I want to make sure I get this down for posterity, so here’s a belated recap of our Thanksgiving highlights and lowlights…

Highlights
- Yummy food by everyone, and chaotic, yet fun times with my siblings and their families
- The serene mountain setting we had for a week up at Mt. Hood in Oregon, where we got to see snow (who knew we would see it again just a week later in the Bay Area)!
- Lorna’s great photoshoots with us Phamsters, which she blogged about here, here and here
- Hearing Gavin’s reaction to changing Maddy’s poopie diaper
- Hot tub-ing with my sisters at our condo
- Sage teaching Maddy how to ballroom dance at Lorna’s house
- Swimming with Eva and Maren at our hotel’s indoor pool, where Maddy went from frightened to fearless in 60 seconds

Lowlights
- Maddy, and then Hayden and I, getting sick (thankfully we’re all healthy now)
- Missing out on going tube-ing and on a sleigh ride because we didn’t have chains to get far enough up the mountain in the snow
- Flight home alone with both kids (Hayden made a point of pooping just before the plane took off and then screamed for the first hour of the flight because she didn’t understand why it had taken me so long to change her – guess 5-month-olds don’t understand the concept of a seat-belt rule)

Here are some videos of my big sister’s silly antics. Watching her keeps me entertained and mellow when my tummy’s not hurting me…

Reading me the “wheels on the bus” book:

Giggling with our cousin Eva:

Checking out her very own tennis racquet that mom and dad gave Maddy for her birthday:

- Hayden

After a great week with my brother Gavin and his girlfriend Jaime visiting us in San Jose, we took off and had an exhausting fun trip up visiting my sisters in Portland last week. Here’s the recap, along with some favorite images…

Day 1, Monday 9/21 – Chaotic morning trying to get showered and the girls dressed and fed (you wouldn’t think that would be so difficult, but I’m here to tell you otherwise…). Head to my sister Maren’s apt in the afternoon for a family party with birthday girls Eva and Maddy. Maddy and Eva display their swimming skills for each other in the pool, and then watch in amazement as the place is suddenly filled by their Great-grandparents, Great-aunt Sydney and [large] family, and Aunt Lorna and family.

Day 2 – More hanging at the hotel in the morning, where Maddy loves playing with the phone. At one point, she picks it up and says “Hello? Pizza? Chicken Nuggets?” Not sure how she learned the concept of room service already. That afternoon, we go with Maren and Eva to the beach at Sandy river in Oxbow Park, where Maddy and Eva compete over who can throw the most rocks into the water. On the way home, they also compete over who gets to tell Hayden “It’s okay!” when she cries (Eva wins).

Day 3 – Drive up to St. Helens with Maren to hang out with Maddy’s cousins Sage and Jude while my sister Lorna goes to a doctors appointment. We amazingly get Jude and Maddy to nap at the same time, but Hayden decides to keep us from enjoying it by entering fussy mode. Kids wake up and play in the backyard. Then have a yummy dinner with the family and crash.

Day 4 – More fun with the boy cousins in the morning, then take naps and leave to pick up Sage from kindergarten. Head straight out to meet Maren, Jared and Eva at the super-fun Portland Children’s Museum. Especially enjoy the Dig Pit and Vroom Room. Unfortunately get kicked out at closing time before we finish exploring. Head out for some yummy pizza with everyone. Maddy eats a large, very loaded veggie slice all by herself (no cutting up pieces or urging her on, she just picks it up and goes to town), and then asks for more.

Day 5 – Pack up and head to Maren’s for more fun with Eva until we had to head to the airport. Maddy was very sad to leave and has been asking about Eva, Jude and Sage ever since.