Thankgiving Weekend (or, We Like to Hike!)

Juan Pablo had been looking forward to Thanksgiving since Halloween, because it meant that the next holiday after that would be Christmas. Thanksgiving morning he ran to the front window, threw back the curtains and said, "Mama, no puedo ver los pavos!" (Mama, I can't see the turkeys!). Next year we'll have to remember to bring in a flock of turkeys for our front yard so he's not disappointed. We started off our Thanksgiving Day with a preemptive calorie burning hike through Bird Hills Nature Area near our house.
It ended up being a bit more of an adventure than we had originally anticipated. We got to a point in the trail where it goes down a steep slope to a creek. The kids wanted to get closer to the water, but it was so muddy and slippery from all the wet leaves that we ended up having to slide down on our butts to get there. Once we got down, we couldn't get the kids back up to the trail, so we walked along the creek looking for a way back up to the trail. We ended up on one of the paved roads that borders the nature area, and from there were able to find a not-so-steep and not-so-wet way to get back up to the trail. By the time we got back to the trail, the kids were too tired to hike much more so we gave the rides on our shoulders the whole way back.
We had a great Thanksgiving Dinner at Abuelo and Abuela's, making sure to take full advantage of all those well-earned calories. The next day we drove across the state to spend the day with Jeff's family. We had an early Christmas celebration, and then went for a hike in the dunes. And then a run down the dunes to Lake Michigan...
Well, some of us ran, some of us sort of scooted, and others of us picked up those who kept falling every couple feet because they were trying to run just like their big brothers/cousins and kept face-planting in the sand.
It was a gorgeous day, and even though the lake was cold, we were still able to put our feet in for a few seconds at time before they went completely numb. There is just something about throwing rocks in the water and running in the woods that makes kids so happy.
We attempted a family picture...never easy to get everyone looking the right way:
We were also able to go to the Lights Before Christmas at the Toledo Zoo with Abuelo, Abuela and Tia Padu (and of course, forgot the camera!). We had another beautiful unseasonably warm late November day, perfect for a trip to the zoo. We got there early enough to see a lot of the animals before dark, and then the lights were so much fun for all of us. Juan Pablo was very excited to see Santa, and waited very very patiently in a very very long line, much to my surprise. When we finally got to the front, being the sweet boy he is, he immediately asked Santa if he could have a candy cane to take to his little sister (who is terrified of Santa). Santa said yes, and also told him to take candy canes for mom and dad. Then he asked if there was anything Juan Pablo wanted for Christmas, to which Juan Pablo replied, "I am an artist. I need crayons." I think Santa will be able manage that request.

And now here we are, in the first week of Advent and getting excited about Christmas! Juan Pablo's drawings have gone from pumpkins and monsters to snowmen and Santas, we got our advent wreath up and running after a minor delay due to lack of appropriately colored candles, and our Christmas shopping lists are almost done (please note that I said "lists". Christmas shopping is most certainly nowhere near done). We hope these next few weeks will be a time not just to prepare gifts and prepare our home, but also to prepare our hearts for celebrating Christmas!