Thanksgiving in California

Yes, that's right. I'm writing about Thanksgiving almost a month after the fact. It's been a busy month, but I hated to miss out on posting some fun pics. It's fun to go back through them now. Ah, memories.

So, about a month ago,  we headed to California to spend Thanksgiving with Matt's family. It was actually B's first visit (his grandparents have come to us for visits instead), which meant it was also his first flight to California.

Thanks to Matt's parents, we were able to use airline miles to get a direct flight to San Francisco (no easy feat) and at least on the flight out, we were also in first class (what! what!). We thought it would be a good idea to plan the long flight for B's bedtime, thinking he'd just fall asleep during takeoff and then sleep the entire time while we enjoyed all the pleasures first class has to offer.

Unfortunately for our plans, we ended up having a two-hour delay, so B fell asleep in the airport and then woke up as we were boarding, which is when things quickly went south. He was so tired but couldn't fall asleep, and then the pressure started to hurt his ears, but he kept refusing his paci, sippy cup, and anything that might have given him some relief. He ended up crying (ahem...screaming) for the better part of an hour and a half before he finally fell asleep on the floor, at which point our wonderful flight attendant rushed over and asked, "Can I get you some alcohol?" "Yes, please!"

We finally got to San Fran around midnight California time (that's two in St. Louis for those who are counting), and then had a 90-minute drive to Matt's parent's house, meaning we didn't get in bed until after 2 a.m. (4 in the Lou). It was one of the roughest nights ever.

Thankfully, things were all uphill from there, and the rest of the trip was great. B had a wonderful time with his grandparents, cousin Jesselyn, and Uncle Seth, who he hadn't met before.

We were able to get some family pictures taken, which was lots of fun, and then Matt and I pitched in to make the Thanksgiving  feast: turkey, green beans almondine, sweet potato casserole (mine), mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie (also mine). Delicious!

B loved the meal, especially the sweet potatoes!

On our last day, we enjoyed the beautiful weather with some time at the park around the corner. Jesselyn showed off her mad swinging and climbing skills, while B played on the swings and in the grass.

That evening, Matt's parent's hosted an "open house" to celebrate B's California debut. A ton of their friends turned out to welcome him, and he was a perfect host.

Thankfully, the flight home was much better. It fell in the afternoon, so B wasn't too tired but eventually fell asleep and slept for about half of it. There was also an open seat on the row in front of us, so the third person in our row moved up, leaving us with the coveted open seat.

B started the flight by ready the safety guidelines thoroughly, just in case.

He's becoming quite the seasoned traveler. :)

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.