thanksgiving photos

i'll give you the very abbreviated version of our thanksgiving weekend...somehow this photo of my cousin ally ("auntie raspberry" for her hair...not strawberry blonde like sea's if you are wondering the connection) and her fiance john didn't make it in...he proposed to her para sailing...even put the ring on her finger in the sky...i'm excited she asked both sea and story to be in their wedding this summer...wednesday before thanksgiving i hosted a potluck "thankful for friends" play date...here is a representative gluten-free pumpkin pie...
you can see the wet felt pumpkins on the window sill we made at waldorf preschool...
and a yummy stew a mom brought with yams, red peppers, black beans...there were so many wonderful food items i was too busy eating to capture on film...
another mom brought this bouquet from the farmer's market...complete with corn flowers!
then we were off to mimi and angee's house...the kids stayed awake the whole way and stayed up watching t.v. with angee...
the next morning sea was SUPER excited to ride in her booster seat in mimi's car (she doesn't quite meet the weight requirement so she will stay in her more secure car seat awhile longer otherwise)...
so story of course said "angee ride with chewey"...
the cousins immediately started playing once we got to uncle dave's house...
i loved the yellowish lighting and "old school" feel of my cousins lisa and katie getting ready in the bathroom...cool angles and you can see me peaking in the doorway in the mirror...
i also liked this artsy angle of john playing guitar...
story shaking the wind chimes over and over...
we are thinking about getting a dog around christmastime and a golden retriever is in our top three choices...
we've been teasing the kids "uncle dave does NOT eat turkey" to which they both shake their heads vigorously and say "uh-HUH!" and so we said we'd see at thanksgiving...here they are watching eagerly...
and uncle dave slicing turkey before he popped some in his mouth...
they were chatting with dad about it here...
auntie lisa and her boyfriend serving themselves in the buffet line...
action shot everyone milling at the table...
eating, conversing...
sea showing uncle dave her second loose tooth (her first fell out shortly after showing him)...
then we went on a walk...
john's mom took over my camera so i could be in a few shots...
it was nice to be in one with manuel...
sea and chloe...

me with my mom...
chloe looking back to ask why i wasn't holding hands in the chain...
story wanted to hang out with the big girls and be like them...so he borrowed chloe's crown...
so excited...

nice sunlight...
this shot reminds me of some of the trees at the cemetery where my dad is buried...

persimmon tree...
most of the gang (who went on the walk anyway) in front of dave's house...

dave taking a cat nap like my dad used to...
pie!
girls reading stories with my mom...
then we were off for ventura to visit my in-laws...here is sea making crafts in sabbath school...
love this teddy bear she drew...
collecting offering...
story found some gourds...

and a butterfly...


finally, we went to the ramate (spanish swap meet) on sunday...here is sea with her poppy and cousin skye...
and story with his new plane... (helicopter)...