I know I said I wouldn't update until the 7th of December, but I woke up this morning in a mood to write, I guess.
I think I might have enjoyed the relaxed nature of this Thanksgiving more than any I can recall. After much deliberation, we decided to stay in Portland for the holiday weekend. We discovered friends, Todd and Jennifer, without local family and made arrangements for a dinner at their house.
The day before Thanksgiving was dedicated to braving Costco for grocery shopping and menu planning with Todd as well as hunting down a high chair for Nathan. We went to our local Babies 'R' Us and found the model pictured on sale at a can't-pass-up price. This particular model is slim folding which is almost necessary as space becomes more and more limited around the house. Unfortunately, the store we were at was out of the chairs and would not sell the floor model. After a drive across town, we had our chair and headed home. Nathan has taken to his own chair enthusiastically and I think he loves the new viewpoint he has on the house.
My dad came down for the holiday as well and we were glad for it. It always means so much when he takes the time to come visit and spend time with his grandson! He brought his friend Debbie and our group felt complete.
We have known Todd and Jennifer Davis for over a year now and love spending time with them. They have a beautiful home and are warm hosts. Jennifer created a beautiful table scape with her awe-inspiring collection of Fiesta ware while Todd inspired us with his cooking.
Our Thanksgiving meal was delicious and full of new goodies. There were no mashed potatoes, no gravy, no cranberries, no stuffing. Yet, we had yummy honey-glazed squash, sweet potato souffle and two varieties of turducken. We all ate our fill and then some!
We went to visit my mother's family across town for a bit and then returned to the Davis' for a game of Scrabble. All in all, it was a great day.
This was the first Black Friday in twelve years that Jeff did not have to work and we were very thankful for that! We had my dad and Debbie over for pancakes in the morning. I tried using my new pancake molds but that was not very successful. But our guests were gracious and I think we all enjoyed a little more time together.
Most of the day was dedicated to hanging Christmas lights on the house and relaxing. We then were inspired to invite friends over for a meal I have named, "Thanks-Again-ing". Each brought some leftovers from the previous night and we enjoyed another great meal (and I didn't have to cook).
Saturday morning we drove out to Sauvie Island for our second annual tree cutting with Todd and Karen Nashiwa. The weather was cloudy and cold but thankfully, dry. Jeff wanted a noble this year, so we began our search. The tricky part about Noble trees, is that the branches become more sparse at the top. After pausing at a few possibilities, we found one that seemed to meet our expectations.
Nathan's growth seems to be slowing a bit. From two weeks old until five months, he was gaining about a pound a week. In the last month, he seems to have gained a few pounds but fits in most of the same clothes still. Every month (or sometimes, every other week), we are stopping by the baby department of Fred Meyer to pick up new socks or pants or onesies as things get a little tighter.
Nathan is starting to explore his world more, pulling at my hair and face while nursing, pushing up on his hands during tummy time and has finally started to roll over! It happened by accident perhaps, one night at bed time. Jeff and I heard him fussing in bed and Jeff went in to discover him stuck on his belly. In the week after, he only did in once or twice more as we played on the floor. But he is surely learning and in the half hour or so of working on this blog, has rolled over many times!
A colleague of mine gave us a nice present pictured here with Nate: Sophie the Giraffe. Sophie is a teething type toy that Nathan already loves to play with. Actually, Jeff and I laugh at how aggressively he tries to put Sophie in his mouth, often throwing his head back and forth and chomping down. To make the situation even funnier, Sophie has a squeaker inside that makes it seem like she might be in pain when Nate is shoving her in his mouth. It's almost creepy. Really.
II think I might have enjoyed the relaxed nature of this Thanksgiving more than any I can recall. After much deliberation, we decided to stay in Portland for the holiday weekend. We discovered friends, Todd and Jennifer, without local family and made arrangements for a dinner at their house.
The day before Thanksgiving was dedicated to braving Costco for grocery shopping and menu planning with Todd as well as hunting down a high chair for Nathan. We went to our local Babies 'R' Us and found the model pictured on sale at a can't-pass-up price. This particular model is slim folding which is almost necessary as space becomes more and more limited around the house. Unfortunately, the store we were at was out of the chairs and would not sell the floor model. After a drive across town, we had our chair and headed home. Nathan has taken to his own chair enthusiastically and I think he loves the new viewpoint he has on the house. My dad came down for the holiday as well and we were glad for it. It always means so much when he takes the time to come visit and spend time with his grandson! He brought his friend Debbie and our group felt complete.
Our Thanksgiving meal was delicious and full of new goodies. There were no mashed potatoes, no gravy, no cranberries, no stuffing. Yet, we had yummy honey-glazed squash, sweet potato souffle and two varieties of turducken. We all ate our fill and then some!
We went to visit my mother's family across town for a bit and then returned to the Davis' for a game of Scrabble. All in all, it was a great day.
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| Nomad Thanksgiving 2011 |
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| Saying good-bye |
Most of the day was dedicated to hanging Christmas lights on the house and relaxing. We then were inspired to invite friends over for a meal I have named, "Thanks-Again-ing". Each brought some leftovers from the previous night and we enjoyed another great meal (and I didn't have to cook).
Saturday morning we drove out to Sauvie Island for our second annual tree cutting with Todd and Karen Nashiwa. The weather was cloudy and cold but thankfully, dry. Jeff wanted a noble this year, so we began our search. The tricky part about Noble trees, is that the branches become more sparse at the top. After pausing at a few possibilities, we found one that seemed to meet our expectations. |
| The Nashiwas opted for a Grand this year. |
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| The family (not our tree, though) |
Nathan's growth seems to be slowing a bit. From two weeks old until five months, he was gaining about a pound a week. In the last month, he seems to have gained a few pounds but fits in most of the same clothes still. Every month (or sometimes, every other week), we are stopping by the baby department of Fred Meyer to pick up new socks or pants or onesies as things get a little tighter.Nathan is starting to explore his world more, pulling at my hair and face while nursing, pushing up on his hands during tummy time and has finally started to roll over! It happened by accident perhaps, one night at bed time. Jeff and I heard him fussing in bed and Jeff went in to discover him stuck on his belly. In the week after, he only did in once or twice more as we played on the floor. But he is surely learning and in the half hour or so of working on this blog, has rolled over many times!
A colleague of mine gave us a nice present pictured here with Nate: Sophie the Giraffe. Sophie is a teething type toy that Nathan already loves to play with. Actually, Jeff and I laugh at how aggressively he tries to put Sophie in his mouth, often throwing his head back and forth and chomping down. To make the situation even funnier, Sophie has a squeaker inside that makes it seem like she might be in pain when Nate is shoving her in his mouth. It's almost creepy. Really.
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