Thanksgiving Weekend Report

This long holiday weekend was just amazing.

 Joel's parents got into town on Wednesday afternoon. It was the first time they had met Leo, so it made their visit extra special - and they were just enamored with him. 

They also couldn't get over what a "mini-Joel" he was. 

Can I tell you how nice it is to have Grandparents at your house to help. They stayed in our guest room/nursery, and while I was worried that we all may be too cramped, it was actually amazing. I felt like I was on vacation having them here! 

Wednesday night we ordered in thai food, prepped a few Thanksgiving dishes, and just hung around catching up.

 

Thanksgiving morning Joel and I have a tradition of running a turkey trot, and I was so proud of us that we made it happen this year too. 

 

I think I was rewarded for my 5k efforts, because as I was waiting for the race to start, the Affleck family showed up next to me. Ben and Jen were there together (with one nanny per kid) which made for a pretty solid sighting. And if you're interested, Ben does not seem like a very friendly guy and Jen seems adorable. 

 The race goes through the Pacific Palisades and is absolutely beautiful.

I ran pretty well, just stopped at the hills (and beat Ben and Jen)- and Joel polished the race off and was the 7th overall finisher. 

We stopped for coffee and bagels on our way home, and then after showers got to Thanksgiving prepping! 

 

We started the day off with my Holiday Crack Dip and shrimp cocktails and lots and lots of champagne and baby cuddles! 

We served dinner around 6, and in typical holiday with a newborn fashion, Joel wore the Solly wrap all through dinner.

 

All of our dishes turned out amazing, and even though we only had 4 eaters, we made enough to feed an army so that we would have leftovers for the week. 

  

After a great dinner, we stayed up way too late playing Trivial Pursuit and eating my favorite pecan pie. It was an amazing Thanksgiving - and even more special with my sweet little turkey. 

Friday morning we decided to try and work off all of our indulgences and went for Leo's first hike. It's been really cold in LA in the mornings, so we stuffed him into a little bear suit and made our way to Westridge Canyon. 

 

We timed it over a morning nap, so he pretty much slept the entire hour that we were hiking. We had breakfast at Coral Tree Cafe before heading home and just hanging out for the rest of the day. 

That "night" (around 4), Joel and I took advantage of our free babysitters and snuck away for our first date since the baby was born. 

We've been wanting to try Ester's in Santa Monica since I was pregnant, and it did not disappoint as a perfect spot to indulge in drinks, cheese, and (somewhat) baby free conversations. 

 

We had a great bottle of wine and it just felt so good to be out and about. We were home by 7:30 to give Leo and bath and put him to bed - but it was still such a fun break. 

Saturday, Joel's brother Andrew came up from San Diego to hang with us, and we spent all day just lounging and watching football.

When Andrew left, we ordered pizza and played another few rounds of Trivial Pursuit and stayed up way too late for a baby who still wakes up at 3am and 6am! 

Before Joel's parents left on Sunday, we made it back to Church for the second time and Leo did great. 

 

Joel's parents left early that afternoon, and we were all so sad to see them go. It was so nice having them here and we will all miss them terribly until our next visit. 

And now, it's officially time to get back to reality...