My brother , sister (and her awesome kids), and mom were here for Thanksgiving. Olivia really enjoyed cuddling with Nana and her little dog, Roxie. The actual day is kind of a tryptophanic blur which I haven't recovered from yet. Mitch made two turkeys, one of which he smoked in the grill (the reason I'm still in elastic waisted pants two days later). I will say that chipotle mashed sweet potatoes are disgusting and a big fat waste of table space, even with copious amounts of wine coursing through my veins. My sis and I did the Black Friday shopping thing, but I'm afraid she was sorely disappointed. The deals were the same as in the city, but since she didn't have to claw anyone's eyes out for the last pair of memory foam slippers, I think she felt she wasn't really getting a good deal. That's how it is on the island. Boring, plenty of items (except for K-Mart, which sucks!!!!!!! Why advertise two-for-one Legos and not have any in stock? Assholes.), and lots of easygoing people. Not exactly thrilling. Then, last night we went to a public-run farm that had caroling and a tree lighting ceremony, and a visit from the REAL Santa Claus, who arrived on a firetruck with lights flashing and music playing. Olivia spent the afternoon making a picture for him, because as she reminded all of us throughout the day, she loves Santa. When the firetruck pulled up, any bit of cool that Henry was trying to hold onto for his cousin Dillon went right out the window as he went flying to the truck, hands waving in the air, "Santa! Santa! Santa!" Olivia was awestruck, Grace was timid, and Jack, Mackenzie, and Dillon were way too cool to make asses out of themselves by fawning over Santa, even if it was the real one.
Here, Grace is holding onto her Dad's hand for dear life, terrified. Olivia and Henry's faces tell their stories, and I threatened Jack with no video games if he didn't look enthused for three minutes, so there you go. Below, Olivia is having a hard time letting go and leaving her idol. Grace is all, "I'm outta here. I'll tell you what I want you to bring me in a letter."
...And back for one last hug.