A Very Merry Thanksgiving !

   Whewwww.......what a week !  Action packed and I wouldn't trade a minute of it !  
     Josh, Melanie, Taige and Tia came on Tuesday.....we were so excited to see them !   The weather was wet ,but it was a "warm" wet so no snow for them to contend with .  Seth and Amanda came up to share dinner with us, a really fun night !   The next day I was knee deep in flour and sugar and it was a miserable day, weather wise.  Everyone just kind of hung out......we did get in a few rounds of Mexican dominos and backgammon......Tia, you are an awesome player !! 

   Thanksgiving morning started ,of course, with Holiday fruit, smokies and french toast for eight. In order to work off a little of the breakfast, everyone headed out for a little basketball.   It was a beautiful morning, although everyone was trying to stand in the sun ! Ross was the first to show up that afternoon, a welcome sight as his old truck, Blackie, made it up the driveway.   Granny, Tess, Boyce and little Bryn were next to arrive......yaaaa, some hands on time with my Bryn !!   Our friend , Phil, came just as the family band was getting warmed up.......and by the then the turkey was smelling pretty good !!
    We ate around 5:00 and finally got up from the table around 7:30.  We rolled into the family room to crowd by the fire and tried to stuff ourselves further with pie, cake, cookies and fudge .   The party broke up not too long after, Tess and Boyce had a bit of a drive home.  They also gave Granny a ride back to her house.....and yes, they insisted on taking Bryn too !

    The next day Granny treated us to In&Out , and an afternoon at Chucky Cheese......the kids had a blast !!    My Taige and Tia are such joys......so much fun and so sweet.  I've gotten to spend more time than usual with them this year......we've loved every minute.
Leftovers for dinner......Yay......everything always tastes better the second night.

   Yesterday we all drove to SugarPine Lake......including Seth and both dogs, Callie and Josh's awesome dog, Timber.  The hike around the lake is about 4 1/2 miles.....it felt wonderful to all of us...until about that last 1/2 mile....even the dogs were dragging.   The turkey soup had been simmering all day while we were gone, the highlight of Thanksgiving.  I made some homemade pizza to go with it and we had a most enjoyable  dinner.   Everyone turned in around 9:30, full of good food and fresh air.
   Josh and his family left early this morning.....we all wish we lived closer to each other.  They are such a wonderful family...I love you all so much....thanks once again for making the long journey.

Happy, Sad ........Relief !

     This has been quite a week !!!  On Wednesday, my love headed off for his "day away" and returned that afternoon with a complete set of vintage Pyrex mixing bowls !  I've always wanted a set, but it's difficult and expensive to find an actual complete set.  My mom had .......and still has a couple of these bowls....and they certainly are nostalgic for me.   And, now that I have the actual bowl my mom uses for her macaroni salad , I will, at long last,  be able to make it taste as wonderful as hers !

    Now, for the sad.......Tess called that Bryn had been vomiting a lot with some blood mixed in.  The next day she took him to the pediatrician, he said nothing to worry about.  Somedays he seemed better, some days worse.  On Saturday she called me that she was taking him to the emergency room in Paradise.  I hopped in the car and drove up to meet her.  Eight hours later , after invasive tests, ultrasounds and consultations they told her to take him imediately down to a large hospital in Sacramento.  The three of us, Tess ,Boyce and myself hopped in our cars and took off.  We hit some insane road construction and a trip that should take ,at most, two hours.....took us almost four.   Very nerve racking as we still didn't know what was wrong with Bryn.  At last we arrived at the hospital, by now it was almost 11 at night.  Bryn was checked in and examined by a doctor and we found out they thought for sure that he had Pyloric Stenosis......a narrowing of a valve in the stomach, not uncommon in newborn boys, but Bryn was 2 1/2 months and thriving, not the typical profile.   Anyhow, more tests in the morning, meetings with the surgeon, diagnosis confirmed  Pyloric Stenosis.......Bryn wheeled into surgery about noon.  
  Now the relief.......Bryn came through the surgery like a champ....the "old" Bryn is already back !  Smiling, kicking, adorable Bryn !  Poor Tessy....she handled it all like a pro, but the look on her face when the surgeon came in with good news.....that look told the story of all the stress and worry she'd been dealing with, her face and whole body gave a visible sigh .  Brynnie will be headed home tomorrow....good as new, even more precious.