Dear Mai,
There has been so much going on this Holiday season I haven't been good at keeping our log up-to-date. Mark this day in history that I start to catch up. You have been growing, doing so much and its been fun, trying and exhausting all at the same time. So let's start with Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite Holidays. Around my early 20s Thanksgiving changed from a family event to a friend event. When I was younger I couldn't get home for Thanksgiving because I was working all the time and one year Uncle Shawn and I were left alone on Thanksgiving Thursday with nothing to eat but awful gas station pizza and chips. Since that day we swore that we would never have such a lousy Thanksgiving meal ever again. The very next year we were living together and we hosted Thanksgiving dinner for any and all friends that couldn't get back to their families. I think we ended up with about 15 people in and out of the house the entire day and my first Turkey was a success!
Since then Thanksgiving has varied and now Aunt Becky and I are in love with this Holiday. You're probably wondering why I love this Holiday so much. I'm a wreck every year. I get all stressed out because I don't think we have enough food for everyone. (we usually have enough to feed the entire Seattle vicinity) And I stress that the food isn't going to turn out that great. While I've had my share of mishaps, it has been pretty successful as of late. Who knows though, by the time you are reading this things could have changed and Thanksgiving will be something different for us than it is now. That is why I want to capture this one. This was the first Thanksgiving you were more interactive with our guests and you tried your first Turkey! (you spit it all out but hey you tried it!)
You had fun playing with Lorelei and Page!
Visiting with Joyce, Keith, Divya, Shawn and Leigh Ann! (Becky, Ravisha and Emila too but somehow they avoided the camera that day)
I was a little less stressed this year than prior years but sometimes a cook needs his juice!
Of course we had more than enough food thanks to everyone! And it was all yummy. We also discovered that we had like three kinds of potatoes and you didn't like any of them. In fact you don't even like french fries that much. You are one weird kid! How do you not like potatoes?
Earlier in the morning you watched your first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with Mommy!
And I love this picture that Divya took of you and Mommy smiling at each other. I'm not sure if you're smiling at Mommy or smiling because you are sitting in your feed chair. You likey the food Mai.
It was a good night with some great friends that ended with a walk to our park around the corner to catch a city view.
The next morning you devoured your Thanksgiving breakfast. Goofball.
And we found Lorelei's Thanksgiving bracelet. She asked everyone to fill in what we were thankful for and created this from all her entries. I didn't have a chance to fill mine out but I'm sure you can guess what I'm thankful for. I never imagined a kid in our lives. I never imagined how much I love hanging out with you and sharing your experiences. I never imagined sitting here hours after you went to bed writing to your future self, hoping you will get something out of all this. Now, I can't imagine a world without you. That is what I'm thankful for.
With all my love,
Daddy
P.S. - Thanks for the photos Divya, Beck and Leigh!