An Ode to Thanksgivings Past and Present
28 Nov 2015
We had the loveliest Thanksgiving this year with sweet friends. It was so wonderfully low-key: two couples, two babies, and an awful lot of laughter. I brought two pies and whipped cream, and Eric made us American Trilogies. I gave mine a hearty douse of Martinelli’s because I am a lightweight, and it turned out to be delicious. Huzzah!
Jason made the turkey, and Carmen made stuffing, brussels sprouts, and the most addictive sweet potato casserole I have ever tasted (no marshmallows, just tons of nuts and sugar!)
It was so much fun to watch our sweet boys play together (entirely peaceably!) We ate in shifts and shared with Micah. He was a huge fan of everything, but most especially the stuffing.
Carmen and Jason have been friends with Eric since freshman year in college, long before my entry onto the scene, and I am so happy they live so close to us. They are five-star human beings, those two (three!) We took this picture with the timer on my iPhone, and, well, you can see four of six people’s faces, which is slightly more than half, except that the two missing faces are cuter than the other four of us combined.
I love this picture.
This is what our adorable baby looked like this year.
And this was last year (2014), at 3 months, wearing his uncle’s dressy outfit. Let’s go further down Thanksgiving memory lane!
The year before that (2013), I was 5 weeks pregnant, and as soon as we arrived at Hillary’s house, Maggie and Rosie ran out to the car and said, “We invited your baby to Thanksgiving!!” It was the sweetest thing ever.
The year before that (2012), Eric and I had a little Thanksgiving at home, just the two of us. Eric made quail. And I made this crazy pie!
The year before that (2011), we were newlyweds. Eric made Cornish game hens with lavender (so good!), and I appear to have made a cranberry apple crisp.
The year before that (2010), we were engaged and spent Thanksgiving with my whole family at Sea Ranch, in a house that backed up to a rotating sheep pen. It was awesome.
The year before that (2009), we were also at Sea Ranch with my family. Awesome again. Or rather, awesome for the first time.
The year before that (2008), we both stayed in Berkeley and hosted Thanksgiving together for our friends at my apartment. I made this crazy pumpkin stew in a pumpkin thing that required three days of work and is still a running joke. My exhaustion is evidenced by my shirt being on inside out!
It was our first Thanksgiving together, and we were still celebrating every month anniversary of dating. Sweet kids. Seven Thanksgivings later…I’d like to say we love each other just as much…but the truth is that we love each other even more.
I believe my mom’s unsurpassable awesomeness has been well-documented here, and thus the reader can imagine what euphoria came over me when she mentioned a few months ago that she ought to come out and see me. And help me with the baby. What?! I love my precious child as boundlessly as the universe is expanding, but sometimes it is difficult not having family in town. But this visit was a double gift–not only would she come and Mary Poppins her way through our apartment and daily routines, but she would also fill them with wit and laughter. She can’t help it. She’s just contagiously fun.
This one captures the most important element of the trip: drinking coffee together while gazing adoringly at our sweet boy. (John Deere shirt courtesy of his grandparents!)
We went to all the thrift stores. Of course.
We went exploring at the San Gabriel Mission and Historic District. We cooked, we cleaned, we drank cocktails and ate enormous pastries. And we talked about everything under the sun.
And then it was time for Mommy and Daddy to hit the road so Mimi and Micah could party it up on their own. Did we worry? Not one tiny bit. Did they have a raucous good time? Yes, yes, they did!
When we came home, we learned that not only had my mom taken care of Micah, but she had swept and mopped our kitchen floor. And she had taken out our stovetop rings and scrubbed them. And she had scoured our sink. And she had taken Micah to TJ Maxx to get a linen basket for his train set, which was previously residing in an Amazon box on the living room floor. And she had loaded the baby up in the car and taken him to a park I’ve never even been to. And Eric and I had been away for only a little more than 24 hours. Do you see what I mean about both angel and saint?
The thing about my mom is that she is the most can-do person I have ever met in my life. She is endlessly giving, incomparably generous, and always willing to do just about any kindness for just about anyone. And she will also make you laugh while doing it. Do you have some annoying thing in your life that you have never even dared to consider solvable? She will roll up her sleeves and get right to it. Can’t get the baby to nap? No problem. Can’t figure out how to get your towels to stop smelling? She’s on it. Can’t keep your shoddy Ikea furniture from falling apart? She will fix it. Or buy you a new one. Before she came, I actually told her, “Mom, be on the lookout for things that can be made better, either in our apartment or in our routine.” Sometimes we assume that our little niggling annoyances can’t be overcome, but my mom? She will find a way to overcome them. It’s amazing (and horrifying!) the things we don’t really see because we see them every day. And it’s amazing and wonderful what a fresh eye and a helping hand can accomplish in just a few short days.
What did she do while she was here? Helped me find a Kindermusik class for Micah. Looked up YouTube videos about how to unclog my drain. Tried to do it herself with my Walgreens screwdriver (sorry, mom). Helped me figure out how to better ventilate the bathroom. Folded laundry, washed dishes, changed diapers, sang songs, chopped vegetables. All while playing with the baby. I DID NOT KNOW THIS WAS POSSIBLE. That probably sounds a little ridiculous, but there were so many things I wouldn’t have attempted to do while Micah was awake that are actually so very do-able. Now I feel so much more productive during the days when we are at home, and our home is so much nicer! It has been revelatory. Just revelatory.
What have I done since my mom was here? Taken apart the tub and sink drains to unclog them. Washed all our towels in vinegar (and then in detergent). Dusted the baby’s room and sorted his clothes, putting the ones that are too small (sob!) in storage. Deep cleaned the bathrooms and soaked the faucets in vinegar to remove the lime scale. Researched a bunch of toddler Montessori activities I can do with Micah. Established a family cleaning night (Tuesday!) And I am totally going to re-caulk our tub this weekend.
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