Thanksgiving!

We have just returned from 8 action-packed days on Long Island. It's always a bit of a whirlwind adventure when we're there, since we have to fit in quality time with grandma, grandpa, great-grandmas, uncles, aunts, cousins, childhood friends, and college pals too. No matter how many days we stay for, we always leave feeling like we must have shortchanged someone and wish we could have just a little more time.

Aiden and Grandma Chris at Quogue Widlife Sanctuary

Aiden with his turkey, BellyButton, on t-giving day. Don't ask, we don't know why...

Aiden really enjoys our visits to the island since he gets doted on by his grandparents (what could be better than walks through the forest, ice cream cake, early xmas presents, and trips to the aquarium), he gets tickled into a frenzy by Crazy Uncle Dan, and he gets to play with so many other kids his age. This visit he played with eight boys and girls that were 2-4 yrs old (kids of my college friends, Andy's HS friends, and my cousins) - and he got to play with all THEIR toys, which is heaven on earth. It makes it so much easier to actually visit with friends and family (adult conversations, I mean) when the kids can entertain themselves together, so we are very grateful for all the other kiddos on L.I. Plus, it's fun to see them too!

Doggie (Aiden) and Kitty (Elizabeth)

Three cousins eating apples - William, Aiden and Emma

William and his favorite purple dinosaur on the Islip Beach

Five boys in a bouncy-house, at Lisa & Ed's place

We also celebrated Grandpa Da-Da's birthday, had a great Thanksgiving feast at Aunt Mary & Uncle Mike's house (Aiden ate his first lithuanian-style kielbasi), visited a winery and a Christmas tree farm, and Andy ran a 5K Turkey Trot. Very productive week, I'd say! I need a vacation now.

Helping Grandpa Da-Da with the candles

Aiden and Hannah on Thanksgiving


Great Grandma Guppy watches Aiden do "acrobatics"


Before the turkey trot on thanksgiving morning, in Blue Point. Aiden ran the last 100 feet with his Dadoo but lost one of his shoes about 50 ft in... whoops!

At Atlantis Marine World aquarium... the ray touch tank



Neptune?

Hot dog lunch after the aquarium w/ Grandpa Da-Da

Macari Winery - wine snobs

Picking out the Christmas tree for Crazy Uncle Dan

New Alligator Slippers- thanks Grandma Chris!

November

I can't believe November is half gone already! It's dark at 5 and the leaves are gone and I guess we're hunkering down for a long cold NH winter. That's not really a legitimate excuse for why I haven't posted anything in awhile, but it sounds good. In truth, I'm always a little depressed to kiss the warm weather goodbye at this time of year, but all three of us are ready to kick off the holiday season with a whole week on Long Island starting next Friday. Ready to spend some time with family and take a much needed break from work and our daily routine.

Aiden is thriving at his new school- he loves all the activities and has made a whole new suite of friends. Every time I pick him up at the end of the day, I have to hunt down his little troupe of friends - they're almost never in their classroom at that hour - sometimes they are in the gym playing with balls and scooters, or in the dance studio doing the toddler-boogie, or climbing at the rock wall, running on the soccer fields, or exploding into leaf piles on the college green. Once they were at the rock maze right across from our house, which was convenient for Andy, who just had to open the door and call Aiden home.

Aiden's taking swim lessons on Saturdays at the Colby-Sawyer pool.d He is VERY enthusiastic!

And we finally finished off the clubhouse part of Aiden's playgym in the back yard- hopefully years of imaginitive play are in store there.

View from the property we monitor for the Green Mountain Club on the side of Camel's Hump.