My parents and siblings all live in Williamsburg, Virgina…about 3000 miles away from ME. I grew up in Northern Virginia just outside of Washington D.C. but about ten years ago my parents, brother and sister with her family all migrated south to Williamsburg. Because we are located on opposite coasts I don’t get to see my family very often, usually just once a year if I am lucky. This year I was able to go out with Sophie over the summer to visit but best of all, my parents came out to the Bay Area for nearly two weeks to spend before and after Thanksgiving with us. It was THE BEST. You know that app on your iphone for Find My Friends? Normally my parents little bubble picture floats around Williamsburg but for the past two weeks that little bubble has been right here in my town and I have loved it. They rented an airbnb just up the street (so pretty) and knowing that they were so close was the best present for me and the kids. We weren’t rushed or on top of each other; they got some downtime and exploration time and we got to see them every single day for mundane stuff like family dinner and bigger stuff like races or Thanksgiving Day or when I spoke in church.

I was really fortunate to grow up with my moms parents about 15 minutes away and knew even when I was little how lucky I was to have grandma and grandpa so close by. Heck, I even had my own bedroom at their house and when I got older, I actually kept spare clothes over there! It was a charmed way to grow up. I wish that my parents lived closer but they really love their life in Williamsburg and we love our life in the Bay Area…which is why it is so important to get those family visits in!

Our kids were off of school for the whole week of Thanksgiving and we really packed our days with fun. Our home was full of family or friends but usually both every single day. My dad asked me how many friend of our and of our kids were going to keep rotating through and I explained that honestly, this is how it always is :). I crowdsourced the decorating of our Christmas tree because we had a house full of people and it was more fun for everyone to just participate. I think our tree looks the most beautiful this year.

I didn’t take photos of all of my favorite moments because most of the time I was trying to stay in the moment but here are a few highlights of the two weeks around Thanksgiving:

Full disclosure: the first floor of our house is currently under construction and everywhere you look there are spackled holes, missing baseboards, missing tiles and general disarray so things do NOT look awesome for the holiday season. I had to make a decision early on that I was not going to let our awesome and long awaited construction projects keep me from chilling out and being able to enjoy a house full of people and beautiful Christmas decor. It is a daily battle. Most days I can make it work; some I can’t :).

My dad with Sophie about an hour after they arrived. We were so excited to see them!!!

We had a big windstorm a few weeks before my parents arrived that took down the front yard facing section of our fence. Such a dumb problem to have. My dad packed his work gloves and he, Sam and Simon worked to dig post holes and take out a very stubborn large tree. When their efforts proved an uneven match against the tree, we called in Hunter and Howard Bennion. Eventually Howard tied a chain around around the tree trunk, attached it to his truck and yanked it out. Most satisfying “CRACK” ever. These boys were very happy to see that tree out.

My parents made a point to spend one-on-one time with each grandkid whether it was at the house or at dinner or just hanging out. They loved it. It meant a lot to me and Sam as well.

Simon introduced my parents to the goodness of Fentons; safe to say that they loved it.

My parents also checked an item off of their personal bucketlist and did a hot air balloon over Napa Valley. The weather was perfect (this was before our extensive rainstorms hit), the wind was mild and they LOVED it. I’m so glad that they had a chance to do this.

Our family took part in the Solano Turkey Trot and had a blast. It has been about four years since we did it because we are always out of town for Thanksgiving. Simon set out to win the 5K and was EXTRA motivated because there was a $300 prize for first place. Spoiler: He WON :). What a happy 16year old. Sam had a goal of hitting a sub-20 minute 5K and easily pulled that off with a 19:45. It was fantastic to watch him race; he ended up taking 2nd place in his age group! Sadie finished her 5K as first in her age group and Sebastian tackled his first 10K. He did great and finished 2nd in his age group.

After the race, it was time to assemble all of the food and people for our Thanksgiving feast! My parents of course were there. We also had our wonderful Bennion family (Howard, Holly, Hunter and Haydn) and the Bonner family (Leah, Steve and their kids Carson, Luke and Kendall). It was a household of fun and laughter and lots of food and it was pure delight. Honestly, pure delight. We ate far too much and then crammed even more dessert into ourselves; I actually took my migraine medicine while AT the table from all of the sugar! We were committed. It was the first time we really broke in the full table with both leaves in and thank goodness we got a table that sits 12 (we still needed a kid table for the five youngest kids). If you have a big table, you will fill it. That is just what we wanted at Thanksgiving.

The night after Thanksgiving (and some SOLID Black Friday shopping by the whole family) we had friends and family over for desserts. SO many desserts.

I LOVED having my parents here and our kids loved having their grandparents here. I wish that they could have stayed longer. My brother got super sick with multiple blood clots and had to be airlifted from one hospital to another back in Virginia while they were out here and so it was necessary for them to cut their trip short. The best news is that my brother stabilized quickly with great medical care and by the time my parents got back home my brother had been released from the hospital and they were able to care for him at home. It was a Thanksgiving miracle that he was saved and protected and that my parents were able to get back to their home as quickly as they did.

Love you mom and dad! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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