Thanksgiving in Vermont

Our weekend in Vermont was really good. There were the usual annoying relatives, and the usual frustrations around spending so much time with so many people (read: family members) in such a small house, of course, but overall it was really good.

Well, except for the first night. We arrived at 4 something in the afternoon, I believe, and while I unloaded the car, I didn't unpack or get anything set up for Jordyn's bedtime. So I went to do that a little before she needed to go to sleep, and discovered... that Minnie Mouse, her stuffed animal lovey that she sleeps with for EVERY nap and night sleep... wasn't there. Yes, that's right - this mother of the year forgot the one single thing she COULDN'T forget!! Now, to be fair, I had packed Minnie Mouse. She was in a bag to be brought down to the car, but Jordyn pulled it out minutes before we left. I tried to tell her that she needed to leave it in the bag, but she wasn't swayed, and out Minnie came. I knew I therefore needed to make sure to grab Minnie before we actually left the house... and that's what I forgot to do.

I was SO incredibly upset when I found out I'd forgotten Minnie. I just immediately went into a very bad mood; I was so mad at myself for messing this up. I was already worried about Jordyn's sleep over the weekend with having to share a room with me, sleeping in a pack and play, being in an unfamiliar place with many unfamiliar people, etc. Her lovey is exactly what she needed to help her feel more secure and comfortable, and hopefully to sleep ok, and I forgot it. Again - mom of the year I'm NOT.

My pseudo-cousin A, who lives in Manhattan with her wife B and their son S, saved the day. Well, not THAT day, but the rest of the days we were there. S is 7, and over the years, A has amassed a small army of people who not only babysit S but also run errands and do random little jobs for her. Since B had to work on Wednesday and wasn't flying up to Vermont until Thursday morning, A was able to arrange for one of her people to go to the Disney Store in Times Square, which happens to be open until 1am, pick up a Minnie Mouse, and deliver it to B, who brought it up to Vermont the next day. She also just happened to get the very last Minnie Mouse of the right size in the whole store! Amazing. So, we only had to get through one night without Minnie Mouse; she was even there before nap time on Thursday. It's a good thing Jordyn will accept multiple Minnies, and isn't just stuck on the one original one. Her face when she saw Minnie on Thursday was priceless!

Anyway, other than that, the weekend went well. My aunt's boyfriend, who lives right across the street from her, was out of town, and let us use his house, so we had room for everyone to be basically all together (except my uncle D and his boyfriend who elected to stay in a hotel). I left Jordyn home on Friday with my sister, B, S, and B's nephew (and another pseudo-cousin of mine) A while I went antiquing with my mom, aunts, cousin, and A. My cousin D is an antiques dealer out in California, and it's great to get to antique with someone who knows what they're talking about! S surprised me by being really interested in Jordyn, and she of course loved her big cousin. They played really well together.

This was a particularly funny exchange:

First this...

...then this!

At one point S started picking Jordyn up and carrying her around. Every time he'd put her down, she'd sign "more". He got a good workout!

My dad has a friend who makes and sells t-shirts, and he gives him a good deal on printed shirts. So a few times over the years, my dad has had t-shirts made for everyone at Thanksgiving. Here's the whole crew wearing this year's shirt, which is a take-off on one sold online to the general public:

B and A had hats made for everyone, with this printed on them:

It was fun to get to celebrate the first four nights of Hanukkah with everyone. Jordyn got lots of presents, and had fun playing with her new toys. The adults had arranged ahead of time to do a Yankee Swap, which was fun, although not too many people traded gifts. I ended up with three pair of Beatles socks, which is what I originally opened, and which I've discovered are too big for me, but I'll probably wear anyway.

Jordyn seemed to know just what to do with the baby doll
and bottle of milk...

... except then she thought she'd help herself to
some milk, too!

The weekend was basically a four day food orgy. My aunts, cousins, and mom are all great cooks, so the food was both plentiful and good. Not a good combination! We all ate well and then some. 

Here are a couple more cute pictures, just for good measure: