Finally... the lowdown on the turkey...

Where does the time go??? For the past few weeks, our household has been in a perpetual state of rushing around until today (or so it seems!). So here I am, at long last, updating the blog with our latest adventures...

Over Thanksgiving, my big brother and his family came down for a week. We had a lot of fun hanging out with them, especially since we don't get to see them very often. Although we visit on Skype, it's just not the same.


Daddy Dude hates the sandbox with a passion. It was only because of Mirei's visit that he reluctantly agreed to buy some play sand. Whew! It may only last a few months (where does it go?!), but at least the girls enjoyed playing in it...

Mirei borrowed Mika's bike helmet and we went biking around the neighborhood a few times. When kids look like this (uncomfortable), you wonder how much fun they really have, whizzing around the neighborhood. It must have been fun for them, because one loop wasn't enough!

One of my favorite things about my sister-in-law is that she's a creative soul like I am (she just needs more time for her creativity! Those twins sure keep her busy!). I gave them two bags of Nuudles (non-toxic colored cornstarsh shapes that are water-soluble) and let them loose. Athoough Mika made the first crown (on Mirei), I was really impressed by the crowns Misao made for the girls - I love this picture! What a hoot!

I'm pleased to report that the turkey turned out just fine, even though it'd been a few years since I last cooked one. We decided not to barbeque a second turkey (which, by the way, we did a few days later, to rather unimpressive results) but still ended up cooking all day. Did you know Trader Joe sells pre-brined turkeys? Those were great! Wow, look at that... our dining room table looks tiny with all those people around it! =)

We had been expecting a few more people, but Holly's family was sick and Michelle is a slave to her school papers (it's short-term pain, you remember that!). We missed them, but maybe next year... =)

And here's Grandma with all of her granddaughters. They are all so cute together! It's going to be pretty darn funny in a few years, when they're all talking/running and getting into mischief together. I'm glad they're all pretty close together in age (within 5 years).