Thanksgiving Week
Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!
Thanksgiving week was full of light and love, friends and family with my husband and mother-in-law (neither of whom made it into these pictures...my husband was feeling anti-camera and my mother-in-law had just had eye surgery), my parents, my dear friends from Santa Barbara days Jason and Danielle (and their dog Lucy, who they got during the short time they lived with me in the Cota house before moving to Seattle...Lucy is the coolest dog in the world and an old friend of Dexter's...so glad they got to see each other.)
One morning we went to the zoo, early, our first time there. We pretty much had the place to ourselves...



Fruit cup is a holiday tradition in my family...everyone helps to cut up grapefruit and oranges, grapes and pineapple. The twins helped too, Luke reaching for ingredients Danielle was putting together for dinner so there ended up being tomatoes and chicken in there (which my mom thankfully took out). There was also continual taste testing on the part of both of the twins.

Thanksgiving day there was lots of football with Grammy and Grandpa. The kids walked around saying "Football! Kick! Throw!" Grandpa also found pictures of peacocks on the web...with Luke especially, since seeing them at the zoo there has been a peacock obsession...




We went to one of the parks close to our house before the meal. Beautiful, mild day. Good to get some fresh air.
The sweater Zo is wearing is one my grandmother made one of my cousins...my aunt and uncle don't have any girl grandchildren and sent me several of their girls' sweaters when the twins were born. Means SO much to me to have those...






Jason and Danielle and Lucy had to leave on Friday. We were so sad to see them go...

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Grandpa (whom the kids this trip started calling "Pa-Pa"...after he left they would wander around the house saying "Pa-Pa" over and over). Anyway, Grandpa cut Luke's hair while he was here. Luke's so chill about it...




One night, we went to the River of Lights at the Botanic Gardens. Beautiful. Kids loved it. We even found a peacock for Luke. :)


And lots and lots of hikes...there's this place we go back in the National Forest that is pretty much deserted every time. We made it to the end of one of the trails for the first time. And we found this:

There were a couple more hikes with my mom and dad and the dogs just outside of town.
Dexter is doing so well with his cancer, by the way...still hiking like a champ...so grateful for every day I get to have with him.


We're in full swing for Xmas these days. My husband and I got ALL our shopping done over the weekend (so proud of us)! And our fake white "disco tree" up (goes perfectly in the Daddy Lounge, which is what we call our upstairs TV room.) We're traveling to my brother's for the holidays, so trying to keep things somewhat simple around here. But I'm so glad it's the holiday season. Love this time of year.
XOXO