaxing to hang out at the their house - thanks for your great hospitality and a fun couple of days!
On Thursday morning before heading back to Ft. Lauderdale to have Thanksgiving with my family, we stopped by my friend Christy and Jason's house to visit their newest addition, Maximus Danger Lowry, who was just a couple of days old. He was a sweet little baby, and we are really happy for his healthy arrival. I forgot my camera so there are no pictures of Max.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I think every day should be Thanksgiving since I have so much to be thankful for. A loving God, an amazing husband and son, a wonderful family, an abundance of great friends, being able to eat 3 meals a day, a nice place to live, a stable job, just to name a few. What more could I ask for? Many days I take this for granted, but when I think about how much better off I am than a majority of the world, it really puts things into perspective. I do count my blessings.
Thanksgiving at my parents house was really nice. My brother was in town from Orlando, and this year it was just the 6 of us. In the past, we have had up to 20 people at their house so it was nice to have a small gathering this year. My dad always outdoes himself and cooked a wonderful meal - turkey, butternut squash soup, stuffing, potatoes, and salad. For those of you who do not know, my dad has been a vegetarian for almost 40 years, but he makes amazing non-vegetarian meals for our family all the time. I think Thanksgiving is special to him also because of the tradition of cooking the meal for our family and friends all these years.
That evening we went to my Aunt Eileen's for dessert...yes, we are a glutton for punishment and really needed our eating pants by then. As usual, food is great and so was the company. My cousin Alexis and several of my Aunt's friends got to meet Caleb
On Friday we visited my good friend from college Nadine, Matt, and we finally got to meet their miracle baby Natalie Mirelle. Natalie was born 16 weeks premature at 1lb 7oz and 12 inches long. She was in the NICU until 34 weeks and has been home with Matt and Nadine since late August. She is doing fantastic, weighs over 10lbs now, and she has no issues from her prematurity. She is a beautiful little girl, and she and Caleb had a fun time getting to know each other. Natalie even relaxed in her 'I'm sexy' pose to lure Caleb in -:).
That evening my good friend from middle school Vicki and Adam came over to visit us. They recently welcomed Grant Michael in late August, but he was home with Grandma because they were fixing up her condo in Miami. We were bummed we did not get to meet him, but they got some good cuddle time with Caleb. Hopefully we can see each other soon and let the boys play together. Thanks for the visit Auntie Vicki!
On Saturday my parents hosted an open house so people could come and meet Caleb. We had a great turnout of family and friends, and Caleb did not mind too much being passed around to so many new people. We saw a lot of friends that we do not get to see very often, which was a very nice treat. Thank you dad and mom for planning the day for us, and thank you everyone who came over!
My mom's childhood friend Linda and my 'second mom' growing up
Our family's good friend Ethel
Marissa's parent's Joe and Joan
Aunts Gail and Eileen
My middle school friend Leah and her two kids Haile and Nicholas
My high school friend Brooke and her son Sonny
My college friend Lauren
My college friends Mike, Tim, and Lauren
On Sunday we took Caleb to Delray Beach for his first trip to the beach. It was a perfect day for the beach, really sunny and a little wind. Caleb had fun playing in the sand with Nathan and getting his feet in the water. We walked along the jellyfish ridden sand and then had delicious veggie burgers at a restaurant on the beach.
On Monday we had breakfast with my parents and then headed to Miami airport. Two and a half hours later, we made it....Miami traffic is as bad as Virginia traffic! It was a busy and fun week in Florida. We are so thankful for the time we were able to spend with my parents, extended family, and many friends. We love you all!
