Friends + Family = Perfect Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving we got a chance to see so many of our friends and family - it was great!

On Wednesday, we got a chance to see Aunt RiRi, home from Brown for the holiday. She and Marino had lots of fun playing together and forming their own band.

Thursday morning, we got up early and headed to New York (5 hour drive). We take a back route there (through the mountains of Pennsylvania), which was not a great idea on this day. We hit a snow/freezing rain storm on I-81. The roads hadn't been salted and cars were sliding off the road in front of us, including a trailer full of horses. As if this situation weren't bad enough, Evan says to me (while we are trying to not slide off the road), "I think Marino pooped." I look in the backseat and Max (the dog) had diarrhea. On my winter coat. And then stepped in it and jumped in the "trunk" on top of Evan's coat. Needless to say, Evan and I headed out to the mall on Black Friday to buy new coats (meaning we were coatless in 30 degree weather for 36 hours).
We made it to New York in one piece and generously did not leave Max on the side of I-81.

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house and my stepsister Jennifer, her husband Haagen and her daughter Bae-Corine joined us for dinner. The first thing you need to know is that Marino and Bae-Corine love each other. Everything she says, he gazes up at her with this smile on his face. The second thing you need to know is that Bae-Corine is quite extraordinary. All children are special but Bae-Corine is the sort of child you wish you had a magic ball to see the amazing person she will be in the future. She's beautiful, talented (at both dance and writing), sweet, articulate and mature without being a sassy pre-teen (she's 11) and she is AWESOME with Marino. They spent all day together on Thanksgiving and they did a great job of entertaining each other. I'm so glad to have this wonderful new family in my life!

Here she is giving Marino a ton of gifts - all of which he LOVED! He's played with his "Boody", "Jeshie" and "Bulleye" and his "potato" non-stop since Thursday!

She also gave him "The Velveteen Rabbit" with this very sweet (and well written) inscription. Is she special or what?
Marino was in love with her iPad!
How cute are they?

This monster face was his favorite!
We had a great dinner and a great time visiting with everyone.

Friday morning, we went to the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum with Sonia, Wil, Cat and Siena, Sonia's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kimlin and Sabrina. We had a great time - it was great to see everyone. The kids had a great time, of course.

Marino showing Mrs. Kimlin how to climb the wall. Climbing is his favorite thing. Every time we passed a mountain on the drive to New York, he would say "Look, its a mountain. I climb it?"

Sabrina and Marino had a standoff over some carrots.

The Kimlin's, Sonia and a sleeping Siena, and Patrick, Sonia's father.

We went out to lunch and then, after naps, met up at Sonia's parent's house. The kids were being adorable together and spontaneously decided to sit together for a picture. Catalina told us "get a camera!"

These two were wrestling on the ground - they always have so much fun together!

Here they are being dinosaurs "ROAR"

Look at this sweet face!

Poor Nena wasn't feeling well but she is always adorable!

Saturday morning we opened Christmas presents with my dad and Barb, since we won't see them again before Christmas. Marino was definitely a lot more excited to open presents this year than he was last year; he wanted to open everyone's!

We got to visit Gus aka "Yittle Puppy" who is doing great in his new home and has grown already!
Bernadette and her boyfriend Jay came over on Saturday and it was great to spend some time with them and get to know Jay better. We went back to my mom's on Saturday and Marino took a 3 hour nap - definitely not normal for him. I tried to wake him up after 2 hours but he didn't even stir. Unfortunately, he woke up with a fever of 102 and no voice. We ended up going home Saturday night, which worked out well, since he slept the whole way and we didn't have to drive home a miserable sick boy on Sunday morning. Here he is snuggling with Gramma on Saturday.

Luckily, the ride home was less eventful than the ride there.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!