giving thanks

Thanksgiving is growing on me as one of my favorite holidays.  It's always hard to outdo Christmas, but there's nothing better than relaxing with family and being thankful for all we already have.

Thank you so much to my uncle David and aunt Leah Ann for always welcoming our rowdy crew.  I imagine they're happy when we leave, but hopefully happy when we arrive, too.


So glad to spend time with our hard-working daddy.  I actually did the driving this year...he got to snooze a little in the car and I was not worried about tickets or fast-male driving.  Smile.



Someone is very ticklish.



But this one has quite a story to tell after this Thanksgiving.



My uncle, Joaquin's great-uncle, is an avid cyclist.  He was going for a morning bike ride on Thanksgiving, and we suggested Juan Pablo and Joaquin go along...they're mountain bikers and have been blazing trails together for many months.  This would be a little different....paved trails and streets.  But in DC, there'd be lots to see and the excitement was flowing through all of us.



The plan was to meet us at our aunt's house near the National Zoo, after seeing the sights.



Did I mention they started in Alexandria, VA?


Thirty-four miles later, they arrived...tired but exhilarated by such a great accomplishment.  We were all thoroughly impressed, and it's something they'll talk about forever, I imagine.  Me, too...I'm so proud of Joaquin...and JP, too.  This could be a new tradition.



And someone sure looks up to his big brother.



Here's the Thanksgiving crew...my two uncles, a close friend of my aunt's, aunt Beth, us, and Beth's dad.  We shared a wonderful meal and had lots of laughs.  Sometimes it takes an imperfect holiday, like last year's, to help appreciate the oh so very good ones.



The rest of the weekend was spent at home...pulling out Christmas decorations and making bike trails through our own little woods.
 I'll be busy making presents for the next few weeks...my favorite time of the year...you can tell by the smile on my face :)

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!