Thanksgiving 2011

Our family was finally well enough that we could make it to Thanksgiving at Sasha and Emily's place up in the Cities. It was the four of us; Dave, Heather, and Ivy; and my parents. The food was wonderful, and the company was great. Julia and Ivy had a fun time hanging out together and playing, and Julia was quite upset when we left because she wanted to play with Ivy more. In fact, Julia fell asleep on the way home but woke up when we stopped at Cannon Falls. After she woke up, she was crying in the back seat for Ivy. =(

Samantha got to try some Thanksgiving food this year and seemed to love all of it! Surprisingly, she really really liked the cranberries (shaped like a can) that I gave her. She would scream until I gave her another bite. Decided I should probably limit the amount she got, though. She also tried some of my mashed potatoes, corn casserole, and pumpkin "pie"/dessert. Oh, and a dill pickle! She loved the pickle. Didn't screw her face up on that or the cranberries.

One of the best parts of the evening for me was when I took Samantha upstairs for a little nap. She was obviously tired and getting over stimulated by everyone around her, so I took her up to Sasha's room with her little puppy blanket. I laid on the bed with Samantha beside me and turned her puppy music on. She didn't fuss or fight, but simply put her thumb in her mouth and settled into sleep. It was awesome. I could definitely stand to take more naps like that. =)

On Friday, Adam told Julia that Christmas was only a month away. We told her there would be presents, and even presents from Santa. Her response? "No way!" It was awesome!! Adam and I cracked up laughing so hard! So all weekend, that has been her go-to phrase.

It has finally happened. Julia not only requests movies, in particular "Shrek," but she actually zones out watching the whole movie! Previously, she'd want to watch a movie but only last about 10 minutes before she'd decide "all done movie." But now, she sits on the couch, staring at the tv, completely in her own world. Last night, just before bedtime, we were watching Shrek. I tried to get Julia's attention by saying her name. After about the third time, Julia's eyebrows raised, she turned her head toward me, but didn't take her eyes off the movie. And even though she was zoned out, she did hear me say "speaking of time....." and responded with "no."