It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I haven't written in a while, but maybe that is a good thing.  I think we, as a family, are settling more into a routine.  We are now three months in the Upper West Side, five months in NYC.  We have our church, our gym, some new friends, and we are getting into a little bit of a rhythm.  And let's face it, that would be a really boring post!

We finally had to bite the bullet and sell our car, but before that, for one last hurrah, we headed out to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  I really knew absolutely nothing about that area, other than the obvious stereotypes suggested in the cheesy Smirnoff "Tea Partay" YouTube video: popped collars, MV (Martha's Vineyard), snobbiness perhaps? Thankfully, one of my friends from the DC area had a little guidance for me, as in a good town to stay as a family with kids called Hyannis.  We stayed in a Marriott - four people, one room - yay! The great thing about little kids is they think everything is amazing and they don't care about the number of stars a hotel or restaurant has - they are easily impressed.

Mixed emotions at the beach

That being said, Hyannis did not disappoint, every restaurant, beach, or shop we came across was adorable, almost like out of a movie set.  The town was manicured and historic, apparently where the Kennedy's vacationed.  I'm sure they stayed at the Marriott, too. ;) Our hotel was clean and newly remodeled, about ten minutes from the main drag and the public beach.  We kept explaining to Scarlett, our little Texan, that we were going to a cold beach and since we were there in the off season, it may as well have been a private beach.  We were the only crazy people out there in our rain boots running around in the sand.  I'm not sure Savannah quite gets the concept of a cold beach being fun, but we can work on that.  One of the most amazing places we visited was the Chatham lighthouse, which basically appeared to be the edge of the world.  Although it was windy and freezing, the sky and sea were the most brilliant blue color, in juxtaposition with the white lighthouse and white beaches.  The view was definitely worth the drive.

Since this was the first trip we had taken just the four of us, it had special significance for us.  I think that Trey and I wanted to prove to ourselves we could survive and plan the whole thing ourselves.  Minus some fleeting car sickness for Scarlett and a pack of wild turkeys parading down the freeway on the way back, it went pretty smoothly!  Just in time for Thanksgiving, I think these turkeys knew what laid ahead and were getting out of town...impending death.  We couldn't understand why our GPS wasn't showing any traffic and yet there was another delay getting back to the city.  Lo and behold, the cars were slowing down to check out these birds, which were giant by the way.

A few weeks later, it was my thirty-second birthday and then Thanksgiving was upon us.  We opted to stay in town for the holiday.  There is something really magical that children add to each holiday, including birthdays: the way their eyes light up when you have a birthday cake, help you open and pick out gifts, and want to be naturally generous to those around them.  Although the restaurant lost our reservation at our little family dinner, we still made the most of it, and it was a really great birthday.

32nd Birthday Celebration

I am not really a huge parade person, I'm not sure what it is, but maybe I don't see the point?  Does that make me a cynic? I hope not, but I have to say, once again, New York did not disappoint.  Although we opted out of the actual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, we went to a "smaller" (HA!) event the night beforehand where you can see the balloons being inflated for the following day.  For the Texans out there, imagine the crowds of the Houston Rodeo, and actually a similar cattle driving-esque barricade system.  We did bring the double stroller, which was tough to navigate, but I am glad we did with the time it took to get to the actual floats.  Scarlett was asleep halfway through.  I have to say, the floats were really amazing up close, and enormous when they were lined up so close to the buildings, multiple stories high even on the ground.  They almost resembled giants that had been tied down, the way they were harnessed in huge nets.

I think the excitement of Thanksgiving Eve wore us out, so Trey and the girls enjoyed the parade on television from our comfy living room and I worked to not destroy our Thanksgiving meal!  Let's be honest, I come from a long line of women who can cook, so I felt a lot of pressure to get it right!  I think for my first go at it, it was a success - everything was edible, all the parts were there, we ate at a normal hour.  Scarlett even helped a LOT with the preparation of the food which was a sweet moment.  She really loves helping in the kitchen and I love her company.

We felt honored that we were also invited to a "friends"-giving after our dinner for dessert.  Now, getting an uncooked cobbler down ten blocks is a bit more complicated than one would think.  About one block in, I felt something dripping on me.  It was the dish I was CARRYING...GRRR.  Cornstarch might as well be GLUE because my black jeans suddenly looked acid-washed.  Trey got the duty the next nine blocks.  He did a much better job, but definitely got an arm workout on the way.

Then, the very next morning, Christmas began!  I definitely have the OCD (obsessive Christmas disorder) - Trey refused to let me decorate until the day after Thanksgiving.  He likes to keep his holidays compartmentalized, which probably is not very shocking.  So I leapt for joy when he agreed to go purchase my very first REAL tree (that I can remember...sorry Mom and Dad).  It is really incredible and the Christmas tree stands are the cutest things.  About every three blocks, the tree vendors are lined up, and you can go select the tree of your choice.  Because Trey had to accommodate my OCD, he had to go to a tree stand about ten blocks from us (and carry it home), but I was really appreciative!!!  I am a little worried about having to water the thing, as I don't have the best history keeping anything other than human beings alive.  I'm sure Trey will remind me to water it...

Our tree is on the second story

In other news, I had a wonderful visit from my old co-worker in NYC this week which really recharged my batteries, and tomorrow my SISTER is coming!!!!!!!!!  SO excited to see her.  This is the longest I've ever gone not seeing her!  WITHDRAWAL!  I can't wait to do Christmas-y things together.  Christmas is really wonderful here.  Did I mention I love Christmas? #itsthemostwonderfultimeoftheyear

I will have to teach her about the dangers of texting and walking, avoiding those "Sunday walkers", dogs that pee directly onto the sidewalk, NYC organization techniques such as stroller hanging, putting bedroom dressers in the living room, and our constant game of Tetris to not trip over things.  Good thing we are used to close quarters!  Excited to see that teeny weeny baby bump, too!

My two snuggle bunnies with our REAL tree :)

And P.S. We caught the mouse...