The past few months have flown by in a blur of work and family issues and activities. I can't believe the winter holidays are upon us already. Last week, my sister flew in from San Francisco to spend a week with us. We've had a great time hanging out with her! Both boys adore their Auntie Linda; they have such a deep bond with her even though they don't get to see her too often. Lin was there for the birth of both boys and she has been a treasured presence in their lives ever since.
This past weekend was really fun. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. This year, we spent Thanksgiving at my father-in-law's house and the following day at my parents' house. We had a wonderfully delicious yet nutritious meal at my father-in-law's house. At my parents' place, Mom prepared an assortment of traditional American Thanksgiving staples (turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce) along with Taiwanese dishes (sticky rice, stir-fried shrimp, steamed eggplant with garlic). We stuffed ourselves.
Throughout the weekend, we played a lot of board games (I'm the house reigning champ at Scrabble, Nico's the one to beat at Sorry!) and had tons of fun playing Rock Band (I think the best combo for us was having Nico at the mic, Lin or Vic on guitar and me on bass). We also watched a bunch of movie DVDs. The weather was beautiful and Lin and I went for a nice long walk to Shaker Lakes.
We also started what I hope will become annual Thanksgiving weekend family traditions. During Thanksgiving, Nico announced to the family all that he is thankful for (I think the Buddhist school lessons are starting to make him more appreciative and grateful!). When Nolan starts talking more, I hope he'll do the same. On Saturday, we donated 13 bags of clothes and toys to Goodwill.
Now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm going to try to keep a positive attitude through the hectic winter holiday season.
