thanksgiving and the christmas parade

i ate so much my stomach is in turmoil - as is my newborn's. my poor, sweet henni. ryan carted him into the kitchen this morning saying: "i have a new toy - and he farts every time you touch him." sorry, little buddy. wouldn't you know he is still smiling. what a sweet boy. was it the sausage in the dressing? the pumpkin cheesecake?

i spent the day cooking while my parents entertained the kidlets. i was so happy to have a family-filled thanksgiving on the day i grew up celebrating it (minus ryan - the last thursday of the month is "customer appreciation day" at our store, and since we live in canada and had "thanksgiving" (whatever!) last month, his attendance is mandatory on the busiest day of the month.

since my parents went home a day earlier than expected, i was stuck at home friday night thinking there would be no "Christmas Night of Lights Parade." i certainly wasn't attempting it alone. but it is a rooted oliver family tradition. we go every year and freeze our hineys off. this year was no exception to the sudden drop in temperature that ALWAYS accompanies the parade. The weather was pleasant and almost windless the day before - even sunny for this part of the world. The kids frolicked outside without hats or mitts. Then Friday morning things began to cool off considerably. By the time twilight set in (funny how i can't even use that word anymore without thinking of a certain series of books i've never bothered to read - should i? is it a bandwagon worth jumping onto?) the snow was falling, heavy and wet. don & dana (ry's parents) swooped in and took us to the parade, much to the relief of my cried-out children. we drove 1 block, parked illegally in the senior center's lot, and walked to the end of the block. henry was securely snug in the baby wrap, but i still worried about frostbite, though it wasn't nearly as cold as 2 years ago. we watched the parade and promptly marched back to the car. grandma and grandpa had been generous enough to spend their evening unsheltered in the snow watching a parade they cared nothing about for us - i wasn't about to suggest we brave the crowds for a cup of crappy hot chocolate (i make my own instant version: 3 parts powdered milk to 1 part cocoa - add a tsp. of sweentener to the mug with the hot water) from a can in a styrofoam cup and a bag of candy i toss as soon as we get home. we've never enjoyed the hay ride. we went home and i made them hot chocolate and toast. it was a full night.