Turkey Day '08

Everyone knows that a little bit of exercise before the big meal makes Thanksgiving much more enjoyable. That's why we are starting this post with a glimpse of the next great women's soccer star going to work in the living room.



She still has to work on her finishing ability, but that will come with time. She definitely has potential.

As many of you know, Thanksgiving for us means travel. And well before we even met we were traveling somewhere else to eat turkey. Sarah and her friends developed a great tradition in Hermosa Beach known as Thanksgiving Observed to make up for it. They would have all of their friends over for a big potluck meal before folks left town for the holiday.

Well we decided that the time had come for us to bring that tradition to Kentucky. So on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, we cooked a 19 pound turkey and had sixteen people over for dinner. Here's a picture for proof.





We had a lot of fun and for the first time we actually had a fire in our fireplace. Callie enjoyed playing with Iain, Eli, and Jackson. It's pretty obvious that she enjoys being the center of attention, or maybe she just enjoyed the ratio. Hard to tell.


But we finally got on the plane and made our way up to Connecticut for a good old New England Thanksgiving. Nana Taffy was very excited to pick us up, especially since we came in at a reasonable time. And Callie was happy to get some one-on-one time with her Nana.






Suzy was also able to make it in from Colorado, and she and Callie got to hang out quite a bit during our visit. Callie is not much of a morning person, but it is clear that Auntie Suzy can make mornings so much better. As for the gift from Suzy that is sitting in her lap in this picture, Callie has been playing with it non-stop ever since we got back to Lexington.


Holidays are all about relaxation, and we tended to stay in our pajamas as long as possible, as you can see below. What you can also see is that Callie is becoming more and more playful every day. You probably already knew that Sarah and Suzy were playful. Clearly Callie is following in their footsteps. Here the three of them perform the wave.





Did we mention that Callie likes to be the center of attention? She truly enjoys the time she gets to spend with her Uncle Chris and her cousins Brendan and Michael. The two Balestracci boys are so good with her. She has them wrapped around her finger and we're pretty sure she knows it. It is so much fun to see them all together.





But playtime was not reserved to the youngest members of the crew. There is nothing quite like a good tradition, and the adult kids of the Bowes clan are hoping that they have started a new one. It's called, leave the kids with Nana and Grandpa so we can all go out and have a tasty dinner and a good adult conversation.


So pictured here we have the crew as they prepare to head to the Stone House in Guilford. Not planned, but charming nonetheless, are the argyle bookends that frame the three lovely ladies in the middle. This hearth has been the site of many Bowes family pictures over the years, and it is good to see that tradition continue as well.



It was great that all of the Connecticut folks got time with Callie, and of course she loved getting some time in with everyone as well. Here she is with Auntie Katie, who apparently was able to push her own sons aside to get quality time with her niece.




Obviously Thanksgiving is all about family, but it would not be complete without friends. Here Callie plays around with Logan and Finn, the twin sons of Alex Gross and Mark Matlosz. Alex and John are good friends from high school and it is a bit crazy for them to have their kids playing around at their foot. And in that brief hour that the Matlosz boys were over, we realized how lucky we are to only have to chase one little one around.





Speaking of friends, we also got a chance to go over to the McBean/Conroy household down the road in Fairfield. It was a house chock full of little ones, and Callie had a blast with Jackson's toy car that had a horn and Hayden's little kitchen set. Here she and Hayden are hanging out in one of the rooms that is clearly built for kid entertainment.



Whether it was the travel or just the joy that is daycare, Callie came down with a post-Thanksgiving virus that did a number on both the poor little girl and her parents. We were awash in pedialyte as we tried to keep Callie hydrated while she refused to keep anything in her body. It was the kind of fun time you hope to never have again. Callie was a trooper though, and below you can see the shadow of a smile as she sits in what we dubbed, "The Sick Nest".




Really, the whole nest was a simple safety precaution to keep all manners of liquid eruptions off the couch and us. Is that too much information yet? Trust us, that's nothing compared to what we could have told you about.


It was clear when Callie was getting better, because she was soon up to her old, and new, tricks. We learned she had an obsession with paper bags a few weeks ago. It started with her trying to carry a paper bag that was just as big as she is. We intervened and gave her more size appropriate bags. Witness the joy those bags bring in the video below.





Although the director yelled cut and the cameraman complied, our viewers should know that Callie jumped up quickly after the above spill and made her way to Sarah with a smile on her face and her bags in hand.

To truly turn the corner from Thanksgiving to Christmas, a visit to Santa is necessary. Needless to say, this also entails a trip to the mall.


Some parents hope their children won't cry on Santa's lap and some hope their child will sit still. It's not clear what we were hoping for, but this picture truly captures the spirit of the moment. First, the Fayette Mall Santa is a very nice man and he has a very gentle smile. Second, Callie was not quite sure what to make of him. Callie likes hanging out with strangers as much as the next person, but it doesn't mean she won't stare at that stranger to get a good sense of their character.


With the visit to Santa concluded, we visited the local toy store where Callie had fun hugging some stuffed animals. We truly enjoy this age because she gets excited about playing with the toys but we don't have to buy anything. Unfortunately we don't think this will last much longer.


And now we sit here in Lexington listening to a quiet house. Callie is asleep, the TV is on mute because we can't focus with the volume on, and the sounds of freezing rain/sleet/who knows what comes and goes. Apparently we are in winter storm warning mode, which means the Bluegrass is truly at Defcon 5 high alert. And in five days we will be getting on a plane for Sacramento, where we will spend eight glorious days and possibly eight crazy nights with our West Coast family and friends. Life is never dull and we wouldn't want it any other way.