We headed to Jeff & Michelle's in NJ for Thanksgiving and it was a great trip. We even managed to snag this wonderful family picture with Mom (with only one take before the camera battery died!)
Sarah convinced me to run the Flemington Turkey Trot (only a 5K) which I haven't run in years. Note to self: maybe run more than zero times in the last 2 years before attempting a race of any length. One of my oldest friends, Jessica, ran it with us and it was so great to see her and her husband Terrance in our old stomping grounds.
We also got a chance to see my oldest friend Elizabeth and her family in PA. Here we are with our mini-me's. I've known Elizabeth since I was Reese's age- crazy! Her daughter, Ava (seen here) is 4 months younger than Asher and her son, Zachary, is 6 days younger than Emily.
The crew: Soren, Emily, Reese, Ava, Zachary and Asher (sorry Jason that we didn't get you in a photo!)
Another benefit of visiting my hometown is getting to see my friend Casey who lives in Pennington. Here is that crew: Reese, Emily, Morgan, Barrett and Asher (Soren slept through the visit and you can see him on the couch in background). It was so great to see Casey and Lionel and their amazing home; can't wait for them to come visit us in Montana next summer!
We spent the week staying at Jeff and Michelle's and it was so nice to have so many kids around (and new toys). The kids had a great time.
Soren and Hunter playing:
The redheads: Becca and my beautiful niece Charlotte:
Asher playing with Snoopy at MSP on the way home
The "big" kids table at Thanksgiving: Emily, Grace, Reese and Asher
Goofing around with Emily on the plane to NJ
A moment of relative peace on the plane ride.
CK and I took Reese and Asher into NYC to see the Freedom tower and the Rockettes. It was interesting trying to explain 9/11 to a 5 and 7 year old but they seemed to get it. Reese asked me a really thoughtful question later that day: "Mommy, did the bad guys get their names on the memorial, too? Because I think their families probably miss them, too." Wow. Excellent perspective from a 7 year old.
The four not-so-babies hashing out life
Just an example of the controlled chaos
Asher in NYC being amazed by the tall ceilings in the WTC PATH station
Charlotte celebrating the holidays and the Thanksgiving sunshine we got
our family pic that Mom managed to snap
riding the train back from NYC
The four amigos again. I think Elijah may be winding up?
