Let the Holidays Begin

We started off the holiday season with a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with four families that are new friends of ours. Sadly, we didn't take pictures of our feast! We were invited over to our Orthodox Jewish friends' home for dinner, so we weren't able to help with any of the cooking/prep work since the food needed to be bought kosher and prepared in a kosher kitchen. We did help watch their baby girl so they could make all of the delicious food for us :) The four families who were there all have one little kiddo under age 2 and are part of Alyse's playgroup that meets once a week. Us moms also see each other in the tot lot throughout the week and one of the other dads is in business school with Brandon. It was our first ever kosher Thanksgiving and we felt very grateful to be with new friends!
Even though Alyse and I left Chicago on December 1st, I decided we should take out some of our Christmas stuff to decorate the day after Thanksgiving. I'm so glad I did because Alyse LOVED our little tree and multiple times a day pointed to it and just stared at the lights.


She was also fascinated by the nutcracker guy we have and wanted to poke at it and touch its hair a few times a day.
It was sad to leave Brandon since we won't see him for two weeks-- the longest he and I have gone and definitely the longest he and Lisi have gone--
(Brandon and Lisi saying good-bye)
but it is so nice to now be with family. We've been able to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday and Alyse's cousin, Yale's, 1st birthday. The first few days of our visit, Alyse was really sick :( and I felt like I didn't do much except hold her, worry about her, and try to enjoy the family who were around while having a sicky baby clinging to my every move. Everyone was so helpful and it was really great to have extra hands to help out with Alyse...or try to help out with Alyse since she cried her little heart out any time anyone else tried to hold her.
This is the first year that I am taking this long, extended trip during the holidays...the first year I'm not working and don't have a newborn. Last year we spent the holidays in Baltimore, enjoying our new baby, and getting together with friends. Maybe we're trying to make up for it this year, but we will get to see pretty much all our family out west. Pretty sure this is the last year we will get to both Utah and California for the holidays, although we keep saying that and then we just keep doing it! There's just something about Christmas and being with family...let the holidays begin!