thanksgiving in new england

We headed East to spend Thanksgiving with the Massachusetts McMahon's (as we like to call them). Steve had a few extra days off, so we spent over a week with Bill, Karen and Emily, and T, Di and Taylor. We got in just in time to watch the Patriots beat the Jets on Sunday- it's always to fun to watch the local team, especially when they win! On Monday, the girls got to spend a couple hours out on the golf course...hard to believe that we got out there long before the guys did! We had a great time, even though it was a bit wet and chilly. I can no longer refer to myself as a "fair weather golfer", as I braved the elements TWICE IN ONE WEEK!

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent preparing for the holiday meal on Thursday. We were joined by Karen's mom, Chris, and her friend Polly, as well as Karen's sister, Suzanne. The food was wonderful, and the company was fabulous. I experienced a first on Thanksgiving Day, 2009...oysters on the half shell! One of Bill & Karen's friends was kind enough to share some of his harvest so we had them as an appetizer. I absolutely LOVED them! You can bet I'll be finding a fresh seafood restaurant somewhere around here! (The guys did finally get a round of golf in on Thursday, phew!)

On Friday night, Emily watched her cousins so that the adults could go out for a couple hours. We had an excellent dinner at Amari's in Sandwich. On Saturday morning, we golfed in the String Scrambler at the local par 3 course...Karen, Di, Eileen and I were the only women on the course, as the temps were in the 40's. I firmly believe that we had more fun than any other group out there though, so it made no difference that we came in "Not First Place", as they so kindly call it.

Sunday brought more football fun with the Vikings beating up on the Bears. We spent most of the day at T & Di's, and the kids had tons of fun exploring all of Taylor's great toys. The three of them had a great week together getting reacquainted, with just a few 3-4 year old moments. Emily was a huge help all week entertaining and caring for the kids. She's a great big cousin!

Thanks, MA Mc's for a great week. We look forward to the next time we're all together again...

An early morning departure from MSP

Some fun in the play area at BOS

Golf Self-Portrait #1

A couple extra cute ladies in the family photo

Mozart?

Happy Thanksgiving from the McMen

The Kitchen Crew

Dressed for dinner

We clean up pretty well!

Golf Self Portrait #2

cousin emily

Jackson and Olivia's cousin Emily from Cape Cod visited us the week after Christmas, and we had a TON of fun! We only get to see her a few times a year, so when we're together, it's really special for all of us. Here are some of the fun things we did while she was here...

We decided to stay home for New Year's Eve, so Emily and I spent some time looking through cookbooks to find recipes that we could make together for our "party". She picked out a couple and I picked out a couple, and we got to work that afternoon. Of course Princess Chef Olivia had to get in on the action, so here's a picture of the two of them together. We had a lot of fun making Tortilla Rollups, Fiesta Black Bean Dip, Marinated Tortellini, and best of all...Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Peanut Butter Pie! The food turned out great, and Emily, Steve and I all made it to midnight to toast with our champagne and sparkling cider. Steve and I also taught Em how to play cribbage, and she went to bed UNDEFEATED. Our cribbage games carried on over the next few days, and it wasn't until her last night here that she finally lost a game (she must have had a great teacher!).

Chef Princess Olivia and Chef Emily, ready to cook.

We had a couple of nice(ish) days while she was here, so we bundled up and went sledding in the backyard. I was more than happy to loan her my snow pants so that I had a good reason to stay off the hill and off the sleds! She was great with the kids, helping them up the hill and then taking care of them on the way down. I'm starting to think that having a 12 year old around would be really nice!

The 3 McMousketeers...ready for some hot chocolate!

On Friday afternoon, we braved the crowds and headed to the Mall of America for some fun. Olivia had received an American Girl Store gift card for Christmas from Emily and her parents, so we wanted her to help pick out the treasure for Bitty Baby Bella. Plus, Emily and I REALLY like to go on rides together. We had lunch first, and then stood in line for about 20 minutes per ride...good to let the stomach settle, I guess! We went on the 2 craziest rides we could find, and I'm proud to say we thoroughly enjoyed both. Steve and Em also took the kids on a couple of rides- this was actually the first time they've gone on any rides there. We've been there many times, but we always just walk around the park and look at everything- they've been perfectly content to do so. I'm guessing my inexpensive trips to Nick Universe are over!

Jackson and Olivia loved sharing their favorite MOA spots with Emily.

As you can probably tell from the pictures, Jackson and Olivia absolutely adore their cousin Emily (as do Steve and I, of course!). We talked about another visit this summer, and we're going to try to convince her mom and dad to come along this time! Thanks for all of your help while you were here, Emily- we had so much fun and we can't wait to do it again!