Thanksgiving Recap

Yes, we are knee-deep in Christmas preparations at this point, but I can't continue without taking a few moments to recap our wonderful Thanksgiving celebration. Eric's mom and dad graciously invited many of the family members on my side of the family to join them in their home for a fun holiday together. We were incredibly touched... especially considering the sheer number of us. There were the four of us, my brother and his family, my mom, and my niece Anna. Seriously... that's a lot of us to invade a home.

We awoke Thursday morning, gathered our gear (including the poinsettia that swallowed Seattle ... aka my mom's host/hostess gift for Eric's parents), and made our way up to the ferry dock. My brother and his family met us there (gratefully, they didn't drive off a random cliff or the 520 bridge on their way.... oh, did I mention the pea soup fog we had that day? It was incredible and made seeing a bit of a challenge at times... all without incident, thank goodness.)

After we crossed the water and piled out of the cars, we quickly got to work prepping for the day's fun and meal. A week or so before, we divvied up the menu responsibilities. I was in charge of the pies (pumpkin, pecan, apple/cranberry) and knowing pies don't exactly travel well, decided to make them once we were on the island. I made the pie crusts ahead of time and pre-measured the ingredients at home the night before, so it was basically a roll out, stir together, and bake process. Definitely the way to go! (Side note: I need to get more Karo syrup to leave at the island ... I finished the bottle up there.)

Eric's mom and dad were fantastic hosts ... right down to hosting a scavenger hunt for the kids and providing not one, but TWO turkeys for the day: one smoked and the other roasted. Karen (pre-Thanksgiving) had a brilliant idea of having Annika be in charge of the cranberry sauce prep; she had a fantastic time and loved being a big enough kid to have a "real job" for Thanksgiving. Her real job also resulted in a lovely addition to the meal ... of which, she had three helpings! :)

We happily stuffed ourselves with Jack's AMAZING smoked turkey for lunch and took in the happiness that is Thanksgiving: football, going for walks, and spending time together with loved ones. Various people napped while others chit-chatted, read, and played games. (Don't ask Karen about playing the card game War with Ian ... tee hee hee!)

Before dinner, Troy, Staci, Ian, Conor, and I headed out for a bit of a walk. We went up the hill and explored the meadow that deer often feed in (and on). We didn't see any deer, but still had plenty of fun watching boys disappear into the incredible fog bank. I was glad that Conor's coat was such a bright color... I was able to keep an eye on him just that much longer thanks to it.

We had an absolutely perfect dinner together and the kids were thrilled to have their own table, so us boring adults didn't cramp their style too much.

After dinner, we fell into a turkey coma, watched more football, and eventually pulled out The Game of Things, which is a fantastically fun game! We had fits and giggles galore!! The dark horse wound up being our nephew Ian... he quickly showed that he could hold his own in a group of adults. Kudos to him!

At what felt like was 2 a.m., but was really closer to 9 p.m., we all fell into bed to sleep off the tryptophan and dream of a wonderful day with very full bellies!

Foggy day

Charlene conquering the roll dough

Annika and Buster playing

Ian and his sidewalk chalk dinosaur masterpiece

Annika making her cranberry sauce

Anna enjoying some quiet time before dinner... after her nap

The cranberry sauce queens

Conor peeling a cutie orange

Troy and Eric: much calmer here than during the Apple Cup the next day
(PS: Way to to, Dawgs!!)

Staci and Kat enjoying a chilled out holiday

Jack catching a quick cat nap

Ian building ... umm ... something... not quite sure, but I'm sure it was really cool!

Karen's birthday celebration

Yesterday was Eric's mom's birthday. To celebrate her special day, his dad treated the four of us to a very fun, very fancy, very kid-free night out.

If you've never heard of or been to Canlis, it is AMAZING! You're treated like royalty from the moment your car stops in front of the door. You don't park your own car at Canlis... oh no ... their valets park it for you. Snazzy! The staff at the restaurant are obviously held to incredibly high standards and conduct themselves like I've never seen before. They work with precisions, professionalism, and (occasionally) a little bit of stealth (but in a good way).

I think one of my favorite parts of going to Canlis is the fact they have (and use!) crumb sweepers to ensure the tables are crumb free during the dining process. SERIOUSLY! Coolest thing ever! (At home, we call Buca is our crumb sweeper!)

We had a gorgeous view from our window-side table; perched way up high sipping on adult beverages and dining on fantastic food, we could see Gas Works Park, planes land on Lake Union, and all of the poor saps stuck in rush hour traffic on I-5 and the Aurora Bridge. Yup, best seats in town!

Eric and his dad ordered the halibut (I tried a bite of Eric's and thought it was incredible); Eric's mom ordered the lamb chops, and I had the NY steak. I don't recall being that full in a LONG time. Oh! And we also had an amuse-bouche of a curried carrot soup that, I swear, was made of pure silk! To die for! Their soups and sauces were all silky beyond belief! Oh! and their rolls were fantastic; I had a honey and milk roll (two in fact) that were so delicate and tasty.

Conversations covered everything from sports, to world events, to funny family stories. We laughed often and smiled all night long. While I adore our kids with every ounce of my being, it sure was nice to have a fantastic meal without a single "Mama" request.

After dinner, we were offered the dessert menu, but didn't order any due to having insanely full tummies. The restaurant knew we were celebrating Karen's birthday and couldn't let us leave without a little something, so our waiter brought our a plate of bite-size dessert (like everything else, delicious!) for us to have.

Eric's parents are true gems and, no, I'm not just saying that because they treated us to an evening at Canlis last night. They are truly great people. I can't even count how many times I've told people that I hit the in-law jackpot with them. I hear of so many in-law horror stories and am grateful to have Eric's parents as my in-laws. They are wonderful, caring people who we really enjoy spending time with.

Oh, and 12 hours later ... I'm still full!!!!

Menu cover

 

Jack and the birthday girl (aka Karen)

Eric and yours truly

Karen's birthday plate

 

Happy birthday, Karen!!